Imkong Walling
The Government of Nagaland reviving interest in the foothills road has renewed hope of finally bringing to fruition a 50 years old wish. On March 1, on the final day of the 2024-25 Budget session, the state Minister for Roads & Bridges made an announcement informing of the state government “earmarking” Rs 148.5 cr to develop the Niuland to Tizit (Mon) stretch of the foothills road into a single lane all-weather road.
For a plan relegated to the realm of uncertainty for 4 decades since its conception in the early 1970s, it began to take shape in 2013 when the state government, under public pressure, allocated Rs 40 cr to lay the groundwork. An allocation of Rs 27 cr followed in 2014 but the funding stopped there with earth-cutting left incomplete in two sectors. Whatever work that was done was left to the mercy of the elements.
Some 7 years passed by when in 2021, an allocation of Rs 30 cr was announced. Not surprisingly, the allocation coincided with a highly publicized crowd-funding initiative taken up by a political party in aid of the foothills road. The fund injection saw the completion of a crucial bridge over the Doyang River, completing pending earth-cutting works and some restoration/improvement works. The funding stopped, once more, only for the government to come up with the Rs 148 cr allocation in 2024.
Following what can be termed as a decade of blatant governmental indecision and nonexistent political will, the announcement in the Assembly, on March 1, also featured a 50-minute long discussion on the foothills road as opposed to sessions past when the foothills road was hardly on any MLA’s lips. The discussion involved Chief Minister, the Roads and Bridges Minister and other legislators.
While the renewed push from the government gives hope to the foothills road, the intermittent funding pattern is a cause for thought. It gives the impression that the government regards the foothills road as no more than a buffer for generating publicity stunt or a pacifier. It so happened that the allocation, and the Assembly time allotted, came at a time when cries of neglect emanating from the eastern bloc became ever louder and the Government of India reportedly promising a new administrative arrangement for the 6 eastern districts.
The tribal bodies that make up the eastern bloc have featured prominently in lobbying for the foothills road. The project when complete will not only link up one end of the state with the other, the broader vision being to serve as a reliable trans-state highway without having to take the roads of Assam.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
