Dimapur, March 11 (MExN): The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has strongly condemned Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio’s remark on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly that “we cannot make roads in the sky,” asserting that the statement was unreasonable and undermined the historic Foothills Road project.
The Media Cell of NFHRCC, in a detailed statement issued on Wednesday, condemned the comment as dismissive of the ground realities and the decades-long people's movement behind the Foothills Road (FHR) project, known as the Trans Nagaland Expressway.
The committee demanded that the government immediately issue work orders for the second phase of construction under the SASCI scheme, alleging that the authorities were unnecessarily delaying the project by introducing extraneous issues.
The core of the immediate dispute, according to the NFHRCC, involves 17 work orders issued in December 2024 under the SASCI scheme. On February 4, 2026, show-cause notices were served to two firms—M/S JK Construction and M/S Chabou & Co. Following a site inspection by the concerned Minister, Kaito Aye, on February 7, the notices were attributed to a “communication gap,” and the deadline for the firms was extended to March 31, 2026.
However, the NFHRCC claimed that despite this, information emerged that both firms were executing substandard work in the Baghty Division. The Committee has sharply criticized Minister Aye for remaining “dead silent” on the quality concerns. Furthermore, it pointed an accusing finger at the local MLA, on whose recommendation the contracts were allegedly awarded, stating he has “zipped up his mouth,” a situation the NFHRCC termed “very unreasonable and unjustified.”
The Committee has called for the Chief Minister to intervene and question the department over the delays and quality issues in a project he has championed since 1993. Reminding the public of Minister Aye's public vow to resign if the project fails, the NFHRCC declared, “it is high time for the Minister to speak to the Naga public.”
The NFHRCC has reiterated its demand for the immediate issuance of work orders for the second phase of the two-lane highway under the SASCI scheme, a commitment they say was “fully assured” by the minister. The Committee stressed that the immediate issue is the completion of the two-lane road, not a proposed four-lane upgrade.
It asserted that all landowners have willingly donated their land for the 395.9 km stretch from Khelma to Tizit without accepting any compensation. This contribution, they argued, amounts to a “historic” gesture worth thousands of crores of rupees, unparalleled since Nagaland attained statehood. They categorically rejected any suggestion that landowners are now demanding payment, stating that No Objection Certificates (NOCs) were handed over to the Chief Minister as far back as 2018.
“Therefore, there is no confusion with regard to issuance of second phase work orders under SASCI... the government should not point the finger to landowners saying that they had asked for compensations, rather the government and the entire Naga publics should be very grateful to all the landowners,” NFHRCC stated.
Reconstructing the project's history, the NFHRCC noted that the Foothills Road was first attempted in 1974-75 under Chief Minister Vizol Angami and later Dr S C Jamir, but was abandoned. A second attempt in 1993 when Rio was Minister-in-charge of NPWD was also reportedly abandoned due to opposition from the neighbouring state.
The current phase began in 2013 through civil society initiatives under the aegis of the NFHRCC, spearheaded by the Ao Senden and later backed by 10 Naga tribal apex bodies. The committee recalled that on June 13, 2013, a marathon meeting of tribes resolved that the road should be constructed without land compensation, exempted from taxation by freedom fighters, and not politicized in any manner.
