The Ao Senden, AKM, Mokokchung District Truck Owners’ Association, District Administration, and the PWD (NH) conducted a joint inspection of NH 702D (Mariani Road) and NH 02 (Amguri Road) today, 10 August 2024. The inspection comes as the indefinite suspension of commercial truck operations by truck owners from Mokokchung, Zunheboto, Tuensang, and neighboring areas reached its 13th day.
This inspection follows the deadline set by the Deputy Commissioner, who had instructed the contractor to personally oversee the maintenance work on NH 702D and ensure the road was motorable by Friday, August 9.
Mkg-Amguri road inspection: Contractor commits to making roads motorable by Monday
The inspection began at NH 02 (Amguri rroad), where the team examined the 156-159 km stretch under JKM firm. They found that mud needed to be cleared, and chipping and rolling were necessary. The contractor firm assured that this work would be completed by the end of the day or Sunday.
Further along NH 02, the section from 195-500 km (Chuchuyimlang to Tuli), overseen by KKB Rülho firm, was inspected. At about 203 km stretch, the road was deemed non-motorable, particularly in rainy conditions. Potholes were yet to be filled, prompting the project coorrdinator, A Sangtam, to promise that these issues would be addressed by the end of the day.
At the 203.7 km mark, civil society representatives expressed dissatisfaction, urging the contractor not to conduct superficial work for the sake of the inspection but to ensure that the road remains motorable during the monsoon season. They emphasized that their concerns go beyond potholes to the overall motorability of the road.
The Junior Engineer from the PWD (NH) acknowledged that if the work had been done before the monsoon, the road conditions would have been better. When asked about the slow progress of the project, which was announced two years ago, the project coordinator assured that efforts would be intensified. Sangtam stated that the project is targeted for completion by March 2025, with 54% of the work completed so far.
It was revealed during the inspection that delays in the project were caused by issues such as the unavailability of boulders and problems with crushers. Additionally, one project manager was reportedly dismissed due to ineffective management.
The 212-200 km stretch was found to be in particularly poor condition. The project coordinator explained that this segment would require more time for repairs. Civil society representatives insisted that while they are not demanding full blacktopping, they expect the road to be made motorable and urged the contractor to expedite the work.
A representative from the PWD (NH) requested an additional two days, assuring that by Monday, the road would be motorable. The project coordinator, Sangtam also promised consistent and sincere efforts to complete the work.
The truck owners stated that if the road is made pliable by Monday, they would consider lifting the bandh. However, Ao Senden noted that many of the issues they had highlighted remain unaddressed.
Mkg-Mariani road inspection
The Mokokchung-Mariani road has been awarded a short-term maintenance contract for 12 months, intended to cover the interim period before the completion of the ongoing two-lane survey.
Ghunavi Aye, the contractor of Affluent Enterprise, responsible for the 0 to 63 km stretch (Mokokchung to Longtho bridge), stated that the repair process had been delayed for the past week due to issues with machinery and boulder supplies.
When asked about the progress made since the announcement of the truckers’ bandh, Aye reported that repairs had been completed on the 0 to 45 km stretch. However, following the bandh, his team had to shift their focus to the 45 to 63 km section.
It was learned that the worst-affected area was the stretch from Satsükba village to the vicinity of Minister Imna Along’s residence. Despite some repairs, the road remained in poor condition.
Aye acknowledged that the most critical areas had not yet been fully addressed and assured that with an additional week, they could complete the necessary repairs.
However, civil society groups argued that waiting another week would be too long, citing the hardships faced by the public and the economic impact on districts like Tuensang and Zunheboto. Despite these concerns, they recognized that Aye and his team had shown some progress and suggested that he prioritize making the worst-affected areas motorable.
A compromise was reached between the civil society groups and Aye, with a plan to lift the bandh on Tuesday, 13 August if the road is made motorable. The three days—Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday—would be left undisturbed to allow for uninterrupted road repairs.
“They are making progress. They asked for an additional three days to complete repairs on the critical points, so we are placing our trust in them,” said one of the truck owners.
“In the next three days we will identify the critical points and will fix those,” Aye said.
Before returning to Mokokchung, the civil society representatives made a stop at Changki Village to discuss the situation with the Changki Village Council. The civil society spent about 13 hours on the inspection in a single day, traveling from Mokokchung town to Tuli, Amguri, Mariani, Changki, and back to Mokokchung.
The joint inspection of the Mokokchung-Amguri and Mokokchung-Mariani roads by the Ao Senden and other stakeholders highlighted the challenges in making these vital routes motorable during the ongoing truckers’ strike. Despite the delays and difficulties faced, all contractors involved—JKM and KKB Rülho and Affluent Enterprise—have committed to completing critical repairs within the next few days.
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