DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 15 (MExN): The ACAUT Nagaland today demanded an explanation from the PWD (R&B) as to why the RCC Bridge over the Doyang River at Liphanyan, Ralan Sub-Division of Wokha district under Nagaland Foot Hill Road (NFHR) was “abandoned.”
A press note from the ACAUT informed that it along with the Lotha Hoho had conducted an inspection of the work on September 11 and found out that only 25-30 percent of the work was complete although the target date of completion and commissioning of the bridge was over by one full year.
Citing information from an RTI query, the ACAUT informed that the concerned Executive Engineer, “instead of ensuring to complete the work; had made payments to the contractor to the tune of Rs 18, 49, 73,074 (75% of work order amount), which amounts to fraudulent payment of bill to the tune of 50%, without work.”
“As per the RTI the executive Engineer had falsely claimed that 75% of the work has been completed,” the ACAUT said.
Based on these grounds, the Lotha Hoho had filed an FIR on October 23, 2017 at Wokha Police Station against the Executive Engineer (R&B), Dimapur Division alleging that the Executive Engineer had made “fraudulent payments” before completion of the works.
According to the Lotha HoHo, the contractor was issued the work order by the Chief Engineer, PWD (R& B), Nagaland on March 15, 2014 and a revised work order was issued on November 21 2014 for construction of the RCC Bridge. The work order amount was Rs.24, 52, 20,000 and the target date of commissioning of the said bridge was October 15, 2016.
The ACAUT said that these matters were brought up by the Lotha Hoho during the ‘Colloquium on Road Connectivity,’ convened by the Nagaland Government on October 10 last year. “During which the R&B Chief Engineer had revealed that the work was abandoned,” the ACAUT said.
It therefore demanded an explanation on why the work was abandoned; urged that the government to immediately suspend the Executive Engineer (R&B) in question and “black list” the contracting firm. It also demanded that the SIT complete its report and befitting action be initiated by the government within one month.
