GUWAHATI, Aug 12 - Estimates for flood control and anti-erosion projects will henceforth be made on the basis of recommendations of local MLAs, and not contractors as was the case over the years, Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta said today.
Replying to the debate on the Cut Motion on Demands for Grants of the Water Resources Department in the Assembly, Mahanta said district monitoring and vigilance committees will be set up in all districts, to be headed by respective deputy commissioners and with all MLAs from that particular district as its members, which will monitor the work taken up by the department.
�So from now onwards, you cannot blame me or question me for any tardy work. Instead I can question the MLAs as they will have power of vigilance and monitoring,� said the minister in a lighter note.
Mahanta said that from this year, work on embankments and other measures to prevent flood and erosion will be started by November so that they can be completed well before onset of the monsoon.
�Generally such works get delayed till as late as March. From now on, we will process all the projects by October and start work by November,� he said.
The minister added that the government is contemplating to send two teams abroad to study projects undertaken in major river valleys like Mississippi in the USA or Huang He in China and other such places.
One team will comprise an all-party delegation of MLAs and the other will consist of technical and engineering experts. The place to be visited for the study will be decided later.
He said that besides technical and engineering issues related to flood and erosion prevention measures, the team will also study legal aspects like land acquisition for such project in those places.
