Mokokchung, 30 June (MTNews): The Western Sumi Hoho has voiced its grave concerns over the delayed completion of the Nagaland Foothill Road project and has appealed to the state government to uphold in principle the Nagaland Assembly Resolution adopted on 22nd September, 2022 to finance the foothill road project under the North Eastern Council(NEC).
Highlighting the significance of the Nagaland Foothill Road, also known as the “People’s Road,” the Western Sumi Hoho expressed deep concern about its prolonged unfinished state. The project, which was reactivated in 2013 after a four-decade hiatus, has been going on for a long time, yet there is still no sign of success, it said. The 396-kilometer-long stretch of road is regarded as a lifeline for the residents of the districts it traverses, serving as a vital communication link and catalyst for economic growth and social cohesion among Naga tribes, the WSH said.
The Western Sumi Hoho emphasized that the vital road link will benefit not only a few but every tribe and accelerate economic prosperity.
However, the delayed progress on the foothill road, also referred to as the Trans-Nagaland Expressway, has forced the people of Nagaland to travel through neighboring Assam to access hundreds of villages within Nagaland. This situation has placed a significant burden on the common people, subjecting them to “unimaginable hardships,” it said.
In light of these challenges, the Western Sumi Hoho pleaded to the state government to prioritize and expedite the completion of this important community initiative and move it along quickly in order to make this people’s project a reality so that it can serve the interests of the Naga people as a whole.