Around 2/3rd of the most valuable and prime plot in Kolkata city belonging to the government of Nagaland at 11, Shakespeare Sarani (erstwhile Theatre Road), which was mortgaged to Civil Engineers Enterprise Pvt. Ltd (CEEPL) by the government of Nagaland in 1982, through a one-sided lease agreement and which today houses the massive office of the State Bank of India and M/s Nightingale nursing home found mention in the recent autumn session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on Thursday September 20, 2018.
Nagaland House complex was a turnkey project under Development Authority of Nagaland. As per the narrative description of the project, it was proposed to be a commercial-cum-guest House complex, comprising of an 11 storied office building of 12764 M2, a four storied Nursing Home of 832 M2, a six storied VIP guest house of Nagaland government, a three storied office building of Nagaland government and a four storied staff quarters of Nagaland government. As per archtechconsultants, the project started in 1979 and completed in September 1984 (phase I) and May 1988 (Phase II).
The issue was raised on September 20 by opposition leader T.R. Zeliang who wanted to know the status of the lease agreement with CEEPL, North East Handloom and Handicraft and Hind Xerox.
State chief minister Neiphiu Rio replied that the lease that was signed on August 6, 1982 was renewed on December 24, 1997 after hue and cry and in after years when Nagaland Post published a series on the scam and sell out of the century during 1990-91. As per the clauses of the deed agreement signed in 1982, the deed was to be renewed after 21 years while the rent to the state government was fixed at Rs.5.50 per sq.feet per month and enhancement by 10% after every five years.
Shyamalendu Ghosal was an engineer serving under Nagaland government and after quitting his job, floated CEEPL. He had close access to those at the highest echelons of power in Nagaland. Nagaland House at Shakespeare Sarani was the winter retreat of a Nepalese royal family which was allotted to the government of Nagaland.
The construction of the complex was awarded to the firm which negotiated a loan from SBI. As per the agreement, the government of Nagaland or those at the helm of power, agreed to give rights to firm to act on behalf of the government. Accordingly loan was given to the firm as the sole authority.
Subsequent agreements signed by the government of Nagaland pushed it deeper into a legal complication from which it could not extricate itself. That during 70s till 90s most of those posted at Nagaland House Kolkata were alleged to have acted in favour of CEEPL and did not alarm those at the helm of power in Nagaland.
It may also be described as the conspiracy of the century by vested interests to take over a huge portion of Nagaland House Kolkata through manipulative tactics in the form of one-sided lease agreement.
Nagaland Post had published a series during 1991-92 that led then Governor Lok Nath Misra to appoint a special attorney to fight for the state. However, the maze of legal intricacies which were facilitated by Naga politicians and bureaucrats had made the job to reclaim property rights impossible.
In the assembly, the issue was only about the rent from CEEPL which according to chief minister Neiphiu Rio amounted to Rs.5 lakhs upto December 2017 and Rs.7 lakhs upto January 2018. Some tenants- North East Handloom Handicrafts and Hind Xerox had taken the matter to court.
The issue raised by opposition leader T.R. Zeliang and the reply by chief minister Neiphiu Rio pertained to cheque amount and court order issued in May 2018 which was not challenged by the state government. Zeliang criticised the PDA government for not challenging the court’s interim order by filing affidavit and instead directing the DRC Nagaland House Kolkata to receive the cheque from CEEPL.
The fact of the matter is that the Nagaland government can never reclaim ownership of the prime plot due to the sell-out agreement signed in 1982 and subsequent years, except receive the pittance of a few lakh rupees instead of receiving not below Rs.10 crore per month.