Assam Cabinet takes Several Key Decisions

Anomalies in hydropower project: Probe handed over to CBI

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The state cabinet on Wednesday decided to hand over to the CBI the investigation into anomalies in the name of a hydropower project during the tenure of the Congress government.

In 2009, the then-state government took the decision to set up a 5 MW hydropower project at Bor Dikrai and entrusted the work to M/s Mecon Power. However, the work on the project was stopped in 2015. The work was stalled as the government had started work on the project without obtaining environmental clearance from the Forest Ministry. After the work was stopped, the company moved the High Court, which then awarded an amount of Rs 100 crore as compensation. The compensation amount has already been paid by the government.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said regarding the issue that accountability must be fixed on whoever was responsible for the compensation paid as per the HC order. “How was the work order issued without obtaining environmental clearance from the Forest Ministry? Why was the work on the project stopped without taking corrective measures? As a result of the decision, the government was forced to pay an amount of Rs 100 crore, and around Rs 34 crore is yet to be paid. We must find out who was responsible, and we want to hand over the investigation into the matter to the CBI for this. Only one political leader, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, had signed the agreement, and he is no more. We have to find out the truth from the officials involved in the project,” he said.

The cabinet has also decided to set up 22 ICUs in 22 districts in the state in PPP mode. The government will spend Rs 23 crore on each ICU. The patients admitted to such ICUs will pay the rate charged by government hospitals, and the balance of the billed amount will be borne by the government.

An agreement was signed between the government and Tata Trusts to set up 17 cancer care centres. Some of the centres are already operational, and work on the remaining centres is going on. The government share of the cost of the project was Rs 2803 crore, and that of Tata Trusts was Rs 1100 crore. On Wednesday, the cabinet renewed the agreement with Tata Trusts for another 5 years, as the period of the earlier agreement had almost expired.

The cabinet also decided that the SC and ST candidates applying for gazetted officers’ posts, including those conducted by APSC, do not have to pay the exam fees.

 Also Read: India, Bhutan agree on steps to boost cooperation in hydropower, trade and space (sentinelassam.com)

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