A stretch of the Chakhabama–Kikruma section of the two-lane NH-29 Package-II Kohima–Jessami project is seen in this handout photograph released by the Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) in early August. The Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, on August 27 sought a status report on the project. (Morung File/CPO Handout Photo)
Morung Express News
Kohima | August 27
The Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, on Thursday directed the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to submit a status report on the Kohima–Jessami two-lane road project amid concerns over prolonged delays and slow progress.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) and another petitioner, the petitioners’ counsel told the Court that they were not seeking any adverse order against the respondents, but the effective and timely completion of the project.
The counsel submitted that the five-package project, implemented by NHIDCL under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, was sanctioned in March 2020. The work was initially awarded to another contractor, whose contract was subsequently terminated over failure to meet the required timelines, according to the counsel.
A fresh tender for the balance work was issued in May 2023 and the contract awarded to another contractor in October that year. The petitioners’ counsel further submitted that NHIDCL had terminated the contractor’s agreement in August 2024, citing inadequate progress, with physical progress recorded at only 0.39 per cent as of August 17, 2024.
When the Bench asked how the contractor was continuing work despite the alleged termination, the petitioners’ counsel said the petitioners were concerned only with the project’s timely completion.
The counsel described the road as a vital lifeline for Phek, Meluri and Kiphire districts, connecting them with Kohima and providing onward connectivity towards Manipur and Myanmar. Its poor condition, particularly during rains, was causing hardship and forcing people to take long detours, the counsel submitted.
The petitioners also expressed concern that the project remained far from completion despite the extended deadline expiring on September 24, 2026, claiming that less than 50 per cent of the work had been completed.
The Court allowed counsel for contractor a week’s time to file her Vakalatnama. Counsel for NHIDCL stated that no instructions had yet been received.
The Court directed NHIDCL to file an affidavit by September 9 on the project’s present physical and financial status and listed the matter for the same date.
In an August 1 press statement, the CPO had expressed concern over delays and lack of tangible progress in the NH-29 Package-II project at Kikruma and described the Kohima–Jessami corridor as a critical lifeline for the region. It said Ratna Infrastructure Projects Pvt Ltd is the EPC contractor for Package-II and that it had approached the High Court seeking judicial monitoring for the project’s timely completion.
As per court records, the PIL was filed on June 22, 2024, and notices had been issued during an earlier hearing
