ACAUT Nagaland has made a shocking revelation that an amount of approximately Rs.20 crore was “generously released” for work under “improvement of the road between City Tower and DC Court Junction, Dimapur” a distance of around 2.5 kilometers but wondered how “the repaired road could disappear overnight” since the “riverbed-like road condition” remained the same since the past few years. ACAUT through its media cell disclosed that the above figure was the reply from the Office of the Chief Engineer PWD to an RTI application filed by it.
In the reply, the Office of CE, PWD also stated that the “improvement work has been completed and an amount of Rs.19,42,48,000 (Nineteen crore, forty two lakhs and forty eight yhousand) already released to the contractor”.
ACAUT disclosed that the work was awarded to one M/s Khumtsa Awomi without issuing Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) in newspapers but through table tender which was responded by three firms (including the contractor).
ACAUT has demanded to know from the PWD as how the money was spent since citizens of Dimapur were not aware of any such road improvement work done on the 2.l5 km long stretch from City Tower to DC Court Junction?
Further, ACAUT asked the PWD whether it expected the public to believe that the present ongoing work of filling potholes with river bed stones along the same stretch is the Rs.20 crore project itself?
ACAUT pointed out that if so much money was spent for just 2.5 kms then the road should have been comparable or even better than the Noida-Delhi Expressway. Instead, it said the road condition resulted in road accidents involving 3-wheeler goods vehicle and an auto rickshaw where a lady passenger was injured.
ACAUT renewed its demand on the CE PWD to explain to public on how and who were involved in the Rs.20 crore scam or else face the consequences when appropriate authorities step in.