Kronu invites opposition to reject blaming
Dimapur, Oct. 7 (EMN): The minister of Minister, Planning & Co-ordination, Land Revenue, Neiba Kronu has asked the “NPF friends” to cooperate as the Nagaland government was already working on rebuilding the state’s dilapidated roads and highways.
In fact, the minister has invited the opposition legislators to join the government in weeding out ‘escalation of cost’ and ‘non-performing’ contractors and engineers “who could not control their contractors.”
The minister issued a press release on Sunday in response to allegations that he said were levelled against him and the chief minister. Kronu said to reply to the allegations of the Naga people’s Front (NPF) which was stated to have been published in the daily newspapers on October 5 “about building of roads as astonishing.”
According to Neiba Kronu, it was right after the formation of the People’s Democratic Alliance government that during the first Cabinet meeting the government ‘decided to make roads as it’s the desire of the public.’
However, the press release read, because of the parliamentary election to Lok Sabha, the Election Code of Conduct came into force, and ‘because of incessant rains things could not materialise as expected.’
‘I agree with the NPF that the sanction from the ministry of road Transport and Highways, government of India last year, work orders for the Golaghat-Chumukedima road has been issued to TK Engineering Consortium Pvt. Ltd. but progress is slow and is not coming to the expectation,’ the minister stated.
“Again KMC check gate-Lerie gate was issued to M/s Vilelie Khamo & Sons and it’s in good progress. But these two are not the only roads that are required for Kohima and Dimapur. Therefore knowing the necessity the PDA government had decided to make other city and district roads which I had explain to media friends during the interaction,” the press release explained further.
Here that minister explained that “we know that public needs good roads,” for which along with deputy chief minister, and the Planning, Public Works department and the ‘Urban department’ convened a meeting on September 29 as desired by chief minister.
The legislators and officers in the meeting then took a decision to ‘take up’ a few city roads in Kohima and Dimapur at the earliest as the festive season was approaching. The matter was advertised in the local papers on October 1-2 ‘amounting to Rs. 119.50 crore which shall be shelled out from the state resources or even by raising revenues.’
“I am of the opinion that if we can make good roads and generate sufficient power other things will slowly catch up and as the Planning minister I have to brief and update our chief minister, dy. CM and other ministers and to discuss with the Finance department to find out ways and means for speedy development which are time bound projects even though our resources are limited,” Kronu explained.
The minister opined further that a solution to the Naga political issue may “come early or delay” but day to day tasks and state of affairs “should not be stopped and we must do what we are supposed to do.”
The minister explained: “Out of every politicians (sic) some still have the political will and for that, we still have dedicated bureaucrats and technocrats to rebuild our society. Without playing blame game it’s high time that we come out and voice together against escalation of cost and non performing contractors and even the engineers who could not control their contractors.” It is time to ‘show our resentment against BRO (Border Roads Organisation) as they had miserably failed to perform,’ the statement read.
The minister illustrated the condition of roads by referring to Nagaland’s commonest problem next to bad roads: Traffic congestion and late work.
“We may not be able to address all the issues at a time but we know because of the traffic congestion we cannot reach offices, educational institutes, hospitals or examination halls in time and this is a serious matter for which outer ring roads or wherever small roads can be opened in Kohima and Dimapur, we have to find out a formula to ease the traffic congestion and for which the Planning GIS Cell and PWD is working so let’s hope for the best.”
Neiba Kronu has appealed to “my NPF friends and the public to cooperate with the government of the day so that we see good roads in near future.”
