DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 5 (MExN): The war of words between the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) and the DAN Government continued with the NPCC now jeering the construction of the DGP Nagaland’s official residence at PR Hill. In a press release, the Congress Committee, in a sarcastic tone, conveyed appreciation to the DAN Government for constructing the palatial building at the cost of Rs.2.40 crores irrespective of the state’s crumbling infrastructure.
Reminding all that Race Course, the official residence of the Prime Minister of India, is an “ordinary house” like any other, the NPCC questioned whether the DGP required such a palatial and majestic residential building. “Is DGP really need a majestic building of 4 storey residence?” demanded the committee, adding that the DAN Government considered it a big achievement while ignoring the other infrastructure development of police departments in the state.
The NPCC pointed out that the majority of the policemen and officers in the capital and the district, including SDPO Kohima, stayed in rented houses due to non-availability of departmental quarters and non-repair of the few available quarters. Despite all these, the government had constructed a 4-storied building for one officer, the NPCC ‘congratulated’, but questioned the housing problems of other general policemen who were “working day and night for public security at the risk of their own lives by living in pathetic conditions.” It also asked whether the DAN Government was going to construct a palatial and majestic building for the Chief Secretary’s residence.
The NPCC further needled the issue saying that if DAN Government could offer crores of rupees for one official residence, what about the common problems like road, drinking water, hospital buildings, school building, educated unemployed, human development resources, etc. Repeating the Home Minister’s words during the building’s inauguration that he was proud of the building, the NPCC stated that if the DAN Government was proud of the construction of one official residence quarter at the capital like it was a great achievement, there was not much that the Naga public could expect from the DAN Government.
The press release issued by Nillo Rengma, also noting the Chief Secretary Lalhuma’s remark that the new building would qualify as one of the best DGP residences in the country, asked the Chief Secretary to enlighten them as to when the competition for construction of ZDGP residence building in the country had started, and also how many official residence buildings in Nagaland were qualified in the country. The NPCC asked for these facts to be made known to the public “for future corrective measures.”
