DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 10 (MExN): The Nagaland Public Rights Awareness and Action Forum (NPRAAF) today issued another statement, this time alleging “double drawal” of funds in the R&B department.
A press note from the NPRAAF informed that the Finance Department (Budget & Monitoring Cell) has “released Rs 20 crore twice (Total –Rs 40 crore)” for all the 24 divisions under PWD, Roads & Bridges during the same financial year 2016-17. The first release was made on December 12, 2016 and then on March 16, 2017. The amounts were released under Non-Plan for “maintenance of roads” during 2016-17, it added.
It further alleged that “amounts were interchanged for Phek Division and Pfutsero Division in the second DA,” in order to “avoid making it appear exactly the same.” “Similarly, amounts for Kohima South Division and Construction Division were also given a variation in the second DA but the total amount for this two divisions remained the same Rs 5.20 crore (Total- Rs 10.40 crore) for both the DAs. The rest of the 20 divisions got exactly the same amount for the two consecutive Das,” the forum claimed.
It informed that among all the divisions, Dimapur Division was allotted the second highest amount at Rs 4.22 crore (Total - Rs 8.44crore) for each DA, after Kohima South Division at Rs 5.07 crore and Rs 4.77 crore for the two consecutive DAs.
“Issuance of such DAs with interchanged numbers are nothing but tricky paper works to withstand any possible allegations of double drawals but the public cannot be fooled every time,” the NPRAAF alleged.
Besides these releases, the NPRAAF said that the FD also released an amount of Rs 8 crore (21 March 2017) under Non Plan for various works—(Phek Town Road Repair: Rs 1 crore; Kohima Town Works: Rs 3 crore, Improvement of Mon Town Roads: Rs 1 crore; Black topping of Bayavu Circular Road: Rs 50 lakh; Billy Graham Road: Rs 1.50 crore; Cathedra, AG, Ladys Mile etc: Rs 60 lakh; and Flyover Bridge approach Road & Eros lane approach road Dimapur: Rs 40 lakh).
Another Rs 40 lakh was released on March 14, 2017 under Non Plan for “MR of Bayavu circular road via NBCC office.” The FD also released a total amount of Rs 3.39 crore on “two occasions” dated December 9, 2016 and March 30, 2017 during 2016-17 upgradation of road from Alongchem to Mangkolemba via Impur, Mopungchuket, Omngchem (ODR to MDR) 15 km (Ph-1) (Upto WBM & Bituminous works; and as state share towards NLCPR for the above mentioned project.
Further, Rs 12.32 crore was released on three occasions for “construction of Viswema-Kidima-Zuketsa-Tadubi road” during 2016-17, the NPRAAF said.
The forum added that an estimate of Rs 87 lakh has been submitted by PWD R&B for road repair works from City Tower to DC Court Junction, Thahekhu Block 7 Gate to Thahekhu Tower Junction and 3rd Mile Junction to Lungwiram Junction in Dimapur.
On this, it questioned: “How many proposals need to be submitted and amounts released before a decent work is carried out to see good roads? Despite releases of crores of rupees for maintenance of roads, where do we find roads worth calling its name?”
Rs 19.24 crore released for maintenance of Highways
Meanwhile, the NPRAAF revealed that the FD had released Rs 19.24 crore during 2016-17 for repair/maintenance of National Highways-Ordinary Repairs-Special Maintenance-Flood Damage Repair. The DAs were issued dated December 14, 2016; August 1, 2016; December 14, 2016 and March 9, 2017. Out of this amount, Rs 2.90 crore was released on two occasions even before the GoI sanction money was received by the State Government, it informed.
“The amounts were released on the strength of fund allocation conveyed by the GoI, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. There are several cases of such fund-anticipated releases by the FD flouting norms and procedures,” the NPRAAF alleged.
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