Chizokho Vero
Kohima | August 28
The Nagaland Contractors’ & Suppliers Union (NCSU) today staged a vehicle procession as its 2nd phase agitation against non release of pending bills by the state government. After a short programme at Old MLA Hostel junction the vehicles drove towards Nagaland Civil Secretariat and later the convoy proceeded to Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum to Nagaland’s Governor Nikhil Kumar and sought his intervention.
‘Ministers are to serve community, not dominate them’, ‘Stop fooling the poor public’, ‘No payment no government’, and ‘We are not criminals, we are demanding what is ours,’ reads some of the posters pasted on the vehicles during today’s protest drive.
NCSU President Pele Khezhie, NCSU Advisor Povotso Lohe, Kiphire District Unit NCSU President Holise Sangtam, Tuensang District Unit NCSU President C.N. Yanchu Chang and others addressed the gathering.
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor signed by NCSU President Pele Khezhie and General Secretary John Kath, the NCSU sought his kind intervention and “give necessary direction to the state government for release of pending bills in favour of NCSU members without further delay.”
A copy of the memorandum which was made available to The Morung Express said the NCSU on the occasion of its 37th anniversary celebration on 10th February 2012 at Kohima had submitted a representation to the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in the presence of Minister for Roads & Bridges and National Highways, G. Kaito Aye (who were the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour respectively on the occasion) with regard to pending bills of NCSU members in three (3) departments namely: PWD (R&B), PWD (Housing) and PHED amounting to Rs. 35,83,68,952/- only with prayer for early release of payment.
The NCSU mentioned that the bonafide members of NCSU who are petty contractors have been patiently waiting for their payments since then. In this connection, it said the officials of NCSU had met with Minister for Roads & Bridges and National Highways on several occasions and he had verbally given his commitment to do the needful.
Based on its demand, the concern Minister had presented before the Nagaland Legislative Assembly session held on 17th March 2012 for an amount of Rs. 39.83 crores to clear the dues to the contractors and the same was passed on the floor of the House.
However, the memorandum said, the state cabinet decision of 10th July 2012 has come to us (NCSU members) as a bolt from the blue that, instead of considering release of payment had decide to probe into and to re-verify the pending bills of the NCSU members within four (4) months by constituting Special Investigation Teams (SITs’) of the State Vigilance Commission. “Hence the fact is that, the NCSU has given acknowledgment letter to the Hon’ble Minister NPWD (R&B) on 21st April 2010 for fulfilling his commitment by releasing of pending bills in favour of NCSU members against District Level Verification Committee (DLVC) under R&B department which we have submitted during 2002 amounting to Rs. 28 crores has been made part payment in installment basis which was completed during December 2009.”
The Union also mentioned that there are no more pending bills remained NCSU office under (R&B) against DLVC list, adding “this does not imply that there are no more pending bills under R&B hence the present pending bills of NCSU members in R&B amounting to Rs. 18,19,14,779/- has been accumulated after 2002.”
The NCSU said many pending bills of its members were missed out in DLVC list during 2002 was due to late submission of the bills to its office, moreover there are more pending bills under State Level Re-verification Committee (SLRVC).
“By seeing the acknowledgment letter the state cabinet twisted the actual position of the pending bills of NCSU members which is a ploy of delay tactics with excuses restoring to find fault on the integrity and good image of NCSU,” it said.
In this regard, the NCSU in its general meeting held on 18th July 2012 at Kohima after thorough deliberations had rejected the Cabinet decision of 10th July 2012 in toto. “This is due to the fact that the pending bills of the NCSU members in the three (3) departments as stated above are genuine because all these bills have been duly certified by the competent technical Engineers. Hence, re-verification of those pending bills is not required at all. Whereas, the NCSU has given sufficient time to the State Government to come forward with any form of clarification or verification of the pending bills but the State government had miserably failed to do during the last two and half years,” said NCSU.
The Union said that in view of the “injustice and step-motherly treatment” meted out to the NCSU members with regard to non-release of payment by the state government, it had taken up peaceful agitation in the form of banner and poster campaign from 10th Aug to 24th Aug 2012 all over the state and its agitation has now entered into the 2nd phase by launching vehicle procession in Kohima today (August 28 2012).
Meanwhile, the NCSU leaders said that in the event of failure to address its case within this week, it would resort to 3rd phase of agitation, which may be “very serious one.”
