'No funds allotted by Centre for Ghatal Master Plan so far'
KOLKATA: The future of Ghatal Master Plan hangs in balance as the Centre has made no allotment of funds for this project. This can be a major blow to the people of Midnapore as the flood in Ghatal and its adjoining areas has been a persistent problem for the Bengal government for a few decades.
Incidentally, it may be mentioned here that the Minister of the state for Union Water Resources Ministry in reply to the question raised by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Ghatal, Dev, said that no allotment has been done so far for this project.
It may be mentioned here that during last year's flood in Ghatal Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to the spot for inspection. During her visit to the district, she asked the concerned authorities to submit the Ghatal master plan proposal to the Centre.
State government minister and some of the MPs from the state met the senior officials of the Union Water Resources Ministry and also the Niti Ayog officials. State government had urged the Centre for the implementation of the Ghatal Master Plan.
It may be mentioned here that the Centre earlier this year had approved investment clearance in the second phase of Ghatal Master Plan. State government had agreed to the Centre's proposal in the implementation of the plan. The Centre wanted to know if the state government was interested in bringing Ghatal master plan under the ambit of "Flood management and border area programme".State government also expressed agreement to the Centre's proposal. Under this project Centre is supposed to bear the 60 per cent cost of the project while the state government is expected to spend around 40 per cent. But the Centre now stopped allotment of funds.
The Bengal government had already spent over Rs 339 crore to implement the master plan with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee directing to take up the work at state's expense when the Centre was not paying heed to the state's repeated requests. Centre was initially supposed to give 75 per cent of the project cost.
Later the Centre stated that it has to be undertaken in a 50:50 ratio. Again, the group of ministers and Trinamool Congress MPs were informed that the Centre is ready to move ahead with the project if the state agrees to bear 40 per cent of the project cost.
