A landslide has left a stretch of National Highway-2 (NH-2) at Dzüphileiyi in Phesama village cut off for more than two months, disrupting commuters, students, villagers and other travellers. The blockage has forced motorists to use a minor quarry access road and has extended journey times for residents.

The disruption has affected local transportation and trade, with residents reporting that taxi fares have risen and prices of some commodities have climbed, increasing pressure on household budgets. Traders and transport operators have adjusted schedules to cope with delays and the reduced capacity of the detour.

Government teams and the National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) inspected the site several times, but locals say there has been little visible progress in clearing debris. Southern Angami Public Organisation president Tepul Hopovi said NHIDCL officials informed the organisation that a temporary solution would be implemented and that a permanent repair would be taken up after the monsoon.

Phesama village chairman Toulie Seleyi said National Highway-2 is one of the oldest routes in the region and argued that its condition is a matter of national prestige given its role in connectivity between Nagaland and neighbouring Manipur and in international transit. He said the stretch has experienced landslides almost every year for the past eight years and urged the central and state governments to prioritise remedial works.

Seleyi said repair works are often undertaken only when the Hornbill Festival is imminent and pressure mounts on authorities. He noted that the current alternative route was built to provide access to quarries and is not designed to function as a major arterial road, and Phesama youth president Ketounei?o Zashümo said local youth, with traffic personnel, have been managing traffic at the site and manually maintaining portions of the road. Specific timings have been fixed for goods carriers, but non?compliance by some drivers has compounded congestion.