GUWAHATI, April 1 – The failure of the Union Ministry of Water Resources to release funds for both the ongoing and new schemes since 1999-2000, has brought implementation of 71 flood management schemes in the State to a grinding halt, said State Water Resources Minister Nurzamal Sarkar here today. He was addressing a press conference.
Moreover, the Minister said, the Union Water Resources Ministry in its budget for 2002-2003 had kept a meagre provision of only Rs 10 crore for the State, which had a liability of Rs 54 crore for the ongoing and completed flood management schemes. However, these schemes were taken up for execution after obtaining technical clearance and other statutory approval from the Union Government, Sri Sarkar said.
Despite such a treatment from the Union Water Resources Ministry, the State Government has submitted a comprehensive proposal for funding 52 flood management schemes – 37 ongoing and 15 new, for incorporation in the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) memo for the Tenth Five Year Plan. The EFC is the agency, which suggests funding of the projects that need to be carried over from a plan period to the next plan period.
Besides, the State Government has submitted a memorandum to the Planning Commission of India for releasing an amount of Rs 29 crore as one time additional Central assistance for funding 32 critical flood management schemes, per scheme requiring between Rs 1 crore and below Rs 3 crore for implementation. The schemes also comprise part of the 71 schemes languishing since 1999-2000, Sri Sarkar said.
When asked whether there was considerable pressure mounted on the Union Water Resources Ministry to get the above schemes funded, Sri Sarkar said that he himself, the MPs from the State and even the Chief Minister repeatedly implored the Union Water Resources Minister to release funds against the above schemes.
Even, at a meeting with the Union Minister on September 9 last year at New Delhi, it was requested that Rs 25 crore should be released against 39 ongoing schemes and a yearly provision of Rs 50 crore for two years for the State’s flood management programme, following the 2002 flood, should be made.
The Union Minister was also requested to take up the issue of release of Rs 37.59 crore with the authority of non-lapsable Central pool of resources for the purpose of completing the 32 flood management schemes languishing since 1999-2000, Sri Sarkar said.
The flood management schemes of the State are funded through Central loan assistance, Central sector schemes (CSS), non-lapsable Central pool of resources, North Eastern Council (NEC), Joint River Commission (JRC) and also through State Plan. The Central loan assistance to the State’s flood management scheme has been discontinued for the last two years of the Ninth Five Year Plan, Sri Sarkar said.
During the tenure of the present State Government 31 schemes under State plan have been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 19.05 crore. Besides 15 Central sector schemes at an estimated cost of Rs 60.66 crore, 28 schemes utilising non-lapsable Central pool of resources and one scheme with the assistance of Rs 96 lakh from the JRC and four schemes with NEC fund of Rs 22.38 crore have also been taken up for flood management by the present Government, said Sri Sarkar.
The Central Government has so far released a total amount of Rs 80.58 crore towards the implementation of the State’s flood management schemes, since 2001-2002 fiscal, he said, adding, 80 per cent of the important schemes are expected to be completed before the onset of the next monsoons.
Giving an account of the State Government’s initiatives, Sri Sarkar said that the State Government had already accorded sanction to 119 flood damage repair (FDR) schemes. Of these 27 belong to the fiscal year prior to 2002-2003, while 92 belong to 2002-2003 fiscal. The total estimated cost of all these projects is Rs 30.70 crore and the State Government has already released Rs 2.68 crore against these schemes. The schemes are expected to be completed before the onset of the next flood season, said Sri Sarkar.
On top of these, he said, six major schemes – Rs 31 crore Dainigaon-Hatisal (Jorhat town) protection, Rs 6.75 crore Kahai spur strengthening (for protection of Dibrugarh), Rs 4 crore (approx) Goalpara town protection, Rs 4 crore (approx) Dhubri town protection, Rs 10 crore (approx) Guwahati city protection and Rs 4.58 crore flood protection from Longai river (in Barak Valley) schemes, have also been taken up by the State Government.
The Brahmaputra Board has been implementing a Rs 406 crore project, with no-objection from the State Government, to check the Rahmaria erosion. The State Government has also got a scheme, with an estimated cost of Rs 13.70 crore, cleared to prevent avulsion in Dholla-Hatighuli area of Dibrugarh District, Sri Sarkar said.