Imphal: The National Highway-37 project in Manipur faces a long delay. Officials now promise completion by December 2026. The road serves as a vital artery for the landlocked state, carrying food, medicine, and fuel.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways launched the 1,300-crore project in 2022. It aimed to upgrade 203 kilometres of the route into an all-weather road. Progress looked promising at first. Travel times between Imphal and Jiribam dropped from eight hours to five. Newer concrete bridges replaced old steel ones. Then the rain arrived.
Commuters report the highway is crumbling under the monsoon. Potholes and landslides plague the route. A regular traveller noted: "With just a little rain, we are back to square one."
NHIDCL claims five of the seven construction packages are nearly complete. Yet, the road remains vulnerable. Heavy traffic has doubled since the May 2023 ethnic conflict, adding pressure to unfinished sections. The agency blames land disputes and natural disasters for the slow pace. Local transport unions argue that poor drainage and aggressive hill cutting cause the damage.
Engineers identified six critical spots needing immediate repair. NHIDCL plans to patch these sections this month. They maintain that the project will succeed despite the setbacks. For those relying on the road, the final test remains the weather. The work must survive the rain to prove its value.
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