BJP’s ‘poriborton’ all tall talks: Congress

Guwahati (Assam), September 28, 2018:

The Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, on Friday said contrary to the promise of ‘poriborton’ or change made by the BJP-led state government, development activities came to a virtual standstill in the state.

Saikia said this was underlined when PHE Minister, Rihon Daimary, admitted in the Assembly on September 27 that not only has no new piped water supply scheme been sanctioned in the current financial year but not even a single paisa has been sanctioned for maintenance of functional schemes.

“Although the reason cited for non-initiation of new schemes is the completion of incomplete schemes, the reality is that numerous schemes are still far from being complete,” Saikia said.

He said the PHE Minister had assured him in the House during a sitting last year that departmental officials had been directed to expedite work for the Namdangiya and Gelakey Moran water supply schemes in the Nazira LAC, but the schemes remained incomplete till date.

The Opposition leader said that certain other indicators of the department’s performance emerged from questions posed by other members in the House, such as the fact that not a single Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) unit has been sanctioned in the current financial year. This apart, only 5,834 piped water supply schemes are functional in Assam out of 9420 schemes, with 2288 schemes being nonfunctional and 1298 others being at the construction stage.

“For instance, only 10 out of 31 schemes are functional in the Doom Dooma LAC, with as many as 16 being non-functional and five others being at the construction stage. Although sanction for revival of the non-functional schemes was accorded in the financial year 2017-18, nothing has been done on the ground,” Saikia said.

He said the people of Assam had not expected a ‘poriborton’ which would make a drop of potable water scarce.