The Lephori-Matikhrii road junction in Phek district’s Meluri sub-division. The road to the left leads to Lephori village enroute to Molhe Camp. (Morung File Photo)
Morung Express News
Kohima | April 28
Action has been taken against a Nagaland PWD (Roads & Bridges) engineer, who was alleged of issuing “false completion certificate,” in the “Lephori to Molhe Camp” road construction project in Meluri, Phek district. The said road was one of three incomplete road projects in Meluri against which a PIL is pending before the Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench. The Court resumed hearing the PIL on April 26.
At the latest hearing, the Additional Advocate General (AG) Nagaland told a Division Bench, comprising Justice Marli Vankung and Justice Kardak Ete, that “action has been taken against the respondent No. 11” as per the Court’s previous direction on March 22. The stated “Respondent No 11” was the Executive Engineer, PWD (R&B), Phek Division, at the time when the completion certificate was issued in January 2014.
The “action taken” report, dated April 25, was submitted on April 26. However, neither the Court’s order nor the oral proceeding on April 26 elaborated on the type or quantum of action taken by the state government against the EE, who issued the completion certificate in January 2014.
As per the records of the case, the Additional AG, informed the Bench on March 22 that a 3-member inquiry committee headed by the Joint Secretary, PWD (Works and Housing) has been constituted to “look into the matter and to ascertain the full facts of the case of issuing completion report, dated 20.01.2014, for the work ‘Construction of road from Lephori to Molhe Camp’ without completing the works” by the EE.
The Additional AG then told the Bench that the Committee has been asked to submit the report along with the conclusive recommendation within a period of one month from the day of issue of the order i.e. March 9.
Accordingly, the Bench then noted that it would be appropriate to wait for the outcome of the committee and fixed the next hearing on April 26, and directed the Additional AG to file an affidavit enclosing the recommendations of the committee.
Meanwhile, on April 26, the counsel appearing for the petitioner sought for a weeks’ time for filing affidavit in response to the March 22 Court order. The Court had directed the counsel to file an affidavit clearly stating the “work covered by the original work order and the stretches where it overlaps and as to whether, the bill has already (been) withdrawn by the Contractor for the road from TO1 to Molhe Camp.”
In view of the counsel’s submission, the Bench listed the matter for further hearing after one week.
As per the Court’s first order, dated November 12, 2020, the PIL was filed alleging that a “sum of Rs 30 crore was sanctioned in the year 2014 for construction of the road between Lephori to Molhe and completion certificate for the same was issued on 21/1/2014 though the work has not been completed yet.”
It further alleged that in 2017, an “additional fund of Rs 15 crore was sanctioned for construction of the same road and in 2018 also, the same amount was sanctioned for the same purpose. But on the ground no road worth the name has been constructed so far.
