Dispur sets deadline for project reports
A Staff Reporter
Guwahati: With Guwahati lagging behind in submitting detailed project reports under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Dispur has set deadlines and new criteria for all agencies associated with the mission in an effort to expedite the process.
A state government official said the Guwahati development department (GDD) has even asked agencies like the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to increase their working hours and hire additional manpower if required to submit the reports as early as possible.
He said the urgency on the part of Dispur has been prompted by the fact that while states like Maharashtra and Gujarat have already submitted 91 and 62 project reports respectively, the Assam government has been able to submit and get approved only one project.
Even neighbouring states like Manipur and Nagaland have gone ahead of Assam and submitted two projects each.
Guwahati is among the 63 cities selected by the urban development ministry for urban renewal and infrastructure development within a period of seven years. The Centre has disbursed a total amount of Rs 50,000 crore under this mission.
Sources said GDD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has warned the officials of the GMDA, the GMC and the National Building Construction Corporation Ltd that development of Guwahati into a modern city would not be possible if they fail to avail maximum funds under the mission.
“The government is extremely worried as the GMC has been very slow even in identifying sectors for development under the mission. The corporation has been asked to make things clear by next month,” the official said.
He said the government has asked the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority and National Building Construction Corporation Ltd to enhance their working hours and submit the project reports by October.
Sources said the government has even set the deadline for Tahal Group, an Israel-based international engineering firm, to submit the project reports of the water supply scheme by October. The group has been asked to submit the drainage scheme project reports by November and sewerage by December.
The government has apprised the Tahal Group of the urgency to submit the projects to the Centre at an early date to help avail funds.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi has also intervened in the matter and has asked all departments to submit relevant information and data to the Israeli firm as early as possible.
July 12, 2007, Telegraph India |
