Says no need for
contractors to sign any third-party agreements
DIMAPUR — Nagaland
government has clarified that the Foothill Road project is “100%
government-funded,” and all necessary terms and conditions—including quality
specifications, timelines, and obligations of contractors—have been clearly
outlined in the official Contract Agreement between the PWD (R&B)
department and contractors.
“As such, there is no requirement for contractors to enter
into additional agreements with third parties, including the NFHRCC. The
defaulting contractors failing to comply with prescribed specifications and
quality benchmarks shall be sternly dealt with by the government on the basis
of such contract agreements,” read a statement issued by Kesonyu Yhome,
Commissioner & Secretary to the government of Nagaland, on Sunday.
While maintaining that the state government respects the
Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee’s “noble intention to maintain
quality and ensure timely completion,” Yhome made it clear that such
third-party agreements are not mandatory for a project fully funded by the
government.
“And no agency should also impose its terms on the state
government when the state is fully seized of the urgency and gravity of the
matter,” he stated.
Considering the limited resources of the state government,
he maintained that land compensation has never been paid for road projects
undertaken by the state PWD department, except for National Highway projects
funded by the central government.
“The state government policy has always been to request the
communities and citizens to contribute to development by donating their land
for Right of Way (RoW) for such road projects. The same goodwill and
cooperation is humbly sought in the Foothill Road project from the communities
of the concerned areas for this ‘public’ road.
“The state government has been consistently maintaining that
the contractors should start their work immediately and that the department
will not take cognisance of work stoppage for any reason,” the statement read.
Yhome pointed out that the state government has allocated
significant funds over the years to ensure the project’s progress: INR 40 crore
in 2013-14, INR 27 crore in 2014-15, INR 30 crore in 2021-22, and INR 148.50
crore in 2023-24 (additional under SASCI).
These funds have been utilised for key components of the
project, including the construction of the bridge over the River Doyang at
Liphayan, formation cutting of unconnected portions, construction of culverts
and CD structures, and metaling of certain stretches, he said.
In addition, the state government has been actively pursuing
central funding for the project, he added.
“Since 2013-14, multiple initiatives have been undertaken,
including proposals to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)
resulting in MoRTH giving approval for preparation of Feasibility Study and DPR
on 05.09.2016 and appointing ‘CE Testing Company’ on 30.03.2017 to carry out
the work, requests for declaration of the alignment as a National Highway in
2019, proposal for road to be taken up by NHIDCL in 2022-23, and the submission
of proposal to Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council under the PM Gati
Shakti initiative.
“The government of Nagaland acknowledges and deeply
appreciates the relentless efforts and initiatives undertaken by the concerned
Tribal Hohos and the Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) in
particular for advocating and fully backing the construction of the Nagaland
Foothill Road all these years,” the statement read.
According to the official, there has been a delay in the
project taking off since there has been no funding forthcoming from the Centre
despite the state’s persistent efforts as cited. “Moreover, the alignment,
being in the foothills, is close to Assam, and there were apprehensions raised
by the neighbouring state on earlier occasions.
“However, lately through the fervent initiative of the state
government with Assam government, relations have further improved, and
therefore conditions have become more favourable to commence the work on the
ground. In July 2024, exhibiting the state government’s solid resolve on this
project, an amount of INR 148.50 crore was released under SASCI 2023-24
(additional) by the state government to take up critical stretches of the road,
including Dimapur to Merapani, connectivity to Rengmapani village, Tuli
Division and Mon Division stretch, and a bridge in Peren district. Work orders
for these stretches were issued to contractors in December 2024 for 2-lane road
construction,” it explained.
Also, Yhome informed that the entire government machinery
has been actively engaged in the project under the leadership of the Minister
for PWD (Roads & Bridges), who has held 7-8 rounds of meetings with the
NFHRCC and tribal hohos concerned to address any apprehension.
“The department remains committed to maintaining an open
dialogue and welcome suggestions and constructive inputs to ensure the smooth
and timely execution of the project. We urge all parties to directly approach
the department with any issue, rather than taking them to the media, which
vitiates proper understanding of the subject matter.
“The government urges all stakeholders—local communities,
the NFHRCC, the contractors—to extend their full support and cooperation to
ensure the immediate commencement and timely completion of this critical
project. With the monsoon season approaching, there is an urgent need to begin
work without further delay,” the statement read.
