• Representation to PMO, MORTH
• Appeal against middlemen in projects / DPRs
• ‘Corruption has stunted devp. in Nagaland’
EMN
Dimapur, September 11
Local consumers’ group, the Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organization (NVCO) has urged the prime minister’s office and the ministry for Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways for intervention into corrupt dealings in Nagaland’s infrastructural development sector.
Members of the organization submitted a representation to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways and the central department for Road transport & Highways in New Delhi on September 7.The NVCO members also said to have furnished relevant documents to the central leaders.
One of the key points that the NVCO raised was that the central government act against the involvement of middleman, private parties or individuals in the process of approving projects and even the lucrative Detailed Project Reports for infrastructural developments in the departments of the state. Stopping this practice can completely avert the possibility of “taking bribe or commission by the officials,” the NVCO said in a press release issued to the media on Friday, September 10.
The NVCO stated in their appeal to the center that the main objective of approving Detailed Project Reports is to develop, ‘especially in the area of infrastructure’ such as roads, bridges, buildings, agriculture and human development, education, healthcare sector and so on.
‘But the involvement of middleman, private party, individuals, dalali in the process of approving the projects / DPR for infrastructural development in several departments is encouraging corrupt practices where the concerned state departments have to spent huge amount of cash bribing the officials to get the work done’, the representation said.
The NVCO described ‘corruption’ as the “greatest enemy of infrastructural development” as illustrated by the state of Nagaland where there is still lack of development even to the extent of ‘sanitation, drainage, roads, bridges, electricity, human development, agriculture sector, health care etc.’
The organization has strongly called for judicious utilization of public funds to develop Nagaland. The NVCO warned the state government of Nagaland not to involve or encourage the involvement of dalali, private party, agent, and middlemen.’
The organization had released a book recently which was a compilation of newspaper clippings. The members of the group submitted a copy of it in Delhi as well.
A similar representation was submitted to the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways and a copy to the Secretary to the Ministry of Road Transport at the Transport Bhavan and Jeevan Tara in New Delhi.
The team also briefed the chief engineer of Road transport & Highways by furnishing all relevant documents to him at his office in New Delhi, the organization informed.
A copy of the representation was “furnished” to Nagaland’s Member of Lok Sabha Neiphiu Rio, and to the Principal Resident Commissioner of Nagaland House too, the NVCO added.
