Darjeeling, Oct. 30,TT: The Centre has
sanctioned Rs 198.98 crore to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration
for rural electrification in over 50,000 homes in the hills.
Sources said the GTA had approached the Centre in February this year seeking Rs 200 crore.
The fund, given
under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, has come days after
the GTA started functioning normally after several months of strikes.
Recently, the hill
body received a letter from Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union minister of
state for power with independent charge, stating that out of the Rs 200
crore, Rs 198.98 crore had been sanctioned.
Sources in the GTA said the money would be routed through the state government.
“We will start the process of rural electrification from next week,” said R.D. Meena, the principal secretary of GTA.
Sonam Bhutia, the
executive director, GTA (power), said: “Through this project 50,746
households would get electricity across the hills. Out of these, 24,423
beneficiaries are below the poverty line.”
Recently, the GTA
released Rs 2.10 crore for repairing the Tiger Hill road and creating
infrastructure for setting up a nine-hole golf course at the tourist
spot.
The fund was sanctioned by the state tourism department.
“The golf course
will be set up on a private-public partnership model,” said Lt. Col
(retd) Ramesh Allay, the acting chief executive of the GTA.
It would be spread over 31.85 acres and would need approximately Rs 46 crore.
The golf course in
Darjeeling was built around 1900 and in 1907, the then district
commissioner had leased it out for 99 years. After the British left the
country in 1947, Golf Links, the company it was leased out to, became
virtually defunct.
The army used the
turf till the late 1980s but left after that as documents showed the
land belonged to the Darjeeling Improvement Fund (district
administration), which has now been transferred to the GTA.
Water and tourism
The West Bengal State Electricity
Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL), which looks after the Ramman
Hydel Project, handed over Rs 75 lakh to the GTA on Wednesday for
drinking water projects and tourism infrastructure in the region.
S. Roy, chief
engineer of the 51MW project, said: “This is the first phase amount
being handed over to the GTA. Once they (the GTA) provide us with the
fund utilisation report, we will sanction the remaining amount in
phases.”
Sonam Bhutia,
executive director, GTA (power) said the WBSEDCL promised to provide Rs
3 crore to the hill body for developing a trek route to Tiger Hill and
setting up tourist huts and watchtowers.
Devp packages for Darjeeling
Statesman news service
Darjeeling, 30 October
Development packages have started to unwrap for Darjeeling Hills only after a few days the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha decided to normalise the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
It has been learnt from the principal secretary of the GTA that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 194 crore under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Program or Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) for the rural areas within the GTA where the reach of electricity is still at scarce and to some places where electricity has not reached.
“According to our survey, we found that 50,746 families of the rural areas within the GTA area is still in need of electricity. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 194 crore under RGGVY. The GTA will start the work soon,” said the GTA principal secretary, Mr RD Meena.
On the other hand, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has passed Rs 75 lakh to the GTA for the development of tourism and drinking water project in the areas near the Rammam Hydel Project.
“In a bid to make the areas near the Rammam hydel project a tourist hub and also to implement drinking water project for the area, the WBSEDCL has sanctioned Rs 75 lakh to the GTA. This is the first installment of the total project of Rs 3 crore and has been divided into three installments,” Mr Roy added.
Rammam hydel project is situated within Darjeeling District of West Bengal and is about 140 km from Siliguri which can be approached via Ghoom and Manebhanjan/ Bijanbari.(SNS)
Darjeeling, 30 October
Development packages have started to unwrap for Darjeeling Hills only after a few days the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha decided to normalise the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
It has been learnt from the principal secretary of the GTA that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 194 crore under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Program or Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) for the rural areas within the GTA where the reach of electricity is still at scarce and to some places where electricity has not reached.
“According to our survey, we found that 50,746 families of the rural areas within the GTA area is still in need of electricity. The Centre has sanctioned Rs 194 crore under RGGVY. The GTA will start the work soon,” said the GTA principal secretary, Mr RD Meena.
On the other hand, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has passed Rs 75 lakh to the GTA for the development of tourism and drinking water project in the areas near the Rammam Hydel Project.
“In a bid to make the areas near the Rammam hydel project a tourist hub and also to implement drinking water project for the area, the WBSEDCL has sanctioned Rs 75 lakh to the GTA. This is the first installment of the total project of Rs 3 crore and has been divided into three installments,” Mr Roy added.
Rammam hydel project is situated within Darjeeling District of West Bengal and is about 140 km from Siliguri which can be approached via Ghoom and Manebhanjan/ Bijanbari.(SNS)
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