The Itanagar Permanent Bench of the Gauhati High Court has summoned officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the PWD (Highways), and the contractor for Package B of the four-lane highway project (Papu Nallah to Nirjuli) to appear before the court. The summonses were issued due to the court’s dissatisfaction with the status/progress report submitted by the authorities regarding the construction work on the highway.
The case is ongoing, following the filing of a public interest litigation (PIL No 11/2024) by Vijay Jamoh and Doge Lona, residents of Naharlagun. The petitioners alleged that the project had missed its deadline, and that the authorities were not taking the issue seriously.
Based on the submissions made by the state, the court noted that the progress report and photographs “do not inspire confidence” and reflect a lack of genuine commitment to the project. Despite several undertakings, the court observed that no substantial progress had been made.
Package B of NH 415, from Papu Nallah to Jully trijunction, is 11.306 km long. The current deadline for completing Package B, including the flyover, is May 2026.
The highway has been under public scrutiny for a long time due to its slow progress, which has made commuting difficult for citizens and adversely affected local businesses. It remains to be seen how serious the government is about completing the project on time.