Roadblocks
The NHIDCL has come under fire and public scrutiny over a road project in Nagaland.
- Once again, the National Highways and Infrastructure
Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) has come under fire and public scrutiny
over a road project in Nagaland. The firm owned by the government of India has
been in the news for all the wrong reasons, either for inaction, delay, or poor
workmanship, particularly connected to the Dimapur-Kohima four-lane road
(National Highway-29) and National Highway-2 connecting Kohima and Mao Gate,
the lifeline of Nagaland and Manipur states. This time, it is connected to the
NH-29 Kohima to Jessami Road (Package-2). With no visible progress despite
making several assurances to complete the project, the Chakhesang Students’
Union (CSU) has launched agitation against the implementing agency NHIDCL and
EPC contractor M/s Ratna Infra Projects Pvt. Ltd., demanding immediate action.
This legitimate demand deserves due attention. For the company tasked with
enhancing the infrastructure network that supports the nation’s growth and
connectivity, particularly in regions sharing international boundaries, high
altitude areas, and hill stations, including the North East, Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand,
breaking the trust of the people is the last thing it should do. The centre has
entrusted the firm to promote regional connectivity and improve infrastructure
networks in border and strategic areas for several reasons. So, actions and
inaction that contravene its own vision of building sustainable highways with
transparency and delivering infrastructure projects efficiently will not only
affect the general public but also India’s ambitious Vision-2030 and Act East
Policy aimed at strengthening economic, cultural, and strategic ties with the
Asia-Pacific region.
- For people in hilly and difficult terrains, road
connectivity is a matter of survival. As most villages in rural areas are
connected by a single road, any disruption, whether by natural calamities or
human negligence, can cut them off from the rest of the world, thus affecting
their economic and social life. Talks about developing India and improving the
living standards of the citizens will remain hollow without good road
connectivity. Is it viable to carry produce from villages to the nearest towns
on foot? The concerned authorities should alleviate the hardships of people
living in villages by prioritising road infrastructure. The NHIDCL should
accept the fact that the present discontentment stems from its failure to
complete road projects on time. With the monsoon arriving in a few weeks, it
should expedite works on several projects it is currently undertaking,
including the Kohima-Jessami road. It should also expedite maintenance work and
steel wire barrier installation along the Dimapur-Kohima four-lane road
(NH-29), which is prone to rockfalls and landslides during the rainy season. It
is expected to lead India’s connectivity goals from the front and not become a
reason for disconnection.
