Nagaland dismayed over land swapping proposal made by Meghalaya

Criminal case registered on Soo Kilo explosionThe Nagaland government is dismayed over the proposal made by Meghalaya for swapping land where the Nagaland Medical Lodge at Mawdiangdiang will be housed.
Nagaland minister for public works department (housing and mechanical) Tongpang Ozukum in a statement here on Saturday said that the proposal made by the Meghalaya Urban Affairs Department was a “big surprise” because they are expecting a positive response considering the discussions and negotiations done and assurance by the Meghalaya Chief Minister followed by a declaration to go ahead with the construction on October 2019.
Ozukum said that Nagaland has all the legal papers based on which land was bought on lease for 30 years and few items of works already executed.
Stating that the Meghalaya Urban Affairs Department should give serious thought to their proposal for swapping of the land with another plot of land after 8 years of the lease agreement, he said, “This is not an issue between the two departments of the state but a matter of trust and confidence between two governments.”
The Nagaland minister said that after the foundation stone laying ceremony which was schedule July 11, 2018 could not be held due to local issues, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had assured that the issue will be resolved and that he had taken up the issue with the then urban affairs minister.
However, he said, “In the second meeting on November 14, 2019, with Hamletson Dohling the then Meghalaya Urban Affairs minister, unexpectedly proposed to swap the land citing some local issues. However we have made our stand clear that the proposal is unacceptable since every procedure was done legally with mutual understanding,” he said.
Ozukum further said, “We still hope and believe that Meghalaya Government will honour the lease agreement signed in 2013 and allow the government of Nagaland to go ahead with the pending works without further delay.”