Nagaland: NHIDCL Assures Kohima–Mao Route near Phesama Will Be Fixed in 10 Days If They Get the Necessary Land

Minister Zeliang said that as a temporary solution, NHIDCL plans to carry out earth-cutting on the hillside to make the road motorable again.

The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has assured the Nagaland government that it will restore the flood and landslide-affected stretch of National Highway-2 along the Kohima-Mao route near Phesama within 10 days provided that the required land is made available without delay.

Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in-charge of Planning & Transformation and National Highway, TR Zeliang visited the site on Tuesday along with officials from the state government and NHIDCL to assess the extent of damage and discuss immediate remedial measures.

Minister Zeliang said that as a temporary solution, NHIDCL plans to carry out earth-cutting on the hillside to make the road motorable again.

“For immediate measure, they have to cut on the hillside, not the village side. So NHIDCL has assured us that for the immediate opening of the road, they will take 10 days to make the road through to cut on the hillside,” said Minister TR Zeliang.

However, he stressed that this can only proceed if the Phesama Village Council facilitates a resolution with the concerned landowner.

He urged the council to convene a meeting and promptly communicate the outcome to the Kohima Deputy Commissioner, Kumar Ramnikant.

“But the landowner issue is there, so we requested this Village council. They will have a sitting tonight and then they will convey Kohima Deputy Commissioner. So most probably they will be in the position to start the work by tomorrow if the landowner comes up with a positive result,” he added.

The minister said that for a long-term solution, the Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) had submitted a representation to construct an alternative road.

He said that the State Government has written to the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), requesting consideration of this alternative alignment.

NHIDCL has been instructed to conduct a joint survey with landowners and submit a detailed report to the Ministry for further action.

“SAPO have submitted a representation to construct an alternative route to this. So the state government have written to MRTH to have an alternative road. That is why we have requested the NIHDCL to conduct a survey in collaboration with the landowner and submit their report to MRTH to have one alternative route to this area because it is a landslide-prone zone,” he added.

He also said, “To bypass this landslide-prone zone, we need to explore an alternative road. NHIDCL has invited a team of experts to study the soil conditions here to prevent future collateral damage. While that long-term plan is being worked out, the best immediate solution is to identify and develop an alternative alignment.”

Minister Zeliang said that as a temporary measure, the government have decided to open a bypass route around 3 km from Kisama near the village which can be used by small vehicles. However, heavy vehicles, especially those heading towards Imphal, will require a separate alternative route on the other side.

“For now, NHIDCL has assured us that the main road at Phesama will be restored and made motorable within 10 days. Let’s hope the work is completed within that time frame,” he added.

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