*Majority of incomplete projects pertain to PWD, PHE
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 14: Astonishing it may sound but it is a fact that nearly 940 projects in Jammu and Kashmir aimed at providing better road connectivity and un-interrupted water and power supply to the people have failed to meet the deadlines for their completion due to the slackness on the part of executing agencies as well as failure of the Government to ensure proper and regular monitoring. Due to their non-completion within the scheduled dates, 54 projects have faced cost overrun of whopping Rs 540 crore.
This depressing scenario has clearly established that the instructions being issued from different quarters in the Government after regular intervals are not being taken seriously at the ground level and those at the helm of affairs in the concerned departments are not interested in paying regular field visits to personally assess the implementation status of the projects.
As on March 2016, there were a total of 938 projects costing Rs one crore or above which were beyond their scheduled completion dates, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has revealed in its latest report. These projects of Public Works, Public Health Engineering and Power Development Departments were sanctioned at a cost of Rs 3,944.45 crore but due to delay in their completion within the fixed time-frame the cost of these projects had to be revised at Rs 4,484.68 crore.
Out of 938 incomplete projects, maximum 792 belong to Public Works Department Jammu, 120 Public Health Engineering Department Jammu, 19 Power Development Department Jammu and 7 belong to Power Development Department Kashmir. An amount of Rs 1,733.84 crore was spent on these incomplete projects till March 31, 2016.
In respect of eight projects of Public Works Department, 40 projects of Public Health Engineering Department and 6 projects of Power Development Department Jammu, the cost was revised upward by Rs 540.23 crore. Eight projects of PWD Jammu witnessed cost overrun of Rs 105.50 crore while as 40 projects of PHE Department Jammu faced cost overrun of Rs 412.27 crore. Similarly, there was cost overrun of Rs 22.46 crore in respect of five projects of Power Development Department Jammu and Rs 0.23 crore in respect of one project of Power Development Department Kashmir.
Though the Comptroller and Auditor General of India tried to obtain reasons for revising the cost of the projects yet concerned departments of the State Government preferred to remain mum and ignore the communications from the highest audit institution of the country.
The blocking of funds on incomplete projects and works impinged negatively on the quality of expenditure and deprived the State of the intended benefits for the prolonged period, the CAG has remarked in its report on the depressing scenario vis-à-vis execution of those projects which were planned to provide better road connectivity and un-interrupted power and water supply to the common masses.
“These startling revelations by the highest audit institution of the country have clearly established that circular instructions being issued by the Government from time to time stressing upon the heads of the departments to regularly pay field visits to personally assess the implementation status of the projects of immense public importance are not being taken seriously”, official sources remarked.
“Had there been strict compliance to these instructions such a large number of projects would have not missed the completion deadlines”, they said while stressing that Government should immediately come up with a mechanism to ensure that not only these projects are finally completed even other ongoing projects in all the sectors are regularly monitored so that they don’t face similar situation which would cost dearly to the State exchequer.
Even the CAG has recommended that the Government should relate expenditure on the projects to outcomes in terms of quality, reach and timely impact of Government expenditure to obtain the desired outcomes.
In another glaring revelation, the CAG has brought to the fore that the financial results of seven major irrigation projects involving a capital expenditure of Rs 330.64 crore showed the revenue realized from these schemes during 2015-16 was only Rs 75 lakh (0.23 per cent of the capital outlay of Rs 330.64 crore).
“The revenue receipts of none of these schemes were sufficient to cover even the direct working expenses”, the report said, adding “after meeting the working expenses and interest charges, the schemes suffered a net loss of Rs 1.56 crore. The major loss making projects were Ranbir Canal and Kathua Feeder”.
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