ACAUT Nagaland has expressed shock and dismay with the chief minister and Finance department (FD) for failing to furnish details of the additional fund allocation during 2016-17 and funds released to flagship programmes during 2016-17 even after it had filed an RTI on April 6, 2017.
ACAUT through its media cell stated that the Finance department had so far denied the RTI information. When ACAUT team met OSD, Finance department to inquire as to why the RTI information was not being furnished, the media cell said “the OSD very honestly revealed that the RTI was with T.R. Zeliang, then Finance in-charge for review.”
In this regard, ACAUT said it had filed a complaint with the Appellate Authority (Finance Commissioner) on June 8, 2017. However, even after one month, the Finance commissioner failed to respond. Once again, ACAUT said that the OSD expressed his helplessness and informed that “the RTI file was still with T.R. Zeliang, and that there was nothing he could do about it.”
ACAUT Nagaland demanded to know from chief minister T.R. Zeliang as to why he was withholding the information? What was there in the FD that he was trying to hide? Was he trying to hide all the double withdrawals?
ACAUT has therefore demanded that the chief minister immediately release the RTI information and clear his name.
Further, ACAUT also asked the CM and Finance department to furnish the following details–
1. Copy of all the drawal authority orders issued by the FD with respect to all the departments w.e.f. 1st April 2016 to March 2017.
2. Additional Funds allotted during 2016-17 with relevant documents– a. names of the departments, b. name of the project proposals, c. total amount project and department-wise
3. Funds released to flagship programmes during 2016-17—a. name of the department, b. amount of Central share and c. amount of state share both current and backlog. It also sought copy each of the budget document (2016 and 2017).
Questions R&B deptt
In a separate statement, ACAUT has questioned the Roads & Bridges department for contradicting its claims over funds allocation,
Referring to the May 21, 2016 reports published in section of the media, AUCAT said R&B at a press conference had pointed out that one of the factors responsible for the bad road conditions in the state was due to change in funding pattern and due to which the department’s fund for maintenance had come down to just Rs. 40 crore since 2015.
However, ACAUT said the Finance department drawal authority had shown that just two months prior to the press statement, R&B– on March 7 and March 16, 2016 had made two drawals of Rs 3242.50 and Rs. 2 crore, totalling to an amount of Rs.52.42 crore for maintenance for roads under various divisions.
Further, it said that the R&B department had made another drawal of Rs. 20 crore on December 12, 2016 under maintenance of roads. This raised the total amount for road maintenance to Rs.72.42 crore, it added.
Since the statement made by the then R&B minister was contradictory and to the facts revealed, ACAUT demanded that the R&B department and the state government explain to the people—“why did the then R&B minister say that under the new funding pattern the allotment for road maintenance was under Rs. 40 crore when the R&B had drawn Rs.52.42 lakhs; when funding pattern was just Rs 40 crore for road maintenance in a year, how was it that the R&B department made over Rs. 72 crore drawals?”
Sunday, May 3, 2026