The Rhieo Council, L-Khel, Kohima Village has refuted allegations of land owners obstructing to a road construction within its jurisdiction that was sanctioned by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2016 from National Highway 2 near High School Ground, Kohima to KMC garbage dumping site at Medinu, Kohima.
The Council was referring to the claims made by State Investment Programme Management and Implementation Unit (SIPMIU) as revealed by an RTI activist in an investigative report “Kohima: Approximately INR 33 Cr. Projects under SIPMIU hits muddy water” by Nagaland News Network.
The report, which was uploaded on the network’s YouTube channel on 2nd May 2024, probes the diversion of the funds meant for the said road project from High School ground to the KMC garbage dumping site which is 5.392 kms to another road at Meriema Basa, which is 2.85 kms, without any explanation. Speaking to Nagaland News Network, the RTI activist had highlighted that in its response on the issue, SIPMIU indicated that the landowners had objected to the project.
In reply to this, Rhieo Council, the land owners, stated, “The Council deliberated on the accusation and found out that no individual or group had stopped nor hindered the works and therefore the Council found the allegation against land owners baseless and unfound.”
President of Rhieo Council, Tseivilie Miachieo and Secretary Vitsüthie Suokhrie asserted that any developmental activities that were undertaken in the past within its jurisdiction had been done with its consent, however, the Council denied receiving any intimation with regard to this ADB funded project by either the implementing government agency nor the contractor.
Further, it mentioned that the said road from NH-2 near High School Ground to KMC dumping site at Medinu via Perizie-Dzüprei-Dzürüzou was constructed in the 1970s by the Council with its own funds and is maintained by the farmers and the Council till date. The Rhieo Thinuo also stated that later, the road was widened enough to accommodate 2-land road without any land compensation.
Moreover, the Rhieo Council assured that it would not oppose any developmental activities within its jurisdiction but urged governmental agencies to inform about “any developmental projects and the scope of work to be undertaken along the aforesaid stretch of road and within our ancestral jurisdiction.”
