Nameri National Park

Guwahati, March 13: The Assam forest department has asked the Centre to find out a mechanism for releasing funds directly to the field directors of national parks/tiger reserves to ensure that the money does not get stuck with the state government.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Union ministry of environment and forests have both written to the state government asking them about the non-release of funds sanctioned last August to Kaziranga and Nameri tiger reserves.

The NTCA had sanctioned Rs 7.09 crore on August 26 as first instalment of the central share towards the grants-in-aid to Kaziranga tiger reserve under Project Tiger.

“We have told the ministry that a mechanism needs to be found out to route the funds directly to the implementing authorities, otherwise the same story of funds being held up will always arise,” a senior state forest official said, adding that funds reaching the park now will be of no use as the financial year is coming to an end. The Centre has already asked the state to submit proposal for 2014-15.

“Kaziranga National Park is under Project Tiger since 2008 and is receiving funding under the centrally-sponsored Project Tiger. This is an important habitat, having the highest density of tigers in the Northeast, besides the endangered rhinoceros. The reserve is also targeted by poachers, especially for rhino horns. It has been brought to my notice that there is considerable delay in making available the central assistance under Project Tiger to the field formation, despite timely release from the ministry. I understand that central assistance released during the financial year on August 25 last year has not been released till date by the state government,” secretary, Union ministry of environment and forests, V. Rajagopalan, said in a letter to Assam chief secretary J. Khosla.

Under Project Tiger, assistance is sanctioned for wages of homeguards, diesel and petrol for vehicles, anti-poaching measures and other essential items.

The NTCA in its letter said instead of releasing the funds to Kaziranga tiger reserve, an amount of Rs 5.63 crore has been adjusted/utilised against the loan taken from Kaziranga Tiger Conservation Foundation. “This cannot be construed as utilisation of the Project Tiger money,” the letter stated.

The authority has asked the state government to send a detailed report at the earliest for not releasing the funds to the field director of Kaziranga tiger reserve.

Sources said Assam chief secretary J. Khosla was to hold a meeting on March 15 with officials concerned to solve the issue but that has been deferred now.