The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has questioned the Nagaland PWD (Roads & Bridges) Department’s reported denial of administrative approval for the Foothills Road Project, stating that official documents indicate otherwise.
In a press release, the committee said it is “constrain[ed] to seek more clarification” on the department’s position, particularly regarding the alleged denial of “the administrative approval amounting to Rs. 43077.84 lakh issued by the Addl Secretary to the Government of Nagaland.”
Citing an official communication, the NFHRCC stated that the approval was conveyed “vide Letter No. WH/R&B-75/2013-1/Foothill dated… 15th March 2024 addressed to the Chief Engineer, PWD (Roads & Bridges),” which also mentioned that “this has the approval of the Hon’ble Minister (R & B), Nagaland.”
The committee alleged that the department, “instead of educating the Committee and the General Public on the technical challenges… had bluntly denied the existence of the Administrative Approval,” which it termed as “nothing short of betraying the people of Nagaland.”
Further, the NFHRCC cited additional government records relating to the Foothills Road Project, stating that “account earmarked under SASCI” stood at Rs. 148.50 crore, while “administrative [approval] for single lane… Rs. 191.3863 crore was accorded on 12.02.2024.”
It also noted that a “revised administrative approval for double lane upto WBM/WMM amounting to Rs. 430.7784 crore was accorded on 15.03.2024.”
On this basis, the committee stated that it “strongly refutes the clarification” issued by the concerned department in the media, describing it as “ill-constructed and misleading.”
The NFHRCC said it has enclosed copies of official documents “for cross verification.”
There was no immediate response from the PWD (R&B) Department at the time of filing this report.