Lamhai Village Council opposes NH-329A project, demanding land ownership recognition, compensation, citing decades-old disputes and killings in Nagaland.
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DIMAPUR — Drawing a line between development and dispossession, the Lamhai Village Council (LVC) on Thursday warned that no highway project would be allowed to proceed through its ancestral land unless the state formally recognises its ownership and settles compensation—recalling decades of land conflict and bloodshed linked to the disputed stretch.
In a strongly worded statement, the council maintained that it welcomed development “in principle” but rejected any move that undermined Lamhai’s birthright over its land, referring specifically to the proposed two-lane National Highway project along the Pimla Junction/Mhaikam Village–Mhainamtsi Village stretch under NH-329A.
The council stated that the proposed 11-km alignment revives long-standing and unresolved land disputes, which had earlier forced authorities to divert the original NH-129A alignment when ‘No Objection Certificates’ could not be obtained from Lamhai village.
According to the statement, when NH-129A was first notified in 2014, the road was planned to pass through Maram (Manipur)–Peren–Jalukie–Mhainamtsi–Pimla Junction before terminating at NH-29.
However, objections raised by Lamhai village over unresolved land ownership issues between Mhainamtsi and Pimla Junction led to the diversion of the alignment through Heningkunglwa–Ngwalwa–Khova River.
The council alleged that despite this history, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) re-notified the disputed stretch in 2021 as part of NH-329A without consulting LVC, bringing within its ambit areas where “government-unrecognised villages have mushroomed through forceful encroachment.”
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Reiterating that land boundaries between Lamhai village in Peren district and Chümoukedima village are “clear and well-defined”, the council maintained that all present settlements between Mhainamtsi and Pimla Junction were illegally established.
“No development activity—whether by NPWD (NH) or NHIDCL—should proceed without an amicable and lawful settlement of land ownership,” the council asserted, adding that it had earlier opposed even short-term maintenance works, following which construction was kept in abeyance.
The council also recalled the killing of three villagers at Lamhai Namdi on March 22, 2021, describing it as part of a larger pattern of violence linked to land encroachment. Since 1976, the council claimed, 14 members of Lamhai village have lost their lives defending ancestral land.
While a Special Investigation Team had charge-sheeted 19 accused in the 2021 incident, the council said that only seven were arrested, with the remaining absconding and no prosecution completed so far.
“This continued inaction compels us to conclude that we cannot sacrifice our land in the name of development, only to legitimise illegal occupation,” the statement said.
However, the council clarified that it would not oppose road development if the competent authority formally recognises Lamhai’s land ownership and awards compensation to the village and its council. It warned that compensating occupants of “illegally established villages” would amount to granting them ownership rights.
Urging MoRTH and the state government to address the core issue of land ownership before initiating any work, the council stressed that in Nagaland “there is no concept of ‘no man’s land’”, and cautioned against attempts to legitimise unlawful occupation under that pretext.