Principal Correspondent
Kohima, March19
Construction of cricket stadium at Sovima under Dimapur district today rocked the question Hour of the Assembly with Congress Legislature Party Leader, Tokheho Yepthomi demanding setting up of Assembly committee to enquire into the construction of the ground and 13 additional components amounting to Rs. 74.83 crore. Replying to a starred query of Tokheho, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth Resources and Sports, Khriehu Liezietsu informed the House that the construction of Sovima cricket ground was completed on September 2, 2011 with a total amount of Rs. 8 crore 29 lakh 46 thousand and 20.
He also said that besides the cricket ground, an amount of Rs. 74.83 crore was earmarked for construction of 13 additional components including, VIP gallery, toilets, flood lights, cricket school, hostel, generator for flood light etc. wherein Rs. 51 crore has been paid and Rs. 23.83 is due for payment to the contractor.
However, expressing that the Department has not been taking corrective measures despite raising the issue for not less than three times in the past too in Assembly, Tokheho demanded that the Leader of the House, TR Zeliang should set up an Assembly Committee to enquire into the construction of the cricket stadium at Sovima.
He also expressed surprise as to what kind of a VIP gallery was constructed for Rs. 33 crore, what is the capacity of Rs. 85 lakh Generator for flood lights and how big is the generator shed constructed at Rs. 32 lakhs.
Maintaining that the legislators are to serve and work for the people, Tokheho said the state government always talks of unemployment problem but if contracts of such major works are given with favouritism it is depriving the rights of the people. He also asked for laying in the House details of tender process and whether the tender of 13 additional components was floated properly.
Congress MLA Apok Jamir suggested that the government should make equitable distribution of funds for promotion of other sports in the State. He said that game of cricket is new for Nagas but the youths are talented in other events such as football and combat sports, which should also not be neglected.
Chief Minister TR Zeliang said some of different components included construction of VIP gallery at Rs. 33.50 crore, Naga Cricket School at Rs. 10.31 crore, cricketers hostel at Rs. 8.7 crore, toilet block at Rs. 1.35 crore, flood lights at Rs. 10.33 crore, generator for flood lights Rs. 85 lakh, generator shed Rs 32.77 lakh, manual score board Rs. 12 lakh and digital score board Rs. 99.7 lakh.
He also assured the House that the related department would be entrusted to look into the matter and submit a report to the Government, after which if needed the enquiry committee can be set up.
On the process of tender for 13 additional components, he said that since the question was on construction of Cricket Ground, the records will have to be checked properly and lay in the House in the next session.
Nonetheless, Tokheho said it is for the department to be prepared to reply to the question as all the constructions, including the additional components are for Sovima cricket ground, otherwise the ground alone should be separately constructed.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare, P. Longon replying to Congress MLA Dr. Imtiwapang enlightened the House on the progress of Nagaland Medical College establishment in Kohima. He said that land identification and acquisition of the College has been finalized while foundation stone was laid by then Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on March 3, 2014.
He informed that the College has been affiliated to Nagaland University while Detail Project Report amounting to Rs. 189 crore has been submitted to the Government of India, GoI and Medical Council of India.
He, however said that no money has been received till date from the GoI neither any work order issue.
Longon said that the College is expected to be functional from 2016-17 session subject to release of fund from GoI.
On the payment of compensation to landowners, he said that the total area of 135.90 acres belongs to people from P. Khel of Kohima Village. It has been purchased at a total cost of Rs. 16,30,86,480, which is pending, but the Government is trying to pay compensation at the earliest.
He also informed that the construction of medical college is pending because the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Land Owners is not yet completed. He informed that review is being done on certain conditions of landowners in the MoU specially with regard to two seat reservation, appointment of 6% fourth grade staff and 50% third grade staff to the landowners.
Chief Minister TR Zeliang informed the House that the draft MoU has been completed and it has been send to Law Department for vetting. Once it is done and put up before the State Cabinet, it would be approved, he said.
MLA Imkong L. Imchen, the then Minister for H&FW, during whose time the initiative for Medical College was undertaken, while stating that Medical college is a vital project for the State of Nagaland, urged that the government should make special dispensation to the department for payment to landowners in order to start the construction on war footing.
MLAs Tokheho and Kuzholuzo Nienu were of the opinion that land should be outright purchase with completely rights reservation without any conditions so that the government, students of the college and general people does not have to face any problem in the future.
On Tokheho’s query about implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 in the State, Chief Minister TR Zeliang said that the State Cabinet in its meeting held on February 17, 2014 has decided to implement the Bill subject to fund allocation by the Government of India.
He said that identification of priority households has been completed and degitisation of the same is in progress.
Revealing that nine out of 29 states in the Country are already implementing the project, Zeliang said according to the NFSA the cost of the transportation for the food items has to be borne by the State Government. It would cost about Rs. 10 crore per year to the state exchequer, and since Nagaland is a resource crunch state, the Government had approached the Centre to grant substantial fund, but it has been declined.
However, he informed that the Government is making another effort on 75:25 share basis between Centre and State. Revealing that reply on the matter is awaited, he said the State Government has therefore extended some more months w.e.f April 1, 2015 for implementation of NFSA.
On the criteria of selection of the beneficiaries, Zeliang said that there are certain laid down guidelines of the Act, however the state government is basing on BPL category because of which more than half of the population of the State i.e. 11,56,783 beneficiaries have been identified. They would be issued with proper ID cards/ration card to avail the benefit, he said, adding that the beneficiaries would be those having low income i.e. less than Rs. 1.50 lakh per year and not only BLP families.
Tokheho requested the leader of the House to implement the Act at the earliest so that the poorest of the poor could benefit as they would be able to purchase rice at Rs. 3 per kg, however cautioned on the selection of beneficiaries. He suggested the village leaders should not only be entrusted to identify the beneficiaries but strict checking should be done by the Department of Food and Civil Supplies so that it benefits the actual beneficiary.
The eighth session of the twelfth Nagaland Legislative Assembly was adjourned sine die today with the passing of the Vote-on-Account amounting to Rs 3868.16 crore to defray the expenses of the State government for the first four months of the fiscal 2015-16 starting from April 1 to July 31.
The House passed seven bills – Nagaland Appropriation Bill Numbers 1 to 7 relating to supplementary demand for grants for regularisation of excess expenditure for the year 2000-01 - Rs. 51.81 crore, 2005-06 - Rs. 64.95 crore, 2008-09 – Rs. 43.52 crore, 2009-10 - Rs. 61.77 crore and 2010-11 - Rs. 90.55 crore.
Nagaland Appropriation (No. 6) Bill was for supplementary demand for grants for the year 2014-15 amounting to Rs. 538.79 crore while Bill No. 7 was for vote-on-account for the first four months of the fiscal 2015-16, which was presented by Chief Minister TR Zeliang on the first day of the session on March 17.
Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India, ICFAI University Amendment Bill, 2014 presented by Parliamentary Secretary for Higher Education Deo Nukhu during the December 16, 2014 session of the House was also passed in the House today.
Annual administrative reports of 33 government departments were laid in the House by respective Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries.
Parliamentary Secretary Deo laid a copy of the Nagaland Higher Education Service Rules, 2015 while Parliamentary Secretary for Labour and Employment, Chuba Longkumer laid copy of the Nagaland Labour Service Rules, 2014.
The Speaker Sazo adjourned the 60-member House sine die after announcing constitution of various financial and non-financial committees and panel of chairmen for 2015-16.
