GUWAHATI, Feb 11 ? After a series of discussions and negotiations during the last one month, noted construction company Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has agreed to take the responsibility of construction works of the stadiums for the forthcoming National Games to be organised by the State in November 2005.
L&T has taken up the works at a cost of Rs 139, 45, 66, 938, which is over Rs one crore lower than their lone opponent Nagarjuna. The agreement was made last evening and the Chief Minister also approved it. As per the agreement, the organisers of the National Games have to pay 15 pc of the total cost, that is around Rs 2 crore to L&T within 15 days and only after that, the construction of the stadiums, both at Tepesia, near Sonapur and Sarusajai in the city will be started.
But, the National Games secretariat is in neck-deep trouble as the coffer of the secretariat is almost empty. According to the information available, the Games secretariat at present has only about Rs 12 crore and out of that Rs 2 crore has to be paid to the villagers of Tepesia for requisition of lands. If the advance amount (Rs 20 crore) cannot be paid to L&T within the time-frame, then the organisers will definitely lose confidence of the construction company.
Sources in the Games secretariat informed that the State Government has Rs 6 crore, which was received from the Eleventh Finance Commission as award for the National Games and another Rs 2 crore from supplementary demand proposal for the same purpose. If the State Government releases the amount immediately then the Games secretariat will be able to pay the advance to L&T. The source also revealed that the State Government has been moved for early release of the fund.
From now onwards, about 18 months are left for the Games and the organisers have to release about Rs 10 crore each month to mobilise the works and in order to relieve the construction company of psychological stress. But the present financial condition of the State Government is not so favourable that it can release required funds from time to time.
It is learnt that the Andhra Pradesh Government, while creating fund for the last National Games, took loans from banks initially without depending on the Central Government grant. The Assam Government can also follow the footsteps of Chandrababu Naidu to start the works without any difficulty. As it is a prestige issue of the entire State, the State Government should do the needful so that the fund could be mobilised at the earliest, as time is running out.