The Ao Kaketshir Mungdang (AKM) has extended its support to the Ao Senden’s stand on the proposed realignment of National Highway 702D (NH-702D), urging the Nagaland government to give serious consideration to Option-IV, the tunnel alignment, if No Objection Certificate (NOC) is not secured for Option-III through “British Road/Chungliyimsen.”
In a press statement, AKM said the realignment should be determined by long-term public interest, technical feasibility, road safety, economic efficiency and future connectivity. It described NH-702D as a “strategic lifeline” for Mokokchung and neighbouring districts, noting its importance for the movement of people and goods as well as trade, education, healthcare and other economic activities.
AKM also called for proper feeder roads connecting villages and rural communities to the highway so that the benefits of the project reach people at the grassroots.
The statement follows an August 28 internal memo circulated by the Ao Senden to its six federating Ranges and affiliated units, detailing the chronology of its efforts concerning the realignment of the NH-702D stretch from X-Junction to Watiyim.
According to the memo, five alignment options were initially proposed. At a meeting held in the office chamber of the Principal Secretary, Works & Housing, on September 16, 2021, Option-III (British Road/Chungliyimsen) and Option-IV (Tunnel) were identified for recommendation to the state government.
The Ao Senden subsequently urged the Chief Minister to consider either option. However, it said Changki Village Council declined to issue an NOC for Option-III.
The apex body said it and several mass-based organisations subsequently communicated their positions to the Chief Minister. These included the Watsü Mungdang, presidents of the six Ranges (Tzükong Trok) and five tribal bodies, while several village councils and local organisations also submitted open letters supporting the demand.
The Ao Senden said it had continued to pursue the matter with state and central authorities, including the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Regional Office, Guwahati, the MoRTH Chief Engineer for the Northeast and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
It further stated that its Executive Council resolved on July 12, 2024, that no Ao individual or village should act against the organisation’s decision to pursue Option-IV. Meetings held at the Mokokchung Deputy Commissioner’s office in July 2022 and November 2024, attended by representatives of villages along NH-702D, had also resolved to pursue the tunnel option, according to the memo.
The Ao Senden said it learned through the Ongpangkong Mungdang on July 23, 2026, that the existing route had been approved. It subsequently wrote to the Chief Engineer, PWD (National Highways), on August 19 objecting to the approval, with copies sent to the MoRTH Regional Office, Deputy Commissioner Mokokchung and the Executive Engineer, PWD (NH), Mokokchung.
The organisation said it approached the Changki Village Council for an NOC for Option-III but received no positive response. On August 25, it resolved to again request the Changki Village Council and Changki Senso Mungdang to issue the NOC. If the NOC is not granted, it said it would demand that the government pursue Option-IV.
The Ao Senden maintained that the government was funding a two-lane highway project costing more than a thousand crore rupees and held that constructing an intermediate or single-lane road with such an investment would be unacceptable. It called for an alignment that would also allow expansion to four lanes in the future.
AKM, meanwhile, urged transparency, technical objectivity and timely action, saying the long-pending project should not face further unnecessary delay at the cost of the region’s development.
