ACAUT give 10-day ultimatum to NHIDCL to release full amount to land owners
DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 17 (MExN): Crying foul over the announcement made by the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) to pay land compensation in two installments, Against Corruption And Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) on Wednesday gave a ten days ultimatum to the Corporation to release the full compensation to the land owners.
Public grievance cell, ACAUT in a press statement addressed to the Managing Director, NHIDCL, said the Corporation was “taking for granted” the intelligence of the inhabitants of Nagaland by refusing to pay land compensation of Rs 174.36 crore in full for the Dimapur Bypass from Patkai/Chumukedima Bridge to Khushiabill Village while citing “unintelligent and dubious reasons” even though the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MORTH) has already sanctioned the full amount.
Furnishing detailed documents on the sanction of the amount, ACAUT revealed that a letter (NHIDCL/BO-DIM/Dmp Bypass/2015-16/06 dated 10-02-2016) addressed to the Deputy Commissioner, Dimapur district by the GM (projects), Nagaland acknowledged that Rs 174, 36, 59, 521/- had been received by NHIDCL from MORTH as land compensation amount.
However, contravening to the direct executive order from the controlling Ministry (MORTH), the Director (A&F), NHIDCL; General Manager (P), NHIDCL, BO-Dimapur and General Manager (P) “had decided to release an amount of Rs 100 crore as part of 1st installment payment of land compensation since the fund allocation by the ministry is only Rs 505 crore.”
This piece of information, ACAUT has alleged, is “totally misleading and false” since the release of Rs 505 crore by MORTH is separate, given as additional allocation to NHIDCL for the works to be carried out during the year 2015-16 which is over and above the main allocation of Rs 1710 crore.
In this connection, ACAUT has warned that if the full compensation amount is not paid to the land owners within the given time frame, the issue will be taken up at the Prime Minister’s Office level.
