GUWAHATI, March 24 - The allocation for flood control schemes in the recent Budget has made people apprehensive of the government�s intention, the All Assam Water Resources Contractors� Association has said.
The Budget allocated Rs 824.92 crore for the Water Resources Department (WRD), against the proposal of Rs 2,500 crore sent by the Department, it said. It demanded release of the entire amount of money allocated for the Flood Management Programme (FMP) schemes in the last financial year by March 31, and called for urgent steps to include the arrear amounts meant for the 11th and 12th Five Year Plan periods in the State Budget for 2018-19.
The contractors demanded payment of the money allocated against SDRF, NABARD schemes by March 31. The Association said the WRD was to get an arrear of Rs 1,254.25 crore against schemes meant for the 11th and 12th Five Year Plan periods. It said the WRD had pleaded for an additional Rs 596 crore for implementing the new schemes. But the Budget for 2018-19 allocated only Rs 53.30 crore against the FMPs.
The Budget for 2016-17 had also made an inadequate allocation for the FMPs. Though in the face of vehement protests by the Association, an additional amount was allocated for the FMPs in December 2016, the Finance Department is yet to release the entire amount against this supplementary allocation.
The contractors said the Finance Department has been adopting a stand contrary to the guidelines for release of central funds against the FMPs. As per the guidelines, the State is to spend its share on FMPs and submit a utilisation certificate on the expenditure to ensure release of the Centre�s share.
But the Finance Department has still not released the State�s share, until the Centre releases its share. Such a stand of the Finance Department has been preventing the Brahmaputra Board, the nodal agency for the purpose, in submitting the demand proposal for the Central share in most of the FMPs, they said. The Association also warned that if its demands are not met, it would launch a stir.
