Sawkmie blames Defence authority for water project delay

SHILLONG:Opposition Chief Whip and Congress MLA from Mawlai PT Sawkmie has said refusal of the Defence authority to give permission for laying pipes near the Rhino Museum at Rilbong Point is delaying the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme Phase III Project.
Speaking to media persons after visiting the water reservoir at Mawphlang Dam to assess the status of the project here on Tuesday, Sawkmie said that he has asked the officers to submit the details so that he can personally take up the matter with the Defence authorities. Sawkmie, however, expressed his satisfaction over the progress of the project. Asserting that the project has been plagued by several hurdles, he said that its completion would ease the city’s water scarcity problem. Meanwhile, he also informed that the land owners at Lad Mawreng have given their consent to laying the pipelines. “This is a positive development,” he said. Earlier, Public Health Engineering (PHE) Minister Samlin Malngiang had informed that the much awaited project is likely to be completed by March, 2020.
Malngiang had also said the completion of the project would depend on the approval of the revised estimate by the Centre.
The revised estimate for the scheme is Rs 281.50 crore and the government is waiting for approval from the Centre, he said.
The total sanction for the scheme is Rs 193.49 crore, he said adding that the fund released so far is Rs 175.37 crore while expenditure incurred till date is Rs 154.87 crore. It may be mentioned that the Centre had deducted the funds due to non-compliance of various reforms under the JNNURM projects.
The GSWSS Phase III is funded under the JNNURM project which was later renamed as AMRUT by the BJP-led NDA government. One of the reforms suggested by the Centre was holding of municipal elections. The state government could not conduct the municipal elections since there was opposition from the people.