Guwahati, Oct. 27: Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today directed his ministerial colleagues to visit the districts under their charge and take stock of the development and welfare schemes so that steps could be taken to ensure their timely implementation.

Those privy to the meeting said the chief minister wanted the ministers to visit the districts from November and submit a status report at the earliest on the progress made so far and identify the lacunae in the implementation of the welfare schemes.

Nearly Rs 1,500 crore are riding on the special pro-poor budgetary schemes pertaining mostly to distribution of goods.

This is not the first time that Gogoi has directed his ministers to ensure the implementation of the schemes.

Recuperating in Mumbai after his bypass surgery on August 4, he had directed his ministerial colleagues on August 18 to visit their constituencies and supervise development work.

“The stock-taking visit will be for both the departmental as well as the special welfare schemes announced in this year’s budget before the code of conduct for the polls come into effect. He wants, particularly the pro-poor schemes, implemented at the earliest. He has also asked us to give a fitting reply to the Opposition propaganda against Dispur over the dam and price rise issues. We were also asked to take appropriate steps to tackle local problems in our districts,” one of them said.

The meeting was of the opinion that the Opposition was raising a hue and cry over the dam issue despite the AGP and the BJP rooting for the dams to check flood and generate employment when in power.

The ministers were directed to expose the “true colours” of the Opposition.

Today’s meeting indicate that Dispur has started feeling the heat generated by the dam issue, more so after members of the expert committee publicly expressed their reservation over the under-construction Lower Subansiri dam.

On Sunday, Gogoi had even convened a meeting of party leaders and ministers on how to check the Opposition propaganda.

Senior PCC office-bearers Haren Das and Anil Raja said senior minister Bharat Narah had convened a meeting of sitting and former MLAs on the dam issue on October 30.

Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was re-appointed the Assam PCC president on Tuesday, also convened a meeting of sitting MLAs, former MLAs and office-bearers on October 29 and 30 on the dam issue before leaving for Delhi yesterday, PCC spokesperson Rajesh Joshi said.

“We are going to come out with a fitting and specific response to the problem. Our party will take all possible steps to protest the state’s interests. We are waiting for our president to return,” he added.