Kohima: Heavy vehicles started rolling on Asian Highway-1 near Phesama village at 7 p.m. Sunday. Crews cleared enough of a massive mudslide to reopen the route after a three-day shutdown. The blockage, triggered by relentless rain last Friday, buried 250 metres of the road near the Naga Heritage Village exit at Kisama.
Authorities had previously diverted light vehicles through the Rhododendron Resort road. They kept heavy trucks parked for safety, fearing the soggy ground might give way under the weight. Now, officials are carefully escorting unloaded trucks and 10-tyre vehicles headed toward Manipur through the debris zone.
Drivers have paid a steep price for the closure. Devinder, a truck driver hauling 14 tonnes of tiles from Delhi to Manipur, spent ten days on the road total. "I spent five days travelling from Delhi to Dimapur but another five days stranded in Nagaland, including three days at Phesama," he said. Another driver, Jiyabur, had been stuck for two days while hauling chicken feed to Ukhrul. He reported a total lack of basic amenities like food, toilets, or places to sleep.
Work continues on the highway. Two excavators are digging out the remaining sludge and shoring up the damaged section from both ends. Officials have not set a firm date for full, unrestricted traffic flow, promising only a gradual return to normal as the road stabilizes.
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