Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 27
Appeals to the Nagaland state government to expedite and complete the earth (formation) cutting for the Nagaland Foohills Road have apparently fallen on deaf ears. The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) on October 27 made yet another appeal to the government urging the Chief Minister to issue “work order” or sanction fund to complete earth-cutting at the Niuland and Naginimora sectors.
The earth-cutting had started in December 2013. Five years later, 8km out of the envisioned 250km long foothills road bordering Assam remains uncut – 5km in Niuland and 3km in Naginimora. Work has ceased completely since 2016. The delay has been for a want of Rs. 11.5cr.
The NFHRCC told the media today that it is hopeful the CM would live up to his words as assured. A key link to the Foothills road, the Doyang Bridge at Liphanyan also remains half done after construction began in December 2014. 33 months was the completion deadline.
With work on the bridge stalled since 2016, the NFHRCC urged the contractor to resume work at the earliest. The stalling of work was attributed to a number of issues, including the demonization episode of 2016, the off-on border dispute with Assam and other local factors.
The NFHRCC recalled that it met the contractor on September 1 in this regard wherein the latter assured to resume work once the monsoon subsides. It was followed by another meeting on September 21 with the CM and the Roads & Bridges Minister. At the meeting, the contractor reiterated to resume the work as assured, it said.
It also appealed organisations to consult the NFHRCC for clarifications related to the Foothills Road “before going to the press inorder to avoid confusion.”
Further, it expressed concern over plying of heavy vehicles on the cut sections of the incomplete road. Stating that plying of heavy vehicles, especially coal and timber trucks, would damage the unmetalled road, it requested the public to avoid using it.
Once the formation cutting gets done, it informed that the road would likely be taken over by the National Highways authority to turn it into a “Trans Expressway” linking Tizit in Mon to Khelma in Peren.
