The Nagaland government has issued a statement clarifying that the Foothill Road project is “100% government-funded,” and all terms, including quality specifications, timelines, and obligations of contractors, are outlined in the official Contract Agreement between the PWD (R&B) department and contractors.
The statement, issued by Kesonyu Yhome, Commissioner & Secretary to the government of Nagaland, emphasized that “there is no requirement for contractors to enter into additional agreements with third parties, including the NFHRCC.”
“The defaulting contractors failing to comply with prescribed specifications and quality benchmarks shall be sternly dealt with by the government on the basis of such contract agreements,” the statement read.
While acknowledging the NFHRCC’s commitment to maintaining quality and ensuring timely completion, the government clarified that such third-party agreements are not necessary for a government-funded project. “No agency should also impose its terms on the state government when the state is fully seized of the urgency and gravity of the matter,” Yhome remarked.
The Nagaland government urged the local communities to contribute land for the project’s Right of Way (RoW) in line with the state’s long-standing policy of requesting voluntary land donations for road development. According to the government, land compensation has not been paid for road projects undertaken by the state PWD department—with the exception of National Highway projects funded by the central government.
Yhome emphasized that the same goodwill and cooperation sought for the Foothill Road project is essential to move the project forward. The state government has consistently urged contractors to begin work without delay, stressing that work stoppages will not be entertained for any reason.
Over the years, the state government has allocated significant funding for the project’s progression. The breakdown includes INR 40 crore in 2013-14, INR 27 crore in 2014-15, INR 30 crore in 2021-22, and INR 148.50 crore in 2023-24 under the SASCI initiative. These funds have been used for critical components of the road, including the construction of the bridge over the River Doyang at Liphayan, formation cutting of unconnected portions, culverts, and the metaling of certain stretches.
In addition, the state government has been actively pursuing central funding for the project, he added.
“Since 2013-14, multiple initiatives have been undertaken, including proposals to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) resulting in MoRTH giving approval for preparation of Feasibility Study and DPR on 05.09.2016 and appointing ‘CE Testing Company’ on 30.03.2017 to carry out the work, requests for declaration of the alignment as a National Highway in 2019, proposal for road to be taken up by NHIDCL in 2022-23, and the submission of proposal to Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council under the PM Gati Shakti initiative.
”The government of Nagaland acknowledges and deeply appreciates the relentless efforts and initiatives undertaken by the concerned Tribal Hohos and the Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) in particular for advocating and fully backing the construction of the Nagaland Foothill Road all these years,” the statement read.
According to the official, there has been a delay in the project taking off since there has been no funding forthcoming from the Centre despite the state’s persistent efforts as cited. “Moreover, the alignment, being in the foothills, is close to Assam, and there were apprehensions raised by the neighbouring state on earlier occasions.
”However, lately through the fervent initiative of the state government with the Assam government, relations have further improved, and therefore conditions have become more favourable to commence the work on the ground. In July 2024, exhibiting the state government’s solid resolve on this project, an amount of INR 148.50 crore was released under SASCI 2023-24 (additional) by the state government to take up critical stretches of the road, including Dimapur to Merapani, connectivity to Rengmapani village, Tuli Division and Mon Division stretch, and a bridge in Peren district.
Work orders for these stretches were issued to contractors in December 2024 for 2-lane road construction,” it explained.
Also, Yhome informed that the entire government machinery has been actively engaged in the project under the leadership of the Minister for PWD (Roads & Bridges), who has held 7-8 rounds of meetings with the NFHRCC and tribal hohos concerned to address any apprehension.
The statement called for continued cooperation from local communities, the NFHRCC, and contractors, urging all parties to approach the department directly for any concerns instead of engaging in media discourse. With the monsoon season approaching, the government stressed the urgency of commencing the project promptly to ensure its timely completion.