Nagaland Legislative Assembly: Opposition questions on reservation policy, tax collection

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Feb. 8 (EMN): Hard-hitting questions on appointments and reservation policies, transparency and equal representation in the government from the opposition opened the second day of the fifth session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Saturday.

Opposition MLA Yitachu started the ‘question hour’, querying Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on the various sport activities undertaken by the department for Schools, and the total fund allocated for encouraging sport activities.

In his reply, Rio said INR 203 lakh was allocated for encouraging sport activities in schools during 2019-20 under Samagra Shiksha.

He also highlighted the various sport activities undertaken by the department of School Education like football, volleyball, taekwondo (self-defence), sepak-takraw, and belt wrestling.

Only one permanent police check gate—Patton

NPF MLA Kuzholuzo Nienu raised a question concerning the number of both ‘legal and illegal check gates’ that have been set up between Kohima to Dimapur Nagaland gate, and the rate of toll fees fixed or collected by the police, excise, traffic, MVI, department of Forest and Geology and Mining. Further, he also questioned the tax collection in check gates by the various armed Naga groups.

In response to the query, Deputy Chief Minister and minister in-charge of Home Affairs, Y Patton stated that there was only one permanent police check gate in Chumoukedima under the department of Home Affairs.

He also claimed that no fees were being collected by the police, MVI, Excise and Forest departments—except the department of Geology and Mining, which has one mineral check gate in Chumoukedima for levying royalty on minor minerals.

He added that there was no information about the check gates operated by various armed Naga groups and stated, “If there are such toll gates, they are illegal.”

On a supplementary question, the opposition MLA claimed that there were evidence and proof of the existence of check gates manned by various armed Naga groups, and asserted that he would provide the same in support of the claim; to which Patton responded that the government would ‘look into the matter at the earliest’.

INR 190 lakh for Vankhosung helipad

Opposition MLA Chumben Murry queried about the construction of a helipad at Vankhosung in Wokha district.

In response, Minister in-charge of Transport, Civil Aviation and Railways P Paiwang Konyak informed that the cost of the project was INR 225.24 lakh, out of which INR 190.40 lakh has been sanctioned.

He also highlighted the technical problems faced during the implementation of the project. However, he told the House that 85% of the project has been completed.

According to him, it would be completed by September this year.

132 appointments without interview

Opposition MLA Chotisuh Sazo’s starred question to minister in-charge of Roads and Bridges were on the total number of Grade-III appointments made from April 1, 2018 till date. He further queried on the total number of appointments made through open and without interview during the period.

Responding to the question, Y Patton, who holds the additional charge of the Road and Bridges department, stated that 132 appointments were made from April 1, 2018 till date and added that no appointments had been made through open interview.

Sazo also raised the issue of backward tribe reservation policy; whether it was maintained in the mode of appointment, to which the minister concerned replied, “Yes”.

However, the opposition MLA was not contend with the figures made available to the House as the ‘ratio of reservation was not maintained’, to which Patton assured that the reservation policy would be followed, henceforth.

Yitachu also questioned the reservation policy for backward tribes under NPSC and in other government departments, when there were no candidate available or if the candidate applied for did not qualify.

In his reply, Rio stated that if no candidate were available from a particular backward tribe whose turn had come on the roster, a candidate belonging to any other tribe would not fill the vacancy.

Further he stated that if the candidate from a particular Backward Tribe(BT) did not qualify for filling up the vacancy earmarked for the BT in the roster, such vacancy would be treated as ‘backlog vacancy’.

In another starred question, opposition MLA Amenba Yaden asked the minister in-charge of Public Health Engineering (PHED) on the number of grade-III and above employees appointed through interview and without interview from March 2018 till date.

In reply to the question, Jacob Zhimomi, minister for PHED, stated that 19 grade-III posts were appointed through departmental recruitment board from March 2018 till date.