Correspondent
KOHIMA, SEP 4 (NPN): A landslide has left a stretch of National Highway-2 (NH-2) at Dzüphileiyi, Phesama village, cut off for more than two months, disrupting movement of commuters, students, villagers and other travellers in the area.
The prolonged disruption has also affected transportation and local trade, with taxi fares reportedly increasing and prices of some commodities rising.
Although government and NHIDCL officials have inspected the affected site several times, little visible progress has been made in clearing the debris, according to local residents.
Speaking to Nagaland Post, Southern Angami Public Organisation president Tepul Hopovi said NHIDCL officials had informed the organisation that a temporary solution would be undertaken for the time being, while a permanent solution would be taken up after the monsoon. He said the prolonged disruption had caused considerable hardship and affected transportation in the area. He said several civil society organisations had been appealing for an early solution and urged the authorities to take immediate action.
Phesama village chairman Toulie Seleyi described NH-2 as one of the oldest national highways and a matter of “national prestige.” He said the highway was important not only for Southern Angami but also for connectivity between Nagaland and neighbouring Manipur, besides serving as an international highway.
Seleyi said the stretch had experienced landslides almost every year for the past eight years and urged the central government to address the recurring problem. He also called on the state government to prioritise the issue. According to Seleyi, repair works were often undertaken only when the Hornbill Festival approached and pressure mounted on the authorities.
He said alternative route currently being used was originally constructed to provide access to quarries and was not designed to function as a major alternative road. Phesama youth president Ketounei-o Zashümo said local youth, along with traffic personnel, had been managing traffic at the affected site and manually maintaining portions of the road.
He said specific timings had been fixed for goods carriers to regulate traffic, but some drivers were not following the schedule, resulting in further congestion.