RTI applicants who sought information under Land Acquisition and Requisition Act during the last ten years have alleged that various authorities in the government had been “grossly mismanaging all possible opportunities” of the government for “selfish aggrandizement” at the expense of the public exchequer.
RTI application filed by five former presidents of All Sumi Students Union (SKK) revealed that the government of Nagaland had acquired the land/plots numbering to 273 for different departments for various developmental projects during 2006-07 to 2015.
In a press release, five former presidents of SKK including Aheto V. Yeputhomi, Hukavi T. Yeputhomi, Kitoho S. Rotokha, L. Khevishe Achumi and S. Zhevihe Sumi stated that out of the total land/plots acquired, 162 were either paid or compensated duly amounting to a staggering amount of Rs. 320,43,34,909 (Rupees three hundred twenty crore, forty three lakh, thirty four thousand, nine hundred nine).
The signatories said plots/land numbering to 111 were either yet to be paid/compensated or did not provide information by the concerned authority. “For such dereliction, appropriate step had been initiated against the authorities who have failed to comply including Deputy Commissioner, Peren,” they said.
Further, the signatories pointed out that several numbers of plot/land that were already paid but did not acquire by the respective department concerned such as at Hovukhu village for NIIT and Go-Carting at Padum Pukhur, “which was deliberately misplaced as Chekiye village raises lots of unanswered questions for which the applicant shall initiate appropriate step.”
The signatories said they have therefore made the information available to the public so all the common public could discern how the government works for over all round development of the state and collectively pursue such issues of public importance in the days to come.