Kevipodi Sophie raises concern over delay in Kohima–Kigwema road project

KOHIMA — The two-lane Package 4 road project, connecting D Khel in Kohima village to the Kigwema bypass, has been under construction for more than two decades despite multiple deadline extensions.

Originally sanctioned in the year 2000 with a stipulated completion period of 18 months, the project remains incomplete and is now rescheduled for completion by March 31, 2026. At present, the progress stands at only 33.45% physically and 32.28% financially.

MLA Kevipodi Sophie, in his starred question on Thursday, said that this has raised serious concerns among the residents of the region and cited that NH 2 serves as a vital lifeline for the entire southern Angami region and provides crucial connectivity to the state of Manipur.

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However, he noted, the recent landslide at Phesama has exposed the vulnerability of this key route, causing major disruption to the movement of people and goods, especially affecting students who rely on it daily to reach schools and colleges.

Thus, he asserted that the incident underscored the urgent need for a reliable alternative route. He suggested that the concerned department hold National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) accountable for the prolonged delay in completing the bypass road, stating that the project must be urgently expedited and completed without further delay in strict adherence to the agreement.

State government has no authority

In response, Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang maintained that the project in question is undertaken by NHIDCL and directly controlled by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and that all the contractors are selected by MoRTH through their portals. Thus, the state government has not been allocated any authority.

He replied that the state government has convened several review meetings over the years under his chairmanship and that of the chief secretary, and accordingly, directions have been issued to NHIDCL on numerous occasions for quality work and timely completion. He also stated that the state government has been raising the issue with the ministry whenever meetings are held in Delhi, but nothing substantive has come out to date.

He also stated that the contractor was appointed on October 15, 2020, and the scheduled date for completion was April 17, 2022, but the completion date was again extended to February 2025 and later to March 31, 2026. He cited the reasons for the delay over the last three years as land acquisition problems and some legal issues but confirmed that the matter was settled by the court and the contractor was permitted to start the work.

He mentioned that the last 2.743 km stretch, which was under resurvey due to variation in ground level alignment, was finalised with the deputy commissioner of Kohima and the village council in August 2025, and that the court case on land compensation initiated by the EPC contractor is ongoing.

As directed by the state government to NHIDCL, the NHIDCL issued a notice of intention to terminate on May 22, 2023, and January 18, 2025, and the EPC contractor invoked arbitration in July 2023. The EPC contractor is to commence work in the subsidised stretch as the court has delivered the judgement, he added.

He also updated that the final alignment proposal for the last 2.734 km, submitted by RO Kohima to the headquarters of NHIDCL on August 20, 2025, is under examination by MoRTH. But if the contractor fails to comply, then the contract will be terminated and notice has been issued, he added.