Paved with controversy, Meluri road projects finally see completion
The Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, on Thursday noted the completion of two long-pending road projects in Meluri district— Lephori to Molhe (26 km) and Akhen to Star Lake (15 km)
- DIMAPUR — The Gauhati High Court,
Kohima Bench, on Thursday noted the completion of two long-pending road
projects in Meluri district. The projects—Lephori to Molhe (26 km) and Akhen to
Star Lake (15 km)—had been delayed for over a decade since the original work
orders were issued in 2011.
- During the hearing, the counsel for the contractor M/S Rhino
Construction and Agency submitted the official completion certificate for both
road sections, dated January 20, 2025. The court directed the counsel to file
the completion certificate in the form of an affidavit and provide copies to
the petitioners.
- The Additional Advocate General of Nagaland also expressed
his intention to submit the completion certificate to the court formally.
- The Division Bench, comprising Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak
and Justice Kakheto Sema, scheduled the next hearing for February 12, allowing
the parties to present their submissions by way of affidavits.
- Case background
- The road construction projects have been the subject of
legal scrutiny since November 2020, when the petitioners filed a Public
Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging misuse of funds and incomplete work despite
repeated allocations.
- In August 2024, the contractor appeared before the court,
attributing delays to a "Revised Working Estimates" issued by the PWD
(R&B) Phek Division in 2023. This revision reportedly changed the nature of
the work from culvert construction to soling and metalling, affecting
approximately 24 km of the road sections.
- The court granted a final deadline extension until December
31, 2024, cautioning that failure to complete the project by the stipulated
deadline would result in contempt proceedings and an independent investigation
to identify those responsible for the delays.
- As per the first order issued in the PIL on November 12,
2020, the petitioners alleged that INR 30 crore was sanctioned in 2014 for the
construction of the road between Lephori and Molhe in Phek district, with a
completion certificate issued on January 21, 2014, although the work had not
been completed.
