Workers installing high-tensile rockfall protection system along the Pagla Pahar (Tsiedukhru Range) stretch of NH-29, a site prone to frequent rockslides, including the most recent incident on May 30, 2025. Workers on site informed that the main poles are buried at least 10 feet underground, with metal ring nets installed thereafter to arrest falling rocks. While some systems feature multiple levels of barriers, it was learnt that only one barrier would be installed here, with the lower portion covered by nets.
Not far from the location, on the opposite end, a major portion of the riverbank embankment, rebuilt after being washed away by the Chathe River last year, was again eroded recently, accompanied by visible land sinking. The construction of the Dimapur-Kohima four-lane road is the subject of an ongoing Public Interest Litigation (Sou Motu), taken up by the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench in 2019.
On April 2, the Court observed that, despite a report being submitted in February and the urgency of the matter, the State Government had failed to take action. It accordingly directed the State of Nagaland to initiate appropriate steps for early land acquisition. The NHIDCL and the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways were also directed to accord necessary sanctions and approvals. The current status of the acquisition remains unclear, but the latest instance of sinking and erosion occurred on June 17. (Morung Photo)
