A multi-stakeholder team comprising the Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC), the Apex Konyak Union, its Tizit Sector unit, officials from the Public Works Department (R&B) Tizit/Mon Division, contractor M/S Onkho Constructions & Suppliers, and leaders of local civil society organizations conducted a joint inspection of the Foothills Road project in Mon district on Friday.
The teams held a closed-door deliberation at the Konyak Union Tizit Unit Office, after which a set of resolutions aimed at expediting the long-pending project was adopted.
According to the NFHRCC, members “strongly resolved that the two-lane Foothills Road will be first completed. Then, only the other four lanes will be initiated or started.”
Stakeholders also agreed that construction work within Mon district would be “jointly monitor and inspect with a concerted approach by the Konyak Union, the concerned Department and the NFHRCC without any bias and prejudices,” adding that stronger coordination between NFHRCC and the Konyak Union would be maintained to “materialize the historic project at the earliest.”
With the working season underway, the gathering further resolved that a second-phase work order under the SASCI scheme should be issued “immediately in the remaining divisions across the State so that no community shall be left behind.”
Following the meeting, the committee inspected the 20.4 km stretch from Lapa Lampong to Sufury Bridge under Tizit Subdivision. The contractor briefed the team on the reasons behind the delayed start of work and formally sought a time extension, assuring that the project would be completed “at any cost within the working season up till March 2025.”
The NFHRCC asked the contractor to submit an official request to the department and share a copy with the committee. Work progress was found to be around 30–35%, which the committee termed “rather slow,” though it acknowledged that the workmanship so far was “quite satisfactory.”
The inspection team also urged contractor M/S Shangpoh Konyak (NPWD Cl-1/961) to immediately begin constructing the proposed 11.80-metre RCC solid slab bridge over the Tehak River, stating that clearances were now feasible for movement of materials.
The NFHRCC praised the “excellent coordination” of Konyak Union President K Yanmao Konyak and his colleagues in facilitating the joint inspection, calling for continued cooperation among all stakeholders “till the dream Naga People’s Road becomes a reality.”
The committee also acknowledged the role of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his Cabinet colleagues in pushing the Foothills Road development “from Tizit to Khelma,” and assured constructive cooperation to ensure the “Nagaland Survival Road” is completed at the earliest.
