Morung Express News
Kohima | April 9
Some elected representatives of the Nagaland State are currently caught in a strange conundrum. Additional appointments have come with the shortage of housing quarters in their wake, forcing some of them to operate without an official residence.
The newly appointed NLA Speaker, for instance.
The present Speaker, Dr. Imtiwapang Aier, has no official quarters, and is compelled to reside at his wife’s allotted quarters under the Forest Department, informed a source close to the Speaker.
According to the said source, the NLA Speaker handles most official meetings at his office at the Nagaland Assembly Secretariat, but security remains compromised and visitors are difficult to accommodate. “He is entitled a body guard, house guard and security guards who cannot be accommodated at the current location. Moreover, when people visit from his constituency and villages therein, it becomes difficult to meet them all at the office. An official residence becomes necessary for these functions,” the source noted.
The problem, according to a journalist, is that new appointments in the ‘rank and status of cabinet ministers’ has created a domino effect on the shortage of housing for those who are entitled to designated quarters. The current Government of Nagaland has 12 ministers, 24 parliamentary secretaries and six advisors.
An official source reported that the official residence of the former PHED Minister is presently occupied by the Finance Advisor, compelling the current PHED Minister (who is the former Speaker) to continue residing in the Speaker’s official residence. This is what has left the current Speaker with no official quarters to operate out of.
“We do not know which quarter is designated to which minister/portfolio,” said one Minister on the condition of anonymity, citing that the quarter allotted to the Deputy Speaker (near Raj Bhavan) is still occupied by the former Deputy Speaker who is now a Parliamentary Secretary.
The bureaucracy has taken note of the confusion. Work is underway to ensure that all those elected representatives with allotted quarters are ensured a place of residence from where to disburse their official duties effectively, with ample security.
“We are working hard to ensure that new ministers’ quarters are ready soon. We are constructing (quarters) for ten ministers and separate for Speaker and Deputy Speaker,” said Himato Zhimomi, Commissioner & Secretary to Chief Minister. The said constructions will be completed within a few months, he added.
