The 'Current Status' document reported that the total length of on-going works spans 468.71 kilometres. Although the document did not specify the exact date the status referred to, its properties suggested that it was created on November 8, 2024.
The projects include the much-delayed ‘4-Laning of Dimapur-Kohima Road’ on NH-29, which is part of the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the North East (SARDP-NE). Of the three packages, only Package-II, covering 13.71 kilometers, has been completed thus far. In September, a landslide triggered by a heavy thunderstorm claimed six lives and caused significant damage to vehicles and houses in Phephima, located along this stretch.
Package-I, covering the challenging ‘Pagla Pahar’ stretch, which spans 14.94 kilometers starting from Chate River Bridge, has been designated as “Completed C.C (Completion Certificate) Not issued.” Despite the completion status, frequent rockslides continue to cause issues along this stretch. Additionally, in September, landslides and soil erosion from the Chathe River almost engulfed half of the road.
The "Likely Date of Completion" for Package-III, covering 14.21 kilometres, is now set for September 28, 2025, with physical progress reported at 16.82%. This stretch includes the Dzüdza area, which made headlines last August due to a significant landslide and mudslide that blocked the road for several days.
The construction of the Dimapur Bypass, connecting Nagaland and Assam portions to NH-29, is expected to be completed by December 31, 2024. Similarly, the estimated completion date for the “Upgradation of the existing road to a 2-lane with paved shoulders from Kohima to Mao, from km 185.540 to km 211.709 under Bharatmala-NH(O)-TSP” on NH-2 is February 28, 2025, with physical progress at 74.23 per cent.
It is important to note that both the Dimapur to Kohima four-lane and the Kohima to Mao upgradation projects are the subjects of two separate Public Interest Litigations (PILs), which were taken up suo motu by the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court. In both cases, the Court cited delays in construction and completion, among other concerns, as reasons for taking up the matters.
