An emergency consultative meeting held here on Monday among members of the Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC), Dimapur-based tribal hohos and Young Nagas Action Committee for Foothills Road on the two-lane road construction project set a four-day deadline for the state government to issue the work order.
Failing which, the organisations threatened to pull out participants of 12 tribes immediately from the ongoing Hornbill Festival. The meeting also asserted that the alignments of Foothills Road cannot be allowed to be changed without the written consent of NFHRCC, and warned that anyone attempting to do so would face severe consequences.
Acknowledging the work assignment communicated by the department concerned with the committee (vide letter dated October 28, 2024), the members stressed that this could not be changed nor altered by any authority whatsoever.
They cautioned that anyone doing this could be treated as betrayal of the 12 tribal hohos, and the government would be held responsible for any eventuality.
As the Foothills Road was an extraordinary and people’s project fully initiated by Naga public, the meeting declared that no one– whosoever or whatsoever position he/she might hold– could not claim his/her supremacy over the project, and anyone trying to do so would be doing at his/her own risk.
This was stated in a press release by NFHRCC convener Supu Jamir, co-convener Hokiye Yepthomi, general secretary W Lemba Chang and asst general secretary Chenithung Humtsoe.