Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 2
Nagaland has the longest length of National Highways (NH) per 1000 sq km in the North East Region (NER) while the region as a whole has more NH density than the national average, the parliament was informed on December 2.
As of October 2021, the length of NHs in Nagaland was 1,548 kilometre (KM), translating into 93.4 km per 1000 sq km against a national average of 40.3 km, highlighted data given by the Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), G Kishan Reddy, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
Except for Arunachal Pradesh (30.3 sq km), all NE states as well as the combined average of the region at 52 km was more than the national average at 40.2 sq km, informed data annexed in the reply based on the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH) data.
Meanwhile, the allocation for NER fund for road construction by the MORTH has been continuously enhanced in the last five years except in 2019-20 fiscal, the Minister added. In 2020-21, the total allocation and expenditure was Rs 3,374.56 crore.
In addition, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a total of Rs. 19,537.83 crore was spent in NER in the period 2016-17 to 2020-21, Reddy informed. The DoNER Ministry, through its schemes, has sanctioned 68 road and bridges projects in NER worth Rs 2,647.68 crore in the period 2018-19 to 2020-21, he added.
Meanwhile, as of April 1, 2020, against a national average of 21 km/1000 sq km, NE States have an average railway network density of 10.79 km/1000 sq km, he highlighted.
“To bridge this gap, 14 new line projects have been taken up in the North Eastern Region having a total length of 1,181 km at a total cost of Rs. 56,553crore. An outlay of Rs. 4,300 crore has been provided in 2021-22 for these projects,” he added.
Some NHs in NE a ‘National Shame’: HC Bench
Despite the high density of NH, often concerns regarding quality of workmanship and maintenance of road are expressed in the public domain, particularly in Nagaland.
Most recently, the Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court observed that some NHs in the NE have become a “national shame” while delivering a judgment with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), MORTH, Nagaland Government and others as respondents.
The case pertained to the diversion of NH-129A via Ngwalwa Village, instead of initial notification in June 2014 stating that “The Highway starting from its junction with NH-2 near Maram in the State of Manipur connecting Peren, Jalukie, Pimla Junction, Razaphe Junction and terminating at NH-29 near Dimapur in the State of Nagaland.”
Being aggrieved, affected villages located along the NH-129A filed the petition, praying among others, for construction of the road according to the initial notification as well as seeking an “inquiry by an independent agency to inquire into and prosecute those responsible for violating” the initial notification.
Disposing off the case on November 17, the HC Bench comprising of Justice Songkhupchung Serto and Justice S Hukato Swu observed that while the course of NH-129A, for which construction NITs (Notice Inviting E-Tender) were issued by the NHIDCL from Peren to Dimapur, were deviation from the initial “notified course,” it was followed up by another notification by the MORTH on July 27, 2021.
“Therefore, we are of the view that the act of the NHIDCL in having issued the NITs by changing the course of NH-129A has been regularized by a competent authority under the law,” it noted.
Further, by the same notification, the stretch of the NH-129A which has been left out from the course of the same highway has been declared as NH-329A, it observed.
In this connection, the HC Bench opined that both the Central and the State Governments have no intention of leaving that stretch of road unattended or uncared for.
“In fact, two National Highways have been created in and around the same area of the State. Therefore, we find no reason to suspect any malafide involved in the decision-making process,” it said, adding that declaration of those areas left out from the course of NH-129A as NH-329A “shows that both the State and Central Governments have not abandoned the same.”
However, taking into view the concern of the public, particularly, villagers located along the earlier notified stretch of NH-129A (now NH- 329A), the HC directed the Union of India, particularly the MORTH and the Government of Nagaland to “construct, expand and maintain the NH-329A as any other National Highway and it should be done at the earliest but not later than three years.”
“We may also mention here that some of the National Highways in the North East, particularly in Nagaland have become ‘national shame,’” the HC Bench concluded with a biting observation and directed the Ministry concerned and the State Government to “take immediate and proper action so that this NH-329A does not become one amongst those National Highways.”
