Water shortage in the capital dominates Day 1 of buget session

Our Correspondent | EMN
Kohima, July 16

Hard hit by acute water shortage in the capital Congress legislators today demanded that the state should have a summer and winter capital. They accused the state government of having  failed to solve the problem of drinking water supply in the capital. With neighbouring villages not forth coming provide the water source for the capital town the Congressmen doubted the government’s ability to resolve the problem.
Congress Legislature Party leader Tokheho Yepthomi pointed that the elected members of the House are facing the problem of drinking water facility at the  Legislator’s Home as the water from the PHE  “Even in the MLA hostel of the state, the quality of water is very poor as it  contains dirt and iron because of which we have to purchase drinking water from  other sources,” .If this was the  condition in the  MLA hostel, he wondered what the condition might be for the general public.
Raising supplementary queries on progress of Water supply to Kohima on the opening  day of the budget session of 12th NLA, Yepthomi said Kohima village has been generous enough to give such a big land for capital town but why don’t the nearby  villages want to give water supply source for Kohima.He also remarked that despite the chief minister and also former NLA speaker being  from Kohima for 10 years (2003-2013) the water scarcity problem has not been  resolved.
He also questioned the former Speaker and present Social Minister Kiyanilie Peseyie rejecting to accept the PHE portfolio in DAN-III government.
He therefore said if the nearby villages are not willing to give water supply for  Kohima town, the state needs to have different capital for summer and winter  season while citing that people in Kohima have to spent sleepless nights during  the winter to collect water from the perennial water source.
He also expressed concern on the safety of drinking water from the ongoing project  from Southern Angami source (Zarü) by pumping stating it is below several  villages.
He said that water supply from Dzukou-Dzuna in the Western Angami Region is the  safest and questioned why the government could not negotiate with the villagers.
He also questioned how much the government spent on the project.  Tokheho also lamented that the government’s ambitious project to provide water to  Mokokchung from Dikhu river by pumping was also a failure.
The Congress leader also appealed to the State Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to save the  people of the state capital during his leadership.
Replying to Tokheho’s queries, Minister for Public Health Engineering Noke Konyak  said that 60% of the overall Water supply project from Zarü was completed by June.
He said that once the project is completed Kohima would get sufficient water  supply through two-phase pumping.
Konyak also informed the House that the state received an amount of Rs 1941.04
lakh from Government of India for Kohima water supply while the expenditure  incurred so far is Rs 2794.40 lakh from 2005-06 to 2012-13.
He also clarified the Congress leader on failure to bring water supply from  Khonoma stating that the area is a disputed land between the Angami and Zeliang,  because of which the Kohima water supply project had to be shifted to Southern  Angami area.

[tabs type=”horizontal”][tabs_head][tab_title]Budget session begins[/tab_title][/tabs_head][tab]The week-long budget session for the fiscal year 2013-14 of Nagaland Legislative Assembly commenced here today. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio who also holds the finance portfolio will present the full budget on July 18. The first day of the session was marked with election of the Deputy Speaker of the House. The morning’s proceedings began with the Speaker Chotisuh Sazo making obituary reference to the former members of the house Mr.John Lotha, Mr. Lhouvisier Medoze and Mr.Nsemo Ovung. The Assembly Secretary AE Lotha tabled the Governor’s assent to various financial bills and North East Christian University Bill, 2012. Chief Minister Rio laid a copy of Annual Report 2011-20012 of the Nagaland Information Commission while Minister for Industries & Commerce laid copies of Audit Report of the Accountant General (Audit) Nagaland on the Account of the Nagaland Khadi and Village Industries Board for the years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. Parliamentary Secretary for Information & Public Relations, Printing & Stationery laid the Nagaland IPR Service Rules, 2013. The day’s session concluded with the introduction of the Nagaland Road Safety Authority Bill, 2013 by Parliamentary Secretary Paiwang Konyak. Discussions and passing of the bills will be done on July 19 while the Speaker has asked the members to submit the amendments to the bill by 12:00 Noon tomorrow. [/tab][/tabs]