Bhubaneswar, Feb 16: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention for quick release of second installment of this year’s Central share of Rs 255 crore for implementation of World Bank aided National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP).
“Against the current year’s provision of Rs 255 crore Central share, the state government has received about Rs 155 crore,” Patnaik said in a letter to Modi. “Implementation (of NCRMP), which is in full swing, is now being held up due to delay in release of Central share,” Patnaik said.
Stating that the state government was implementing NCRMP since 2010-11, Patnaik said the implementation period of five years would come to an end in October, 2015.
Funds in hand by December, 2014 are about Rs 40 crore whereas liabilities, in terms of claims of executants, exceed the amount, he added.
“It is essential to release the second instalment of Central share without further loss of time to take the project to a logical end,” the chief minister said. He further said considering the success of first phase of NCRMP, the Centre supported the proposal of state government amounting to Rs 440 crore under NCRMP-Additional towards construction of 162 cyclone shelters and 100 approach roads with identical terms and conditions. The approved programme provided for retroactive funding amounting to Rs 120 crore and the state government went ahead with the implementation accordingly, he said.
“However, we are yet to receive allocation towards the Central share (about Rs 90 crore). An amount of Rs 65.45 crore has been spent till end of December, 2014. The implementation, though in full swing, is bound to suffer if allocation of Central share is not released urgently,” Patnaik said. PTI
