Under pressure from various quarters demanding completion of the foot hill road project or to face phase-wise agitation starting September 13, the PWD (Works & Housing) has been directed to make the Foothill road pliable even as the State government awaits Centre’s approval to its proposal for declaring the road a national highway or include it under the Bharatmala Pariyojna.
According to a statement issued by PWD (W&H) principal secretary Menukhol John, the direction came following a meeting convened by chief minister Neiphiu Rio with deputy CM, Y Patton and department officials Friday.
He said administrative approval for Rs 20 crore has been accorded for taking up emergency works, while Rs 10 crore has been earmarked for completion of the Doyang bridge near Governor’s Camp during the current financial year. The department has been instructed to start the tendering process, etc.
Realising the importance of having a road along the foothills of Nagaland, he claimed that the State government had initiated construction of more than 300-km road along the foot hill areas in north-western part of the State encompassing large areas of Mon, Longleng, Mokokchung, Wokha, Dimapur and Peren districts. As the State government does not have sufficient resources of its own, the proposal was actively taken up for funding at various forums. Though this long-felt need to construct a road along the foothill areas of the State was yet to be made operational, John said the government was committed to see that this was made into reality, adding this commitment also forms part of Nagaland Vision 2030.
The government had tied up funding of Rs 235 crore for the Foothill road measuring 342 km through Special Plan Assistance (SPA) during 2013-14. Accordingly, works were taken up from 2013-14 onwards as per the budget allocation of Rs 40 crore during 2013-14 and Rs 27 crore during 2014-15, totalling Rs 67 crore. Regrettably, the SPA funding was discontinued by Government of India from 2015-16 and thus all items of work projected in the proposal could not be taken up.
He asserted that the State government was continuously pursuing with the Central government for release of the balance funds under SPA so that the incomplete works are completed. Further, during 2014-15, the government submitted a proposal to the ministry of road transport & highways (MoRTH) for declaring the Foothill road as national highway, though this was yet to materialise.
The proposal was again taken up with the Union minister for road transport & highways by chief minister on January 19 this year for taking up the project under Bharatmala Pariyojna on priority. Rio again took up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 6 for consideration, John added.
It may be mentioned that NFHRCC at a consultative meeting held at its base office Dimapur on September 7, 2021 had has resolved to launch phase-wise agitation starting September 13, 2021 in the event if the state government failed to give positive response by September 12, 2021.