Change of govt delays national horticulture project

There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) project. Despite securing early clearance from the Union agriculture ministry, the state horticulture department is unable to implement the Rs 262 crore project spread over three years.

The department has already secured the Centre's nod for Rs 85 crore of project work to be implemented in the first year (2005-06), but it has revised the project and the revised project proposal has to be cleared by the Centre again.

The project, though cleared four months ago, was delayed first at the behest of the then chief minister, N Dharam Singh, as the department had not included the northern districts under the project.

Following a big hue and cry from political leaders and farmers from the northern districts, the chief minister directed the horticulture department not to implement the project immediately.

He wanted it revised by adding the northern districts, including his home district of Gulbarga, sources said.

As per the revised proposal sent by the state horticulture department to the Union ministry of agriculture for its clearance, six northern districts "" Belgaum, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Bellary, Gulbarga and Koppal "" have been included.

The horticulture department has already prepared the districtwise detailed plan of action and has even transferred the money to all the officials concerned.

Sources in the horticulture department said, the project is likely to be delayed further as the change of government in Bangalore has added to the delay in its implementation as the department is awaiting official clearance from the minister concerned to start spending money on the project.

"The project was supposed to be implemented three months ago. We cannot start implementing the project immediately because there is no minister at the moment. Once the new minister takes charge, he has to chair the executive committee meeting and decide on the date of launch," sources told Business Standard.

The state government will get a package of Rs 262 crore to implement the project on a mission mode spread over three years.

For the present fiscal, the government has already received Rs 41.55 crore out of Rs 85.21 crore sanctioned for the first year of the project.

Under the mission it is proposed to take up integrated development of horticulture crops like fruits, vegetables, spice crops, floriculture and provide micro irrigation facilities to all the horticulture crops.