Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: Villagers in Manipur's Senapati district want answers. Residents and authorities from the Paomata and Chilivai Phaibung blocks claim the newly paved 60-km stretch of NH-102A between Tadubi and Lower Phaibung is falling apart. The road surface began cracking, peeling, and forming potholes just one week after workers finished the job.
Locals say the work failed to meet Indian Roads Congress and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways standards. The state of the road creates hazards for transporters and commuters while triggering dust pollution and waterlogging. The residents warn the situation will turn dire once the monsoon rains arrive.
They have repeatedly complained to the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd, contractors, and sub-contractors. So far, nobody has lifted a finger. The community is fed up. They now demand a special inspection team featuring officials from the Public Works Department, the NHIDCL, and independent experts to audit the work.
"They have also sought directions to the executing agency to rectify or reconstruct the defective portions at the contractor's own risk and cost under the applicable Defect Liability Period provisions of the contract."
The village bodies want contractors held accountable for any negligence. They are pushing for joint monitoring of all future highway projects, insisting that village-level committees work alongside departmental engineers to ensure quality. The group set an October 2026 deadline for the authorities to act. If the road is not fixed by then, they plan to launch democratic protests, which could include an indefinite blockade of NH-102A. The highway is part of the Ukhrul-Tolloi-Tadubi corridor where the NHIDCL currently manages multiple active construction packages.
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