Dimapur: The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has expressed deep concern over its exclusion from the recently postponed consultative meeting convened by the State Government to deliberate on the Foothills Road Project.
According to the NFHRCC in a statement, the consultative meeting—originally scheduled for April 30, 2025, in Kohima—had listed the Foothills Road Project as its first agenda and involved 60 MLAs, two MPs, apex tribal bodies, and various women organizations.
However, despite the Committee’s long-standing involvement and sacrifices in spearheading the project since its inception in 2013, it was not invited to participate in the high-level discussion. The meeting was later postponed, reportedly due to intervention from several civil organizations.
The NFHRCC further criticized the Public Works Department (PWD Roads & Bridges) for issuing an office order on May 28, 2025, to commence surveying the Foothills Road alignment and to fix boundary pillar positions for a 30-meter Right of Way starting June 2. The Committee claimed the order was issued “without even an intimation to the Committee which have added more salt in the wounded mind”.
“Concerned department may try to twist and turn the Historic Foothills Project but the sacrifices made by the Committee and the Naga public with tears and blood cannot be set aside nor erased by any mechanism,” it stated.
Tracing the history of the project, the NFHRCC highlighted key milestones, including the assurance given by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in July 2013, which led to the initiation of joint surveys and the ceremonial launch of the project at Longtho under Mangkolemba Division in December of that year. The Committee emphasized that it had voluntarily secured landowner No Objection Certificates (NOCs) without any compensation, facilitated tax-exemption assurances from Naga political groups, and undertook demonstrations to safeguard the integrity of the project.
NFHRCC also cited that it had handed over the collected NOCs to the Chief Minister in 2018 under the then slogan of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH): “Give us land and we will give you road.” In addition, it made representations to the Prime Minister through the Governor in 2019 and met with the Union Minister of DONER in December 2023 to seek further support for the project.
The Committee expressed dismay over the change in attitude from the concerned department following the sanction of ₹148.5 crore under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme. It alleged that the department began treating NFHRCC as a mere pressure group, disregarding its foundational role in conceptualizing the project.
The Committee urged the Chief Minister—whom it described as the “dictionary of the Foothills Road” for his longstanding involvement since his days as PWD Minister in 1993—to guide and sensitize the department about the true essence and history of the initiative.
The NFHRCC has made it clear that no alignment or realignment or expansion or contraction of the Foothills Road should proceed without its consultation. The Committee has called on the Chief Minister to publicly clarify the purpose behind the 2018 handover of NOCs, reinforcing that while governments and leaders may change, the legacy of the Foothills Road must be built on mutual respect, transparency, and collective vision.
Also Read | Nagaland: Kohima Forest Division, CRPF launch reforestation drive