UKHRUL: The entire Lunghar villagers gathered at the village ground in a massive but peaceful protest against the proposed bypass of National Highway 202 (NH 202). Men, women, elders, and youth stood shoulder to shoulder, united by a single demand.
Among the crowd, a old man held up a handwritten placard that read “Link us, and don’t leave us behind.” A large banner spelled out their collective stand: “Peaceful Protest Against Bypassing Lunghar Village in Expanding NH 202 to 2 Lane.” Slogans were shouted across the ground that says, “No national Hinghway. No Development”, “No to bypass. Yes to development.”
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Sharing their desire, the villagers said that they welcome and support development but they do not agree to bypass the village which will take away their lifeline. For many families, roadside vending and direct access to the highway are what keep kitchens running and children in school. Villagers warn that diverting the road would be the equivalent of severing their lifeline, making it harder to transport produce and wiping out small businesses built over generations.
Village Headman LW Mataisang recalled how the announcement of the two-lane expansion of NH 202 was initially met with excitement. “We were happy. But when we learned that the road would bypass our village, it deeply hurt the sentiments of our people.”
The Headman further warned of irreversible environmental damage.
“This is not a greenfield project,” he said. “This is an extension of an existing road, not new construction. A bypass will affect forest land, the landscape, and even our water sources.”
According to him, impacting 14 kilometres of village land without allowing the road to pass through the community would amount to a huge and permanent loss for Lunghar.
LW Vareiso, VA Secretary, pointed to what he described as serious flaws in the survey process carried out by NHIDCL. According to him, the 14-kilometre stretch where the highway touching Lunghar village from south to north shows glaring discrepancies. “In 14 kilometres, only three individual names were issued in the 3D mapping,” he said, “when there are actually 54 private landowners. If a 3.4 km portion is considered, the number of private owners exceeds 100.”
Even more alarming for the villagers is how their land has been classified. Lunghar is known across the district as one of the largest producers of horticultural and agricultural produce. Yet, they allege that fertile farms and fields were marked as barren land.
“All the fields and farms were identified as barren,” Vareiso claimed. “If the survey was conducted with the knowledge of the Village Authority, how can farms be recorded as barren land? This makes the entire survey questionable.”
Concerns were raised not only about livelihoods but also about technical feasibility. A committee member questioned the alignment of the bypass, noting that the gradient exceeds 80 metres.
“It is technically not feasible,” he said, alleging that NHIDCL’s approach “appears to be aimed at shortening the road and saving money.”
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The protest is the result of years of unanswered effort. The Village Authority traced their struggle back to a 2017 survey that initially included the existing NH 150 alignment. When the bypass proposal surfaced without consultation, the village reached out repeatedly engaging Tangkhul civil society organisations, the District Collector, the Chief Minister, and even Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on three occasions.
In 2022, under then Ukhrul DC Krishna Kumar, a resurvey was conducted. Lunghar proposed Alignment No. 4 which is a straight, shorter route that passes through the village ground without affecting structures.
“When the proposal was taken to the Centre, the fourth alignment was left out,” Vareiso said. “We were verbally assured that the best decision would be taken, but nothing happened.”
Determined and resolute, the villagers have drawn a firm line. They say they have not accepted compensation and will not do so until their proposed alignment is approved.
“We have not taken a single rupee,” Vareiso declared. “And we will not allow any work to begin on the 14 km bypass unless and until the fourth alignment is settled.”