The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC), the body credited with initiating and sustaining the historic Foothills Road project since 2013, has strongly objected to being excluded from a key consultative meeting convened by the state government on April 30, 2025. The meeting—which was subsequently postponed—had listed the Foothills Road as its first agenda item and was to be attended by all 60 MLAs, both MPs, and apex tribal and women organisations.
In a strongly worded statement, the NFHRCC expressed deep anguish over what it described as an “erasure of sacrifices” made over the past 13 years and said it would not accept any realignment or expansion of the road project without prior consultation.
“The Foothills Road was conceptualized by the Committee and brought to life through dialogue, coordination, and sacrifices—often made at great personal cost. Landowners gave up land without compensation, volunteers faced police action, and members even negotiated with Naga political groups to prevent taxation on the project. These facts cannot be rewritten by any department,” the Committee stated.
According to the NFHRCC, the Committee began work on the project following an assurance by then Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio during a meeting on July 17, 2013. A joint survey began on September 24, 2013, and the project was formally launched at Longtho on December 21, 2013.
In 2018, the Committee handed over the landowners’ No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the Chief Minister at his Sovima residence following a request aligned with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ (MoRTH) slogan at the time: “Give us land and we will give you roads.”
“This was done in good faith, with the understanding that it would pave the way for swift execution of the project,” the Committee said, adding that it had even approached the Prime Minister through the Governor in 2019 and met with the Union DoNER Minister in December 2023 to push for expedited implementation.
However, the Committee alleged that after the state secured ¹ 148.5 crore under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), its relationship with the PWD (R&B) soured. The department, they claim, has begun treating them as a mere pressure group.
Adding to the strain, the Chief Engineer of the PWD (R&B) reportedly issued an office order on May 28, 2025, to begin surveying and marking a 30-metre Right of Way (RoW) from June 2 onwards, without informing the NFHRCC which have “added salt to the wound”.
“Concerned department may try to twist and turn the Historic Foothills Project but the sacrifices made by the Committee and the Naga public with tears and blood cannot be set aside nor erased by any mechanism,” NFHRCC stated.
The Committee reminded the government of its past efforts, including organizing the June 30, 2014, Dimapur bandh against irregularities in the project—during which nine volunteers were injured and sixteen detained—and its agreement with the Nagaland Contractors’ and Suppliers’ Union to ensure smooth progress.
The Committee also mourned the loss of seven key members over the years, calling them “tall Naga leaders with vision” for the project.
In an emotional appeal, the NFHRCC called upon Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio—whom they referred to as the “Dictionary of the Foothills Road”—to clarify the purpose of the 2018 NOC handover and instruct the department to acknowledge the Committee’s role.
“If there are errors in the dictionary, they must be corrected. Otherwise, it will lead to chaos,” the Committee said, in reference to the ongoing dispute.
Reiterating its position, the NFHRCC stated: “There will be no alignment, realignment, expansion, or contraction of the Foothills Road without our consultation. Governments may come and go, but history will remain.”