The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has expressed deep concern over the poor quality of ongoing road construction in the Baghty Division, Wokha District, calling on the PWD Minister, Kaito Aye, and contractor firms to take urgent corrective action.
Despite repeated appeals for timely completion and quality work, NFHRCC claims that M/S JK Constructions and M/S Chabou & Co have ignored public concerns, leaving road sections and Hume pipe culverts cracked and substandard just a month after completion. The slow progress and shoddy workmanship, the forum said, betray public trust and risk turning a historic “People’s Project” into a failure.
The NFHRCC highlighted that landowners had willingly parted with their land without compensation, and the NNPGs had chosen not to levy taxes despite financial constraints-yet contractors reportedly failed to honor quality and timelines, despite funds being sanctioned.
Earlier, the PWD department had issued a Show Cause Notice on February 4 to the firms for delays and substandard work. Minister Kaito Aye personally inspected the site on February 7 and cited communication gaps for the notice. NFHRCC now insists that the substandard work proves the contractors’ negligence and called for the Show Cause Notice to be enforced.
The forum also urged the Minister to honor his public statement that he would resign if the project failed to meet specifications, warning that continued negligence puts him in an “embarrassing position.”
The NFHRCC appealed to Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio to instruct the NPWD, R&B to ensure quality assurance and timely completion of the Baghty Division roads, emphasizing that public welfare and trust are at stake.
