CPO warns against further delay in Package-II project

DIMAPUR, AUG 2 (NPN): Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO) has expressed strong displeasure over the prolonged delay, lack of tangible progress and repeated failure in the execution of the two-lane NH-29 Package-II (Kikruma) road project on the Kohima–Jessami road. The organisation has called upon Ratna Infrastructure Projects Pvt. Ltd., the EPC contractor, and the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to take immediate corrective measures and ensure completion of the project within the stipulated September 2026 deadline.
In a press statement issued by CPO president Vezühü Keyho and general secretary Chepetso Koza, the organisation said the project was originally tendered in 2019 with a completion deadline of June 30, 2022.
However, after the then EPC contractor failed to achieve the required progress, the contract was terminated. CPO said the prolonged delay had caused immense hardship, developmental setbacks and substantial public loss to communities dependent on the vital road corridor.
The organisation said that despite the project being re-awarded to Ratna Infrastructure Projects Pvt. Ltd., the pace of work remained highly unsatisfactory and grossly disproportionate to the urgency and importance of the project. It maintained that repeated assurances by the executing agency had not translated into visible progress on the ground.
CPO stated that the continued lack of seriousness and accountability on the part of the EPC contractor was unacceptable. It disclosed that the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) had recommended to NHIDCL the termination of Ratna Infrastructure Projects Pvt. Ltd. and its replacement with a competent agency capable of completing the work within the stipulated timeframe.
However, it expressed concern that the recommendation continued to remain pending with NHIDCL.
Describing the Kohima–Jessami road as a critical lifeline, CPO said the highway provides vital connectivity from Phek, Meluri and Kiphire districts to the state capital, Kohima, besides linking Manipur and the wider regional corridor leading to the proposed International Trade Centre at Avangkhu on the Indo-Myanmar border.
It said the people of the region were overwhelmingly dependent on the road for transportation, trade, education, healthcare, employment, administration and other essential services due to the absence of alternative transport infrastructure.
The organisation urged the Nagaland government to take necessary steps within its jurisdiction and impress upon the concerned authorities to initiate corrective action against agencies whose continued failure had resulted in prolonged public inconvenience, developmental loss and avoidable hardship.
CPO also expressed deep dissatisfaction with what it termed NHIDCL’s prolonged inaction in ensuring accountability and timely execution of the strategically important project. It said the repeated failures, delayed execution and unfulfilled commitments associated with Package-II could no longer be allowed to continue, adding that such negligence amounted to a serious disservice to public interest.
To safeguard public interest and ensure timely completion of the project, CPO informed that it had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, through its counsel Neiteo Koza and Associates, seeking judicial intervention and monitoring of the project’s execution.
Warning that further delay would not be viewed lightly, the organisation called upon NHIDCL and Ratna Infrastructure Projects Pvt. Ltd. to fulfil their respective responsibilities, accelerate construction and complete the project within the September 2026 deadline without further excuses or avoidable delays.
“The people have endured this prolonged failure for far too long. The project must now be delivered, accountability must be ensured, and public interest must take precedence over all other considerations,” the CPO stated.