Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), through its media cell, has termed the recently concluded observance of ‘Vigilance Awareness Week’ in Nagaland as a “farcical exercise” that raised questions on what hampered the State Vigilance Commission from speeding up investigations to prosecute political leaders and officials guilty of corruption and blatant abuse of government machinery for personal gain.
Citing chief minister Neiphiu Rio’s message calling for eradication of corruption, on the eve of ‘Vigilance Awareness Week’ NPCC claimed that the past 11 years saw corruption defined to a new level with the chief minister being the “biggest beneficiary in looting the state exchequer to the last rupee”.
It said that even as the state was saddled with a huge deficit of over Rs.1500 crore and unable to bring out Works Programme for 2013-14, the fortunes of “the chief minister and his cronies, have increased manifold during the past decade” with state infrastructures in dilapidated condition.
NPCC maintained that the State Vigilance Commission was yet to bring to justice political leaders and officials who siphoned off money because of the “tedious process of completing preliminary investigation” and reluctance of the state government to accord prosecution sanction despite prime facie evidence.
It alleged the obstruction and delay of justice was due to the patronage enjoyed by corrupt leaders and officials “working hand in glove in the NPF government”.
It said the NPF government attempted to shield and reward tainted officials and cited the “repeated attempts” to appoint a former DGP as Vigilance Commissioner, despite being an accused in the Rs.18 crore police modernization scam.
NPCC also said the abandonment of construction work on the existing Phek-Chozuba road (44.36 Kms) under NLCPR amounting to Rs.17.94 crore where the chief engineer refused prosecution sanction against officials responsible, “under pressure from NPF govt.”
It also cited abandonment of work on Old Phek to Satakha via Khuza road (69.07 Kms) amounting to Rs. 31.97 crore under NLCPR where the EE was forced to issue completion certificate in 2011. It said a complaint lodged with the Vigilance Commission in April 2012 but even after 21 months, the preliminary investigation was yet to complete due to interference of the NPF government.
Another case cited was a complaint lodged against then parliamentary secretary social welfare and current speaker for allegedly siphoning of “hundreds of crores” of rupees, through irregular means under Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) and construction of Angawadi sheds.
NPCC said investigations have been hampered and delayed due to interference by the state government, from preliminary investigation to refusal to accord prosecution sanction against charge sheeted officials.
It said these have rendered the State Vigilance Commission “totally impotent” against corruption, since the NPF government cannot “dare let the State Vigilance Commission carry out its own course of investigation”.
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