Reacting to PWD (R&B) minister G Kaito Aye’s assertion that contractors were not legally bound to NFHRCC, the Nagaland Foothills Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) Thursday described as “very unfortunate” that the minister was “not capable to understand” the concept of the Foothills Road till date.
NFHRCC through its publicity and media cell recalled that when this historic project started in 2013, Kaito Aye was not the minister in-charge of PWD (R&B). Therefore, committee said on several occasions it explained, deliberated and tried to educate him about the “extraordinary project”.
“But despite our best efforts and endeavors it seems Hon’ble Minister In-charge is not capable to understand the Concept of the Foothills Road till date which is very unfortunate for the entire State,” the NFHRCC said.
As a minister in-charge, the committee said he ought to understand the historic project before general public understood. Considering the “level of understanding” of the present minister in-charge with regard to the Foothills concept, the committee said it now have no option but appeal to the state chief minister to intervene and educate the minister in-charge through all means as the understanding of the minister in-charge with the people’s project was paramount.
On February 7, 2025, NFHRCC said minister PWD (R&B) Kaito invited all the 12 apex tribal hohos at Kohima where opinions were sought from the hohos with regard to implementation agreement.
The committee said all the hohos affirmed that unless and until an implementation agreement was signed by the unsigned contractors the hohos would not allow to execute the work in their respective jurisdiction.
Therefore, the committee said the minister assured that within three four days the department would invite unsigned contractors and the committee and after rectification if any agreement would be signed and work would be started.
However, against his assurance to the 12 apex tribal hohos, NFHRCC said Achumbemo Kikon, MLA, M/S JK Construction and M/S Chabou & Co were allowed to start the “illegal construction” without even consulting the PWD (R&B) department.
The committee, therefore, said that “deliberate inaction” on the part of the minister in-charge was “highly illegal, unbecoming and uncalled for”, as he was one of the seniormost ministers in the opposition-less government.
Further, NFHRCC said that “so called launching” of Foothills Road at Baghty Division on February 21, 2025 by M/S JK Construction and M/S Chabou & Co under the initiative of Achumbemo, MLA, without a single official from the department as well the committee was “highly questionable”.
Stating that Achumbemo was neither a concerned PWD minister nor an advisor, NFHRCC asked “how and as to who had authorized Shri. Achumbemo to go against the resolution of 12 Apex Tribal Hohos”?
Further, NFHRCC questioned why MLA violated the Minister Kaito’s assurance to 12 Apex Tribal Hohos on February 7 to the effect that concerned department would invite all the unsigned firms and Committee to hammer out an amicable solution.
It said that in the given situation if Minister Kaito had directed MLA Achenbemo to go for illegal Launching on February 21, 2025, under Baghty Division, then minister Kaito must apologize to the 12 Apex tribal hohos.
The committee said minister was “fully aware” that 12 Apex Tribal HoHos would not allow the unsigned firms to execute the work unless and until they signed the agreement with the NFHRCC.
It also said if Achembemo had forcibly launched on February 21, 2025 at his own whims then he must apologize to 12 Apex Tribal HoHos/NFHRCC and to the PWD (R &B) for “illegally intruding” upon the jurisdiction of the PWD (R & B).
NFHRCC said he was neither minister in-charge nor advisor of PWD (R&B) but “just a mere MLA (40 Bhandari) without portfolio.” Reiterating that in democracy the voice of the public was paramount, the committee, therefore, said that no one cannot undermined or suppress the voice of the public and if anyone intended to do so would “face the consequence” as enough damaged has been done to the Naga society.
NFHRCC said the Naga public, therefore, caution all responsible not to act beyond the boundary.
As far as Nagaland Foothills Road is concerned, the committee said it was crystal clear that NFHRCC/HoHos/Naga Public were the sole owner, adding that department nodal agent and contractor were to execute assigned contract works.
Therefore, it said that if any firm/contractor executes work without an agreement with the owner, the NFHRCC said the same would be “utterly illegal and unjustified”.
Despite of repeated pleadings, NFHRCC said if they persist then severe action would be initiated against “those unscrupulous Firms.”
It said that having agreement with nodal agent/concerned department was also proper but trying to avoid agreement with the owner was “very illegal and disastrous.”
The committee affirmed that since 2013, the implementation agreement was being signed by the Foothill’s contractors without any hue and cry when the present minister in-charge was not PWD (R&B) minister.
In 2013, it said when the project started the concerned department having known the extra-ordinary characters of the people’s project committee was requested by the concerned department to seek the contractors and accordingly committee had acceded to the request made by the department and forwarded the contractors to the department, adding that those contractors humbly signed an agreement with the committee and executed the works and duly received their bill.
Therefore, NFHRCC said the present minister in-charge “ought to seek advice” from his predecessor so he could able to take forward this extra-ordinary project.
The committee said sometime in the month of August 2024, it had urged the concerned department to enter into tripartite agreement between department/committee/contractors to avoid any misunderstanding.
However, it said the department advised committee to enter bilateral agreement between contractors and committee. However, NFHRCC said as per Kaito’s recent statement, it was understood that he was unaware of what was happening in his department.
As a minister in-charge, the committee said it was bounden duty of the concerned department to keep him informed and vice-versa. “It is also imperative on the part of the concerned Minister to keep his department in order,” NFHRCC added.
Therefore, committee has appealed to minister in-charge to speak in the public domain after proper verifications of the facts. Meanwhile, taking a dig at the unfinished projects in the state, NFHRCC said Nagaland, a land of Festivals, while observing festival after festival, has buried many important public projects, saying “Money finished but works not finished”.
Describing Nagaland as “graveyard of projects”, the committee cited projects such as Nagaland High Court Complex, Dimapur Stadium, 40 NEC Road Projects remained pending and PMGSY road since 2001 not satisfactorily completed.
It said that the above cited projects started by signing terms and conditions with the concerned department but utterly failed. Therefore, the committee said that NFHRCC/hohos/Naga public did not want “this Historic Extra-ordinary Foothills Project” to meet the same fate as enough damaged has been caused to the Nagaland State through mismanagement and corruption.
NFHRCC has, therefore, affirmed that the committee/hohos/Naga public would “fight both tooth and Nail for this Historic Project.”