NH4: Vikas Is Coming, Please Take the Diversion.

Islanders dreamed of a dependable road from south to north. Development keeps offering the next big promise.

If patience could be used for road construction, Andaman islanders would have finished NH4 themselves by now, with enough left over for the Bambooflat–Chatham bridge.

The Andaman Trunk Road’s transformation was a dream project for the islanders: a dependable connection from South Andaman through Baratang, Kadamtala and Rangat to North Andaman and Diglipur. Farmers could reach markets more easily. Students could travel with less uncertainty. A family taking a patient to hospital could concentrate on the patient instead of conducting an advance survey of the road.

It was a modest dream. A road that remained a road throughout the journey.

Instead, we have acquired an advanced education in “balance work”, “revised schedules” and “contract termination”. The public asked for connectivity; it has been enrolled in a correspondence course in civil engineering. Final examination: explain why the completion date keeps moving faster than the traffic.

Foundation stones for major road sections and both principal bridges were laid in October 2017. Nearly nine years later, the familiar refrain could be set to music: “Kaam chal raha hai.” Work is going on. So are the years. 

The figures are substantial. The 12 main NHIDCL project entries carry recorded project costs totalling ₹2,505.86 crore. In the register dated 31 August 2026, seven were marked completed, three ongoing and two under termination. That total is a project-cost subtotal, not a statement that the entire amount has been spent. But it is enough to justify a question considerably shorter than the project files: “Sadak kab milegi?” 

The cruel joke is that sections completed years ago have developed defects while other portions are still waiting to be finished. Rangat–Nimbutala was recorded as completed in March 2021; parliamentary replies later documented pavement distress and sinking, followed by rectification. In September 2026, Shivapuram’s Pradhan complained of renewed deterioration after repairs on the Dasrathpur–Thoratang Nallah stretch. His complaint deserves an inspection and a public answer. 

The highway is consequently attempting a remarkable feat: growing old before it has finished being born. One end needs completion; another needs another repair. “Idhar marammat, udhar intezaar.” Somewhere between the two, the motorist looks for the road.

There should be a discount on island adventure tourism. Why pay separately for an off-road experience when an ordinary journey can provide the suspense? The only difficulty is that schoolchildren, patients and vegetable sellers did not book the adventure package.

Middle Strait remains the most conspicuous unfinished promise. The original bridge contract began in January 2019, with completion due in January 2022. After termination of the Mantena–Vasishta contract, replacement work under RKEC Projects–YFC Projects began in May 2024. By August 2026, that balance-work contract stood at 12.98 per cent physical progress, with a December 2026 forecast. The percentage refers to the replacement contract, not the entire bridge since inception. 

A new contract may restart the contractor’s clock. Unfortunately, islanders cannot go to a government counter and request replacement years. “Purana intezaar jama kijiye, naya intezaar le jaiye” is an excellent scheme only for the department issuing the waiting period.

The Humphrey Strait bridge, Azad Hind Fauj Setu, is completed and deserves credit. It was inaugurated in October 2021. That achievement makes Middle Strait’s prolonged story harder to accept. One completed crossing cannot act as a lifetime character certificate for every unfinished work on the corridor. 

Meanwhile, the three replacement-work awards for Middle Strait and road Packages IIIA and IIIB together amount to ₹560.59 crore. Separately, a January 2026 tender estimated ₹64.68 crore, excluding GST, for rectification of damaged portions of Package IV around Nimbutala–Austin Creek, at the existing contractor’s risk and cost. These are award values and a repair estimate, not an audited total of extra expenditure; they must not simply be added to the overall project cost. 

The distinction is essential. So is publishing what was actually paid, what remains unfinished and what has been recovered. “Risk and cost” sounds muscular in a contract. On the road, the motorist encounters the risk, and the vehicle owner receives the cost. It would be reassuring to see the contractor’s share of that arrangement in the accounts.

And while Middle Strait waits, the Bambooflat–Chatham bridge remains a cherished dream. NHIDCL’s invitation for its detailed project report dates back to August 2016. The dream itself has now completed a decade of service. Perhaps it qualifies for a long-service award. 

Islanders are entitled to want that bridge. But after the Middle Strait experience, asking for a believable construction programme is hardly pessimism. “Pehle ek pul toh poora kijiye, sahib.” Before selling the next beautiful bridge in a presentation, give the public confidence that the current unfinished one will actually open.

Then the development conversation makes its spectacular leap to Great Nicobar. The Finance Ministry’s PPP project database lists ₹48,862 crore as the project cost for the proposed Galathea Bay transshipment port alone, recommended for final approval at the March 2026 PPP appraisal meeting. This is planned project cost, not money already spent. Even so, the scale of ambition is striking when islanders are still negotiating the basics of a dependable road. 

For international containers, a grand vision. For the islander’s journey to hospital, another revised date. “Vikas ji” appears to have excellent overseas connections and some difficulty reaching Rangat.

Great Nicobar also demands a seriousness that glossy presentations cannot supply. The island lies in Seismic Zone V, and the devastation of the 2004 earthquake and tsunami remains part of its history. Committing enormous investment in such a landscape requires rigorous, transparent scrutiny of earthquake, tsunami and ecological risks. The memory of 2004 should carry more weight than the next promotional film.

These projects have different budgets, but islanders are entitled to question political priorities. A government pursuing investment on this scale must explain why finishing existing roads, maintaining ferries and providing reliable healthcare, water and electricity still require such exhausting public pleading. National ambition should make daily life more secure for the people who already live here.

Nor can the monsoon keep playing the surprise villain. Andaman did not become an island after the tender was issued. Rain, sea transport and environmental obligations were present before the first foundation-stone photograph. “Baarish aa gayi” is a weather update. It cannot serve indefinitely as a project-management strategy.

Our representatives should demand a public completion programme, independent quality inspections and a clear account of payments and recoveries. Every review meeting should begin by reading the promises made at the previous one. This simple innovation could make some meetings unexpectedly short on speeches and unusually rich in explanations.

The original dream still deserves fulfilment: a reliable connection between south and north, with durable roads and completed crossings. Islanders should be able to discuss their destination without first discussing suspension repairs, ferry uncertainty and the latest “agli tareekh”.

By all means, speak of connecting India to the world. First, let an islander travel from Diglipur to the capital with reasonable certainty.

Aur haan, sahib - this time, please send the road. The announcement has already arrived.