Jalpaiguri(WB), April 04: Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee today criticised the West Bengal government for the inordinate delay in the implementation of the vital Teesta irrigation project for which the Centre had sanctioned Rs 701 crore.
Inspite of the Centre according it a national status and agreeing to share 90 per cent of the total cost, the project had been hanging fire for an unusually long time, Mukherjee told a gathering of Congress workers at Lataguri near here.
‘Not only the Teesta project, money sanctioned for other projects like 100 days work programme and Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Programme has been returned,’ the Union Finance Minister said.
Describing the state-of-affairs prevailing in West Bengal as ‘depressing’, Mukherjee said the state had performed very poorly in education, health and employment during the 34 years of Left Front rule.
—-PTi