The first installment of central fund worth Rs 335 crore for Swarnarekha Multipurpose Project is likely to released in a week.

H.T..13 Feb..2012

Swarnarekha project to start operating soon

First installment of central fund worth Rs. 335 crore will be released..

The first installment of central fund worth Rs 335 crore for Swarnarekha Multipurpose Project is likely to released in a week. This will mean the begging of SMP’s Centre’s accelerated irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).

Sources told ..H.T on Sunday that the Union finance minister was in the final stage of approving the release of first installment for SMP in a day or two. This is expected to be around Rs.335 crore but will come with the timeframe of four years for completing the project. Any further delay in completing the project would mean Centre charging 13 percent annual interest on the state, sources said.

When contacted, SMP chief engineer (CE, Chandil Complex) Brajmohan Kumar told H.T that they expected the first installment to be released within a seek, We’d submitted a revised estimate of Rs. 6.613.74 crore and the government of India(Gol) has sanctioned about Rs. 4000 crore after deducting about Rs. 400-2,500 crore that has already been spent on the project” said Kumar. The project has been pending for over three decades and would provide irrigational facilities to 1,69 lakh hectares in Jharkhand, 90,000 hectares in Odisha and 5,000 hectares in west Bengal when commissioned fully. The Centre would share 90 percent of the project cost while sate the rest 10 percent.

Kumar said work of the stalled project should start in full swing as soon as the fund is released, Work is almost at a standstill in want of fund as state had allotted Rs. 60 crore(30 crore each for Chandil and Icha complexes) this fiscal of which we’ve spent about Rs. 20 crore in Chandil, said Kumar. Icha CE Ganesh Ram said they have spent about Rs. 15 crore so far and pace of work was naturally hampered.

According to kumar, work is almost complete on Chandil dam and Galudih Barrage while 100 km of the 127.85 km long Chandil left main canal is also through. We’ ve to start survey for 35-36 km long Chandil right canal that would cover the left out areas by left canal. Another fous area is building the distribution net work” said Kumar” work has not started on Gajiya Barrage and canal systems. Things would move only after central fund is released’ Added Ram.

I want to add here..Govt. have acquired total 38,587 hectare of land for this project. They have displaced 32 villages fully and 84 villages partially. Total 9,700 family and or 37,556 population have been displaced.

Govt. had promised to gave every displaced family to job and ideal rehabilitation, sufficient each family to resettlement in rehabilitation area. Govt. also promised to provide health centre, school, college, electricity, drinking water, hospital, garden and others basic needs. But I have visited 3-4 times (1998, 2003, 2006 and 2008) but govt..nothing provide tile date in the rehabilitation colony..such like chilgu, galudih and other rehabilitation colony. No job, No hospital, No house, No Electricity, No schools and colleges, No drinking water…..No Rasan..

This project have been started on 1978 for multipurpose ..such like..electricity, irrigation, drinking water and all...its destroyed ..lakh of human beings..environment, agriculture, our culture and societies ...peoples sacrifices..their life...in name of Development..but project is not completed tile date..