NH 39 blocked since 17 days following landslides

Kohima, Aug 23 (UNI) A part of National Highway 39 between Zubza and Kohima remained submerged for the seventeenth day today and over 140 goods-laden trucks are stranded at the Zubza side, awaiting their turn to move forward to various places of Nagaland and Manipur.

The NH 39, the lifeline of Nagaland and Manipur, remained inundated since August 7 following heavy rainfall and a huge chunk of the road has been sinking continuously.

Meanwhile, Border Road Task Force (BRTF) personnel, appointed to look after the maintenance of the highway, have so far been unable to repair the road and were only dumping boulders and earth on the sinking portion to enable movement of traffic.

The Kohima police, maintaining the traffic on that stretch of the road, has been allowing only small vehicles and some small trucks with essential commodities and perishable items and bulldozers are helping them cross the area.

Police said that some of the trucks were carrying goods beyond their capacity, but due to want of the Weigh Bridge, they were compelled to allow the vehicles through the sinking area.

Meanwhile, there is no shortage of any essential commodities in the capital town so far with only a rise in prices of the commodities, but there was there is shortage of LPG cylinders, which some of the hoarders are selling at Rs 700 per cylinder.

Nagaland has been experiencing very heavy rainfall this year following which landslides were reported from almost every district of the state, while the Kiphire district remained cut off for about a month due to landslides on the main linking roads and was facing shortage of essential commodities.

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