Nagaland asks Meghalaya govt to honor lease agreement for construction of medical lodge

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 28, 2020

The Nagaland government has requested the state government to honor the lease agreement signed in 2013 for construction of the Nagaland medical lodge at Mawdiangdiang, here.

“We still hope and believe that Meghalaya government will honour the lease agreement signed in 2013 and allow government of Nagaland to go ahead with the pending works without further delay,” Nagaland minister in-charge PWD Housing & Mechanical, Tongpang Ozukum said in a statement issued on Saturday.

He said the Nagaland (PWD) Housing department is shocked to come across the proposal of the Meghalaya’s Urban Affairs department for swapping of land where the Nagaland medical lodge construction is ongoing opposite of NEIGRIHMS, Shillong.

“This is not an issue between Nagaland (PWD) Housing department and Urban Affairs department, Meghalaya but it is a matter of trust and confidence between two governments,” Ozukum said.

Stating that they are yet to receive the proposal letter officially but only seen in the whatsapp, the minister said a proposal letter was written by Meghalaya’s urban affairs department to the Principal Secretary (Home) Nagaland on September 30, offering a new plot of land measuring 2.34 acres which is located half kilometer away from the present location and a fresh lease agreement to be signed again with the government of Meghalaya.

He said the urban affairs department also offers to bear the expenses of the works already executed at the Nagaland medical lodge including the boundary walls at the proposed new plot with the same specification.

Stating that Nagaland (PWD) housing department cannot accept such proposals after 8 years of the lease agreement, Ozukum said, “In the second meeting with Hamletson Dohling, the then minister, urban affairs department on November 14, 2019, unexpectedly, they proposed to swap the land citing some local issues. However, we made our stand very clear that their proposal is unacceptable since every procedure, right from the beginning of acquiring the land was done legally and with mutual understanding.”

The Nagaland minister also said that chief minister Conrad K Sangma had also given assurance followed by a declaration to go ahead with the proposed resuming of construction works at medical lodge by the then home minister, James K Sangma during the 50 years celebration of Nagaland House, Shillong on October 26, last year.

Meanwhile, Ozukum said that the department has all the legal papers basing on which land was bought on lease for 30 years and few items of works already executed while suggesting the urban affairs department to give a serious thought on its proposal for swapping of land with another plot of land after 8 years of the lease agreement.