A joint consultative meeting with Nagaland Tribal Apex HOHOs and Dimapur-based Tribal Hohos was held on August 29, 2025, at the NFHRCC Base Office, Kher Mahal, Dimapur, to deliberate on the Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) and the Trans Nagaland Highway, also known as the Foothills Road.
After a marathon deliberation, the meeting adopted several resolutions. The participants “resolved all misconception and misunderstanding about the Committee as well as the Trans Nagaland Highway (Foothills Road) as it is understood that Trans Nagaland Highway and Foothills Road is one and the same Project.”
The Apex Nagaland Tribal Hohos “once again reiterates its endorsement to NFHRCC that they must remain with the Project till the noble initiative is fully accomplished.” The resolutions also stated that, “with regard to Foothills Road (Trans Nagaland Highway) there is no difference between Landowners and non-landowners as the Road belongs to entire Naga family. Therefore, no authority is authorized to play divide and Rule policy among the Naga Family through this People’s Road.”
The Hohos further resolved “to write a letter to MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways), New Delhi urging them to empanel NFHRCC officially to act as a watchdog to monitor the Trans Nagaland Highway (Foothills Road) for more transparency and accountability.”
In the letter to MoRTH, the Hohos noted, “the Govt. of Nagaland had attempted twice for the construction of Foothills Road in 1974 and 1993 respectively but unfortunately both the attempts were not materialized.” They highlighted that in 2013, the Apex Tribal Hohos “constituted the Foothills Road Co-ordination Committee (NFHRCC) and fully endorsed the Committee to look after the affairs of the Foothills Road Construction and in view of which the Foothills Road Project is called an Extra-ordinary or People’s Project.”
The letter also emphasized that the Committee “had negotiated with the landowners to sacrifice their land without a penny of compensation and also arrived at an understanding with the NNPGs (Naga National Political Group) not to levy any taxation with regard to Foothills Road Construction.” Since then, the Committee has been “fully supervising and monitoring the project for the last 13 years in well co-ordination with the concerned department.”
Referring to the special constitutional provision, the letter said, “as you are well aware of, about the special provision granted to the State of Nagaland under Art. 371(A) of the Indian Constitution whereby primarily safeguarding our unique social and religious practices, customary laws, and land ownership and in view of which we hereby fully assure that RoW (Right of Way) will be made available to your esteemed authority once the Committee is officially empanelled.”
The Hohos appealed to MoRTH, stating, “we fervently appeal to your august authority to kindly empaneled the committee officially to supervise the project as watchdog with the view to maintain workmanship, transparency and to complete the project within the specified time framed.”
The resolutions reaffirmed the collective commitment of the Nagaland Tribal HOHOs and NFHRCC to ensure transparency, accountability, and timely completion of the Foothills Road Project, which they described as a “People’s Project” of critical importance to the state.
Signatories of the letter included representatives of the Ao Senden, Chang Khulei Setshang, Konyak Union, Kuki Inpi Nagaland, Khiamniungan Tribal Council, Lotha Hoho, Phom People’s Council, and Rengma Hoho.
