Likely to overshoot deadline by over 6 months
Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 8
Landslide or not traffic snarls continue to afflict the Dimapur-Kohima highway and other places in Nagaland. After the October 30 rockslide that resulted in a 5-day long blockade of the all important highway, there has been not much respite in terms of travel time and expenses incurred by commuters. With reduced comfort and pace, the travel time continues to increase with each passing day.
On the morning of November 7, a massive traffic jam occurred at the highway stranding vehicles for hours. People, who got stuck in the jam, said it was caused by a heavy duty truck immobilised in the middle of the road.
One transporter, who takes the treacherous 70 odd kilometres between Dimapur and Kohima daily, informed that a trailer truck (24-wheeler) got stuck in a rutty and muddy stretch of the highway between Piphema and Pherima.
This, despite the fact that the monsoon has retreated and the “working season” for construction-related activities has started in this part of the world.
It happened around 4:00 am. As the truck lay there immobile, the line of vehicles grew, the transporter said. It was only after heavy machinery was requisitioned from the construction firm engaged in the four-lane project that the stuck truck could be freed. “What normally was a 3 and a half hour journey extended to 7 hours this morning,” said the transporter, who transports newspapers.
The travel time between Dimapur-Kohima was 2 to 2 and a half hour before work on the four-lane project started.
He said that chasing early morning deadline to reach the papers to the doorsteps of subscribers has gotten tougher and not been kind on the body too. He said that there is little or no room for delay in the limited time they get to ensure the papers reach the distributors and hawkers in Kohima and the other districts on time. Like the transporter, the toll on other commuters has been just as taxing, especially people travelling on emergencies.
As regards the question of the four-lane works meeting the stipulated completion deadline, the topography, weather and local factors have likely combined to give the construction firms a tough time.
Rockslides and wet conditions along with sporadic incidences of unwanted local elements have marred the works.
One source disclosed that as per the current pace of work, “package 2” (Medziphema-Piphema) of the project is on schedule, while the other two would face delays. “Package 1 (Patkai Bridge-Medziphema) would likely be delayed by 6 months and Package 3 (Piphema-Jotsoma bye-pass) would be delayed by 7-8 months.
The source said that a fragile hillside prone to rockslides is causing to be a problem under “package 1.” Similar has been the problem under “package 3” in addition to building of culverts to divert natural drains and rainwater runoff.
The works had officially started in September 2016 with October-November 2019 as the predicted completion date.
