Kohima, Nagaland, March 5 (HBTV): The much-debated Nagaland Foothill Road project took center stage in the assembly on Tuesday, with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio reaffirming the government’s commitment to the completion of the road while addressing concerns over delays, funding, and contractor issues.

Responding to a starred question, the chief minister emphasized that despite rumors, the minister in charge will not resign, stating, ‘that program will not fail and the question of him resigning does not arise.’ He also called for public cooperation, stressing that the delay in utilising the sanctioned INR 148.50 crore under the SASCI had impacted further funding for 2024-25.

Tracing the project’s history, he revealed that in 1993, Assam had blocked the NEC-sanctioned road, citing disputes over the alignment. He clarified, “If you go back to the documents, you would find it was stopped by Assam.” 

The chief minister also debunked claims that the project received funds from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways stating, that “MoRTH has not given one rupee. It is from the state’s allocation we are giving.”

Rio urged contractors, civil societies, and the Foothill Road Coordination Committee to cooperate for timely execution of the project. He asserted that, “If we have the support of the people, this road would have been almost completed.” The government remains committed, he assured, pledging additional funding if progress is made.