HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 12: In what appeared to be an indictment of National Highway National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL) for the July 4 rockslide incident at Chümoukedima, chief minister Neiphiu Rio lamented that the construction of Dimapur-Kohima 4-lane national highway was not done properly.
Rio said this while interacting with media persons on the sideline of the inaugural programme of the First Summer Badminton Coaching Camp at Kuda village here Tuesday. He termed such incidents as unfortunate as there has been some “slackness” in four-lane road construction work.
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Rio said that the state government had been telling NHIDCL right from the beginning from the technical and administrative angles but the firm did not take heed. He pointed out that earlier there had been such incidents along the stretch within ‘Pagla Pahar’ especially with regard to the danger due to vertical cutting of the cliffs.
According to Rio, there may have been some slackness with regard to earth cutting on cliffs. He said there should have been ‘step cutting’ (bench cutting) instead of vertical cutting of cliffs to prevent rockslides. He said use of dynamites to blast rocks only caused cracks on the hill, which made the entire range shake and rainfall only loosened the soil, leading to rock falls.
Asked whether the Dimapur-Kohima route would be closed till July 21, Rio said he had spoken with deputy chief minister TR Zeliang and the chief secretary, and highlighted sufferings of the public. He mentioned that he had asked them to immediately find out alternative measures.
Asked why the Niuland-Zhadima road was not prioritised, Rio said National Highway was handled by the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH). He said though the road was pliable, yet it was not economically viable since it was not feasible for heavy vehicles to ply on it. With regard to construction of alternative roads, he said the State did not have the desired fund
