Accepting CEEPL rent ‘unethical’ says NPF on NL house issue
Sharpening the attack on chief minister Neiphiu Rio regarding the Nagaland House Commercial Complex scam, NPF spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon rejected the CMO’s rejoinder to opposition leader T.R. Zeliang as unsatisfactory besides saying it was improper for Rio to have asked CMO to issue press rejoinder to Zeliang’s queries that were raised on the floor of the house on September 20.
Speaking to media persons at NPF Central office Monday, Achumbemo also said if Rio was sincere as claimed, then his government contradicted that stand when it accepted the rental from the contesting party- Civil Engineers Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. (CEEPL)- as directed by the court, then later filed its counter affidavit on July 16,2018.
CMO in the rejoinder had said the state government filed the counter affidavit in response to the interim order of the Calcutta High Court on May 14, 2018 directing the state to receive the rental amount from CEEPL.
When the PDA government took office instead of accepting the rental amount, Achumbemo said the government should have challenged the high court order in the Supreme Court since the agreement had already expired. Achumbemo recalled that, initially the one-sided lease agreement signed in 1982 for 20 years was totally in favour of CEEPL but before expiry in 2002, it hastily “renewed” the lease in 1997 for another 20 years.
In 2017 when the 1997 lease expired, Achumbemo said CEEPL again sought extension but then chief minister T.R. Zeliang wanted a proper negotiation to reflect the prevalent market rate.
In this regard, he said then chief minister T.R. Zeliang held a series of meetings wherein he directed home commissioner and chief secretary to re-negotiate the rent as per the current market rate or to do away with Civil Engineering Enterprise Pvt. Ltd. (CEEPL). Zeliang even summoned CEEPL promoter Shyamalendu Ghosal, he said.
However, when assembly elections were announced it halted further action but CEEPL took advantage by filing a case in the Calcutta High Court and managed to obtain an interim order on May 14, 2018 to the Nagaland government to accept the rental amount.What was the government (PDA) doing 62 days after the interim order was issued and five months after it was sworn-in, asked Achumbemo.
According to Achumbemo, spending either Rs. One to Two crore to fight the case, was nothing compared to the huge revenue benefits for the state for the next 40 to 50 years. He said all these pointed to “something very fishy” between those involved.
Kikon also expressed dissatisfaction that many questions were left unanswered in the recently concluded NLA session as the opposition legislators were not given enough time to speak on the issue and also on Naga political issue.
NPF youth wing: Meanwhile NPF Youth Wing said the acceptance of cheques –one for Rs.35 lakhs and another for Rs.7 lakhs in favour of the home commissioner by the PDA government was unethical and least expected of chief minister instead of challenging the matter in the court.
NPF Central Youth Wing also claimed that the chief minister, had on the floor of the house alleged that Shyamalendu Ghosal had enormous resources to obtain support of the legal fraternity. It said the intention to conceal his government’s dereliction of duty by coming up with such an unsavoury response on the floor of the Assembly was not only hilarious, but unethical and least expected of a chief minister.
The youth wing claimed that instead of challenging the interim order in a higher court of law, direction was issued for accepting the two cheques of Rs. 35 Lakhs and Rs. 7 Lakhs released by CEEPL in favour of Home Commissioner, Nagaland on 16th May, 2018 and 2nd July, 2018 respectively.
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