Pessao village councils have threatened an FIR against the PHC contractor over a stalled project despite 75% payment withdrawn
DIMAPUR — The Pessao Village Council and Changlu Village Council have summoned the contractor of the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Pessao for a joint meeting on September 14, warning that an FIR will be filed if he fails to appear.
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The councils took the decision at a meeting on Wednesday and have summoned M/S N Langphong Konyak, the contractor for the PHC project, along with the Monyakshu Village Council to Pessao.
The development comes more than five years after plans were announced to upgrade the health facility, which has yet to become operational.
Pessao, located about 140 km from Mon town along the Indo-Myanmar border, has remained without a functional health centre, with residents having to rely on makeshift arrangements for medical treatment.
As reported by Eastern Mirror earlier, The Hans Foundation (THF) had announced in March 2021 that it would develop and adopt two PHCs in Mon district—Tizit and Pessao—for five years at an estimated cost of INR 4.5 crore. Of this, INR 2.5 crore was earmarked for Pessao.
Read more: Nagaland: 5 years after promise, Pessao village still waits for hospital
A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was subsequently signed on May 6, 2021, between THF, the Pessao Village Council and the department of Health & Family Welfare. The agreement was valid until May 5, 2026.
The project envisaged transforming the existing PHC into a fully functional health facility conforming to Indian Public Health Standards and serving Pessao and at least six adjoining villages in Yongkhao area.
It included construction of a new PHC building and staff quarters, procurement of medical equipment and cold-chain facilities, support for additional manpower including doctors and nurses, training, and a referral network with CHC Tobu and District Hospital Mon.
However, the MoU expired in May this year without the upgraded facility becoming operational. The proposed site remains largely undeveloped, while patients continue to receive treatment in a school and a waiting shed at the old PHC, according to earlier reports by this newspaper.
Earlier reporting by this newspaper had also highlighted that 75% of the civil-works contract amount had been withdrawn despite little or no progress on the construction.
The village councils are now seeking an explanation from the contractor over the prolonged delay.
The councils said they hope the contractor will appear before the joint meeting on September 14 to clarify the matter, failing which they will initiate legal action, including filing an FIR.
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