Guwahati, June 26: Ravaged by floods annually which drain out enormous resources, cash-starved Assam is crying fowl against the Centre for allegedly not releasing funds for flood control measures for the last two years to the state. Claiming this, state Water Resource Minister Nurzamal Sarkar says despite several requests the Centre had not released a single paise since the Congress government came to power in the state, affecting several flood control projects.
"Due to non release of funds for flood management schemes under Central Loan Assistance (CLA), the entire programme came to a grinding halt," said Sarkar. About 39 important and critical flood management schemes were going on at the cost of Rs three crore which had suffered while no new schemes could be taken up, he says.
Around 32 other schemes of less than Rs three crore were lying incomplete at different stages due to lack of funds while under the non-lapsable central pool of resources 25 schemes belonging to the Prime Minister's package were ignored for lack of adequate funds, the minister says. While categorically stating that the scenario in the "flood management sector was dismal", Sarkar had a dig at the Union Minister of State for Water Resources Ms Bijoya Chakravarty.
Although hailing from the state the Union minister during her visit to flood affected areas had promised funds but that were yet to come, he alleges.
However, Sarkar claims that after his assuming office in May 2001, his department had done its best to adopt schemes to benefit thousands of people rendered homeless in the annual ravages. Bureau Report