Darrang's Rs 25-cr mega cold storage project in limbo, fails to benefit farmers

Mangaldai, Dec 1: Even after a lapse of almost three-and-a-half years of its formal opening, the Rs 25 crore mega cold storage in Darrang is lying abandoned causing massive inconvenience to farmers of the district.

The eastern part of the Darrang district, especially the greater Kharupetia area, is known as a 'vegetable hub' not only in Assam, but also in the entire Northeast region of the country. Considering the long-pending demands of the farmers, especially the vegetable growers, for construction of a cold storage, the Assam State Agricultur- Marketing Board (ASAMB) came forward to construct a state-of-the-art mega cold storage near Kharupetia with a capacity of preserving 5,000 metric ton of raw agriculture products at a time.

Accordingly, on February 20, 2021, the then Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar virtually dedicated the cold storage, along with some other agricultural projects across the state, to the public from a centrally-organised function in Guwahati. The then Mangaldai legislator Guru Jyoti Das physically inaugurated the cold storage, constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore in presence of the then deputy commissioner, Darrang Dilip Kumar Bora, chief executive officer of ASAMB, Bidyut Bikash Bhagawati and others.

The 90% of the project cost was funded by the NABARD while remaining 10% fund came from the State Agriculture department. The project consists of one freezing room with two frozen chambers, each with the capacity of 550 MT, to store easily perishable agro and dairy products, etc., at minus 20 degree celsius temperature and one chiller room with seven chambers, each with the same storage capacity, for potatoes, tomatoes, fruits and other vegetables at two degree celsius temperature. The project was to operate on the public and private partnership (PPP) mode.

Later, the project was handed over to a private firm on a lease agreement for a particular period with certain terms and conditions. How- ever, the purpose of the agreement didn't materialise as the authorities concerned along with the private party involved failed to start the project even after completion of three-and-a-half years of its formal opening.

When contacted by this correspondent over phone on Thursday to know about the name of the private party in question and the present status of the lease agreement, CEO of ASAMB, Guwahati, Tez Prasad Bhushal couldn't recall the name of the erring private firm, but he cited poor financial position of the party as a prime cause for their failure to run the project.

"The party under the agreement approached us for more time to start the project giving their poor financial position as the rea- son. We couldn't make arrangement for a fresh party since the time period of the agreement is still in force," CEO Bhushal said.

It may be mentioned here that the foundation of this cold storage was laid by the then minister for public relations Basanta Das on February 29, 2016.

By-

Correspondent