The Hindu : National : Task force suggests cess to create flood control fund

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 06, 2005

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National

Task force suggests cess to create flood control fund

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, APRIL 5 . The Task Force on Flood Management and Erosion Control has recommended the levy of one to two per cent cess on new infrastructure such as roads, buildings and power plants in the flood-prone States for creating a revolving fund of Rs. 50 crores for emergent flood management schemes.

The fund may be kept at the disposal of the Ministry of Water Resources, it suggested.

The task force was set up towards the end of last year at the behest of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, under the chairmanship of the Central Water Commission, to examine the causes of recurring floods and erosion in Assam and other neighbouring States as well as Bihar, West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh and suggest short-term and long-term measures for management of floods and erosion control.

Its report has suggested that the Centre expand its role in the flood control sector and enhance the corpus for Centrally-sponsored schemes.

It has suggested that the Centre fund the flood control component of reservoir projects as well.

The task force wants funding in the ratio of 90 to 10 per cent as against 75:25 now. At present, flood management is a State subject, with the Centre only providing technical and promotional support.

It has suggested the setting up of a statutory authority in the North-East, strengthening and restructuring of the Brahmaputra Board and extension of the jurisdiction of Farakka barrage organisation.

It has urged the Government to expedite the construction of reservoir projects in the North-East as well as in Nepal and Bhutan.

Placing the recommendations of the task force before the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today, the Union Water Resources Minister, Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, said that it had been forwarded to the Ministries concerned, State Governments and the Planning Commission.

He pointed out that the allocation for flood control in 2005-06 had been enhanced to more than Rs. 230 crores in 2005-06, in addition to the Rs. 108 crores allocated to States through the Finance Ministry. The jurisdiction of the Farakka barrage had been extended.

Cooperation with China

The Minister said there was a likelihood of further cooperation with China during the coming meeting of the Chinese Prime Minister in April when a Memorandum of Understanding is likely to be signed to cover the Sutlej river.

China had agreed to take steps on the landslips in the Parechu river during a recently meeting.

The Minister of State, Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav, criticised the Planning Commission proposal to weed out the flood-proofing programme in Bihar for lack of implementation. The Ganga Flood Control Commission had cleared 100 schemes out of which only 58 could be completed by the State Government. In the meantime, the Planning Commission got some of the completed schemes evaluated and decided to weed out the programme.

Some of the panel members sought information on intra-state rivers while Mr. Dasmunshi asked officials to produce more information on the flood-causing rivers with neighbouring countries.

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