Road to economic progress

 Recently, two economic blockades imposed at three entry points to Nagaland- one at Khatkhati the other at Dillai under Karbi Anglong district and the other at Mariani under Jorhat district- were definitely meant to strangulate the people of the state over alleged encroachment by some people from Nagaland. First of all, the economic blockades are totally illegal and unconstitutional. Both the are roads fall under National Highway- 702D connecting Marian with Mokokchung; NH 29 connecting Manja to Dimapur and 129 connecting Bokajan to Dimapur. The indefinite economic blockades were nothing but an act of war and a blackmailing method against Nagaland in order to make the state act against alleged encroachers. The concerns may or may not be legitimate since this is still a matter with the Supreme Court. However, even if it was about illegal act of encroachment, the very act of imposing economic blockade is also illegal and unconstitutional. The National Highway Act 1956, sub-section 8 (1) states: “whoever commit mischief by doing any act which renders or which he knows to be likely to render any National Highways refer to sub¬section (1) of section 8 (A) “impassable or less safe” for travelling or conveying property, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 5 years, or fine with both”. Thus, the NH Act is clear, that blockade on roads is a serious offence that invites fine and imprisonment. While the blockades at the entry points under Karbi Anglong have been suspended pending fulfilment of demands by the Assam chief minister, the other blockade at Mariani continues. These blockades in Assam against Nagaland are not recent but have been frequent in recent years. A proposal to connect Dimapur with tuli(Mokokchuung) – Tizit(Mon) by a road snaking along the foothills skirting Assam was pitched some 50 years ago. The North Eastern Council(NEC) had funded the project during the 70s but it was halted sometime in 1974. It did not take off until 2012-13 when the civil society spearheaded by the tribal hohos pressured the state government into relenting. Under the banner of Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee(NHRCC), the project began in earnest. The original foothills road, as proposed in 2013, ran a length of approximately 250km. With the inclusion of Khelma, it would run some 400km from Tizit (Mon) to Khelma (Peren). In between, the Foothill Road was renamed as the Trans-Nagaland Expressway. This project, when complete, will make up for the non-existent all-weather roads connecting the districts without having to cross into Assam. The total amount sanctioned for the original Nagaland Foothills Road Project by the Nagaland state government stands at around Rs 70cr. In September 2018, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had sought the assistance of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways for funding the stalled project. There was no news after that. It is imperative that the construction of the Trans-Nagaland Expressway(TNE) should be accorded top-most priority by the state government and ensure that the project is complete at the earliest. It is not only about keeping the link between West,east and north Nagaland free from bandhs and blockades but also to promote economic development all along the routes. It will also enable faster transportation of goods between one part of the state with another. The project is a must for Nagaland if economic development is to mean anything.