GUWAHATI, June 5? The Department of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), set up in September 2001 to act as the nodal department of the Centre to deal with matters pertaining to the socio-economic development of the eight states of the region, has expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of progress in the implementation of development schemes and programmes in the North East.
Speaking to newspersons here today, Union Minister of State for DoNER and Small Scale Industry (SSI) Tapan Sikdar said that the department has taken the matter ?very seriously.? Sikdar, along with Union Minister for DoNER and SSI, Dr CP Thakur, are in Guwahati to review the progress of the Prime Minister?s 28-point socio-economic agenda, declared in Shillong on January 2000, for the development of the region. Dr Thakur, who chaired the meeting attended by top bureaucrats from all the states, received the progress reports of all development agencies in the North East.
?Implementation is not being properly done,? Sikdar told the presspersons, adding that this is a ?minus point?. During the review meeting, it transpired that of the 28 action points in the Prime Minister?s agenda, action on seven has been completed. While government approval or sanction has been given for 17 schemes, which are under implementation. No sanction is needed for the remaining four schemes and programmes and they too are under implementation. The total cost involved is Rs 13,411 crore, of which Rs 11,957 crore has been sanctioned and Rs 5,268 has been released.
Commenting on the delay in the implementation of projects, Dr Thakur said that in some of the states utilization certificates (UCs) are not being given in time. DoNER secretary Atul Sinha said that UCs are ?only one part of the story.? There are some natural problems too, he said. During the meeting, Dr Thakur emphasized on the need for fast track development in the region. He instructed that the ambitious North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (NEIGRIMS) project in Shillong be completed by the end of this financial year.
Reviewing the performance of the Brahmaputra Board, Dr Thakur stressed on the need for taking up flood control, soil erosion and power generation projects. The Centre could even consider funding such projects through external aid agencies, he said. Dr Thakur said that power sector projects should be expedited. The Lower Subansiri hydel power project has received all necessary clearance and work on it will commence from October this year, he said. The Rs 6600 crore project will generate 2000 MW of power when completed. The 510 MW Teesta power project in Sikkim will be ready ahead of time, he said. The Minister said that the law and order situation in Manipur has hampered the Loktak downstream project. DoNER is releasing Rs 50 crore per year for infrastructure development in Mizoram. Rs 30 crore has been given for the development of the Bodo areas in Assam. Additional assistance of Rs 75.55 crore has been given to the region for critical transmission and sub-transmission systems. Rs 224.21 crore has been earmarked for new and existing National Highways.
Dr Thakur said that the North Eastern Council (NEC) has been told to complete all pending projects by next March. Sinha said that 546 projects, worth Rs 3,103 crore, have been sanctioned in the North East in the last five years under the Non-lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR). Rs 550 crore is the outlay for new projects this year, when a budget for NLCPR has also begun.