T-Khel Kharu to IG Stadium road reopens after landslide

KOHIMA – The road from T-Khel Kharu to Indira Gandhi (IG) Stadium in Kohima reopened to traffic on Monday, November 9, more than three months after a landslide cut it off. The Kohima district administration said a damaged section of the road had been partly restored.

In an order dated November 9, District Magistrate B. Henok Buchem allowed light motor vehicles (LMVs) and heavy motor vehicles (HMVs) of up to six wheels to use the T-Khel Kharu road “with immediate effect”. The order does not mention larger trucks, and it does not say how much repair work is still pending.

The notice was issued “for information of all commuters and general public”. Additional District Magistrate Ruopfukuotuo Noudi signed the copy that was circulated.

Who has been told to act

The order asks several offices to take “necessary action”:

• the Senior Superintendent of Police, Kohima, and the Additional SP (Traffic), Kohima;
• the SDO (Civil), Sechu Zubza;
• the Executive Engineer, PWD (National Highways);
• the Executive Engineer, Urban Engineering Wing-1, Kohima.

Copies also went to the Commissioner and Secretary for Works and Housing, the Commissioner of Nagaland, the Commissioner of Police in Dimapur, and the Deputy Commissioners of Chumoukedima, Wokha, Tseminyu and Mokokchung. The Chief Executive Officer of Kohima Smart City Development Corporation Limited (KSCDL) and the District Public Relations Officer, Kohima, were also informed.

Cut off since August 5

The order does not say what damaged the road. Earlier reports trace the closure to a large landslide at Kewhitsütuo Model on August 5. A Morung Express photo report from September said the slide had “completely cut off” the road from Tsütuo Kharu to IG Stadium since that day.

During a visit by Minister Salhoutuonuo Kruse on September 5, T. Khel Council chairman K. Neibou Sekhose said the landslide had damaged paddy fields and buildings belonging to about 25 landowners, according to the same report. He asked for help for the affected families and for road connectivity to be restored.

Rs 1.20 crore restoration plan

At a review meeting on September 10, chaired by Deputy Commissioner Buchem, officials described the stretch from Kewhitsütuo Model to IG Stadium in Meriema as an important alternative route to NH-29, the Morung Express reported.

The stretch falls under KSCDL, which was asked to carry out immediate restoration. A Rs 1.20 crore proposal for the work was endorsed for submission to the state government, with work expected to start in October and finish before December 2026, Nagaland Post and Eastern Mirror reported.

The T Khel Council and Kewhitsütuo Model Council agreed to give no-objection certificates for the restoration and slope stabilisation. Affected residents were to receive relief from the State Disaster Response Fund through the District Disaster Management Authority, Kohima.

A difficult monsoon for Kohima’s roads

The reopening comes after a monsoon season that left several roads in and around the capital damaged. In mid-August, the district administration barred Manipur-bound heavy vehicles from entering Kohima because of sinking zones on NH-29 and NH-2.

In October, the Deputy Commissioner set November deadlines for repairs on other damaged stretches, including the DBS Junction to Medical College road and the Phizo Hill to Keyake (BSF Camp) road.

Commuters should follow instructions from traffic police on the reopened stretch. Nagaland.News has also reported on other public notices for Kohima residents, including the November 7 power shutdown and the KCCI shutter-repainting drive.