look news india
The tension between the Central and State Government regarding infrastructure and development works in Jharkhand has once again come to the surface. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has rejected the proposals of many important road projects of Hemant Soren government. These major schemes rejected include the much-awaited Hazaribagh-Bagodar road project as well as several other high-cost roads. While refusing to give green signal to these projects, the Central Government has mainly cited non-availability of land on time and delays at the administrative level as the main reasons behind this.
On which big projects was the Centre’s whip?
Due to this decision of the Central Ministry, the construction of many important roads of the state is hanging in the balance. The major schemes that have been rejected include the Hazaribagh-Bagodar road project, apart from the construction work of the proposed ROB on the Hatgamharia-Noamundi-Baraiburu road and the Chaibasa-Hatgamharia road located on NH-6. The Central Government clearly says that land for these projects could not be acquired within the stipulated time limit, there were hurdles in getting forest clearance and technical approvals were also not completed on time, due to which it was not possible to take these proposals forward.
Center and states come face to face regarding penalty and jurisdiction
Citing delay in implementation of projects and non-compliance of prescribed conditions, the Union Ministry has also imposed financial penalty on the State Road Construction Department. After this action, the dispute between the state government and the central ministry has deepened further. Officials of the Road Construction Department have expressed strong objection to this penalty of the Centre. They argue that the Union Ministry has no legal authority to impose such financial penalties on state government departments, which directly reflects the tussle of power between the Center and the state.
Serious allegation of stopping contingency fund
Amidst this whole incident, the Road Construction Department of Jharkhand has also seriously accused the Central Government of stopping the payment of emergency or contingency fund. The department says that due to non-receipt of funds on time, the financial management and internal arrangements related to road projects are being adversely affected. The state government has sent an official letter to the Central Ministry demanding release of the outstanding contingency amount as soon as possible, so that the financial balance of the stalled works can be corrected.
Earlier approved projects and impact on current situation
It is noteworthy that even before this, construction of many roads in Jharkhand has been approved by the Central Government, but the rejection of the latest proposals has dealt a blow to the development of infrastructure in the state. Experts believe that if the issues related to land acquisition and forest clearance are not resolved at the local level in time, then the future of other central projects may also be under threat in the coming days. At present, the state government is considering options to deal with this entire situation and establish communication with the Center to release the pending amount.