The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has adopted a series of strong resolutions following an emergency meeting held at its base office in Kher Mahal, Dimapur, on Monday, addressing recent developments and grievances related to the ongoing Trans-Nagaland Expressway (Foothills Road) project.
The committee conveyed its appreciation to the State Government “under the dynamic leadership of Shri N. Rio for taking up the issue of the Trans Nagaland Expressway (Foothills Road) to a higher scale.”
It also welcomed the government’s move to convene a meeting on August 7, 2025, stating, “We welcome the initiative undertaken by Govt. for further discussion… inviting the Apex Tribal HOHOs of the districts and the local MLAs where the Foothills Road passes through their Assembly Constituencies.”
At the same time, NFHRCC expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of other stakeholders.
“Expressed dissatisfactions over exclusions of the other Tribal HOHOs and the Hon’ble MLAs of the districts and the Committee which has been advocating for the Nagaland Economic Survival Road to various stakeholders including the Law makers since 2013,” read the resolution. The committee reaffirmed its long-standing position for “an inclusive dignified connectivity road within our own State.”
Taxation in any form by non-state actors or civil society groups was outrightly rejected by the committee. “No taxation under any pretext shall be levy to neither the Contractors firms nor the Department… The committee understanding with the key NPPGs groups with utmost trust and respect agreed upon in 2013, the same yardstick shall be applicable to the current warring factions whatever the numbers may be,” the resolution stated.
Accusations of misinformation were also addressed, particularly targeting the Executive Engineer of Baghty Division, PWD (R&B), who the committee alleged had been misleading the public.
“Caution some elements particularly the Baghty Division EE… not to propagate further to the public that the Committee were awarded 4(Four) contract Works,” it said. The committee clarified that the firms—M/S 3S Infra Ltd, M/S P. Mha-Tum & Co., M/S NCSU c/o M/s Pelle Keizhe, and M/S Quinker Enterprise—were merely endorsed on request by the department. This clarification had already been published across “all Nagaland leading Print media as well as electronic news channels on March 12th 2025.”
The release of funds amounting to approximately Rs 3 crore to M/S Onkho Construction and Suppliers and M/S Shangphoh Konyak without a joint inspection was described as a “fraudulent” act.
The committee reminded that the MoA signed on March 5, 2025, had made joint inspections mandatory before any bill release. “The committee seriously lamented that if this trend continues the concerned Divisional Engineers under any known pretext shall buried the Nagaland Historic connectivity road project into dust,” it warned.
Calling for fairness and transparency, the NFHRCC concluded its resolutions by urging all concerned to uphold the integrity of what it described as “this dignified project… at all cost.”
The statement was issued by the Media Cell, NFHRCC.