Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Apr 1: Proper planning is vital for every developmental work in order to provide benefit to the intended population but this aspect was completely ignored in case of 19 irrigation schemes whose fate is hanging in balance despite an expenditure of over Rs 40 crore. Instead of targeted populace, the contractors, who were engaged for the execution of these schemes remained the beneficiaries.
This has come to the fore during the audit of schemes completed by the Irrigation and Flood Control Department under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) of the Union Government.
During audit in 10-test checked divisions, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India came to know that out of 224 Minor Irrigation schemes under execution from 2009 to 2014, 103 schemes were reported as completed ending March 2014.
However, of these reportedly completed schemes audit observed that 12 schemes in six divisions were either incomplete or non-functional as on March 2014 despite incurring an expenditure of Rs 13.18 crore.
Further, against the ultimate irrigation potential of 2085 hectares in respect of these 12 schemes, the irrigation potential created was 258 hectares out of which irrigation potential of only 83 hectares was utilized as of March 2013 thereby rendering the expenditure of Rs 13.18 crore mostly unfruitful, the CAG said in its report.
Out of these 12 schemes, seven in the Irrigation Divisions of Jammu, Akhnoor, Rajouri, Bhaderwah, Doda and Anantnag were found incomplete despite an expenditure of Rs 11.15 crore. These schemes taken up several years back were scheduled for completion in 2010-11 and 2012-13 but due to lack of planning their fate remained hanging in balance.
Majority of these schemes remained incomplete due to land disputes and non-acquisition of land while as others could not be completed because of topographical problems, which could have been avoided had there been focus on planning aspect before execution of the work.
Five schemes-four in Irrigation Division Akhnoor and one in Doda remained non-functional because of non-availability of staff, the CAG said, adding “operation clearance was not sought from the Mechanical Wing of the department”.
During the audit, it also came to the fore that of the 121 ongoing schemes taken up between 2006-07 and 2013-14 at a cost of Rs 551.04 crore, seven schemes of Akhnoor, Rajouri, Bhaderwah and Anantnag Irrigation Divisions could not be completed due to reasons like non-acquisition of land, land dispute and change of design etc despite incurring Rs 28.10 crore on their execution as of March 2014.
“Due to this, the benefit of Rs 28.10 crore could not reach the intended population”, the CAG has remarked in the report. Only the contractors, who were engaged for the execution of these schemes remained the real beneficiaries.
For economic viability of an irrigation scheme, the Cost Benefit Ratio of a scheme should be more than ‘one’ as envisaged in AIBP guidelines. In order to ensure that a scheme has actually come up to the desired level of creation and utilization of Irrigation Potential, it is essential to work out Cost Benefit Ratio on actual after completion of a scheme.
Audit scrutiny of 39 completed schemes of 10 test-checked divisions showed that in 18 schemes of eight divisions completed at a cost of Rs 16.23 crore the CBR was less than one. The intensity of unfavourable Cost Benefit Ratio can be gauged from the fact that through these schemes Irrigation Potential was created for 1360 hectares but actually Irrigation Potential was utilized only for 810 hectares.
“These schemes could not provide benefit to the intended populace as the Detailed Project Reports were prepared without preliminary surveys and preliminary project proposals”, the CAG said, adding “the inadequacies in preparation of DPRs resulted in either mid-way abandonment or non-functioning of the completed schemes”.
It has laid stress on ensuring proper planning in selection of the schemes and formulation of DPRs as per programme guidelines; prioritizing completion of in-hand schemes so as to avoid time over-run and strengthening monitoring mechanism of the completed and ongoing schemes.
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