Following the rockfall accident of July 5 on the National Highway-29 Patkai bridge-Khoukidolong stretch that smashed a vehicle and injured 4 occupants, exactly a year after a similar incident where 2 persons were killed and 3 injured, the Rising People’s Party (RPP) has accused the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) of doing nothing and eyewashing a serious negligence.
The RPP further demanded that the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) be booked for its “criminal negligence.”
The RPP in a press statement issued on Sunday alleged that the NDPP-BJP coalition did nothing “as usual” but instead instituted a High Level Technical Committee (HLTC) to ‘study’ the issue to eyewash a serious negligence. The RPP said that the HLTC report is still awaited in public domain
“When will the PDA realize that governance is all about accountability and responsibility? What does Dy. CM TR Zeliang mean by “Short-term maintenance contract” which the PDA apparently instituted after last year’s tragic incident?” the RPP asked, adding that the Naga people will not be fooled by such utterances.
The RPP further questioned whether the NHIDCL was brought to task for the haphazard manner in which four-laning was carried out, including usage of dynamites in loosely-soiled mountainous areas.
“Was anybody held accountable? Were anybody in the NHIDCL or the government suspended or jailed?” the RPP asked. It also asked whether the government took action against the state nodal department – R&B (National Highway) – overseeing the activities of NHIDCL in the state.
The RPP also asked the PDA government to explain why the state police did not take any action upon the RPP FIR complaint filed at the Choumoukedima Police Station against NHIDCL officials in the aftermath of the deaths last year.
The RPP questioned why the PDA government was reducing itself to merely issuing “Travel Advisory” after each tragedy, year after year. The party queried whether the rocks would stop falling after the PDA government issued its “Travel Advisory”.
The RPP questioned whether the relatives of the deceased and the injured in 2023 had been compensated, and whether the recently injured would receive compensation.
These are some of the questions which the PDA government has to answer, the RPP said. The RPP also asked the PDA government to release the “precious” contents of the ‘ultra-secret HLTC report’ to the public.