Trans Nagaland highway: RPP wants to crowdfund foothill road construction

Kohima: Nagaland’s newest political party, Rising People’s Party (RPP), announced its decision to initiate a crowdfunding event to facilitate the completion of the much awaited Trans Nagaland highway, popularly known as the foothill road.

A statement issued by the party said the foothill road will “serve as a major lifeline for the people of Nagaland” as it connects Khelma in Peren district to Tizit in Mon District. It said the decision was made after an interactive session with intellectuals and well-wishers in Kohima.

The RPP said that if a similar project in Manipur, initiated by IAS officer Armstrong Pame, could be completed in 2012 with only Rs 40 lakh, the party “finds it strange” that the government could not complete the project despite “pumping” Rs 70 crore.

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It said that as per its sources, the “state government is not going to pursue the completion of the project”.

“Considering the fact that this Foothill Road Project was first conceptualised in 1974, and taken up in 2013 by the NFHRCC, the leaders of RPP also appeal to all the people of Nagaland to embrace this project as their very own, by emulating the example set by ABAM in 2020 when it donated Rs 36 lakh. This project should become a Naga success story,” it said. 

RPP also said that the Naga MLAs are not serious regarding the project. “If they are serious, the project could have been completed by now. If all the 60 MLAs had contributed even 10% of their yearly LADF towards the project, Rs 80-90 crore could have been easily collected in the last 8 to 9 years or so,” the party said.

The party added that if the foothill road project is abandoned, Nagas will continue to suffer economic blockades and harassment at the hands of Assam. Further, the party appreciated the NFHRCC for “consistently keeping the issue alive for the last 9 years” and appealed to the committee not to “lose hope or be disheartened”. 

It informed that details of the crowdfunding project will be announced in few weeks time.