Nagaland: Four-lane NH-29 nowhere near completion, Yepthomi tells Centre

Seeks Gadkari’s intervention as even completed portions of road have already developed potholes

Dimapur, Oct. 9 (EMN): Amid growing frustration among the public over the construction of four-lane road NH-29 from Dimapur to Kohima moving at a snail’s pace, Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha MP Tokheho Yepthomi has sought the intervention of Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), to help complete the project on time.

Yepthomi apprised the Union Minister of the status of the much-anticipated four-lane road through a letter dated October 8, which was made available to the media on Wednesday.

While reminding Gadkari that he had laid the foundation stone of the “most vital road in the state” in 2015, Yepthomi wrote: “You are aware that the work has been under taken by National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) with a construction period of 3 (three) years. The work is well over the stipulated time and is nowhere near completion.”

“Portions of road that are completed have already developed potholes, which only shows very poor workmanship undertaken by sub-contractors,” read the letter.

“The people of our state are facing immeasurable problems due to the delay and poor workmanship of this vital road to our state capital from our commercial capital. It has become routine for people travelling on this road to take diversions to alternate routes, which extends the travel time by more than three hours. Traffic jams on this route have also become a routine exercise for travellers who are frequently stuck for hours at a stretch and overnight at times. I have also raised this issue on the floor of the house, but to no avail,” it added.

Yepthomi urged the minister to ‘personally intervene in this matter and look into the unnecessary hardships the people of the state are made to face on a daily basis.’