Seven village councils along the NH-202 corridor beyond the Kiphire-Meluri segment have expressed solidarity with the Affected Landowners’ Union, NH-202 Kiphire-Meluri, opposing the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ (MoRTH) decision to sanction a Short-Term Maintenance Contract (STMC) for the highway.
In a solidarity statement, the Kiphire, Singrep, Okhe, Phelungre, Longthonger, Yingshukur and Lihtsaoung Village Councils said the stopgap maintenance arrangement would not address the communities’ longstanding demand for a permanent two-laning project.
The Village Councils said that although their villages lie beyond the Kiphire-Meluri segment, they are equally affected by the decision concerning the NH-202 corridor.
According to the statement, the affected villages have for more than a decade witnessed repeated surveys, assurances and commitments from authorities regarding improvement of the highway. The communities said they had cooperated with multiple field surveys, including the latest survey conducted in 2025, and had relied on assurances that a permanent road project would be taken forward.
They expressed disappointment that these commitments had instead been followed by a temporary maintenance arrangement, which they said would do little to address their need for safe, durable and reliable road connectivity.
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The Village Councils endorsed the objections raised by the Affected Landowners’ Union and placed two demands before the authorities:
No short-term maintenance contract or temporary repair work should be permitted on NH-202.
The government should immediately commence the two-laning project and release all pending land compensation to affected landowners without further delay.
The Councils said they stood united with the Affected Landowners’ Union and other local stakeholders and called upon the authorities to honour their commitments and address the grievances of the affected communities.
They warned that failure to meet the demands would compel the villages to join the Union in pursuing stronger democratic and public actions, stating that the communities would not accept further delays, temporary fixes or what they described as broken promises.
