NCP demands scrapping of Arunachal guest house lease

Itanagar, May 30: The Arunachal Pradesh unit of Nationalist Congress party(NCP) today, demanded scrapping of the lease agreement signed between the state government and a company for the construction of state guest house-cum-emporium in Navi Mumbai alleging that it lacked "financial reasoning."

The party alleged that the agreement signed on October 2007 was "devoid of sound financial reasoning and against the long-term interests of the people of Arunachal."

The lease agreement, for a period of 60 years, was signed during the tenure of Dorjee Khandu as chief minister. In a representation to Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, state NCP President Kahfa Bengia objected to what he said was "throwaway" upfront amount of Rs 10.01 crore which was given for the lease.

Though the company was to hand over the structure within 2.5 years from the date of obtaining the commencement certificate, more than five years had passed and the developer had neither handed over the building nor made any alternative arrangement for needy Arunachalee patients and students in Mumbai and nearby cities, it said.

Under the agreement, the developer, if it fails to hand over the structure within the stipulated time, is liable to provide alternative premises in the same area free of cost for temporary use of the assignors.

While urging the Arunachal Pradesh Industrial Development and Finance Corporation, the signatory of the agreement on behalf of the state government, to explain how and where the amount was used, Bengia said if the defaulter company continued to befool the government, the NCP would seek a vigilance inquiry from the Centre, as well as a CBI probe in the matter.

PTI