Students raise questions on Tuli Mill’s fund use

'HPC, state government failed to provide details'  Dimapur, September 11 : The Central Nagaland Students’ Association (CNSA) has raised doubts about a number of details concerning the use of funds by the Nagaland Pulp & Paper Mill (NPPC) in Tuli, in Mokokchung. The students’ organization issued a statement on Thursday expressing concern that ‘only 34 crore’ out of the centre’s sanction of Rs 100 crore was utilized for “various project activities” since 2013. Another misgiving that the organization expressed was that Rs. 60 crore was allegedly diverted by the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd., not to forget that the authorities also allegedly withheld certain information under a provision of the Right to Information Act (RTI). The organization has wondered aloud what agenda Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd might be ‘hiding’ or that whether it was playing “dirty politics.” The CNSA stated that it was “very much concerned” at what it called “snail-paced revival works” of said mill being undertaken by the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd and the government of Nagaland. Likewise, the CNSA has alleged that the Nagaland government allegedly failed to provide the ‘hard copy of the project report, the ‘amount’ sanctioned and the progress report of the projects. It was revealed that the CNSA had sought information from NPPC and the directorate of Industries and Commerce in 2016 twice. The Ministry of Heavy Industries sanctioned Rs 100 crore as first instalment in 2013, the CNSA stated. ‘The NPPCL replied to the CNSA RTI application that only “INR 34 crores (approx)” have been utilized thus far “towards various project activities”.’ The CNSA has strongly questioned Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd., “as to why only Rs 34 crores can be utilized out of Rs.100 crores in three years time, that is, from 2013-2016.” The group referred to a statement of the Nagaland chief minister, TR Zeliang, in the media that “out of Rs 100 crores released by the Ministry of Heavy Industries in 2013, Rs 60 crores was diverted by HPC Ltd”. The CNSA noted the reported diversion of Rs 60 crore by the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd., “very seriously and demands the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd to declare where the Rs 60 crores have been utilized.” The CNSA cautioned that that if the diverted Rs 60 crore “has not been utilized for the revival of the NPPCL, Tuli, then the CNSA will initiate its own course of action, even to the extent of approaching the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India.” Further, the organization wondered why Tuli paper mill was refusing to offer a point of information that the CNSA sought. The CNSA is ‘not satisfied with the reply by the NPPCL to RTI application wherein asked for the names of the ‘companies contracted for the revival of the NPPC-Tuli’. The NPPCL in their RTI reply sought ‘exemption under Sec. 8 (1) (d) & (g) of RTI Act 2005,’ the organization stated. The CNSA stated: ‘The exemption under the said Sections of the RTI Act 2005 says “8 (1) d: information including commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property, the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of a third party, unless the competent authority is satisfied that larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information”. Section 8 (1) (g) of the RTI Act 2005 states, information, the disclosure of which would endanger the life or physical safety of any person or identify the source of information or assistance given in confidence of law enforcement of security reasons.’ Stating the NPPCL to be a government project and the only heavy industry in Nagaland, the CNSA said “Therefore, if the HPC Ltd thinks that the queries by the CNSA are not in the ‘larger public interest that warrants the disclosure of such information, then the CNSA strongly feels that the HPC Ltd is not serious about the revival of the NPPCL-Tuli.’ “The CNSA wonders and questions the HPCL whether there is some hidden agenda or dirty politics being played to deliberately stall the much awaited revival of NPPCL-Tuli. Three years have already elapsed since the government of India declared and sanctioned finances for the revival work, but so far, the works at the ground is negligible and very unsatisfactory.” The CNSA has demanded that the NPPC revival work be ‘very transparent' and in 'sincere manner’ considering that it involves ‘a lot of stakeholders, the greatest being the Naga people, who are eagerly waiting for its revival.’ ‘Nagaland govt. failed to provide details’ Also, the CNSA has questioned the Nagaland state government. The department of Industries and Commerce has been stated as having replied to the RTI application that the state government had instructed different departments to undertake different works ‘like power supply, dam, roads etc.’ “However, the state government could not provide the ‘hard copy of the project report, the amount sanctioned and the progress report of the projects entrusted to the different departments’ for the revival of the NPPCL-Tuli by the government of Nagaland. The CNSA strongly demands that the state government should make it known to the public about the project reports and progress at the earliest possible time,” the press release stated. The CNSA has assured that it was ‘ever ready’ to file a Public Interest Litigation or approach the Union Ministry “unless and until the concerned authorities show sincerity in their works towards the speedy revival of the NPPCL-Tuli.”