Finance records show funds for roads upkeep sanctioned

Dimapur, April 22 (EMN): The government of Nagaland, within one week in March this year, sanctioned Rs 20 crore solely for the purpose of “maintenance of roads under various divisions” of the state’s Roads and Bridges department.
According to an official document issued by the Finance department of the government of Nagaland on March 16 last, said amount was approved under “non-plan within the sanctioned budget for the year 2016-17 under demand 58” of the department of Roads and Bridges.
The list contains 24 divisions under the department of Roads and Bridges where the reported maintenance of roads’ were to be executed. “This drawing limit will remain valid up to 24.03.2-17”, the order read.
Quite interestingly, the state government – under the same departmental authority – had on December 12 last year issued a similar order approving sanction of same amount (Rs 20 crore) for the same number of projects.
According to the order issued on December 12, 2026: “This drawing limit will remain valid only within 16th to 22nd December, 2016”.
However, on March 16 this year, the state government refreshed the order sanctioning the same amount of money for said 24 projects. While issuing the order on December 12 last, the deputy secretary to the government of Nagaland, Lukheto Sema had stipulated that ‘the concerned DDO shall ensure that at the time of making final payment to the contractor, 1% of the gross value of the civil works is deducted as cess and deposited to the account of the Nagaland Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board as notified by Labour department vide order No. LAB.ACT-6/1996 (Pt) dated August 6, 2011”, it stated.
However while issuing the same order on March 16 last, the state government had excluded this condition.
Attempts to reach officials of the state’s department of Finance and the Roads and Bridges establishment for clarification and further information was unproductive even as their phones could not be reached.