Sarkar for timelines for project disbursement

Guwahati, Aug 22 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today urged the union DoNER Minister, Gen. (retd.) V.K. Singh to set strict timelines for retention, sanction and actual disbursement of projects within the same financial year.

He was speaking during the first day session of the two-day-long Northeast Chief Ministers’ Meeting organized by the development of northeast region (DoNER) ministry here.

The Tripura chief minister also said that the union ministry should fund the entire cost over-run without any ceiling if the projects gets delayed due to procedural formalities followed by DoNER and for other compelling reasons at state levels.

"The ministry of DoNER needs to take more pragmatic and practical view in this regard and handle issues sensitively," Sarkar said in his speech.

He also pointed out that the cost of implementing any projects in the northeast is higher than in rest of India.

"Most of the construction materials have to be brought from the mainland states. The working season in the northeast is about six months, due to prolonged monsoon, which adds to the cost of implementing the projects," he said.

"However, such realities are not often taken into account while evaluating project DPRs under NLCPR. The ministry of DoNER should therefore, adopt cost norms which are consistent with the situation prevailing in the northeast as this will help in avoiding cost overruns," he said.

Sarkar also pointed out that the cost of land acquisition, which is quite substantial in infrastructure projects, may be allowed to be included in project cost in view of resources constraints in the northeast region.