No case of swindling Rs 90 crore: Awangbow
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 22 2023:
Water Resources Minister Awangbow Newmai has stated that there was no case of swindling Rs 90 crore nor was there any scheme by the name of Flood Prevention and Protection in Water Resources Department.Speaking to media persons today, Awangbow Newmai said that the WR Department has been working on a project called 'Critical flood control and anti-erosion works along rivers in Manipur' .
The project is funded under Flood Management Border Area Programme and the amount sanctioned for the project was Rs 460 crore.
The department had already received a first instalment of Rs 52.38 crore.
Out of the first instalment, a part payment of Rs 44.55 crore was released after a monitoring team of the Centre certified that the work portion executed so far was satisfactory, Awangbow said.
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In addition, the State's share of Rs 5.82 crore has also been released.
Utilisation certificates for amounts released so far were submitted to the Centre on September 21 last year.
Following submission of the utilisation certificates, the Centre transferred a second instalment of Rs 76.63 crore to the State Government's account but it has not yet reached the department's account.
Nonetheless, the department has been working to execute the project's second phase, the WR Minister said.
As for promotion of engineers in the Water Resources Department, the requisite DPC could not be held due to some pending Court cases, he said.
The department has been working hard to resolve this matter at the earliest, he added.
However, it is rather unfortunate that some sections of the media published an alleged unauthenticated report on the matter.
As a similar report was published in the same newspaper on September 11 last year, the department has issued a clarification.
The particular newspaper published the same report again on February 21 .
The newspaper should have first authenticated the report by making an enquiry to the department before publishing it, Awangbow rued.
He then expressed strong disapproval against publication of news reports which project the department as culpable even though the department is innocent.
Necessary action would be initiated so as to ensure that the particular newspaper refrain from publishing such misleading reports in the future, he added.