Morung Express News
Kiphire | October 3
Officials of the Department of PWD (R&B), Kiphire has been playing truant and shirking their duties for month’s end. This was revealed during the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB), Kiphire meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s conference hall on October 3.
Sharing concerns at the meeting, ADC in-charge Reny Welfred pointed out that even though the PWD (R&B) department has 29 officers, however none of them have been in station for the past few months and abstaining from all the official meetings.
He lamented that the officers are “not co-operating even in the state programme like the Swatch Bharat programme which was held in the district on October 2.”
Expressing dissatisfaction over this working scenario, Welfred also alleged that “in the recent disaster that the district underwent, the officials from PWD (R&B) refused to execute the road clearance of 11 village in the border area just because the money for road clearance was not credited to the account of the officer from Kohima and the district administration had to adjust and clear the life line of the 11 villages.”
Taking note of the concerns, V Kahsiho Sangtam, Minister Soil and Water Conservation, Geology & Mining and chairman DPDB who chaired the meeting said that this matter is serious and should be taken up in government level.
He also asked the Kiphire DPDB to write to the Engineer-in-Chief and to the Chief Secretary to initiate necessary steps. “If the same thing happens, we will take up in government level,” he assured.
The Minister also said that programmes such as Swachhata Hi Seva is government program but if the concerned PWD (R&B) department which is the nerve of the programme fails to attend and show no concern, the government will take it seriously.
The Minister also disclosed that the Cabinet meeting for October would be held at the Kiphire district headquarter and asked the department heads to prepare proposal and be ready with all the necessary documents for presentation of the department activities if needed.
Taking part in agenda discussions, the Minister asked the district sports officer to prepare project report and submit for all the five administrative blocks for sports complex. Various agendas on development were discussed and put forward to the concerned department(s) for approval. The board also welcomed three officers who were posted to the district to be a new member of the DPDB.
