The ambitious North East Water Resources Authority (NEWRA) may be gasping for breath but not dead. The Centre has decided to continue with services of the High Level Group (HLG) constituted to look at various options. The proposal ran into rough weather after Arunachal Pradesh objected to it. The Arunachal Pradesh Government had some reservations on the jurisdiction structure of the proposed authority,' said Minister of State for Water Resources, Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav in a Lok Sabha reply today. The Group was tasked to hold discussions and develop consensus on utilising the hydropower potential of Arunachal Pradesh and integrated development of the Region through setting up of NEWRA, Yadav said. A meeting of the HLG has been held. It has been decided to continue the discussion on the issue, the Minister said. A working group comprising members from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Planning Commission, Ministries of Power and Water Resources was constituted in February 2006 to prepare a set of options taking into consideration the objections raised by Arunachal Pradesh and provide an adequate compensatory mechanism to the State, the Minister explained. The recommendations of the working group suggesting modification in structure, functions and incentives considering the reservations of Arunachal Pradesh was submitted in July of the same year. The report was discussed in an inter-ministerial meeting convened by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. Subsequently, HLG with the MoWR, as the chairman and comprising Chief Ministers of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission and officials drawn from various Central Ministries was constituted. Meanwhile, in a separate reply to a question by Sarbananda Sonowal, the Minister said Assam Government has submitted 75 eligible schemes for Central assistance to the tune of Rs 97.83 crore. The estimate would be considered by the Empowered Committee under the Flood Management Programme, as the first instalment. In addition, the Brahmaputra Board has taken up at least three projects. They include avulsion of River Brahmaputra at Dhola-Hatighuli, Protection of Majuli Island (Phase-I) and Protection of Nagarijuli, Rangia town, Mukalmuwa-Borbhag area from flood and erosion of River Bornadi, Puthimari and Nagrijuli. Significantly, the Minister disclosed that the Centre incurred an expenditure of Rs 12.89 crore for the projects during the last three years. Meanwhile, in reply to a separate question, Yadav ruled out the possibility of undertaking dredging operations on the River Brahmaputra to