LLRPO for quality work on Foothill Road

DIMAPUR, SEP 6 (NPN): The Lotha Lower Range Public Organisation (LLRPO), in coordination with the Lotha Hoho, Lotha Lower Range Students’ Union (LLRSU) and Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC), has urged the state government to intervene urgently to ensure high standards and quality in the ongoing construction of the Nagaland Foothills Road.
The organisations made the appeal during a joint consultative meeting held on September 4 at Khermahal, Dimapur, where stakeholders discussed the findings of a joint inspection conducted on August 22.
The inspection was led by the Lotha Hoho along with other stakeholders in the Baghty Division of Wokha district to assess the ongoing road construction and related issues.
LLRPO said no departmental representative from the Executive Engineer, PWD (R&B), Baghty Division, attended the joint inspection despite being officially informed on both occasions. It termed the absence inappropriate, saying it undermined civil society organisations’ efforts to ensure the project’s quality completion.
LLRPO said the Foothill Road was “not merely another road project” but one of strategic and public importance to Nagas. It said farmers, patients, students, traders and ordinary citizens had long faced difficulties and harassment due to inadequate infrastructure, and called for collaborative efforts without administrative indifference, delays or compromised workmanship.
Inspection of the ongoing Nagaland Foothills Road project has flagged several construction and technical issues at bridges and road-widening sites in the Baghty Division.
At the Tsumang Bridge, being constructed by M/s NCSU c/o Pele Khezhie, the toe wall had collapsed. The inspection attributed the failure to flaws in the DPR, noting that excavation had to be increased substantially beyond the original provision to provide adequate support.
The load capacity of the suspension steel-panel bridge was also yet to be ascertained, prompting a recommendation that the department determine and prominently display its permissible tonnage capacity.
The Jukvantchu River (Renthan) bridge, a galvanised double-lane modular steel bridge under M/s Ren Kitz & Co, was reportedly nearing completion, though the inspection team could not physically verify the work due to time constraints.
At the Shanthatchu River (Liphi), M/s N. Chiso & Sons reportedly stated that most contracted work had been completed as per the DPR. Additional levelling was required because of the elevated bridge structure. The contractor sought release of the remaining 40% of the contract amount, stated at around Rs 94 lakh, and said additional work would resume after funds were allocated.
At Jungju River (Hayiyan), works by M/s Quinker Enterprises were nearing completion. The river course had been diverted by the department’s technical team, but embankment provisions were absent from the original DPR, leaving portions of the new river course exposed. The contractor sought a three-week curative period after technical works.
Bridge construction by M/s P-Mha Tum & Co was also nearly complete, while finishing work was affected by continuous rain.
At a Hume pipe culvert site under M/s JK Constructions, the inspection found third-grade sand being used for plastering side-wing protection walls, along with signs of erosion.
The inspection also found several culverts without side-wing protection, leaving them vulnerable to erosion and possible damage.
LLRPO said the findings raised concerns over the structural integrity, durability and safety of the Nagaland Foothills Road and should not be treated as minor construction issues.
LLRPO urged the State government and PWD authorities to assume immediate administrative and technical responsibility for the project and work with public organisations to ensure quality construction.
It said the Foothill Road would provide farmers direct access to markets, reduce dependence on routes through Assam, improve access to hospitals and educational institutions, facilitate movement of agricultural produce and strengthen connectivity between villages and commercial centres.
The organisation said the road would also provide a safer and more reliable alternative within Nagaland, reducing exposure to uncertainty and alleged harassment while travelling through Assam.
LLRPO appealed to the chief minister, minister in-charge, engineer-in-chief and senior departmental officials to personally review the project and ensure urgent action, technical supervision and adequate financial commitment for its completion.
“A road of this importance cannot be allowed to become another unfinished or compromised government project,” it said.
LLRPO also urged the government to resume Phase-II at the earliest during the dry season and issue the work order for the remaining portion. It assured cooperation with the department and said it would continue monitoring implementation while seeking quality, transparency, accountability and timely completion, stressing that the project required “not another assurance, but decisive action”.