National Highway 39
A view of the construction work of the Dimapur-Kohima National Highway. Image credit - Twitter

Nagaland MP Tokheho Yepthomi has urged union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari to expedite the four-laning work of Dimapur-Kohima NH in Nagaland.

Union minister Gadkari assured the Nagaland Lok Sabha MP to accelerate the construction of this the crucial National Highway (NH) 39.

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Yepthomi met Gadkari in New Delhi on Wednesday along with the general manager of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corp. Ltd (NHIDCL).

NHIDCL is responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways and strategic roads of the country.

Also read: Nagaland MP seeks safety measures on Dimapur-Kohima road

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Informing about his meeting with Gadkari, Yepthomi on his Twitter handle on Wednesday said, “Met @nitin_gadkari regarding the slow progress of 4 lane road between Dimapur-Kohima. Hon’ble Minister has assured to accelerate construction of this crucial road.”

Yepthomi, a former Nagaland Cabinet minister and five-term MLA (1993-2018), also submitted a letter to Gadkari seeking the latter’s intervention regarding the slow progress of the road construction work.

Apprising Gadkari of the construction of the four-lane road (NH-39) from Dimapur to Kohima in Nagaland, Yepthomi wrote in the letter “this is the most vital road in the state” foundation stone of which was laid by Gadkari in 2015.

“You are aware that the work has been under taken by National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) with a construction period of 3 (three) years. The work is well over the stipulated time and is nowhere near completion,” the MP wrote in the letter.

The MP alleged, “Portions of road that are completed have already developed potholes, which only shows very poor workmanship undertaken by sub-contractors”.

Yepthomi said the people of Nagaland have been “facing immeasurable problems due to the delay and poor workmanship of this vital road” to the state capital of Nagaland from the state’s commercial capital, Dimapur.

“It has become routine for people traveling on this road to take diversions to alternate routes, which extends the travel time by more than three hours,” the letter said.

The Nagaland MP also said “traffic jams on this route” have become a routine exercise for travelers who are frequently stuck for hours at a stretch and overnight at times.

“I have also raised this issue on the floor of the House, but to no avail,” said Yepthomi.

The MP urged the Gadkari to “personally intervene in this matter and look into the unnecessary hardships” the people of the state are made to face on a daily basis.