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Centre blocking development projects: Chauhan
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has slammed Coal, Power and Road Transport Ministries for blocking development projects in his State. Chouhan said the Union Government had not realised that a robust growth figure at the national level cannot be achieved if States lag behind.
“The power sector is in a shambles. We have got private investment to set up power plants, but proper coal linkage is not being made available. Condition of national highways is very poor and funds are being denied for already sanctioned projects,” Chouhan told The Pioneer.
For Chouhan, power and roads are biggest worries. The State needs 170 lakh metric tonnes of coal while the allotment on paper is around 150 lakh metric tonnes against an actual supply of 130 lakh metric tonnes. “We are building three more power plants. Others are also ready. There has been private investment. But how will they operate without coal?” Chouhan asked.
The MP Government had requested the Centre to allow it to use locally available coal, but it was made to import coal from Indonesia and other countries while those mined internally were given to other States.
He points out that the fate of several road projects, foundation stones for some of which have already been laid, hangs in balance as Road Transport and Highway Minister CP Joshi has refused to address the commitment by his predecessor Kamal Nath, who also hailed from Madhya Pradesh.
While Kamal Nath had assured Rs 1400 crore on this head, his successor brought down that figure to Rs 144 crore. “We had even asked the Road Transport Ministry to denotify some stretch of the national highway passing through Madhya Pradesh and authorise the State Government to take care of its maintenance. They have neither approved our request nor spending money to repair the roads,” the Chief Minister said.
Chouhan claims his Government was spending over Rs 26,000 crore to provide all-weather roads to every village by 2013. This will coincide with the State going to the polls. The sustained efforts by Chouhan Government through 700 different projects have seen a 10 per cent growth in agriculture sector. “Now, Madhya Pradesh is only next to Punjab and Haryana in terms of wheat production. We will soon surpass them,” Chouhan claims. Even the literacy figures have improved, by 10 per cent to be precise, and school dropout rate has registered a sharp decline.
The Chief Minister justified huge spending by his Government on social sectors and made a veiled attack on the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council for conceiving programme that was aloof of ground realities.
“Unlike committees of internationally acclaimed economists, activists and bureaucrats, we call a meeting of the targeted group and ask them for solution to their problems. Our programmes are based on their recommendations,” Chouhan said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has slammed Coal, Power and Road Transport Ministries for blocking development projects in his State. Chouhan said the Union Government had not realised that a robust growth figure at the national level cannot be achieved if States lag behind.
“The power sector is in a shambles. We have got private investment to set up power plants, but proper coal linkage is not being made available. Condition of national highways is very poor and funds are being denied for already sanctioned projects,” Chouhan told The Pioneer.
For Chouhan, power and roads are biggest worries. The State needs 170 lakh metric tonnes of coal while the allotment on paper is around 150 lakh metric tonnes against an actual supply of 130 lakh metric tonnes. “We are building three more power plants. Others are also ready. There has been private investment. But how will they operate without coal?” Chouhan asked.
The MP Government had requested the Centre to allow it to use locally available coal, but it was made to import coal from Indonesia and other countries while those mined internally were given to other States.
He points out that the fate of several road projects, foundation stones for some of which have already been laid, hangs in balance as Road Transport and Highway Minister CP Joshi has refused to address the commitment by his predecessor Kamal Nath, who also hailed from Madhya Pradesh.
While Kamal Nath had assured Rs 1400 crore on this head, his successor brought down that figure to Rs 144 crore. “We had even asked the Road Transport Ministry to denotify some stretch of the national highway passing through Madhya Pradesh and authorise the State Government to take care of its maintenance. They have neither approved our request nor spending money to repair the roads,” the Chief Minister said.
Chouhan claims his Government was spending over Rs 26,000 crore to provide all-weather roads to every village by 2013. This will coincide with the State going to the polls. The sustained efforts by Chouhan Government through 700 different projects have seen a 10 per cent growth in agriculture sector. “Now, Madhya Pradesh is only next to Punjab and Haryana in terms of wheat production. We will soon surpass them,” Chouhan claims. Even the literacy figures have improved, by 10 per cent to be precise, and school dropout rate has registered a sharp decline.
The Chief Minister justified huge spending by his Government on social sectors and made a veiled attack on the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council for conceiving programme that was aloof of ground realities.
“Unlike committees of internationally acclaimed economists, activists and bureaucrats, we call a meeting of the targeted group and ask them for solution to their problems. Our programmes are based on their recommendations,” Chouhan said.
