Landowners of Kohima-Jessami 2-lane road continue protest

The aggrieved landowners affected by the Kohima-Jessami 2-lane road construction project, packages 2 to 5, from Sedzu Bridge (37+050) to Lanye Bridge (117+100), have blocked the national highway in protest against the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) for its blatant disregard and inaction in providing fair compensation for the damage caused by physical earth cutting since 2021.
In a statement, aggrieved landowners convener Kiiveliiyi Chuzho claimed the aggrieved landowners had been tirelessly engaging with five deputy commissioners and four executive directors of NHIDCL for over five years, besides appealing various civil society organisations (CSOs) and MLAs, seeking resolution and justice for the damage incurred on their properties due to the construction project.
He said the time and money spent running from pillar to post over these years had been enormous, causing significant emotional and financial distress among the affected individuals and families.
He mentioned that many of the aggrieved landowners were currently living without proper homes, some on the verge of collapse, putting the lives of their families at risk.
Despite the dire circumstances faced by the affected landowners, he alleged that the NHIDCL had shown a blatant disregard for the humanitarian implications of the delay in providing adequate compensation.
According to him, the delay tactics employed by the central agency were not only inhuman but also unjustifiable. He described the NHIDCL’s initial refusal to pay the damage compensation to saying that a policy had to be framed for the same, to later coming up with the stand that no policy was needed as it was clearly mentioned in the contractual agreement that the company had to pay for the damage caused outside the ROW, to stating that there was insurance policy for all packages and that the amount could be claimed from that, to now reverting back to saying that a policy was required to make the final payment as nothing but delaying tactics.
Chuzho pointed out that the willful intention to make the aggrieved landowners suffer for such a prolonged period was a clear violation of their rights and a complete failure of the NHIDCL to fulfill its responsibilities towards those impacted by the construction project.
He explained that the aggrieved landowners had reached a breaking point and decided to block the NH-29 from packages 2 to 5 on the Kohima-Jessami 2-lane road construction for all NHIDCL works/activities as a last resort to draw attention to their plight and demand immediate action from the NHIDCL.
He maintained that the continuous neglect and lack of empathy on the NHIDCL’s part towards the affected individuals had forced them to take this drastic step, urging the authorities to address their grievances without further delay.
He accused the NHIDCL of treating the state government officials as pawns, as the state government’s efforts in submitting the verifications and estimates and approvals three times were not even considered as enough proof to make the final payment.
He called upon the NHIDCL to prioritise resolving the pending damage compensation issue and work towards a fair and timely resolution for the affected landowners.
As the lives and livelihoods of these individuals hanged in the balance, he stressed that it was imperative that the NHIDCL acknowledged their suffering and took immediate steps to alleviate their hardships.
He lamented the step motherly treatment towards the aggrieved landowners by the NHIDCL when damage compensations in other projects such as in the Kohima-Dimapur 4-lane project and the Phek to Pfutsero 2-lane project where structures outside the ROW were paid, demanding why the same could not be paid for similar cases.
Urging the NHIDCL to find a mutually acceptable solution and ensure that justice was served for those affected by the Kohima-Jessami 2-lane road construction project at the earliest, he declared that till such time, blockade for all NHIDCL-related works/activities would remain.