EMN
Dimapur, September 4
Officials of the Public Health Engineering department have been warned against misusing peripherals and items of facilities that are used in delivering services to the public. A recent meeting convened in Kohima saw the department’s minister taking stern note of ‘certain irresponsible officers’ in the department who allegedly had the “habit of misusing departmental pipes and tanks.” Minister for PHED Tokheho Yepthomi held a marathon meeting with the department’s Secretary Anenla S Longchari, Chief Engineer Kevisekho Kruse and other senior officers in Cimorb Hotel in Kohima town on September 4.
The meeting deliberated about vital issues confronting the department. The agenda included issues concerning backlog in the state’s share for centrally-sponsored schemes, and doubtful cases of work-charged employees, encroachment into the department’s land holdings, measures to improve water supply and revenue collection in the district administrative headquarters, proper custody and utilization of pipes and tanks, and funds transfer to WATSAN committees, among others.
As an outcome of the meeting, the officials have decided that the department would have a uniform system of charging water fees with effect from December 1. For this, the department is to make necessary preparations to facilitate conversion of all existing non-meter connections into meter-connections. The divisional officers are also to work out the minimum field employees that are required for effective maintenance of existing water supply systems and revenue collection in all urban and revenue towns.
It was further pointed out that ‘certain irresponsible officers’ in the department were in the ‘habit of misusing departmental pipes and tanks’. The officials viewed the issue ‘very seriously’ with the minister having had to warn officers: ‘If anybody is found indulging in such dishonest practices, he would not hesitate to take prompt appropriate action from now onwards without bias as the department is here to serve the public.’
Also, in response to demands placed by the Association of Public Health Engineers of Nagaland, the minister said that the Government of Nagaland today was ‘not in a good position with a huge chunk of yearly financial budget going towards payment of salaries and debt servicing and that, unless every one exercises the feeling of responsibility, it would be difficult for Naga society to survive for long.’
