Nagaland Foothill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) has reacted to the minister of PWD (R&B) G. Kaito Aye’s purported speech in the recently concluded Nagaland Legislative Assembly that “NFHRCC had requested for Contract work allotments, they did not meet the necessary criteria, consequently works was assigned through registered contractors instead.”
NFHRCC through its media cell said “this statement of distorted and blatant lies” by a highly acclaimed seasoned politician in the floor of the house “appears seemingly inappropriate” and was considered “disproportionally misleading”.
NFHRCC claimed that “in contrast” PWD (R&B) had requested NFHRCC to recommend four contract works to a reputed and qualified contractor firms. Therefore, NFHRCC said it had “in reciprocal”, constituted sub-committee members to identify and forward the same to the department and accordingly had send the endorsement letter on October 28, 2024.
NFHRCC said that prior to the selection of the contractors, as late as May 8, 2024, the committee had submitted a 7-point memorandum to the department pertaining to allocation of contract works, which was also published in daily newspapers on May 9, 2024.
The committee said the 7-points included: 1) Extraordinary precaution to be adopted on the criteria of selection of qualified registered contractors. 2) To accommodate, promote and give leverage to the credentials of the young upcoming local Naga Contractors, distribution of length of works be consider on the basis of 10 to 15 kms only to each qualified contractors. 3) No qualified contractor shall be allotted works in more than one site. 4) No contractors shall be allocated works applied below the prescribed SOR or at the most up to 5 % only. 5) A tripartite agreement to be signed consisting of the Department, the contractors and the NFHRCC to maintain smooth and timely execution of the allocated works. 6) Strict adherence to the approved CE Testing Co.Ltd alignments in every division. 7) Equal and fair distribution of funds based on actual technical DPR in each Division.
NFHRCC has, therefore, strongly urged minister PWD (R&B) to retract his assembly speech either through print or visual media “in the larger interest of the public in general”.