Dimapur: Opposition Naga People's Front on Thursday hailed the Centre's announcement of 12 road projects worth more than Rs 3,000 crore for Nagaland, saying the erstwhile NPF-led government's perseverance had paid off.

An NPF release said the state's bad roads had always been a major concern of the NPF-led DAN government and former chief ministers T.R. Zeliang and Shürhozelie Liezietsu had taken up the matter with the Centre on a war footing.

"Their persistence and perseverance have paid off and the ministry of road transport and highways has finally announced approval of 12 road projects in the state amounting to over Rs 3,000 crore which is a record of sorts in itself," the release said.

The NPF also welcomed the Rio-led PDA government's announcement last week that roads in all district headquarters would be repaired within 60 days but added that making an announcement was one thing and implementing it another, especially when the state had no funds.

"Is Rio going to wave a magic wand and produce new sanctions from thin air, or is he going to let his coterie of contractors execute the works without following any procedure or formality, provide haphazard jobs and escalate the costs astronomically while making payments through additional funds in the long run as has been his practice in the past? The latter is most likely and we can expect the state's deficit to worsen in the days to come. Indeed, change is coming," it said.

The NPF urged the Rio government to "pursue with a missionary zeal the road projects put up by the previous (NPF) government with the government of India" instead of "finding flimsy excuses to mint money by the coterie of contractors supporting the PDA government" and bring the proposals to fruition.

It urged the government to start the new road proposals immediately and complete it within the stipulated period.