Kohima: A fresh rockfall struck National Highway 29 on Thursday morning. The debris crushed a Mahindra Bolero near the Tsiedukhru Range. It happened between 10:20 and 10:30 am. Three employees from the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission were inside the vehicle. They survived without injury. One other vehicle narrowly escaped the falling stones.
The hit occurred roughly 2.5 kilometers from the Chümoukedima police checkpost. Excavators arrived quickly to clear the blockage. Crews pushed heavy rocks to the road edge to build a temporary wall against the slope. A supervisor on site noted, "Some of the larger rocks were being positioned along the edge as a temporary barrier to prevent further falling rocks from reaching the opposite side of the highway, as loose material remained on the slope."
This stretch of road, once known as Pagla Pahar, has a history of violence. A major slide killed two people on July 4, 2023. Another Bolero was hit on July 5, 2024, leaving four with minor injuries. A driver died when his Tata dumper was struck on May 30, 2025. Pherima village saw six deaths during a landslide on September 3, 2024. That same night, severe erosion tore through Chainage 126.
The Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench is watching. They started a suo motu PIL in 2019 regarding construction standards. They keep pushing for slope protection and faster land acquisition. Despite court deadlines, the road remains lethal. A fresh disruption hit on September 14, 2025. Locals now doubt if nature is the only culprit behind these recurring disasters.
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