Guwahati, Feb. 16: The North Eastern Council (NEC) today locked horns with the Centre over the cut in its budget, accusing Delhi of keeping the council in dark. NEC secretary P.L. Thanga complained that this slash has created serious problems in management of projects, even impacting on the functioning of institutions funded by it.
Addressing a news conference here today in the run-up to the 49th council meeting at Shillong on Friday, Thanga said a chunk of Rs 104.71 crore has been sliced out of the Rs 500-crore annual outlay for 2003-04. This will necessitate readjustments in all ongoing projects, including budget cuts in many of them.
Assam Governor Lt Gen. (retd) Ajai Singh, who is also the NEC chairman, was present on the occasion. He said the Centre has not apprised the NEC of the reasons for the budget cut.
Sources said the move has hit the NEC hard as its status was upgraded from a regional advisory body to a regional planning body following the amendment of the NEC Act in 2002. ?All these steps demand adequate allocation of funds and financial power for implementation of identified projects,? a source said.
Thanga said in the current year, the NEC?s performance in the fields of project implementation and sanction and release of funds has recorded the best progress in comparison to the past 10 years. But now, work orders of many projects have been cancelled in view of the budget cut. The chief ministers of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura have already protested the cut.
?The NEC believes that what was not possible in the past 30 years can be achieved in less than 10 years if proper support is given,? Thanga said.
He said the exercise in preparing the roadmap for development with a shift in thrust areas and strategy for development intervention indicated the possibility of faster economic growth for the region.
The council has prepared a roadmap for development of the region which will prioritise eco-tourism, power supply, road connectivity and the bamboo and food processing sectors. The Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd (IDFC) has prepared a plan for the region along with the NEC and will make a presentation at the Shillong meet.
The 49th council meeting would also discuss plan allocation in view of the changing requirement of funds and problems relating to the budget cut and readjustment of ongoing projects.
Also on the agenda of the meet is revitalisation of the NEC, especially to fulfil its revised mandate in accordance with the amendment of December 2002. It will also follow up on core sectors identified in the roadmap for development of the region where substantial headway has been made by preparing concept papers and in implementation and plan strategies.