The aggrieved public comprising 22 villages from Merapani-Longayim to Changpang ONGC HQ via Old and New Tssori, New Amboto to Sumito in Baghty Division have “expressed dismay over the recent move by the MLA 40 Bhandari A/C” and the reported decision of the state government to alter the Nagaland Foothills Road alignment, excluding the entire Changpang Block.
According to a press release issued from the aggrieved 22 Villages of Bhandari & Changpang Blocks, the public stated that the move was “a deviation of the original alignment completed in 2013 between the Government of Nagaland and the Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC).”
The aggrieved villagers resolved that they “will resist at all level in the right perspective if Changpang Block is left out from the definition of the Foothills Road” and appealed to the government “not to betray the concept of the Historic Nagaland Foothills Road.” They reaffirmed their support for the Lotha Hoho’s representation submitted to the Chief Engineer on June 4, 2024, and the agreement reached with the NPWD, R&B in August 2024, between the Changpang Local Area Committee on the Nagaland Foothills Road, “further validated with a joint re-survey carried out by the Department, the NFHRCC and the Changpang Local Area Committee on NFHR in September 2024.”
The public further expressed “dismay on the exclusion of the NFHRCC from the consultative meeting scheduled on April 30 to discuss the Foothills Road project.” Stating that “it is deeply unfortunate and unacceptable” that NFHRCC was not invited, they asserted that the omission “undermines the valuable contributions and sacrifices made by them” and “depicts a serious question about the Government’s sincerity and transparency in handling the Foothills Road issue.”
The press release cautioned that “any decision arbitrarily taken by the Government without the involvement of the NFHRCC at this juncture will be invalid and may have a serious ramification.”
While appreciating the government’s determination to push the project forward, the 22 villages affirmed that they “stood firm in solidarity with NFHRCC,” and called upon all concerned to “raise their voice in support of accountability and justice in the pursuit of proper dignified road infrastructure within our own State.”
In a unanimous resolution, the aggrieved public declared that “No Foothills Road, no extraction of oil and exploration of crude oil in Bhandari and Changpang circles.”