Dimapur, June 22 (MExN): The NPF Legislatures Party (NPFLP) has issued a rejoinder to the report on ‘Tripartite agreement for 200-bed ACF at CIHSR’ and interview with Dr Sedevi Angami, Director, CIHSR published in a local daily on June 21.
NPFLP, Spokesman, Imkong L Imchen in a press statement pointed out that ‘the MOU of May 27, 2005, when the present Chief Minister who was also the CM then and none from the present Cabinet, and in among the present NPF MLAs also only the undersigned was present in the Cabinet when this Tripartite MOU was entered after a prolonged stages of deliberations.’
According to Imchen, in this MOU of May 27, 2005 there are clauses of ‘obligations’ to all the three parties. The first party is Christian Medical College & Hospital Vellore, Tamil Nadu, second party is Government of Nagaland and third party is Emmanuel Hospital Association, New Delhi.
This MOU of May 27, 2005 has to be treated as an ‘addendum’ to the original MOU signed on January 25, 2005 between the second and third party. Under this May 27, 2005 MOU the first party has eight obligations, second party has 13 obligations and third party has five obligations, he stated.
The MOU signatories were Dr George Chandy, Director for CMC Vellore; KT Sukhalu, Secretary Health & Family Welfare for Government of Nagaland and Dr Vargese Philip, Executive Secretary for Emmanuel Hospital Association.
Imchen stated that any concerned interested individuals can obtain more details from the concerned department/authority for clarity in the interest of public service, as “this document (MOU) is already a public property and therefore, should be made available to any concerned citizen.”
It reiterated that CIHSR is a complete autonomous intuition owned by a society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 and ‘there is no mention of funding under the Scheduled Obligation on the part of Government of Nagaland (second party).’
“Whereas, the Nagaland CM has granted Rs 30 crore to CIHSR on May 25, 2021 to the dismay of the people of Nagaland. He has not mentioned from which “Chargeable Head” of account/fund the amount of Rs 30 crore was set aside to the CIHSR.
According to a sizeable number of Cabinet Ministers of the incumbent Government are not aware of the Cabinet decision taken in this regard. In other words, the CM has bypassed his Cabinet in this regard,” the spokesperson alleged.
According to the June 21 report, Sachin Jaiswal, State Nodal Officer Acute Care Facility (ACF) disclosed that the State Government was funding the project, and the work had already started. He further disclosed that Glocal Healthcare Systems Private Limited had projected a low cost construction project stating that the Department of Health & Family Welfare accepted the ACF after necessary clearance was obtained from the Law and Justice Department.
“We are talking about the granting of Rs 30 crores to a private hospital from out of the State fund without floating required Notice Inviting Tender. Vetting of the proposal by the Law and Justice Department is secondary as far as Rules of the Executive Business of the Government of Nagaland is concerned. The clearance by the Department of Planning & Co-Ordination and Department of Finance is a mandatory requirement and ultimately approval by the Cabinet as far State Financial Transaction procedures/appropriations are concerned. By such shallow defense and excuses shall not and cannot withstand the scrutiny of law,” it cautioned.
NPFLP also stated that there is an ongoing construction of Medical College at Kohima which has already crossed all its stipulated timeline for completion. It assumed that the ‘infrastructure and related facilities attached to the district hospitals, community health centers, primary health center and sub-centers are lying in total shambles due to lack of basic minimum fund requirement. The staffing patterns are in total jeopardy. No district task forces were granted any meaningful funds except imposing lockdowns without making any rational or logistical arrangements.’
It also stated that Nagaland Government is reportedly fighting the COVID-19 pandemic but only in the air, “whereas State financial position is in total jeopardy without any accountability, not to talk about transparency in public domain.”
Therefore, NPFLP has called upon the Governor of Nagaland to institute a competent investigative agency from the Government of India to investigate into all these “financial misappropriation” committed by Nagaland government at the earliest.
