NHIDCL didn’t follow state’s advice: TR Zeliang

State deputy chief minister TR Zeliang, who is also minister in-charge of National Highways, has expressed disappointment over the manner in which the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) executed works along the Dimapur-Kohima four-lane project, particularly along New Chümoukedima stretch.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of an event at Chümoukedima on Monday, Zeliang said that the damage could have been avoided if the agency had followed the state government’s technical suggestions. He said NHIDCL engineers were trying their best, but noted that they could not follow whatever the state government suggested.
Zeliang disclosed that the state government, including the chief minister, had advised the agency to construct protection wall along the river and undertake piling works to prevent future collapses. “If piling was done, this would not have been damaged in this manner,” Zeliang stated.
Further, he pointed out that the state had also recommended cutting the hillock on the opposite side of the river to prevent water from directly hitting the embankment, but was ignored. “We are facing problems because they should have listened to the suggestions given by the state government,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the deputy chief minister informed that the state government was working its best to create alternate road to ease ongoing traffic and safety challenges, towards Niuland, to bypass the sinking zone.
He expressed optimism that the route would be completed by March or April 2026, allowing smoother connectivity when the highway faces disruptions.
Asked whether the new route meant that the state would abandon the present NH-29 alignment, he clarified that it would not be abandoned, adding that the alternate route would be used when the main stretch faced problems.
On whether the state government’s decision to take up the project was a mistake, Zeliang recalled that the issue dated back to 2014, when the first team of engineers from Delhi, including the chief engineer, visited the site. He said that during that time, they too agreed to the suggestion of the state government, to create two-lane roads, parallel on both sides of the river, and wherever the landscape was suitable, the road can merge to make it four-lane.
That way, he stated that if one side was damaged, the other could serve the purpose.
He, however, pointed that after NHIDCL took over the charge, they went ahead in their own way. “That was the mistake from the beginning”, he said.
Asked why the state could not intervene more firmly, Zeliang explained that NHIDCL is an independent organisation, not under the control of the state government. “We only suggest,” he added.
Zeliang, however, clarified that whether the project was under NHIDCL or Border Roads, the road belonged to the people of the state. Therefore, he said that the state government always intervened whenever necessary.
The deputy chief minister informed that they hold quarterly coordination meetings and make various suggestions, but they did not follow the suggestions.