Aizawl, July 15: The Mizoram Assembly session was today rocked by an alleged scandal regarding the delay in commissioning of the Kau-Tlabung mini-hydel project in the southern part of the state.
Chief minister Zoramthanga told the House that the project has been delayed by the escalating building expenses.
He was answering a query during question hour by Mizo People’s Conference (MPC) legislator P.B. Rosanga on the alleged scandal.
However, the chief minister said a public interest litigation was pending on the alleged scam, hence he was not sure whether the topic could be discussed in the House.
At this point, Congress legislator R. Lalzirliana said the Speaker should follow precedence when he had not allowed matters under court cases to be discussed in the House.
The remark triggered pandemonium in the Assembly with the main Opposition group, comprising MLAs of the Mizoram People’s Conference, requesting the Speaker to let the leader of the House answer the question.
Speaker R. Lalawia told the legislators that he was unaware of the PIL, so he allowed Rosanga to raise the topic.
The Congress was uneasy about the question because the hydel project had been initiated during the party’s rule in 1995. Rosanga later withdrew the question, saving the Congress from further embarrassment.
The chief engineer (power) and the assistant registrar of Gauhati High Court’s Aizawl bench later told this correspondent that they not aware of any PIL on the hydel project.
Sources in the state electricity department said the government has been trying to commission two mini-hydel projects in south Mizoram by September this year. The two projects — with machines imported from England — would together produce 6 MW of power.
Blockade lifted
Imphal, July 15: The nine-day-old indefinite economic blockade on the two national highways, called by the All-Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur, ended at 10 am today. But traffic was affected on these routes following a 24-hour bandh imposed by another tribal organisation for a different reason, reports our correspondent.
The All-Tribal Students’ Union, Manipur called off the economic blockade after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the government.
In the memorandum, the Ibobi Singh government agreed to “protect and safeguard the rights” of the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste candidates as granted by the constitution in the selection of candidates for admission in the MBBS and BDS courses. Both sides also agreed to rectify the 1993 and 2003 rules.
Following the lifting of the blockade, some stranded vehicles arrived here today, but traffic was disrupted due to the 24-hour bandh called by the Sadar Hills Youth Front in the whole of Sadar Hills district. Both the national highways pass through the Sadar Hills.
The bandh was observed in protest against the killing of three persons by a column of the Assam Rifles in the early hours of Sunday during a raid. Assam Rifles claimed that the three persons were activists of the Kuki National Front (P) but villagers refused to buy the story.
