MON, JUNE 6 (MExN): The Konyak Union units of Tobu, Longchang, and Mopong have objected to the proposed realignment of the two-lane National Highway-702, warning that any deviation from the original alignment would trigger public unrest and disrupt connectivity for dozens of villages in eastern Nagaland.
In a press release, the Tobu-Mopong-Longchang Joint Committee for NH-702 raised concerns over a push by certain individuals and groups to shift the approved route of NH-702 from Alignment-1—via Longleng, Longching, Mon, Lapa, and Tizit—to Alignment-3 through Longleng, Sowa Angli, Tzunak River, Aboi HQ, and Mon.
The committee stated that Alignment-1 had already been approved by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as per Notification No. F.NO NH-14012/15/2013-P&M (PT-15) dated March 4, 2014, and was crucial for connecting five administrative headquarters: Tobu, Monyakshu, Mopong, Angjangyang, and Longching. A diversion, they cautioned, would sever access to 34 villages and significantly hamper the region’s development.
An emergency meeting held at Longchang HQ saw the three unions express “dismay” over attempts to alter the route. The house resolved that the original alignment must be respected “without any modification under pressure from any quarters.” The unions warned that “any alteration driven by personal interest or political pressure” would be “vehemently opposed by the people” and could lead to protests.
They also pointed out that the stretch between Sowa and Longching, already handed over to NHIDCL, remains without maintenance due to the uncertainty created by the realignment debate. The Sowa Village Council, which had earlier given its no-objection certificate (NOC) for the original route, has now withdrawn support for the new alignment, according to the unions.
The unions further criticized a letter from the ADC of Aboi to the DC Mon, dated May 26, which proposed finalizing Alignment-3 without informing seven affected villages under ADC Aboi jurisdiction. “This is against the rights to be informed,” they said. The Konyak Union units submitted their formal objection at the DC Office in Mon on June 6.
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