Nagaland rockslide tragedy: Traffic hits alternate route; condition of 3 injured stable

DIMAPUR— The closure of National Highway-29 (NH-29) along the Chathe-Khuokhi bridge stretch after a rockslide killed two people and injured three others, triggered chaos on the alternate route via Shokhuvi-Medziphema in the early hours of Wednesday.

Police on Tuesday diverted Dimapur-Kohima route to 7th mile Chümoukedima-Shokhuvi-Pimla-Mhainamtsi-Punglwa-Jharnapani-Medziphema over safety concerns at the accident area in Chümoukedima.

Traffic police were on their toes since July 4 evening as the alternate route was wedged solid with near-constant traffic gridlock.

The Zone 2 traffic police officer-in-charge said there was traffic jam in the morning, and that they have been working unceasingly for smooth passage of vehicles along the route.

It will be difficult for heavy vehicles to take the alternate route as the road is marrow but most such vehicles were avoiding the route because of traffic congestion, he said.

Commuters of the alternate route, however, pointed out that it has many dangerous spots, especially when it rains as the stretch of road is narrow and muddy.

To avoid any untoward incident, the government must maintain the road by widening and repairing as it is the only alternative in the event of landslide during monsoon season or any activity along Dimapur-Kohima road, they said.

Health update

The condition of three people, who were injured in the Tuesday’s accident, are stable and recovering, according to sources.

It added that two of them were discharged from Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research (CIHSR) on Wednesday, while one is expected to be in the hospital for few more days as he had suffered a rib fracture.