Deputy CM faults NHIDCL for ignoring state’s advice on NH-29 project in Nagaland

DIMAPUR — Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Tuesday said that the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) did not implement several key suggestions made by the state government regarding the construction and maintenance of the NH-29 stretch between Chümoukedima and Kohima, which continues to be affected by landslides and mudslides during the rainy season.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event at Zone Niathu by The Park, Chümoukedima, Zeliang said that while NHIDCL was “trying their best,” the damages could have been avoided had the corporation followed the recommendations of the state.

He said the state government had advised NHIDCL to construct protective structures such as piling walls of about 40 to 50 feet beneath the water along the river to prevent erosion. “If this piling had been done, the extent of damage could have been avoided,” he said.

Also read: NH-29 condition gone from bad to worse, Gauhati High Court told

According to him, another proposal was to cut the hillock on the opposite side of the river to prevent the river’s current from directly striking the retaining wall. “However, this recommendation too was not considered by NHIDCL, which is why such problems are now recurring,” he said, while adding that the situation is also a result of natural calamities that cannot be completely prevented.

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He further informed that the state government is making efforts to develop an alternative main road from Niuland to Chisema, expressing hope that it will be completed and made operational by March or April 2026.

Recounting the early planning phase, Zeliang said that during the initial inspection in 2014, when the Chief Engineer from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) visited, the state government suggested constructing two parallel two-lane roads along both sides of the river. This design, he said, would have allowed the two lanes to run parallel and, wherever possible, be connected to form a four-lane highway.

Additionally, it was proposed that another two-lane road be constructed on the hillside so that if one road was damaged, the other could still serve the purpose. “But after NHIDCL took over, they went ahead in their own way. That was the mistake from the beginning,” he said.

Read more: TR Zeliang inspects NH-29 damage, plans diversions

On whether the state would intervene more directly following repeated damage in the Chümoukedima stretch, Zeliang maintained that the government regularly coordinates with NHIDCL and other implementing agencies. “Whether it is the NHIDCL or BRO, the road belongs to the people.

So we always intervene. We have coordination meetings every quarter, but they don’t follow our suggestions. That was the mistake,” he maintained.