The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has appealed to apex tribal hohos to facilitate an early dialogue with the state government, while clarifying its position on the ongoing Foothills Road project.
In a statement issued following a consultative meeting held on April 14 in Dimapur, the committee said its proposed phase-wise agitation, which was scheduled to begin on April 15, was kept in abeyance at the request of apex tribal hohos and Dimapur-based tribal bodies.
The NFHRCC maintained that the proposal to upgrade the Foothills Road into a two-lane National Highway is not a new initiative but a continuation of earlier efforts dating back to 2018–19, based on no-objection certificates (NOCs) provided by landowners through tribal bodies in 2013.
It stated that surveys and a detailed project report (DPR) had already been prepared, with the project earlier referred to as the “Trans Nagaland Highway.” The committee also recalled that it had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 seeking early consideration of the project.
On the current status, the committee said its demand for issuance of work orders was based on discussions with the state Public Works Department (Roads & Bridges), which had indicated that the two-lane construction could be completed by 2027.
The NFHRCC further stated that administrative approval of over Rs 430 crore had been accorded in March 2024, with additional funds proposed to address disparities in allocation across divisions.
Raising concerns, the committee alleged that information sharing by the department had ceased prior to formal approval under the project and called for greater transparency in its implementation.
The committee also referred to its decision to boycott a meeting convened on April 7 in Kohima, stating that the move had the backing of several tribal bodies.
Reaffirming its commitment to the Foothills Road project, the NFHRCC called for unity and constructive engagement to ensure its successful implementation.
