Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, JULY 23
The Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has raised serious concerns over what it termed as the non-inclusion of the foothills road project in the budgetary provisions of the current fiscal year.
Besides, according to the NFHRCC, the state government has also yet to release to the contractors the money that was sanctioned for the financial year of 2014-15. The net amount (for 2014-15), after deductions, of Rs 22,69,92,000 has been kept in Civil Deposit till date, the committee members told a news conference here today in Dimapur.
To discuss these two “urgent matters,” the NFHRCC on July 22 last met Chief Minister TR Zeliang, Advisor to the Chief Minister, SI Jamir and the convener of Border MLAs, Dr Benjongliba in Kohima.
According to the members of NFHRCC, the Chief Minister had explained that the foothills road project falls under the Special Plan Assistance (SPA), which until recently was provided by New Delhi to Special Category States to fund projects identified by the respective states but which had not been covered by any central schemes.
Since the re-christening, and re-modeling, of the erstwhile Planning Commission of India into National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog early January this year, this pattern of SPA funding has been stopped, the CM reportedly told the NFHRCC members.
Nevertheless, Zeliang has already pleaded the case for foothills road project and has submitted the Detailed Project Report to the central government, the NFHRCC members were told. The state government is waiting on Delhi to reciprocate, they were told.
Zeliang is also reported to have told the NFHRCC members that the state government, under the current financial dearth it has been suffering, was not in a position provide additional funding to the foothills road project out of the state budget.
The NFHRCC members appealed the Chief Minister to mobilize fund to “keep the project alive under any circumstances.” According to the NFHRCC members, Zeliang responded by expressing his desire to sustain the project somehow.
As of now, the foothills road project has not been allotted with any fund to work for the financial year of 2015-16.
On the reported non-release of bills for works at Doyang Bridge, Mokokchung sector and Mon sector – which has been covered by the Rs 22 crore sanctioned in 2014-15 – the CM reportedly instructed the Finance Commissioner of Nagaland, Temjen Toy “to ascertain the same by July 23.”
