With NH-2 closed, only alternate route to Manipur severely damaged

KOHIMA — The alternate route for heavy vehicles between Nagaland and Manipur, passing through Keyake in Kohima, has become severely damaged by mud and slush, causing considerable inconvenience to both truckers and local residents.

The stretch in question, less than 100 metres long and located near the BSF camp, has become the only functional route after the closure of NH-2 at Phesama due to a landslide in June.

Local residents told Eastern Mirror that several loaded trucks have been getting stuck along this patch, obstructing traffic and raising safety concerns. One such incident occurred on Sunday midnight when a Manipur-bound truck carrying milk powder got stuck in the mud and overturned, bringing traffic to a standstill until Monday afternoon.

When this newspaper visited the site around 2:30 pm on Monday, an excavator was seen working to level the muddy road. While some trucks were able to slowly pass through, a container truck got stuck in the middle of the stretch, requiring assistance from the excavator to be pushed out.

Also read: Mudslides disrupt NH-2 in Kohima; college students and commuters bear the brunt

Kashim, a driver who regularly plies the Dimapur-Manipur route, said that the truck which overturned had blocked traffic from behind since 11:30 pm the previous night. “We’ve been waiting since Sunday midnight without any food,” he said.

According to him, the truck drivers initially waited for help from the “company” but when no one turned up, they pooled money among themselves — ranging from INR 100 to INR 200 per person — and hired a private excavator to clear and level the road.

According to him, the drivers initially waited for help from the “company” but when no one turned up, they pooled money among themselves — ranging from INR 100 to INR 200 per person — and hired a private excavator to clear and level the road.

This Keyake stretch had earlier served as a minor route, but with the blockade at Tin Pati near the Old KMC dumping site, truckers have been diverted through 10 Mile Road and then via this damaged road at Keyake.

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“All the heavy vehicles to different parts of Nagaland and Manipur are now plying through this route and this is our only highway now. It will be so good for everyone if this road is cleared,” Kashim added.

For now, small vehicles are unable to ply the stretch.

The deteriorating road has also impacted residents of Keyake colony. One resident said the “muddy and unmaintained” road is particularly affecting schoolchildren, office-goers and pedestrians, especially when stranded trucks block the narrow passage.

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With stranded trucks blocking the road most of the time, there is no safe and smooth passage for light vehicles. “Pedestrians are scared to walk by the roadside as the moving heavy truck could capsize due to the horrible condition of the road, the resident said.

YM Lotha, another resident, said the situation worsened with the onset of monsoon rains, making the road unusable for light vehicles. He said that the constant flow of loaded trucks has only exacerbated the damage.

Taking matters into their own hands, colony residents recently opened up an old road below Union Baptist Church, Keyake. They contributed collectively to level and soil it about two weeks ago. That road is now being used by small vehicles.

“Earlier, we used to help clear the muddy stretch ourselves from time to time, but we can no longer manage because of the heavy traffic. The vehicles to Imphal are all going through here, and the drivers face long delays, sometimes even an entire day, without access to food,” said Lotha.

Read more: Kohima-Jessami road blockade enters 12th day; landowners demand immediate resolution

Residents said that the stretch was originally a terrace cultivation area that was later converted into a road.

During dry spells, vehicles can manage the stretch if minimal levelling is done, but each fresh spell of rain leaves the route worse off, they noted.

According to sources, the road is part of an ongoing by-pass project via Meriema that connects to NH-2. While the overall by-pass falls under the purview of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), the particular Keyake stretch is currently being maintained by the Assam Rifles.

The primary NH-2 route between Dimapur, Kohima and Manipur remains blocked at two key locations — the Old KMC Dumping Site and Phesama — following major landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in June.

Since then, the Kohima deputy commissioner has been issuing travel advisories and rerouting traffic. Heavy vehicles, district-bound vehicles and paramilitary convoys have been directed to use the 10 Mile Road (Peducha Bridge–Tsiesema–Kohima) and then diverted via Keyake–Kidima–Mao Gate.