NEC asks to complete existing schemes by 2020

SHILLONG, MAR 26: North Eastern Council (NEC) today said all schemes funded by the Council have to be completed by 2020 even as states will have complete such projects if there is delay by over three years from their own funds.

“NEC schemes as per Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) are co-terminus with the 14^th Finance Commission. So all NEC schemes have to be completed in all respect by March 2020,” NEC secretary Ram Muivah told reporters at the sidelines of his meeting with the health minister AL Hek here on Monday.

He also said the NEC has also been asked not to take up any project which it cannot complete within the next two years.

Asked, Muivah informed the Ministry of DoNER has taken a decision to put its foot down on projects which are delayed by over 3 years.

“It will be the responsibility of the state government to complete the projects with their own funds,” he said while informing that every state is having more than 10 such schemes.

Informing that he had written series of letters to the chief secretaries of the North East states on this regard, Muivah said, “I have received some response from most of the chief secretaries so I think now they are on the job.”

He said that states like Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur are getting 12 per cent each from the NEC budget while adding funds are now properly allocated but release of the same depends on timely submission of detailed project report (DPR) and utilization certificates (UCs).

“However, Assam and Tripura releases a little less because of conflicting advice as they were ask to submit only big projects. So these had to go to Standing Finance Committee (SFC), which holds its meeting only once or twice a year. By following such advice they lose out,” he said.

Meanwhile on the Council’s budget, the NEC secretary said for next financial year, for the normal NEC programme it is Rs 885 crore while Rs 250 crore was given by the Centre for special road projects under the North Eastern Road Development Sector (NERDS).

“The Budget for the next financial year has come down slightly for normal programme against Rs 925 crore of last year but for special road programme we get Rs 100 crore more, as last year it was 150 crore,”  he said.

By Our Reporter