River conservation is a state subject and both the State and Central Government need to discharge their responsibility properly. The State has so far submitted 25 detailed project reports regarding this to the Centre but none of them have been approved so far, said Chief Minister Harish Rawat while meeting the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti in New Delhi on Thursday.
The chief minister said that the National Green Tribunal had directed that sewage treatment plant construction work in the state should be completed within six months. Without the consent of the state government, the Water and Power Consultancy Services limited (WAPCOS) was appointed as the executing agency and project management consultancy for evaluation, feasibility studies and initial activities. Appointing WAPCOS the executing agency and PMC has become a cause for conflict of interest. The detailed project report submitted by the state executing agency has not been taken cognisance of while projects submitted by WAPCOS were approved by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in a very short period, said Rawat. The assessment report of 13 districts by WAPCOS is based on the figures stated in the detailed project report prepared by the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan instead of being based on its own detailed survey and assessment. Under the Namami Gange programme, WAPCOS has been given the responsibility of initial activities in the Ganga basin. The primary level activities should be completed in the 132 Gram Panchayats and DPR on installation of biodigesters should also be submitted soon. Rawat further stressed on the need for involving Panchayati Raj institutions in this agreement while adding that operation and maintenance of all the sewage treatment plants should be done by a state government appointed agency like the Jal Sansthan. Work is in progress for making 132 Gram Panchayats in the Ganga basin open defecation free under the Swachchh Bharat mission with the said task having been completed in 40 Gram Panchayats. The CM said, “We need to stress on raising public awareness during religious programmes, Char Dham and festive occasions. Works related to the industrial and sewage pollution in Ramnagar, Sitarganj and Kashipur need to be provided financial assistance under Namami Gange,” he said. Rawat pointed out that so far the State has submitted 25 DPRs entailing works with an estimated cost of about Rs 951.98 crore but these have not been granted approval so far.
He also elicited focus on the various requirements communicated to the union minister in the past wherein he had requested additional financial assistance with the release of Rs 732.23 crore total central share for the central funded schemes. In the past the planning commission had approved a special package of Rs 879.50 crore for Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme and flood control works as part of reconstruction and central schemes in Uttarakhand.
Under this special package, 54 flood protection works costing about Rs 657.79 crore are being undertaken. Out of the central share amounting to Rs 460.45 crore, only Rs 43.81 crore was released in the financial year 2014-15. The ministry is to release a total amount of Rs 732.23 crore as Central share for various schemes. Due to funds not being released for the works under construction, the works have remained incomplete while the benefit of money spent cannot be derived till the project is completed, said Rawat, while stressing that the ministry should release the said amount soon.