Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, MARCH 11
THE Nagaland Foot Hill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) on Tuesday named first-time legislator Mhonlumo Kikon of Nationalist Congress Party as the political figure behind the series of hurdles that have disrupted the smooth conduct of Foothill road construction works in Wokha sector.
This decision from the NFHRCC to go public with the name of the local politician, of whose role they have been quite suspicious for a long time now, was arrived at after a meeting with the officials of PWD (R&B), led by Chief Engineer D Mero, here today in Dimapur.
“It is the cardinal principle of the NFHRCC that the Foothill road project will not be politicized in any manner whatsoever. And the same was reaffirmed on July 23, 2013 with the ten Border MLAs (including Mhonlumo Kikon).
“However despite of which, unfortunately, the honorable MLA Mhonlumo Kikon is blatantly violating the said resolution. Therefore the Committee is of the view that in the event of the ongoing construction works (in Wokha sector) being jeopardized, the MLA and his group shall be held liable,” the NFHRCC resolved on Tuesday.
On being asked to expand on the “blatant violation” committed by the MLA, NFHRCC officials said that the former had “pressurized the Chief Engineer D Mero and contractor P Imty Ao” to sublet the contract works to Class-I contractors of Wokha.
A direct consequence of this “pressure” from the MLA has been the execution of construction works by the Class-I contractors of Wokha without any consent from the NFHRCC or work order(s) from the department concerned.
On March 8 last, after a joint meeting between the NFHRCC and representatives of Class-I contractors Union Wokha, the former had asked the contractors to cease their “unauthorized works” immediately. Reports, however, said that the “unauthorized works” were still going on as of Tuesday evening.
At the inquest of the NFHRCC members, the Chief Engineer of PWD (R&B) D Mero came on record saying that “as of today the department has not issued any work order or authorized any firm other than M/S Trident Enterprises” to carry out construction works in Wokha sector. M/S Trident Enterprises is owned by contractor P Imty Ao.
Mero also informed that the department was in receipt of a letter from the Executive Engineer of Baghty division reporting the construction of Foothill road in Wokha sector “by other contractors.” He assured to act on the report.
On the Committee’s part, it assured the department officials as well as contractor P Imty Ao that “the committee will defuse the pressure from the higher ups.”
It also resolved that P Imty Ao alone should finish the fresh-cutting project as agreed upon on January 18 last and that the Committee would not allow any other contractors to take the same.
In order to strength their resolve, and discuss further impending issues, the NFHRCC decided to convene a joint meeting of all the apex bodies of the ten-constituent tribes on March 20 next. All the tribal hohos involved has been requested to depute at least two representatives each to the meeting.
Meanwhile they have also appealed to the government and the Minister Roads and Birdiges, to immediately stop the unauthorized construction works.
