Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 26
The failure of the Nagaland State Urban Development Department (UDD) to follow proper operational procedures led to an unfruitful expenditure of Rs 1.62 crore from public funds with regard to the construction of a burial and cremation ground in Kohima.
This was detected by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its recent report for the year ending March, 2017.
The report informed that the Director for Urban Development had made a project proposal in April 2013 for construction of a burial and cremation at Kiyake, Kohima at a cost of Rs 15 crore. The proposal was made under “10% Lumpsum Provision for Development of North Eastern States including Sikkim” to the Ministry of Urban Development.
The project was approved in November 2013 for Rs. 10.89 crore, with the centre providing 90% of the funds with the remaining 10% as the State share. Subsequently, the centre released Rs. 6.86 crore in two installments to the Nagaland State Government, against which the State Government released an amount of Rs. 2.94 crore as its share to the Department.
The CAG further informed that the Executive Engineer, UDD identified eight acres of land at Kiyake and construction works began in April 2014. However, the work was discontinued in December the same year after incurring an expenditure of Rs. 1.62 crore as the Village Councils objected to the construction. The local bodies stated that the construction was not suitable on environment and health grounds; and further pointed out that there were already five cemeteries in the vicinity.
Following the complaint, the State Level Programme Implementation Committee (SLPIC) directed (in May 2016) the UDD to relocate the project to an alternative site.
According to the sub-clause (ii) of Clause 8 of the operational guidelines for undertaking projects under the scheme, proposals should be accompanied by a Detailed Project Report (DPR). The DPR should be cleared from all administrative and regulatory angles such as land free of encumbrance, environment clearance, observance of land use zoning under master plan/building plan bye-laws of the respective State.
The Urban Development Department, however, did not obtain such clearance, resulting in abandonment of the project.
The Department in August 2017, while accepting the facts, stated that an alternative site for construction of the same has being identified and work was expected to begin soon. The CAG however noted that no documentary evidence has been furnished on the selection the new site.
