Kohima, July 7 (MExN): Nagaland's Deputy Chief Minister and Minister-in-charge of Planning & Transformation and National Highway, TR Zeliang, has sought the personal intervention of Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari concerning the ongoing four-lane construction of National Highway-29 from Dimapur to Kohima.
Specifically, Zeliang urged Gadkari to direct the “concerned officials of the implementing agency/NHIDCL to expedite the work as per specification and complete the project with safety measures in the best interest of the people of Nagaland.”
In a letter to the Union Minister on July 6, a day after another rockslide occurred on the ‘Pagla Pahar’ stretch of NH-29, the Deputy CM highlighted various issues concerning the construction of the Dimapur-Kohima 4-Lane Road, covering 42.86 km out of the total 76 km between these two cities.
He noted that the project was announced in 2003 by the then Prime Minister, the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but only received ministry approval in 2013, with the foundation stone laid on November 5, 2015.
Unfortunately, even after almost ten years of execution, the project remains incomplete, and the progress of the work is unsatisfactory, Zeliang said.
As the project is executed and monitored by the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), he claimed that he had urged the agency on several occasions, including quarterly Review and Coordination meetings, to expedite the work as per the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and Contract Agreement and also ensure safety measures in vulnerable areas.
Zeliang, however, maintained that the progress of work is “very much behind schedule” of the completion deadlines set for three packages, and there appears to be a total lack of road safety measures and quality control along whole road.
He further pointed out that on July 4, 2023, a rockslide claimed two lives and damaged several vehicles on the ‘Pagla Pahar,’ which falls under Package-I of the 4-Lane project. On July 5, 2024, a similar incident occurred in the same Package, grievously injuring four occupants of a car, he added.
Zeliang also claimed that after last year's incident, the State Government has impressed upon the NHIDCL Regional Office (Kohima) to ensure immediate safety measures to avoid incidents in the vulnerable areas of the highway in the future.
He also expressed concern that without immediate safety measures in place, commuters' lives would be at great risk during the harsh monsoon season.
While acknowledging that NH-29's 4-Lane project traverses hilly terrain and contends with unpredictable weather conditions, Zeliang underscored that these factors should not be the sole basis for inordinate delays on the part of the implementing agency.
There have also been instances of cancellation of Work Orders, termination of Contract Agreements, and the appointment of Short-Term Maintenance Contracts adding to the delay in the project's progress, he pointed out.
The Deputy CM also noted that Nagaland attracts maximum tourists during the month of December, when the ten-day Hornbill Festival is celebrated from December 1, while tourism peaks in the festive winter season.
Considering these factors, he claimed that he had impressed upon NHIDCL to complete the project and hand over the road to the people before the onset of the festive season. “But looking at the pace at which work is executed, it is unlikely to be completed even this year,” he added.
Accordingly, Zeliang sought Gadkari’s personal intervention on the issue.
