The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has expressed strong resentment over the remark “we cannot make roads in the sky,” reportedly made by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly in connection with the Foothills Road project.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the committee said the remark was unfortunate in light of the long-standing efforts made by civil society organisations, landowners and the government to realise the Foothills Road, also referred to as the Trans Nagaland Expressway.
The committee said that under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme, 17 work orders were issued to different firms in December 2024 after agreements were signed with the Public Works Department (Roads and Bridges).
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According to the NFHRCC, two firms M/s JK Construction and M/s Chabou & Co were later served show-cause notices on February 4, 2026. The committee said that PWD (R&B) Minister Kaito Aye inspected the sites of the two firms on February 7 and subsequently stated that the notices were issued due to a communication gap, after which the deadline for the works was extended till March 31, 2026.
However, the committee claimed that concerns were raised among the public regarding alleged substandard work being carried out in the Baghty division.
In the statement, the NFHRCC said that both the concerned minister and the local MLA should address the issue publicly, adding that the Foothills Road project has been a long-standing aspiration of the Naga people.
The committee also urged the government to proceed with issuing second-phase work orders under the SASCI scheme as previously assured.
It stated that landowners along the proposed Foothills Road alignment – stretching from Khelma in Peren district to Tizit – had donated land for the project without compensation, covering an estimated distance of about 395 kilometres.
“If compensation for the land had been calculated, it would amount to several thousand crores,” the committee said, adding that such large-scale voluntary land donation for infrastructure development was unprecedented in the state.
The NFHRCC further stated that the current focus should remain on completing the two-lane Foothills Road project under SASCI rather than shifting the discussion towards a four-lane road, which it said was not part of the present project plan.
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Providing background to the project, the committee said the idea of constructing a foothills road was first attempted in the mid-1970s and again in the early 1990s but was later abandoned.
The present initiative was revived in 2013 by civil society organisations under the aegis of the NFHRCC with the support of several Naga tribal bodies, the state government and the Public Works Department.
According to the committee, the Foothills Road project was conceived to improve road connectivity within the state and enhance socio-economic opportunities for communities living along the foothills bordering neighbouring states.
The NFHRCC also reiterated its commitment to ensuring transparency in the execution of the project and called for quality workmanship and fair implementation of the works.
The committee urged the public to support the project, describing the Foothills Road as a “historic survival road” aimed at strengthening connectivity and development within Nagaland.
