The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee warned of protests if the government fails to issue Foothills Road work orders before March 31.
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DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has warned of possible democratic protests if the state government fails to act on its demand for issuing work orders for the remaining Foothills Road divisions through an open tender process before March 31.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the committee stated that it was “constrained” to remind the PWD (Roads & Bridges) about the ultimatum served recently by 13 Dimapur-based tribal hohos, observing that there has been no indication of any response from the government so far.
The NFHRCC urged the tribal hohos to remain mentally, emotionally, financially and strategically prepared to launch democratic forms of protest should the government fail to keep the two-lane Foothills Road project alive.
According to the committee, the state government has already invested about INR 248.5 crore in the project, including INR 148.5 crore under the ongoing Phase-I of the SASCI loan scheme, with the first phase now nearing completion.
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Describing the Foothills Road as a “people’s road project,” the NFHRCC reminded that the initiative was launched in 2013 under the guidance of tribal apex hohos.
The proposed road spans 395.9 km, linking Tizit in Mon district to Khelma in Peren district, and passes through eight districts and more than 200 villages.
The committee recalled that in the initial stage, the NFHRCC, PWD and tribal hohos collectively secured No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for 40 feet of land from landowners without compensation, along with tax exemption from NNPGs in 2013 to facilitate the project.
The NFHRCC further stated that the chief minister had agreed to take up the two-lane Foothills Road construction in phases under the SASCI loan scheme, with the project targeted for completion by 2027.
Highlighting the road’s importance, the committee stated that Nagaland has for over six decades of statehood been yearning for a “survival road” that would spur development across districts, calling roads the “mother of development.”
Appealing to the government, the NFHRCC urged authorities to first complete the ongoing two-lane construction under the SASCI scheme before pursuing any proposal for a four-lane highway under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
“The ongoing two-lane road construction under SASCI should not be mixed with or confused with a four-lane road under the National Highways Act,” the committee stated.