Dimapur, November 9: Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Wednesday apprised Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu in detail about the practical difficulties of the State to contribute 50% percent of funds for starting up activities to make Kohima a Smart City as selected by the Government of India.
A CMO release said Zeliang explained the difficulties as to how and why it was difficult for smaller states like Nagaland to contribute 50% of the fund requirements to develop the city into a Smart City as envisaged by the Prime Minister.
“Inspite of all the shortcomings that Kohima scored in going through the selection procedure, we are happy and grateful that Kohima has been selected in the third list to be included as one of the Smart Cities by the Government of India and we shall do whatever is in our capacity to rectify the shortcomings,” the CMO quoted the Chief Minister as telling the Union Minister.“But to ask us resource-famished states like those of the Northeast to contribute 50% of the funds to develop the cities is not practical or fair,” the Chief Minister said. He added that Special Category States enjoyed certain privileges as far as Central funding was concerned but was unilaterally decided during the Congress regime (1989) to do away with resulting in serious blow to the fiscal management of the States thereafter, the CMO said.
Zeliang also told Naidu that States like Nagaland have a difficult time even contributing 10% of the requirements in projects requiring 90% Central funding and 10% state share, the CMO said.
Accompanied by his Home Minister Y Patton, Rajya Sabha MP KG Kenye and Parliamentary Secretary for Municipal Affairs Department Tohanba, the Nagaland delegation met the Union Minister in New Delhi this afternoon.
The Chief Minister thanked the Union Minister for selecting Kohima as one of the Government of India’s cities to be taken up as a Smart City.
The Union Minister appreciated the problems elaborated by Zeliang and asked the latter to ask the Chief Ministers of the North East region to collectively write to the Prime Minister to continue with the 90:10 funding pattern as was done in the past.
There should be a “special dispensation” for the North East, the Union Minister stressed and expressed optimism that the region would progress like no time ever under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NEDA (North East Democratic Alliance) formed in May 2016.
