Pagla Pahar’s Deadly Toll: On Delayed National Highway-29 in Nagaland

By now, experts and officials of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), the implementing agency of the crucial National Highway-29, must be aware of their failings, that all is not well with the method employed in constructing the ambitious road project. It's not rocket science. The frequency of landslides and rock falls along the Dimapur-Kohima road, particularly on the Tsiedukhru range (Pagla Pahar), has increased since the cutting of the four-lane project began, not only disrupting the traffic flow but also killing several people in avoidable natural mishaps. Triggered by incessant rain, landslides and rock falls hit the area again last weekend, prompting the authorities to close the road for traffic. It was perhaps the third such incident this year, and it may not be the last, as the monsoon is not over yet. The restoration effort of last year’s landslide areas between the Chathe and Khoukhi bridges also seems to be turning futile as the foundation bed of the embankment is beginning to wear out again due to the strong river water current. To prevent debris from obstructing traffic and endangering lives, slope barriers have been installed, but this too will be of little help in the event of a landslide or rock fall. All these point to oversight from the NHIDCL, its failure to study the fragile topography of the Himalayan region before embarking on the project.

It is very clear by now that the preventive measures implemented along the landslide-prone area will not be of much help after significant disruption caused to the topography due to extensive use of dynamite for blasting rocks along the National Highway-29, despite repeated warnings from the Nagaland Pollution Control Board about potential environmental destruction such activities could cause. The NHIDCL must take accountability, prioritise safety and even seek experts' help if needed to build an all-weather road, as envisioned when the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, announced the project during his visit to Nagaland in 2003. Ironically, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has boasted of constructing nearly 10,000 km of National Highways across the North East region between 2014 and 2024 at a cost of over INR 1.07 lakh crore, yet the lone National Highway that acts as the lifeline of Nagaland as well as the neighbouring state of Nagaland has been left neglected. It’s a shame that the centre-owned firm has not completed this project even after more than two decades since its inception and nine years since the work began. The projected completion date of the project has once again been revised to June 2027 but it remains uncertain. The centre should prioritise the project and safety of the people. Failure to do so will be like waiting for another rain, another landslide, another rock fall, and possibly another human tragedy and loss of property.