GUWAHATI, July 18 - The Union government has told the state governments that it would not extend any financial support to their flood management programme (FMP) schemes till 2020, that is the deadline fixed by it for clearing its outstanding liabilities against the FMP schemes executed by the states in the Eleventh Plan period. The Centre was to clear an amount of Rs 700 crore to Assam against its FMP schemes under the Eleventh and Twelfth Plans till the middle of this year. It cleared an amount of Rs 245 crore against this outstanding liability only recently.
Assam Water Resources Department (WRD) Secretary RP Das told this newspaper that the Union government had told the states in the last meeting held at the New Delhi headquarters of the Central Water Commission (CWC) on June 21 that the issue of the arrear funds against the Eleventh Plan FMP schemes, which have been completed by now, would not be discussed.
According to the WRD Secretary, the Union government told the states that the June 21 meeting should discuss only the ongoing FMP schemes of the Twelfth Plan period so that these schemes could be completed. No new FMP scheme should be taken up by the states until the outstanding liabilities against the Eleventh Plan period schemes are cleared within the next two years� time, the Union government said.
Das also informed that a team comprising experts from the CWC, Brahmaputra Board and the State WRD visited the sites of the ongoing Twelfth Plan period FMP schemes. At the third meeting of the series scheduled to be held tomorrow at the CWC�s New Delhi headquarters, the Union government may agree to release the arrear amounts only against the ongoing schemes, which would be taken up for completion. Some of the ongoing schemes may not be considered for completion.
The first meeting to discuss the issue of funding the FMP schemes among the representatives of the states and the Union government was held on May 21 this year at the New Delhi office of the Union Ministry of Water Resources. The second meeting between the states and the Union government on the issue was held at the New Delhi headquarters of the CWC on June 21.
At the first meeting of the series, Assam WRD Principal Secretary Hemanta Narzary requested the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Water Resources to include new FMP schemes for consideration. But it failed to evoke any positive response from the Union government, Das said.
