DIBRUGARH, March 11 � Unresponsive bureaucrats in the State administration have significantly slowed down development work, even as the Centre makes no bones that a major portion of Central funds have been misappropriated by people in the State. This allegation is not a sweeping statement, but a neutral observation after witnessing the functioning of the bureaucracy and politicians in Assam over the past several years.
There is no dearth of examples to highlight the point. Take the case of the proposed repair and renovation of the Dibrugarh Indoor Stadium. This sports infrastructure, built in 1952, is Assam�s first indoor stadium. A proposal was prepared about seven years ago for repair, renovation and upgradation of the facility. While the proposal has failed to move out of the files in Dispur and Delhi under the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) ministerships of Manishankar Aiyer, BK Handique, Paban Singh Ghatowar, Gen VK Singh and Dr Jitendra Singh, one is told that the main culprits for the plight of the proposal are the sports and planning department babus in the Assam Government, spanning the designations from deputy secretary to principal secretary. The present director of sports of Assam says he is not aware of the proposal.
Another instance is the non release of funds for road development works in Tinsukia, earlier approved by DoNER for NLCPR (Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources) funding. Here, the urban development babus, both in the administrative and finance departments, are doing all they can to throttle the flow of funds. It needs to be mentioned here that road repairs worth about Rs 15 crore and construction of an auditorium for a similar amount are currently under way in the important commercial town. The road contractors have already completed about 30 per cent work, but they are yet to be paid a single penny. The Tinsukia Development Authority chairman, Pronab Baruah said the delay in the release of funds has become a cause for concern.
In Dibrugarh too, a drainage project worth Rs 28 crore under NLCPR funding is not moving an inch as the funds have not been made available to the Dibrugarh Development Authority. The Water Resources Department too is waiting with bated breath for the release of an amount of Rs 14 crore by DoNER, so that emergency flood protection works can be taken up near Naharkatia, along the banks of the Buri Dehing river. In all these cases, the people holding up the proposals are bureaucrats of various designations in the Assam Planning Department and the DoNER ministry office in New Delhi�s Vigyan Bhavan annexe. Astonishingly enough, one person in Delhi who is sitting on the Naharkatia flood protection matter is an Assamese gentleman, we are just not naming him, nor will we say any unpleasant truth, which would be difficult to prove.
As was stated by veteran social worker Dhiren Baruah � who now heads Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority � some days ago, unless the babus of Assam do their work diligently, there can be no hope of socio-economic development. The current domination of unheard of corruption in Assam�s corridors of power has totally failed the people of the State. Due to which, despite comfortable majority in the Assembly, and three full terms of the Gogoi ministry, the lasting milestone has become corruption and decadence, rather than any meaningful development.
DIBRUGARH, March 11 � Unresponsive bureaucrats in the State administration have significantly slowed down development work, even as the Centre makes no bones that a major portion of Central funds have been misappropriated by people in the State. This allegation is not a sweeping statement, but a neutral observation after witnessing the functioning of the bureaucracy and politicians in Assam over the past several years.
There is no dearth of examples to highlight the point. Take the case of the proposed repair and renovation of the Dibrugarh Indoor Stadium. This sports infrastructure, built in 1952, is Assam�s first indoor stadium. A proposal was prepared about seven years ago for repair, renovation and upgradation of the facility. While the proposal has failed to move out of the files in Dispur and Delhi under the DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) ministerships of Manishankar Aiyer, BK Handique, Paban Singh Ghatowar, Gen VK Singh and Dr Jitendra Singh, one is told that the main culprits for the plight of the proposal are the sports and planning department babus in the Assam Government, spanning the designations from deputy secretary to principal secretary. The present director of sports of Assam says he is not aware of the proposal.
Another instance is the non release of funds for road development works in Tinsukia, earlier approved by DoNER for NLCPR (Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources) funding. Here, the urban development babus, both in the administrative and finance departments, are doing all they can to throttle the flow of funds. It needs to be mentioned here that road repairs worth about Rs 15 crore and construction of an auditorium for a similar amount are currently under way in the important commercial town. The road contractors have already completed about 30 per cent work, but they are yet to be paid a single penny. The Tinsukia Development Authority chairman, Pronab Baruah said the delay in the release of funds has become a cause for concern.
In Dibrugarh too, a drainage project worth Rs 28 crore under NLCPR funding is not moving an inch as the funds have not been made available to the Dibrugarh Development Authority. The Water Resources Department too is waiting with bated breath for the release of an amount of Rs 14 crore by DoNER, so that emergency flood protection works can be taken up near Naharkatia, along the banks of the Buri Dehing river. In all these cases, the people holding up the proposals are bureaucrats of various designations in the Assam Planning Department and the DoNER ministry office in New Delhi�s Vigyan Bhavan annexe. Astonishingly enough, one person in Delhi who is sitting on the Naharkatia flood protection matter is an Assamese gentleman, we are just not naming him, nor will we say any unpleasant truth, which would be difficult to prove.
As was stated by veteran social worker Dhiren Baruah � who now heads Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority � some days ago, unless the babus of Assam do their work diligently, there can be no hope of socio-economic development. The current domination of unheard of corruption in Assam�s corridors of power has totally failed the people of the State. Due to which, despite comfortable majority in the Assembly, and three full terms of the Gogoi ministry, the lasting milestone has become corruption and decadence, rather than any meaningful development.
