Kohima: The Union government has allowed Nagaland to proceed with land acquisition under the state's 1965 law to widen National Highway-202, clearing a major policy hurdle for the project, Deputy Chief Minister T R Zeliang said.He said the decision followed a meeting with senior officials of the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry in New Delhi on Wednesday. The meeting also discussed the proposed widening of NH-329A, NH-702A and the Foothill Road.Land acquisition had emerged as a key obstacle to the projects over the question of whether it should be carried out under the National Highways Act, 1956, or the Nagaland Land (Requisition and Acquisition) Act, 1965.According to Zeliang, the Nagaland government had maintained reservations about the National Highways Act in view of the constitutional safeguards under Article 371(A).Article 371 grants temporary, transitional and special provisions to some states to accommodate their unique socio-cultural and regional developmental needs.The meeting also addressed the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for NH-202. MoRTH agreed to accept the DPR already submitted, despite certain technical deficiencies, with necessary modifications to be undertaken in consultation with the state-appointed consultant and MoRTH engineers, Zeliang said.He added that the arrangement would avoid the need to appoint a new DPR consultant, which could have required fresh surveys and several months of additional work.The proposed NH-202 upgrade is particularly significant for Tuensang, Shamator and Kiphire districts, where poor road conditions have caused persistent difficulties for residents.
