SHILLONG: Opposition leader Dr Donkupar Roy has asked the forest department to use the funds deposited by Lafarge Company for construction of roads and bridges in mining areas by PWD.
During the question hour in the State assembly, Roy wanted the PWD to avail funds deposited by Lafarge for the construction of roads and bridges in places located within the mining area of Lafarge in Shella.
Roy was particularly referring to the Shella bridge which awaited completion for the last nine years by PWD for lack of funds.
In his reply, Forest Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the amount deposited by Lafarge Umiam Private Limited with the Special Purpose Vehicle Society was Rs 84.68 crore.
While Rs 48.69 crore was released to SPV society till date, Rs 742.75 lakh was released to the beneficiaries till February 28 this year, the Minister said.
He said the approved schemes by the Society included total sanitation programme, water-supply, multipurpose community Halls, village playgrounds and village drains.
Among the other projects were construction of school buildings, school playgrounds, financial assistance to students of secondary schools for excursion outside the State and assistance for higher studies outside the State in technical disciplines.
In the field of agriculture, the schemes included agriculture-horticulture crops, plantation crops, trainings in cultivation and others.
To the question on the completion of Shella bridge, the Minister said that the Government will discuss the matter with the SPV so that a plan could be worked out if there was scarcity of funds on the part of PWD.