EMN KOHIMA, AUGUST 20
Support for Nagaland’s minister for Roads & Bridges minster has come from his district’s Naga People’s Front (NPF) Phek Division following allegations from the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) that the politician failed to ‘repair and restore’ the roads in Nagaland “within four months of him assuming charge as minister for roads and bridges.” A press release issued by the president of the Phek NPF division, Chivotso Nienu, said that “no human in his right mindset is capable of making such an utterance.” The minister had very clearly stated that he would “try to improve the roads to some extent within 3-4 years,” the Phek chapter of the NPF said.
The unit explained that the implementing agency for the development of roads and highways is accountable to the Roads & Bridges department but the “National Highways department.” On the issue of “road implementation,” the NPF said, the Roads and Bridges department has ‘never permitted haphazardly execution of the works as alleged by the NPCC and reported in the local media.’ Rather, the NPF unit explained that the department had “instructed” the firm in-contract “not to execute beyond the scope of work as this will not be measured and recorded for billing. As such, whatever work has been made and billed so far has been within the scope of work and whatever extra construction has been done is at own risk, the release said.” According to the NPF release, the NPCC had accused the government of Nagaland of having paid Rs 540 crore to Maytas-Gayatri. “Here it should be made clear that payment was made by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and (MoRTH). Moreover, the payment to the contractor till date is Rs 364.82 crore only,” the NPF unit claimed in its handout. The unit referred to the issue of increase in revised Detailed Project Report. The original DPR contained anomalies, the unit claimed. “Accordingly, the process of rectification for successful completion of the project is in process,” the Phek unit said. ‘Road conditions have gone from bad to worse all over the country especially during the monsoon months at this time. Maybe the road conditions in other states may be worse than in our state. And it is good to note that all road conditions cannot be attributed to natural disasters/calamities which are beyond human control but which most people do not realize,’ the handout said. The NPF release called the NPCC a “habitual liar” and has advised the opposition party to “stop making false statements and thus avoid the blame game.”