Imphal, May 18: With the North Eastern Council (NEC) reportedly ceasing fund allocation for development of the Loktak Lake the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) is scouring for financial bail from the Central Government's Special Plan Assistance, said LDA Director Ch Gojendra.

Informing that the NEC had not provided even a single paisa in a decade starting 1995, Gojendra said initiation had already been made to obtain approval of the Planning Commission for granting substantial allocation from the SPA towards development of the only fresh water lake in the region.

To this end top level meetings presided by the Chief Minister were held after which considering inevitability of preparing a project, 'Conservation and management of Loktak and associated wetlands integrating Manipur River basin' has been prepared by the State's Planning Department to procure about Rs 50 crores, the director maintained.

Hectic process is on to submit the project report to the Planning Commission of India, he added.

Expressing confidence that the Planning Commission would endorse the project proposal within the current fiscal, the LDA official asserted that as soon as the funding process begins target would be set to complete necessary development of the Lake in five years.

Explaining that development of Loktak Lake under the SPA allocation would be a joint exercise of the LDA, and departments of Forest, Fisheries and PHED, Gojendra listed catchment area treatment of Manipur river basin, water management, bio-diversity conservation, sustainable resource development, livelihood improvement and institutional development as important features of the said project report finalised in consultation with the said departments.

While reiterating fund cessation from the NEC from 1995 till 2005, the Director, however informed of the Council allocating Rs 400 lakhs in the 2006-07 fiscal out of which Rs 200 lakhs is still in the State Account (8449) while the other half of the total sanctioned amount was utilised in related works of the Lake development like clearance of bio-mass, economic package to pisci-culturists affected by the bio-mass clearance, setting up six fish hatcheries, development of pisciculture in about 20,000 hectare of the Lake area, monitoring works and initiating awareness generation programmes.

Stating that over 11 lakh cubic metre of bio-masses spread concentrated in seven peripheries of the Lake have been cleared so far, he also recounted of Rs 15,000 each extended as aid to the affected fish farmers.

While detailing places where fish hatcheries are being promoted and areas where fingerlings were released, Gojendra also disclosed that NEC ceased the funding so as to facilitate procurement of adequate fund from SPA allocation.

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