September 21, 2018

Page 1

Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com

Vol XXVIII No. 286

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 Pages 12 ` 5.00

US ready to negotiate with N Korea: Pompeo

Man Utd win; City suffer shock defeat in CL

Jaitley calls Rahul ‘Clown Prince’

international, Page 9

sports, Page 12

national, Page 7

Backward quota issue rocks NLA Session in progress on the last day of 2nd session of 13th NLA. (DIPR)

Correspondent KOHIMA, SEP 20 (NPN): Non-implementation of reserved quota for backward tribes in Roads & Bridges department rocked the last day of the second session of 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) here on Thursday after R&B minister Tongpang Ozüküm mentioned about appointment of lower division assistants (LDAs) and sectional assistants (SAs) from March 1 till date, without fully implementing the reservation quota. The minister stated this while replying to a starred question by opposition member Kuzholuzo Nienu. He admitted that of 19 LDAs appointed, 12 LDAs hailed from Ao community, five from Angami and one each from Rengma and Sema communities.

Kohima police seize opium worth Rs.1 cr DIMAPUR, SEP 20 (NPN): Kohima police personnel manning Khuzama interstate check gate, in two separate incidents, have reportedly seized 13kg of banned opium worth around Rs.1 crore in the international market. According to Kohima police PRO, police personnel while conducting routine checking intercepted one Maruti Swift Dzire (MN06LA-4868) on September 19, 2018 at around 10.30 a.m. On searching the vehicle, police recovered 8 kg contraband opium, one .32 Pistol and 18 live rounds, PRO said. Accordingly, police arrested the owner-cum-driver of the vehicle identified as Naorem Suraj Meitei (57), son of Naorem Indrajit Meitei, Laipham Khunau village, Imphal East, Manipur. PRO said contraband was found neatly wrapped in eight packets of 1kg each and concealed inside the vehicle. In this connection, a case was registered against the arrested person. In another incident, Kohima police recovered 5kg contraband opium from the possession of four individuals on September 20, 2018 at around 9 a.m. (Cont’d on p-8)

This is it!

“Yeah the city buses are fantastic but money collection will ground them to halt in the end.” K Y M C

Similarly, of the 42 SAs (mohurrers) appointed, 23 were from Ao community, seven from Angami, five from Sema, three from Konyak and each from Phom, Sangtam and Lotha communities. The minister was then subjected to intense attack by senior opposition legislators for violating the office memorandum on ban of appointments of Grade IV staff. NPF member Azo remarked that PDA’s slogan “change is coming” was a farce as a leader ought to be for all Naga communities and not a particular tribe of constituency. Azo took the opportunity to raise hackles by claiming that the denial of job opportunities to eastern Nagaland tribes had hardened the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation’s (ENPO)

to reinforce its demand a separate State of Frontier Nagaland. He cautioned that if such trend continued, people of Eastern Nagaland would become slaves of advanced tribes. Further, Azo alleged that the number of government employees belonging to tribes from Eastern Nagaland was less compared to the number of posts held by advanced tribes. Another NPF member, Chotishu Sazo asked the minister reason for nonimplementation of the reservation quota and demanded from leader of the House to protect the reservation policy. Joining the debate, EE Pangteang, also of the NPF, asked whether the government was aware that there was a reservation policy. He also questioned whether one Mowsumi Konyak appointed as executive engineer of PWD (H) Dimapur division was a genuine Konyak? Pangteang pointed out that there was no such name as ‘Mowsumi’ among Konyaks. NPF member CL John asked the minister how a female mohur rer from Mokokchung could stay in Mon and supervise work. NPF member Yita-

chu mentioned that people working on ground were SAs and not engineers, and therefore stressed that preference should be given to men. He commented that such ignorance was not expected from a former student leader. Criticising the minister, NPF member Yollow Konyak asserted that Nagaland could not be ruled by three or four advanced tribes and demanded that all the appointments should be cancelled immediately. NPF members BS Nanglang and Mithungnyuba Sangtam too joined in demanding immediate termination of the appointments under PWD and sought reply from leader of the House in this regard. I n h i s r e s p o n s e, Ozüküm admitted that 37% reservation for backward tribes was not maintained and said the department was reviewing the matter and other service rules. He said appointments were made on emergency basis and could be terminated but assured the legislators that appointments in district headquarters would be as per the reservation policy.

NLA reaffirms stand for unity and solution Correspondent

KOHIMA, SEP 20 (NPN): Following reconstitution of Joint legislators’ Forum (JLF) on Indo-Naga political issue on September 18 under the chairmanship of speaker Vikho-ü Yhoshü, the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) adopted a resolution on the second and concluding day of the second session here on Thursday after a threadbare deliberation where all the elected members took part. The discussion was initiated by leader of the House and chief minister Neiphiu Rio. While placing on record its deep appreciation for the invaluable sacrifices made by Nagas over the past several decades in their effort to bring an honourable, acceptable, inclusive and expeditious solution to the Indo-Naga political issue, the House unanimously adopted a six-point resolution. The members appealed to all sections of Nagas to strengthen unity and peacefully participate in the ongoing negotiations so that a final settlement could be (Cont’d on p-7) reached. (Cont’d on p-8)

State spends `5 lakh per month Chemist shops closed for unoccupied NL House Mumbai to remain on Sept 28

Correspondent

KOHIMA, SEP 20 (NPN): N a g a l a n d g ove r n m e n t spends Rs.5 lakh a month for the upkeep of the State Guest House at Navi Mumbai which it cannot take over owing to pending clearance from the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) of Mumbai, Maharashtra. This was stated by state deputy chief minister incharge of home, Y. Patton to a starred question from NPF member Y. Vikheho Swu , who demanded to know the current status of the state guest house for which construction began in 2010. Vikheho further asked the reason for failure to obtain CRZ clearance, person taking care of the house and how much the government was spending on managing it. Another NPF member Yitachu also demanded to know who was presently occupying the building. Intervening in the discussion, leader of the house Neiphiu Rio informed that the state cannot occupy the complex till clearance was obtained from appropriate authorities. Opposition leader T.R

.Zeliang then joined issue by saying that everything about the project went wrong from the beginning when construction started in 2010 and asked why Rio was blaming him(Zeliang) when he (Rio) himself was chief minister during that period? Zeliang further stated that when he was chief minister he and the Governor tried to obtain clearance but could not succeed. Rio in his reply informed that all corrections were under process and assured that the state will obtain clearance. It may be noted that the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) revealed that while it began appraisal for green clearance from Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ), it noted the violation of CRZ notification 1991 and 2011, eight years after the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) granted the project a commencement certificate. The Nagaland House, spread over a 3,491.11 square metres, falls in CRZ-2, within 150 metres from the high-tide line of the creek on the seaward side of the existing road.

DIMAPUR, SEP 20 (NPN): Responding to the all India bandh call given by All India Organization of Chemists & Druggists (AIOCD), the Nagaland Medicine Dealers Association (NMDA) would be observing bandh by closing down all the medicine shops from 6 am to 6 pm on September 28, 2018. AIOCD has called for bandh to protest against any move by the government allowing sale of medicines through internet or allowing e-pharmacies to operate in India in any form. AIOCD has cautioned that it could go for nationwide indefinite agitation against online sale of medicine if the government failed to consider its appeal positively. In a press release, NMDA general secretary, Ashok Kr Singhal, has informed that to facilitate emergency requirements, it would be advising one or two pharmacies in each district headquarters to function normally on the day of the bandh. Meanwhile, NMDA has advised all the presidents and secretaries of district (Cont’d on p-7) units to observe Bandh.

33 LDAs, 179 const appointed in Jan 2018: Patton Correspondent

KOHIMA, SEP 20 (NPN): Deputy chief minister, Y Patton, who is also in charge of home department, informed the house that 33 LDAs and 179 constables were appointed in January this year during the tenure of then DGP, Rupin Sharma, wherein excess appointments were made without vacancy. He stated this while replying to opposition member Kuzholuzo Nienu who asked him to how many LDAs, constables, havildars, ABSIs

and SIs were appointed from March 2018 till date. Patton, however, provided details of appointments made since January 2018, when Nienu was himself home minister. Patton also clarified that 37% job reservation was implemented in the LDA recruitment. Azo objected to this and demanded that Patton respond to his specific question only– from March 1 till date. At this, Patton clarified that he had not made any single appointment after taking over the reins of home

department. He said out of the 179 appointments, 75 belonged to backward tribes, adding no appointments of havildars, ABSI ad SIs were made. According to him, home commissioner had issued a letter to the DGP on September 1 to submit status and action taken report against unit commanders for violating the office memorandum. He said, after receipt of the report from DGP, appropriate action would be initiated against the erring unit commanders.

CAG detects `230.33 cr anomaly DIMAPUR, SEP 20 (NPN): A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on state finances for the year ending March 31, 2017, which was tabled on the concluding day of the second session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, pointed out that there were 25 cases of mis-

tractor, fraudulent drawal, irregularities in work execution etc. CAG audit report was prepared on the basis of finance and appropriation accounts and audit of the state government departments and state-owned companies and corporations. With regard to misappropriation, loss etc. in-

The CAG report maintained that timely submission of utilisation certificates (UCs) was also a major area of concern. It said at the end of March 2017, 286 UCs involving an aggregate amount of Rs. 909.61 crore was pending for submission even after a lapse of one to six years from various de-

Deptt wise/duration wise break-up of cases of misappropriation, defalcation, (Cases where final action was pending at the end of March 2017) SL. Name of the Up to 5 5 to 10 10 to 15 15 to 20 No. Department Years Years Years Years 1 School Education 2 1 0 0 2 Power 1 0 0 0 3 Rural Development 0 1 0 0 Works Department 4 Public 1 0 0 0 (Roads & Bridges) 5 Youth Resources 1 0 0 0 6 Medical 6 0 0 0 7 Tourism 1 0 0 0 8 Nagaland State Transport 1 0 0 0 9 Irrigation & Flood Control 2 0 0 0 10 Municipal Affairs 1 0 0 0 11 Higher Education 1 0 0 0 12 Taxes 2 0 0 0 13 Land Records & Survey 1 0 0 0 14 Private Firms 1 0 0 0 15 Dimapur Municipal Council 1 0 0 0 16 Various Department 1 0 0 0 Total 23 2 0 0 (Source: Vigilance & Anti-Corruption)

appropriation, loss etc. involving government money amounting to Rs. 230.33 crore up to March 31, 2017 and on which final action was pending. The CAG also detected various anomalies in government departments such as lack of transparency in awarding works, inadmissible payment, infructuous expenditure, evasion of tax, avoidable expenditure and undue benefit to the con-

volving government money (Rs.230.33 crore), CAG has given the details of the age-profile of the pending cases and number of cases pending in each category (See Table). CAG report pointed out that the highest amount of misappropriation that amounted to Rs. 74.83 crore, involved one case in Youth Resources & Sports department, out of which an amount of Rs. 0.05 crore had been recovered so far.

Total No. or Cases 3 1 1 1 1 6 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 25

partments. The accounts of the State autonomous bodies and departmental commercial undertakings were overdue; however, they were not submitted to Audit. As on 31 March 2017, CAG stated that 25 cases of misappropriation, defalcation etc. involving Rs. 230.33 crore pertaining to 14 departments, private firms and various other departments were pending finalisation. K Y M C


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