Phassang seeks waiving of dues over abattoir construction

Itanagar: IMC Mayor Tame Phassang called on Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, Pashupati Kumar Paras, and submitted a representation appealing for waiving, re-consideration for refund of grants of Rs 305,943 lakh with interest accrued at 10% per annum for the construction of the Modern Abattoir House at Itanagar.

Responding to the representation, the Union Minister gave an assurance to look into the matter and pledged to visit the State in the month of August.

The team of IMC members met the Union Minister at his office in New Delhi on Friday.

During the meeting, Phassang apprised the Minister that the proposal of setting up of the Modern Abattoir House at Itanagar was initially initiated by the Department of Urban Development & Housing and the same was submitted on April 25, 2013 to the Ministry. However, after the creation of the IMC, the matter was transferred to the Corporation.

He further informed that the work was awarded on a turnkey basis to M/s Micro Transmission System, a Noida-based company, in the year 2015. The execution of the work started at Jullang village, but the public had strongly agitated against the construction, stating that such a project may badly affect the health and hygiene of the area.

As a result, the site had to be abandoned and later on, with the intervention of the State Government and request made to the concerned Ministry, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) in the year 2017 had accorded approval for shifting of the site from Jullang to Chimpu, Itanagar.

"The date of completion of the Project was fixed on June 15, 2019 and accordingly the work at new site Chimpu, Itanagar was started in the year 2017 after long delay," Phassang informed.

The Mayor also informed that 70% of the work has already been completed on the ground, and the remaining 30% are procurement of machinery and installation. Machinery has already been booked at the OEM as DPR, moreover on the release of the next installment, the transportation, installation and other logistic works will be completed.

He said that one of the major setbacks in this instant case was the Central share of Rs 305.18 lakh released in the year 2018, which was directly deposited in the IMC escrow account instead of the State exchequer bypassing the norms and thus, causing a delay in the release of the State share.

"During the course of these technical hindrances, the country suffered huge financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the State Government was not an exception. As such, the State Government was not in a position to allocate any fund provision for any ongoing project in the State," he said, appealing to the minister to waive the proposal of refunding and retrieving of project cost and re-consider any financial extension or as the case may be for one-time relaxation into the matter.

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