STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Even as the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has sanctioned eight projects with approved cost of Rs 471.58 crore for Assam under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), the State government is hopeful that the Ministry would extend the deadline for completion of these schemes.
Presently, the time limit to complete these eight projects is March 2020. As these projects were sanctioned quite late, Dispur is hopeful that the Centre would extend the project completion time beyond March 2020, sources informed The Sentinel.
The eight schemes along with their locations and projected costs are: Three-lane overbridge (Rs 67.75 crore) at Jorhat; Water supply project (Phase III) in Tinsukia town (Rs 27.19 crore); RCC bridge over Aie River in Chirang district (Rs 69.7 crore); Renovation of JSB Civil Hospital at Chirang (Rs 22.99 crore); Infrastructure development of Greater Kheroni pipe water supply in Karbi Anglong (Rs 22.87 crore); Double-lane 90-km road connecting Lanka in Hojai district with Umrangso in Dima Hasao district (Rs 199.56 crore); RCC bridge over Dikhow River at Sripuria in Sivasagar district (Rs 18 crore); and Digboi Water Supply project (Rs 44.52 crore). Works on some of these schemes have already started while tenders have been floated with respect to others.
NESIDS was approved by the Government of India as a new Central Sector Scheme on December 15, 2017. Projects under NESIDS relate to creation of physical infrastructure for water supply, power and connectivity enhancing tourism, as well as social infrastructure related to the primary and secondary sectors of Education and Health. The funds are released in two installments of 40% and 60%. Initially a token amount of Rs. 10 lakh is released and the balance amount of the first installment is released after receipt of the ‘Letter of Award’ of the work.
The positive point about NESIDS is that the Centre bears 100 per cent of the costs of the respective sanctioned projects. However, the State government concerned will have to bear the entire costs of the sanctioned projects if it fails to stick to the deadline determined by the Ministry for completion of those projects. Earlier, DoNER used to sanction such developmental schemes under NLCPR (Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources) with 90:10 (Centre:State) funding pattern.
The period of NESIDS projects is from 2017-18 to 2019-20. Till July 2019, DoNER sanctioned 39 NESIDS projects with approved cost of Rs.1,163.84 crore for the entire Northeast.