NSF seeks NHIDCL’s removal from Dimapur-Kohima highway, citing poor workmanship, safety lapses, delayed repairs and questionable Package-II completion
DIMAPUR — The Naga Students' Federation (NSF) has called for the removal of National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) as the implementing agency for the Dimapur-Kohima four-lane highway, alleging poor workmanship, prolonged delays and inadequate maintenance put commuters at risk.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, the federation flagged the Medziphema-Peducha stretch of National Highway-29, alleging damaged road surfaces, inadequate drainage, deteriorating side structures, poor slope protection and delayed restoration works.
The NSF stated that commuters had faced life-threatening situations, particularly during the monsoon and at night, and several people had lost their lives and others sustained serious injuries in rockfalls and other road-related incidents linked to inadequate safety measures and slope stabilisation.
It demanded an immediate inquiry by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) into the execution and maintenance of the Dimapur-Kohima project, especially the issuance of a completion certificate for Package-II despite incomplete works and continuing deficiencies.
The federation questioned how the package could have been certified as complete when “significant components” were still pending and the highway continued to show problems.
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The NSF also pointed to the project's five-year Defect Liability Period (DLP), alleging that NHIDCL had failed to ensure adequate repairs and rectification of defects. It cited collapsing side walls, inadequate drainage, poor slope protection, damaged road surfaces and deficiencies in road-safety infrastructure.
It further criticised what it described as inadequate monsoon preparedness, including preventive drainage maintenance, slope stabilisation, erosion control, retaining structures and emergency-response arrangements.
Beyond the Dimapur-Kohima highway, the NSF stated that complaints relating to workmanship, delays and maintenance had also emerged from several NHIDCL projects across the state, including the Kohima Bypass, Kohima-Mao Road, Dimapur Bypass, slope protection works along NH-29, Akash Bridge-Jessami Road (NH-202), and Peren-Dimapur Section (NH-129A) Packages II and III.
The federation urged MoRTH to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Package-II completion certificate, ensure immediate rectification of defects under the DLP and fix responsibility on officials, consultants and contractors if negligence or substandard work is established.
It also called for appropriate contractual and disciplinary action against contractors found responsible for defective or incomplete works.
As its strongest demand, the NSF urged the governments of Nagaland and India to terminate NHIDCL as the implementing agency for the Dimapur-Kohima stretch and entrust the project to either the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) or the state PWD (National Highways).
Describing the Dimapur-Kohima highway as a critical lifeline for Nagaland and neighbouring states, the federation asserted that public safety should take precedence over institutional considerations.
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