SHILLONG, JULY 16: The Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has pulled the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for its failure to implement Rs 200 crore funded by a cement giant for socio-economic development of the areas falling within the 50 km radius of the mining site at Nongtrai-Shella in East Khasi Hills District.
The SPV Committee headed by the state’s chief secretary was constituted as per the ruling of the Supreme Court for implementing various developmental schemes in these areas.
At present, the Lafarge Umiam Mining Pvt Ltd is exporting 2 million tonnes of limestone to its cement factory at Chattak in Bangladesh through a 17 km-long cross-border conveyor belt.
The company is paying Rs 90 per metric ton for undertaking various developmental activities in the area. It is paying around Rs 18 crore annually to the SPV.
Around 53 villages falling under the two constituencies – Shella and Mawsynram are beneficiaries of the fund.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, PAC chairman and senior Congress leader Charles Pyngrope said, “From the records we have, the amount received by the SPV committee right from 2010-11 till 2018-19 it is about Rs 167 crores and they also earned interest of about Rs 34 crores (as they could not implement the schemes at the earliest so the money was lying in the financial institution).”
“Now, the PAC felt that there was a slight delay in implementing the schemes which would have benefited the tribal population of that area and therefore, we had asked for a clarification as to why the amount has not been spend,” he added.
According to him, the amount was supposed to be utilized for the purpose of welfare projects mandated by the Supreme Court which includes development of health, education, economy irrigation, agriculture for the local community and welfare of tribals.
Stating that the fund is coming every year from the Lafarge and that the same cannot be diverted to other parts of the state, Pyngrope said with this amount of fund, the over 50 villages around the project area could be developed with all the basic infrastructures.
On the other hand, PAC member and Congress MLA from Mawsynram HM Shangpliang said that the PAC is very much concern that this much money is accumulated from the funds raise from the Lafarge and have not gone for the welfare of the people.
“More than Rs 200 crore is in the hands of the SPV and yet they are just sitting idle. Therefore we from the PAC would like to see that the money is being utilized meaningfully for the welfare and benefit of the people,” he said.
Expressing concern over the delay in implementing of the different projects which are lying pending from 2015, Shangpliang said during the review meeting on the functioning of the SPV, it was found that there are lots of projects left to be attended by the SPV.
He said that there are concerns for the implementation of individual projects provided under SPV such as plantation of areca nut, plantation of beetle leave, poultry, piggery and others.
Despite of the first installment for implementation of these projects was released three years ago, the PAC member however said till date the second installment is yet to be released by the SPV even as he informed that questions were raised to the forest department being a nodal department and deputy commissioner of East Khasi Hills, who is the CEO of the SPV.
“Though they replied that things are being looked into so that there is no delay, I told them that if you delay in releasing the second installment it could lead to disappearance of the projects, meaning the areca nut which they considered Rs 2.5 lakh per beneficiary, they have released only Rs 1.25 lakh and the rest yet to be released so how will it benefit the farmers if the SPV does not release the amount,” he said.
Further, he also pointed out that there are certain roads which are required to be taken up by the SPV – the one connecting to Synnei village which was earlier approved by the governing body for Rs 5 ½ crore and a road to Tyngnger-Dewsaw for Rs 13 ½ crore, which now went missing from the list.
The other projects which were missing from the list also include water supply schemes in Mawbah, Mawdon, Mawkhon.
Shangpliang informed that the PAC has asked the state government to examine and place these projects again in the SPV committee for its necessary consideration.
Meanwhile, the chief secretary Y Tsering, who was present in the meeting, has assured the PAC that the committee will be called and these projects will be placed again and the consideration of the committee will be sought, he said.
By Our Reporter
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