Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Jan 25: The Centre is yet to release funds for execution of developmental projects in Puri though only a few months are left for the Nabakalebar festival.
The Union government has not sanctioned any financial assistance yet, though a deadline of March 2015 has been set for completion of all infrastructure projects for the festival, special secretary, home department, Lalit Das said.
The home department has been engaged as the nodal agency for smooth execution of all works.The state government had sought special Central assistance of around `740 crore from the Centre, Das said.“As we cannot stop the work for want of Central assistance, the state government is executing the projects with its own resources,” he said.
The state government has raised the demand special Central assistance several times.In May 2013, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written to the Centre seeking assistance of `1,397crore. Patnaik again raised the demand before Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a meeting in October 2014.
Recently, the issue was again raised by state finance minister Pradip Amat at the pre-budget meeting convened by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley at New Delhi in December.The chairman of the Nabakalebar infrastructure supervision committee (NISC), Maheswar Mohanty, was unavailable for comment.The state government has provided more than `150 crore for different development projects for the town.
As around 50 lakh people are expected to witness this occasion, the government is executing projects, including provision of drinking water, sanitation, health, sewerage, drainage, expansion of grid stations and distribution network for supply of electricity, law and order, augmentation of road network and improvement of railway station, sources said.