NFHRCC demands inclusion in Foothills Road Project decisions, seeks CM Rio’s clarification

The Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has voiced strong objections to recent developments in the Foothills Road Project, asserting that the committee—despite playing a pivotal role since the project’s inception in 2013—has been sidelined in key government consultations.

In a detailed press release, the NFHRCC recalled that in July 2013, former Chief Minister and current Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio had assured the committee of full support for the project, which was formally launched in December 2013. The committee said it had worked closely with the PWD (R&B) department and facilitated the project by securing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from landowners without compensation, persuading political groups not to impose taxes, and overcoming several logistical and legal challenges.

Despite this history, the committee expressed dismay that it was not invited to a consultative meeting scheduled on April 30, 2025, in Kohima, convened to deliberate on the Foothills Road Project with participation from all 60 MLAs, MPs, and apex tribal and women’s bodies. The meeting was eventually postponed, reportedly due to concerns raised by several organisations over the NFHRCC’s exclusion.

Also Read: Nagaland launches statewide skill, entrepreneurship mission to train 5,000 youth

Adding to their frustration, the NFHRCC said the Chief Engineer of PWD (R&B) issued an office order on May 28, 2025, initiating a fresh survey of the road alignment and boundary demarcation to commence from June 2, 2025, without informing the committee. “Such actions amount to erasing the contributions of the committee and the Naga public who have sacrificed with tears and blood,” the release stated.

The committee reminded the public that over the past 13 years, it has lost seven of its key members—visionaries committed to the realization of this project. It emphasized that the project was never a mere departmental initiative but a people’s movement driven by the committee's resilience and deep public trust.

NFHRCC urged Chief Minister Rio to “educate” the concerned department about the true origins of the project and why NOCs were handed over to him in 2018 at his request. “Dr. Rio is the dictionary of the Foothills Road Project,” the committee stated, urging him to correct what it called a "distorted" approach by the department.

Reaffirming its position, the NFHRCC declared that no alignment, realignment, expansion, or survey of the Foothills Road can proceed without its consultation and consent. It concluded by calling for mutual trust, visionary leadership, and the recognition of the Foothills Road as “Naga’s Historic Project.”