With just 11 days left for expiry of 30-day deadline (March 24), Tuli Area Joint Council Forum (TAJCF) on Sunday sought the intervention of state government for immediate revival of Nagaland Pulp and Paper Company (NPPC) Ltd. Tuli by releasing the funds sanctioned by the Central government for improvement of the paper mill.
In its ultimatum submitted to state government on February 24 last, TAJCF alleged that the central funds sanctioned for revival of the NPPC Ltd have been “wilfully” diverted to other units run by Hindustan Paper Corporation (HPC) units.
In this regard, TAJCF president, O. Benjung Jamir and secretary, M.Mar Lemtor in a press statement threatened to launch mass public agitation on the state government failure to give a positive response for revival of the mill before expiry of the deadline. They said the agitation will be launched in a phase manner in which villagers would reclaim their landownership’s rights over the land they had already sold to the NPPC Ltd.
They claimed that in 2007, Government of India (GoI) had sanctioned Rs. 552.44 cr for revival of NPPC Ltd, of which Rs. 54.60 cr was released but no substantial progress was made for revival of the mill with the fund meant for NPPC Ltd revival either “misused or diverted at the convenience of HPC Ltd and its authorities”.
TAJCF also claimed that, “Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) GoI on January 4, 2013 approved Rs. 679 cr for revival of the NPPC Ltd and subsequently released Rs. 100 cr as first instalment”. However, the forum said it was unfortunate that, only Rs. 40 cr was credited into the NPPC Ltd account and the rest Rs. 60 cr was wilfully diverted to other HPC units, making a mockery to the revival plan of the NPPC Ltd. It is also a clear instance of depriving total economic rights of the people and “an act of serious discrimination”, the forum added.
In this regard, TAJCF has informed all the concern villages and public within Tuli area to prepare for any eventuality that may arise in the wake of mass agitation as resolved.