A growing standoff over the Foothills Road project has raised fresh questions over the state government’s push for expansion and its exclusion of key stakeholders, with 14 Dimapur-based tribal hohos resolving to boycott an April 7 meeting unless the Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) is included.
The development has brought into focus two key concerns – the rationale behind proposing a four-lane road while the two-lane project remains incomplete, and the exclusion of the NFHRCC, which has been associated with the project since 2013.
Addressing a press conference in Dimapur, Lotha Hoho general secretary Limhathung Odyuo said the NFHRCC’s omission from recent developments, including the inauguration of the Doyang Bridge, was “deeply hurtful.”
Maintaining that the Foothills Road remains a collective aspiration of the Naga people, he said none of the tribal hohos would attend the April 7 meeting if the NFHRCC is not invited. Odyuo reiterated that the NFHRCC represents 14 apex tribal hohos and its exclusion from key deliberations is disrespectful.
The warning comes ahead of an ultimatum submitted by 13 tribal hohos to the Chief Minister on February 21, set to expire on March 31.
Questioning the proposal for a four-lane road, he said priority should be given to making the existing two-lane project fully operational. Clarifying issues surrounding the Foothills Road and the proposed Trans-Nagaland Highway, he said that the immediate focus should remain on the two-lane Foothills Road funded under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), warning against introducing new projects before completing the existing one.
While stating that the committee does not seek the resignation of PWD Minister G Kaito Aye, Odyuo said executing agencies must ensure quality and timely completion of the project.
The tribal bodies also called for issuance of work orders for the second phase of the project, which has received administrative approval of over Rs 400 crore.
Highlighting slow progress, Odyuo said that of the 151 culverts planned, only 50 to 60 have been completed, while show-cause notices had been issued to two firms over substandard work, including cracked culverts made from inferior materials.
On land compensation, he said that landowners had agreed since 2013 to provide a 40-foot stretch free of cost for the two-lane road. However, any expansion to a 100-foot right of way under a four-lane proposal would affect livelihoods and should be compensated.
Ao Senso Telongjem Dimapur president Ningsangwaba Pongen expressed hope for a positive outcome but cautioned that failure to address the concerns could lead to democratic protests.
Western Rengma Hoho president Njilo Kemp reiterated that the NFHRCC must be included in all future discussions, maintaining that the boycott would be enforced if the committee continues to be excluded.
With the ultimatum deadline approaching and positions hardening, the April 7 meeting is likely to test the government’s engagement with stakeholders, even as questions persist over the project’s direction and execution.