SHILLONG: Every year, several pending projects, be it State or central, in Meghalaya are passed on to the next year. This results in cost and time overruns and affects the exchequer dearly.
One among the pending projects of 2016 passed on to 2017 is the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme (GSWSS) phase III, which is further delayed due to the State Government’s inadequate funds.
The project that started in 2010 was to be completed by September 2013, but the deadline was extended to 2015. Another deadline was in March 2016. Now the fresh deadline to complete the project is 2017.
In fact, the foundation stone for the prestigious scheme, meant to augment water supply to Shillong’s urban pockets, was laid by the then President Pratibha Patil on October 22, 2008.
Sources said on Tuesday that the whole 2016 was wasted waiting for the disbursement of Rs 43 crore meant for the project from the Centre.
The amount was earlier withheld by the Centre as a penalty after the State Government failed to fulfil certain urban reforms under JNNURM.
Though the money was released by the Centre last year, the formalities within the State Government departments are yet to be over.
The money that was released to the Urban Affairs Department from the Finance Department is yet to be transferred to the PHE Department for the last several months.
Moreover, after the foundation stone was laid in 2008, there was a delay of almost two years to start the project over the issue of which department, PHE or MUDA, will implement the project.
Another factor for the delay was the tussle between the PWD and the PHE Department in 2012 as to which one of these will carry out the laying of the main feeder pipes as part of the GSWSS Phase III.
The PWD’s concern was that without its consent the PHE had dug major and internal roads across the city.
Earlier, the Estimate Committee of the State Legislative Assembly had pulled up the PHE Department for the undue delay in the project.
When asked, chief secretary K.S Kropha said the government will try to push the water project for its completion this year.
“We will carry out weekly monitoring of some projects and stress on the need to submit utilisation certificates in time. We will also try to strengthen the mechanism to have a close monitoring of the projects, including the water scheme,” Kropha said.
