NEW DELHI, Aug 1: The central government has allocated Rs 500 crore during mission period and a matching contribution from the state government for the Pasighat Smart City project, out which Rs 20 crore has been released.
This was informed by the minister of housing and urban affairs while responding to a question from Member of Parliament Ninong Ering in the Parliament on Tuesday.
The union minister said 79 projects worth Rs 1485.95 crore have been identified for implementation, which are currently at detailed project report stage.
“After selection of a city, activities like incorporation of special purpose vehicle (SPV), appointment of project management consultants (PMCs), preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs), and preparation of request for proposals (RFPs) have to be completed before the projects can be grounded. These activities take around 15-18 months from the date of selection of a smart city,” the minister said.
The minister informed that a SPV, namely Pasighat Smart City Development Corporation Limited has been incorporated under the Companies’ Act 2013 on 22 December, 2017. The East Siang deputy commissioner is the chairman of the SPV.
Ering informed that he will further approach the housing and urban affairs ministry to expedite the project.
The MP from the state also raised the issue of the constant flood threat posed by Siang/Brahmaputra to Arunachal Pradesh and other North Eastern states during the Zero Hour.
He said, due to deposition of ‘cement-like substance’ in the Siang River during October 2017 to March 2018, the entire river basin has risen by more than 10-15 feet.
“Last year, the river had turned muddy, turning the river black last year. The turbidity had reached from 0.5 to a 482”, he said.
“Elements like iron have suddenly increased in the river, making its water poisonous. It has occurred due to heavy land excavation and construction going on in the Chinese territory to divert the Brahmaputra/Siang River,” he said.
Ering also informed that the Siang is turning violent and this unnatural flow of the river has eroded the Partung Island.
A large proportion of the crops have been damaged and fishes killed due to contamination of the river in both Assam and Arunachal, he said and demanded the government to compensate the state governments of both the states (Arunachal and Assam) in order to help the local fishermen and farmers to overcome their losses.
