Kohima, June 3 (MExN): While reaffirming its role as a ‘constructive opposition’ to the ruling dispensation, the NPF Legislature Party (NPFLP) on June 3 stated that it can “no longer tolerate the arbitrary and dictatorial functioning of the PDA government,” led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
It took a strong exception to the State government “ignoring all established norms and procedures” in its governance and sought the intervention of the State Governor.
In yet another press release on Thursday, the NPFLP accused the State High Powered Committee (HPC) of abusing its powers, stating that the HPC was constituted on policy matters relating to COVID-19 only and was “not mandated to encroach into the State Plan Budgetary mechanism.”
The Local Area Development Programme (LADP) which was initiated and implemented from 1991 was borne out of State Plan Fund and trust placed upon the MLAs for the development of their respective Assembly Constituency and therefore it is a legislative mandate monitored by the Department of Planning and Coordination (State Planning Board) with the Chief Minister as the Chairman, the NPFLP noted.
“Guidelines were formulated and notified duly which has the approval of the Legislative Assembly. Hence the LADP is within the domain of the Legislative jurisdiction and therefore Planned and Voted money,” it added.
“The HPC on COVID-19 has no authority whatsoever to encroach into the Legislative domain, diverting Voted (Planned Funds/LADP) into the COVID-19 expenditure,” the NPFLP asserted.
Terming it illegal and unconstitutional, the NPFLP added that the confidence (Vote) of the House was bypassed, and as such, is liable to be quashed or by another superseding notification to that effect.
It once again highlighted the allocation of Rs 30 crore to CIHSR, a private health institution, terming it “another Oligarchic action of the PDA government.”
Referring to the clarification by the Principal Director H&FW that the 176-bedded hospital being set up at CIHSR would be a makeshift COVID Hospital, the NPFLP pointed out that makeshift hospitals costing to the tune of Rs 30 crore “is happening yet again only in Nagaland under the present government dispensation.”
The NPFLP placed its demand for a thorough NIA investigation through the office of the State Governor, terming the whole process of this construction as ‘flawed and fishy’ as there was no flouting of tender in any form.
It reiterated that while all the districts have their Task Force on COVID-19, so far no fund allocations worth mentioning were made to them. All the District Hospitals, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and Sub Centres are painfully neglected, with no proper workforce deployment, it added.
It alleged that while the COVID-19 situation is becoming worse day by day, the government “is not functioning for all practical purposes.”
Citing such conditions, the NPFLP stated that it is ‘duty bound’ to seek the intervention of the Governor of Nagaland so that the “people of Nagaland do not succumb to fatalities of COVID-19.”
