NBCC hands over buildings to NU
Limalenden Longkumer
Mokokchung | June 8
The National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) may be a renowned company in India with a high sounding motto “A team in pursuit of excellence” but their reputation as a construction corporation in Nagaland seems to be a little different. The Post Graduate Students Union (PGSU), Lumami, today labeled NBCC as the “Nation’s Biggest Crooked Corporation.” A disappointed PGSU (L) made this declaration after the NBCC failed to hand over the building construction at Lumami to the university authorities within the stipulated time. The PGSU (L) also expressed their displeasure with the Vice Chancellor Prof. K Kannan, who according to them is “a good academician but a horrible administrator” and “who is always out of station.” The PGSU conveyed a message to Prof. Kannan via a placard that read, “Dearest Vice-Chancellor, you know only about buffalo milk.”
The PGSU (L) stated that it is now more than fifteen years since the establishment of the university and it is about time the headquarter gets “functional.” All the PGSU (L) leaders, president Imkongtiba, vice-president Mhao Shitirigeneral secretary Omega Sema and his assistant Jangjilong, reiterated that the PGSU (L) “firmly stands for the shifting of the headquarter before 15 June 2009.” All the post-graduate students of Lumami led by their leaders from the wee hours today agitated in front of the administrative block at Lumami against the delay in shifting the university HQ. At around 2:00 PM today, the Additional General Manager of NBCC, KP Ghosh, along with Bidyut Roy, Project Manager of NBCC and Er. Rukusayi, Executive Engineer of NU arrived at Lumami after which they held a meeting with the staff and students at Lumami. At around 6:30 PM, after much debate and deliberation, NBCC handed over the buildings to the university.
Additional General Manager of NBCC, KP Ghosh and Bidyut Roy, Project Manager, NBCC handed over the buildings to Dr. Hautu Rengma, OSD (Admin) and Er. Rukusayi, Executive Engineer, NU with the witnesses Imkongtiba Longkumer, President, PGSU(L), Omega Sema, General Secretary, PGSU(L), Kheto Kinny MLA and Howoto Kinny, Lumami Village Council Chairman. The buildings taken over by the University today were Academic Departments which included departments of Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Geography and Resource Management, Political Science, Economics and Sociology, Deans’ offices, Administrative Building, and bungalows for Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor and Registrar. It was also agreed that NBCC will carry on the rectification works to be completed on or before 30 June 2009, which includes electrical wiring, sanitary fittings, floor finishing, wall cracks, apron and side drains, replacement of doors and window panes and RCC roof slabs leakages.
Lumami landowners suspect conspiracy
Spokesperson of Lumami Landowners Association IK Sema today said that the local populace of the area never created any unwanted situation that might have hampered the progress of infrastructural development. He said that the locals were rather concerned for the welfare of the students and the faculty and staffers of the university. They have been extending all possible help for the smooth functioning and timely completion of the construction works, he said. On the students’ demand that the university’s headquarter should be shifted to Lumami, Sema said the students’ demand is justified. He observed that the “whole system is down” at Lumami at the moment and that “there is a conspiracy.”
Former Forest Minister and presently the sitting MLA from the area, Kheto Kinny also stated that there are “some key officers of the university backed by some vested politicians.” He said this in answering to a query of this correspondent, as to why the whole issue has cropped up, hampering the students’ career in the process. He is presently camping at Lumami to oversee the situation. Kheto also said that making Kohima the ‘interim headquarter’ of Lumami was the “biggest mistake of Nagaland University.” He observed that the university and the NBCC “can’t play the blame game” because “both are at fault.” He also said that the Vice Chancellor is playing “delay tactic” on purpose and also added that there is an “underhand understanding” among certain concerned individuals. On being asked as to what could be the solution, Kheto answered that the headquarters must be shifted to Lumami. “As long as the headquarter is not shifted to Lumami, there will always be problems.”
When this correspondent asked him if there is a possibility of the ‘interim headquarter’ being turned into the ‘permanent headquarter’ of the university in the long run as a result of all the delay in shifting the headquarter to Lumami going on, Kheto boldly answered, “Yes. That is why they are looking for another 280 acres of land in Kohima.” He did not mention who “they” were referred to here. He also advocated that the state politicians must not interfere in the functioning of the university.
