Assessing Changes in Essential Utilities after Highway Construction in Rural Nagaland: Evidence from McNemar and Stuart–Maxwell Tests

Abstract

This study examines the changes in essential utilities observed after the highway construction based on farmers' perceptions and their recall ability in the hilly regions of Nagaland, India. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 480 farming households across varying distances (<5km, 5-10km and >10km) from new highway corridors from five districts namely, Dimapur, Kohima, Niuland, Chumoukedima and Paren. This is to capture the degree of changes based on the distance from highway. The data was collected during 2024-25 and analysed using McNemar and Stuart–Maxwell Tests. The results indicate that with the construction of National Highways in Nagaland there were significant improvements in electricity supply, transportation, home delivery services, rental facilities, internet connectivity, and market integration. Statistical analyses confirm that the benefits of highway is not only enjoyed by proximity to highway villages but it spans even in the remotest village from the highway. Although there is improvement in many categories limitation still exist in the mode of transportation and access to water. Therefore, the findings underscore the importance of integrated policies that combine infrastructure investment with regional development for achieving inclusive, sustainable rural development across India as highway development produces widespread positive effects on essential utilities. The study is limited by the use of recall based farmers perception as pre-construction of highway baseline data is unavailable.