Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 21
Reminding that verification process is on to verify the pending bills of the state’s contractors, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today announced that the investigation would be handed over to the CBI if the present process is not satisfactory.
Replying during a discussion on matters of urgent public importance raised by Opposition Congress MLA C. Apok Jamir on the first day of the 12th Session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly today, the Chief Minister also sought to make the state government’s stand very clear –that it is willing to pay genuine bills of the contractors and that doubtful ones will be rejected.
To ascertain this, he said, the government will insist on work order, sanction and other formalities. Also, disclosing that the pending bills for which the NCSU is demanding payment are an accumulation of liabilities dating as far back as the 1970’s and 80’s, he explained that the Cabinet decided to verify the pending liabilities as these include that which date back 30 to 40 years earlier and none during DAN’s government.
Noting that the NCSU had suspended its third phase for another 30 days at the intervention of the Governor and NGOs, he expressed the government’s inability to complete verification within a month owing to the fact that some of the bills date back as far as early 70’s, and that it was humanly impossible to carry out such an arduous task.
He also explained that the government chose to constitute Special Investigation Team (SIT) because it did not fully trust the departments or the engineers and officers. Informing that Governor Nikhil Kumar himself had expressed doubts about the genuineness of some of the bills, Rio read out a letter before the House wherein the Governor had expressed apprehensions of some cases of forgery and criminal misconduct and recommended investigation by the CBI.
While sympathizing with the genuine contractors for the delay, he sought the cooperation of the NCSU in quickening the verification process by the government. On this, the Opposition Congress also assured its readiness to give constructive support and suggestions to clean up the society.
