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G.K. Nair

KOCHI, Feb. 6

IMPLEMENTATION of the Pampa Action Plan is likely to be delayed as the detailed project report based on the guidelines of the National River Conservation Programme (NRCP) is yet to be submitted by the State Government to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Based on the pre-feasibility report estimate submitted by the State Government, the Centre had approved the Pampa Action Plan.

The next step is the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) giving details of the sub-components in the Plan.

The Government is yet to decide on the implementing agency apart from making it clear as to how the 30 per cent of the total cost of the schemes would be met, according to Mr N.K. Sukumaran Nair, General Secretary, Pampa Conservation Society (Pampa Samrakshana Samiti). Seventy per cent of the cost would be borne by the Centre.

Mr Nair told Business Line that according to the NRCP guidelines, a DPR with firmed-up cost estimate for various sub-components has to be prepared by the State Government and submitted to the Centre.

It would be appraised and approved by the MoEF, after which the Ministry would accord administrative approval and issue expenditure sanction. On the basis of this sanction, the State Government/implementing agency could award contracts according to the State's policy and rules.

Progress of implementation is monitored by both the State implementing agency and the MoEF. For this, citizens' monitoring committees are to be constituted in every town where the NRCP project is to be executed.

The constitution of the committee is a pre-condition for sanction of the scheme. In addition, a divisional review committee and a monitoring committee under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister have to be constituted to review the progress of the scheme.Though the State Government had asked the MPs from Kerala to pursue the Pampa Action Plan project at the Centre, there hasn't been any move to prepare the DPR based on the NRCP guidelines nor to constitute the committees which is a pre-condition for sanctioning the project, Mr Nair said.

Now. the Government seems to be in a dilemma as to who would prepare the DPR and who would implement the schemes once they are sanctioned.

The lacklustre approach of the Government might delay the implementation of the Plan indefinitely, he added.

The State pollution control board had submitted a pre-feasibility study involving a total investment of Rs 272.19 crore for implementing various schemes. Meanwhile, the State Government's report was for around Rs 315 crore.

According to Mr Nair, some of the sub-components of the Government pre-feasibility report might not be considered by the Centre.

Under the NRCP, the Centre would be implementing 152 projects involving a total investment of Rs 3,329 crore in 16 States covering 27 rivers.

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