Rising People’s Party (RPP) alleged that the Hornbill Festival had mutated over the years into a giant money laundering enterprise.
Acknowledging that chief minister Neiphiu Rio had single-handedly put Nagaland on the world tourism map, the party in a press release however maintained that it had come at a huge cost.
Quoting media reports that the NDPP-BJP coalition had sanctioned Rs 100 crore for infrastructure development at Kisama for the 25th edition of Hornbill Festival, the party pointed out that Rs 100 crore was not a small amount.
In a classic case of money laundering, the RPP said coalition government demolished the spanking pavilion/rostrum at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama and built a new one at a highly inflated cost of Rs 52 crore.
In stark contrast, the party noted that the Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) had to issue an ultimatum to the state government for release of Rs 145 crore for construction of the Foothill Road. Recently, the Dimapur Urban Council Chairman Federation (DUCCF) had decried the lack of roads and the crumbling infrastructure in Dimapur.
Accusing the opposition-less government of having absolutely no respect for public sentiments, the party mentioned that the Town Hall at Dimapur Supermarket was being renovated at a mind-boggling amount of Rs 18 crore, which could have easily built a new world class facility, while the old flyover was sanctioned a measly Rs 2 crore for renovation works.
Though Dimapur needed several new flyovers and better basic amenities, the RPP said yet the misplaced priority of this government and its laundering skill was astounding.
The party quoted sources to claim that both the Town Hall and Kisama works were given to the same contractor.
Alleging that the entire state had become a giant money laundering ecosystem, the RPP demanded that the state government provide a full account of how the Rs 100 crore was spent at Kisama and the revenue generated.