Dimapur, March 20 (EMN): In a scathing reprove of the recent controversy surrounding the chief minister’s road development fund (CMRDF), the ACAUT Nagaland has compared the 16 ministers/parliamentary secretaries listed in the document and former chief minister TR Zeliang to Ali Baba and his band of thieves ‘looting’ Rs 12.5 crore of public fund.
In a statement issued on Monday, ACAUT Nagaland called the episode ‘utterly shameful’. It questioned: “What is this CM’s Road Development Fund (CMRDF) that crores can be awarded at the sole discretion of the former CM or CMs? It’s condemnable that the former CM can still position himself as the CM and then award Rs 3 crore to himself and his own son – M/S Hi-Tech Construction with impunity.”
It lauded the ‘whistle-blower’ who made the document public ‘thoroughly shocking’ the public and SSA/RMSA/Hindi teachers. “The file noting of the minister, R&B, is equally condemnable whereby the chief engineer (R&B) has been instructed to ‘process for tender’ the so-called beneficiary list. The former student leader now minister is advised that there can be no tender when there is only one ‘competing firm’ and therefore to direct the chief engineer to set-up tendering process is an insult to his own chair,” it stated.
The ACAUT warned the chief engineer that he would be held culpable ‘for abetting corruption’ if he carries out the ‘illegal instruction.’ It requested him to make a public clarification that such an ‘illegal order’ cannot be carried out and the department has no option but to invite open tenders.
“The chief engineer is reminded not to hang himself in unnecessary legal entangles, including FIR, which will be the case if he carries out the illegal directive of the former CM.”
It also asked chief minister, Shurhozelie Liezietsu to “make a public statement denouncing the illegal order of his Advisor, Finance. Rather than be a new wine in an old bottle, the octogenarian CM should strive to be a new wine in a new bottle.”
