Naga Tribal Union Chümoukedima Town (NTUCT) has expressed dismay over the “callous attitude” of the state government and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to the appeal of the land owners of NH-29 between Chümoukedima and Kohima, who were affected during the construction of four-lane.
In a statement, NTUCT president Lhousito Khro pointed out that when the notification to acquire land for implementation of the four-lane project by NHAI was issued, the land requisition under Section 3(1) of the Act 1965 measuring an area of 293.84 acres in Dimapur district (now Chümoukedima district) alone was notified.
After acquisition of the land, the union said the four-lane construction ensued by cutting road beyond the existing road on the NH between Dimapur and Kohima. While cutting and constructing the four-lane road by NHIDCL, NTUCT said there were many unexpected and unforeseen damages and loss caused to the land owners’ properties adjacent to the NH. As such, it said the effected land owners could neither cultivate the land nor fit for human habitation. The union also stated that due to random cutting using heavy machines including use of “unauthorized galantine” blasting of rocks left the entire high ridges unsafe and dangerous for human lives. It stated that NHIDCL would be held fully responsible for any human made disasters for not observing the mandated schedule of works. Further, NTUCT stated that random cutting in the hilly section of NH destroyed more land area than what they have acquired for the construction from the land owners.
Therefore, the union said the NHAI had to compensate to the effected land owners for their excessive activities on the properties of the rightful land owners after due process of measurement with the concerned effected land owners.
While constructing the NH, the union said NHAI reserved some portion of land between the proposed Highway and land owners as Right of Way (RoW) areas. It said that RoW obstructs the concerned land owners to access towards their own land and habited area due to non-development and clearance of the obstructing objects by the NHAI. It, therefore, asked the highway authority to clear/remove the RoW blockade/obstructing objects towards the plots of land belonging to land owners. In case of non-clearance or development by the NHAI, the union said land owners must be allowed to clear/remove the debris/obstructing objects in the expenditure of NHAI. In view of the above, NTUCT has urged the government of Nagaland and NHAI to look into the issue and take immediate action for “equity compensation” to the effected land owners and clear/remove the debris lying at the area of RoW adjoining NH and residential areas of land owners. NTUCT also demanded that other individual/company should be allowed to occupy the RoW area without the knowledge and approval of the concerned individual land owners. “If callous attitude of the authority persists, we are prepared to go ahead of taking any extreme steps to redress the grievances of the concerned effected and individual land owners,” NTUCT cautioned.