Non-implementation of reserved quota for backward tribes in Roads and Bridges Department rocked the last day of the second session of 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Thursday after Roads and Bridges Department Minister Tongpang Ozüküm mentioned about appointment of lower division assistants (LDAs) and sectional assistants (SAs) from March 1 till date, without fully implementing the reservation quota.
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The minister stated this while replying to a starred question by opposition member Kuzholuzo Nienu.
He admitted that of 19 LDAs appointed, 12 LDAs hailed from Ao community, five from Angami and one each from Rengma and Sema communities.
Similarly, of the 42 SAs (mohurrers) appointed, 23 were from Ao community, seven from Angami, five from Sema, three from Konyak and each from Phom, Sangtam and Lotha communities.
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The Minister was then subjected to intense attack by senior opposition legislators for violating the office memorandum on ban of appointments of Grade IV staff.
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NPF member Azo remarked that PDA’s slogan ‘change is coming’ was a farce as a leader ought to be for all Naga communities and not a particular tribe of constituency.
Azo took the opportunity to raise hackles by claiming that the denial of job opportunities to eastern Nagaland tribes had hardened the Eastern Naga People’s Organization’s (ENPO) to reinforce its demand of a separate state of Frontier Nagaland.
He cautioned that if such trend continued, people of eastern Nagaland would become slaves of advanced tribes.
Further, Azo alleged that the number of government employees belonging to tribes from eastern Nagaland was less compared to the number of posts held by advanced tribes.