Three NH-202 accidents in 24 hours leave one dead and several students injured, renewing concerns over highway maintenance
DIMAPUR — Three accidents on National Highway-202 within 24 hours left one person dead and several students injured.
The first accident occurred on Tuesday night when a pick-up truck overturned on a narrow stretch of NH-202. The occupants sustained minor injuries, according to information received by this newspaper.
On Wednesday morning, at around 8 am, a school bus carrying about 20 people, including Class X students and teaching staff, met with an accident on the highway.
The bus was carrying students of Christ King School, Angangba village in Longkhim block of Tuensang district, who were travelling to Mopungchuket village in Mokokchung district for a study tour.
The bus handyman died on the spot. He was identified as Shutsali from Chungtor village. Several students were injured in the accident and taken to a hospital in Mokokchung, while those with minor injuries received first aid at Chare.
Later the same morning, at around 10 am, a Mahindra Bolero also met with an accident along the NH-202 stretch. Its occupants escaped unharmed.
The accidents come days after five tribal bodies representing communities in Tuensang, Shamator, Noklak and Kiphire districts urged the state government to ensure completion of pending Short Term Maintenance Contract (STMC) works on NH-202 by the first week of October.
In a joint representation to Deputy Chief Minister and Minister in charge of National Highways TR Zeliang on August 21, the tribal bodies also sought to keep the newly sanctioned 2026-27 STMC in abeyance until the previous year's maintenance works are completed.
The bodies had stated that STMC works awarded to Hi-Tech Construction & Co., Pace Enterprises and Classic Construction for June 19, 2025 to June 19, 2026 remained incomplete even after the contract period lapsed. They gave the agencies until the first week of October to complete the works, warning that appropriate action would follow if the deadline was not met.
Meanwhile, the Centre has sanctioned a one-year STMC for 244 km of NH-202 covering Tuensang, Shamator, Kiphire and Meluri districts. Zeliang had said on August 6 that the maintenance work would be executed in multiple packages along the Chare-Meluri stretch, with the tendering process completed and work orders to be issued.
The deputy chief minister had also said that the proposed upgrade of the Chare-Tuensang section to a two-lane highway was facing delays over unresolved Right of Way and land acquisition issues.
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