E-Paper
HP fixes deadlines for completion of central, externally-aided schemes
Chief secretary Prabodh Saxena, who recently reviewed the projects, directed the departments to complete these works in a time-bound manner
Aiming to boost development amid a fund crunch, Himachal Pradesh government has fixed deadlines for completion of externally funded as well Centre sponsored schemes. Currently, as many as 19 externally funded projects worth ₹15,000 crore are being executed by different departments in the state.
Chief secretary Prabodh Saxena, who recently reviewed the projects, directed the departments to complete these works in a time-bound manner. The departments seeking extensions for the projects or need to send proposals to the Union government have been told to take the finance and planning department into confidence.
“The money for the projects will only come from Central funding if they set a deadline to complete the project, “ said Saxena
The externally funded projects are underway in forest, horticulture, urban development, skill development, technical education, tourism, energy, planning and treasury, among others. Forest department is undertaking the maximum projects, four. The chief secretary also took feedback of the works done so far.
The CS lauded the implementation of Integrated Fiscal Management System (IFMS) project in the treasury and appreciated the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded climate change project under the forest department.
The CS said that a one-year extension has been obtained for Horticulture Development Project and the department has been directed to complete the work within this period.
The first phase of HP Shiva project is complete and the MoU for the second phase has been signed. The department has been directed to complete the project within the deadline, said Saxena.
Although a French agency has granted ₹700 crore for the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd-promoted Chanju-III project, work moving at a slow pace, he said adding that the project has been now put in the red category.
So far, the government has only used ₹4.33 crore in Chanju-III. In Deothal Chanju, they have only used ₹7.84 crore out of the allocated ₹341.13 crore. The government has laid thrust on the Shongtong Karcham project and utilised ₹36.30 crore of the total budget of ₹283 crore allocated for 22-23. The pace of work was good at the Renukajee dam project. Of the total allocation of ₹1,080 crore for 22-23, ₹99.3 crore has been used.
Besides, the work of Shimla Water Management Corporation under the urban development department has also been found slow with the tender process having taken a lot of time. The CS has instructed SJPNL to rectify the deficiencies.
The Union government has put a ceiling on externally funded projects for special category states. In the office order sent to the state government, it has been informed that by 2026, the state would get only projects worth ₹6,992 crore approved by the Union government .
Of these, projects worth ₹4,048 crore are underway. The remaining limit of ₹2,944 crore is for the period of the next 3 years. To reduce the burden on the state’s own budget, the government is trying to ramp up these projects and complete them in time.
