Committee cannot be labelled as a third party: NFHRCC on Foothills Road

The Nagaland Foothills Road Construction Committee (NFHRCC) has responded sharply to the press statement made by the Commissioner & Secretary of PWD (Works & Housing) on February 24, 2025, which claimed that the “Foothill Road [is] fully funded” and that “no third-party agreements [are] needed.”

In a press release, the NFHRCC stated that the Commissioner & Secretary’s statements might apply to “normal projects” but not to the “extraordinary Foothills Project.” The committee argued, “Time and again, the committee has explained through print and social media that the Foothills Road is an extraordinary project. As such, normal yardsticks cannot be applied.”

The NFHRCC emphasized that viewing the project through a standard lens would lead to confusion and administrative issues, stating, “If departments continue to apply standard measures to exceptional projects, they will never arrive at the correct solution, ultimately leading to total chaos in the department as well as in the state.”

Elaborating on why the Foothills Road is considered an extraordinary project, the committee highlighted that “landowners are parting with their land without any compensation,” and that “Naga Political Groups are not levying any kind of tax.” Additionally, the NFHRCC noted the involvement of communities such as “Chang, Sangtam, Yimkhiung, and Khiamniungan,” who are contributing to the project “without owning even an inch of land.”

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The committee expressed disappointment over the virtual inauguration of the Doyang Bridge at Governor’s Camp from Naithu Resort by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, stating, “To our utter shock and surprise, under the initiative of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, the Doyang Bridge was virtually inaugurated from Naithu Resort without even informing the Committee, which had shouldered and initiated the project for more than a decade with tears and sweat.”

Providing a timeline of events, the NFHRCC recounted how the Nagaland Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on September 22, 2022, to construct the Foothills Road through the NEC. However, “after the formation of the new government, there was not even a whisper about the Foothills Project despite requests and prayers.” This led the committee to approach the Governor of Nagaland, which eventually helped secure inclusion of the project under the Special Assistance to State for Capital Investment (SASCI).

According to the NFHRCC, the PWD (R & B) department issued 17 work orders worth Rs. 148.5 crore as the first phase under SASCI to 14 firms on December 14, 2024. While nine firms signed agreements with the committee, the following companies refused: M/S Yanna Enterprises, M/S A. Pongshi Phom & Sons, M/S Shangpoh Konyak, M/S Onkho Construction & Supplier, M/S Ren Kik-E.Z.J & Co., M/S JK Constructions (2 work orders), and M/S Chabou & Co.

The committee alleged that despite extending the deadline to sign the agreement until December 21, 2024, the firms “ignored” the call. Even personal requests to send an authorized representative were “ignored.”

After several consultative meetings with tribal bodies including Ao Senden, Lotha Hoho, and Sumi Hoho, the NFHRCC claimed that on February 21, 2025, “M/S JK Construction and M/S Chabou & Co. forcibly launched construction at Baghty Division under the stewardship of Hon’ble MLA Achumbemo Kikon, without consulting the concerned department.”

The committee criticized the move, stating it “not only undermined the 12 Apex Tribal Hohos, the concerned department, and the NFHRCC but also set a dangerous precedent of disregarding democratic norms.”

The NFHRCC questioned whether Nagaland is being governed democratically or under “autocratic principles, where everything is crushed under the weight of political power.”

The committee reiterated that “in a democracy, the voice of the people is paramount and supreme,” adding that “no individual, regardless of their position, can claim supremacy over the state.”

To mediate the situation, the NFHRCC stated that it has been “tirelessly working to safeguard this historic project” and had previously requested a tripartite agreement between the department, contractors, and the committee in August 2023.

However, according to NFHRCC, the department advised the committee to enter bilateral agreements with the contractors to maintain workmanship. The committee noted, “Since inception in 2013, it is also an established practice to enter an agreement with the contractors with the view to maintain workmanship, transparency, and to complete the project within the stipulated time frame.”

The NFHRCC concluded by asserting that “considering the above facts and circumstances acting in conjunction with the concept of the Foothills Road Project, it is well established that the Committee (Hohos/Naga Public) are the owner of this Extraordinary Foothills Project and concerned department is the nodal agent and the contractors are the one who is going to execute the assigned contract works.” The committee added that, therefore, “the committee/owner cannot be labelled as a Third Party.”

MT