Mokokchung, 26 November (MTNews): Responding to recent claims made by the Phek District Maytas-Gayatri Damaged Victim Association (PDMGDVA), the Office of the Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland and Minister In-charge of Planning & Transformation and National Highway has issued a clarification on the matter.
The PDMGDVA had alleged that the file for compensation was deliberately withheld and delayed, insinuating that it was awaiting clearance from the deputy Chief minister. However, the Deputy Chief Minister’s office refuted these claims, stating that the file had never reached his office for the release of funds.
Addressing the controversy, the Deputy Chief Minister’s office highlighted a High Court order dated 30 January 2023, which directed the State Government to initiate the compensation process and “submit the assessment and thereafter the Ministry concerned i.e. MoRTH will sanction the amount and give it to the State Government and the latter will disburse the amount to the beneficiaries.”
However, it said, that when the Ministry gave the sanction on 27 October 2023, there was a rider clause that stated that the Ministry would recover the compensation amount of Rs 60cr from the Agency Charges of the State Government which is basically from the State Exchequer.
“This is in contravention of the Hon’ble High Court order as the order does not mention that the burden of compensation will be upon the State Government. Moreover, given the financial position of the State Government, we cannot afford to pay compensation whatsoever as compensation is purely of central subject and precedent cannot be set where State government is made to pay for compensation,” it added.
It reasoned that it was due to this fact that the State government is currently in correspondence with the Ministry to seek an exemption from the deduction of the compensation amount from the State Government’s Agency Charges.
The Deputy Chief Minister has been actively pursuing the matter for the benefit of the people, securing approval from the State Cabinet to allow landowners to claim compensation for any National Highways where land is acquired for construction, it stated, adding that a notification will soon be issued in this regard.
The Office appealed to the PDMGDVA to have no misgivings about the Deputy Chief Minister as he is sincerely working for the benefit of the people. It further mentioned that the file for release of compensation had never been put up to the Planning Department for clearance of the same.
“Only after resolving the matter of the rider clause in the sanction order of the Ministry, will the concerned department put up the file for Planning Clearance for release of the amount. And be rest assured that the Planning & Transformation Department will not delay on such matters of public importance and grievance and give the necessary clearance,” it maintained.
The Office appealed to the PDMGDVA to understand the factual position of the State Government and reconsider their stance on initiating mass agitation in the first week of December stating, “If a precedent is set wherein the State Government starts to pay for Land and Damage compensation in National Highway projects, our State will not be in position to have any more National Highway constructions as the State Government can never pay for the same to the land owners.”
In the meantime, the National Highways (NPWD) assured the stakeholders that they will sincerely pursue the matter to be resolved at the earliest, aiming to benefit those affected without burdening the State Exchequer.