Shillong Mar 26: In a warning to state governments in the Northeast that failed to complete projects within a fixed period, the North Eastern Council said that the state governments that delayed projects for over three years from the time fixed for completion, should take the responsibility of completing them from their own fund.

“Those projects that were delayed for over three years from the time fixed for completion, the state governments have to take the responsibility of completing them by spending from their own fund,” NEC secretary Ram Muivah told reporters after his meeting with some senior ministers of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government in the main secretariat here on Monday.

At the same time, Muivah said that the Centre has asked the NEC to make sure that existing projects funded to various states through the Council should complete by March 2020.

“NEC schemes as per Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) are now co-terminus with the 14th Finance Commission and all NEC schemes have to be completed by March 2020. So effectively we have only two years, and we have been asked not to take any project which we cannot complete in the next two years,” Muivah said, adding that after 2020, another scheme will come up.

“It is our endeavour that all existing schemes should be completed by 2020 and those projects which got delayed by over 3 years, now the ministry has taken a decision that if there is any liability, the state should take up. I have written a series of letters to chief secretaries telling the states that three years beyond the date of completion, it will be the responsibility of the state government to complete projects with their own funds. After the date fixed for completion of projects, giving you three years it is a lot of time,” the NEC secretary said.

Muivah stated that he has received response from most of the chief secretaries and hoped that the sates are on the job now.

Stating that there no categorization of “worse performing states” the NEC official said, “I can see improvement in most of the state. In terms of allocation, every state gets their share based on the population and human development index. States like Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur get 12 per cent each from the NEC budget. Arunachal because of the size gets 13 per cent and Assam gets 20 percent and Sikkim get 7 per cent. Funds are now properly allocated but release of fund is subjected to submission of Detailed Project Reports and Utilization Certificates.”

He informed that Assam and Tripura submitted only big projects; the NEC official said that Nagaland and others submit small projects and the release of fund was quite fast.

On the budget earmarked by the Centre for NEC, he said that for normal NEC programmes, the budget is Rs 885 crore but they have also given Rs 250 crore for special road projects under North Eastern Road Development Sector next year.

“For the current year, it was Rs 925 crore and the NERDS was Rs 150 crore. But next year, it will come down slightly for normal programme against Rs 925 crore of last year, but for special road programme we get Rs 100 crore more. Last year it was Rs 150 crore, and next year it will be Rs 250 crore,”Muivah said.