WE THE PEOPLE
Despite approved guidelines, J&K Irri Dept., has failed to recover Abiana amounting to Rs 4.44 crores
Hence Experts urge concerned officials to follow Rules to save State Exchequer from suffering huge losses
By: M. Shirjeel/ M.Altaf
Srinagar: In our last nine series, we have stated that by ignoring the basic principles, the officials of J&K Irrigation & Flood Control Department have caused unfruitful expenditure of Rs. 2.72 crore besides non-extension of irrigation facilities to 849 hectare. It has also been pointed out that twenty three per cent of the 240 tube wells drilled in Jammu Province have remained non-functional during 2004-09. As a result, only 41 per cent of the irrigation potential created was utilized.
It again needs to be reminded to our Readers that the Irrigation and Flood Control Department was created in 1959 by the State government with the objective of providing assured irrigation facilities to cultivable/cultivated land in the State by renovation/modernization of the existing canals and construction of new canals. Out of the total cultivable area of 3.12 lakh hectares, 2.89 lakh hectares of land (93 per cent) is irrigated through gravity canals and the remaining 0.23 lakh hectares (7 per cent) through lift irrigation schemes, tube wells, tanks, etc.
It may also be stated that the irrigation potential utilized at the end of 10th Plan was 83 per cent in case of major/medium irrigation schemes while as it was 87 per cent in case of minor irrigation schemes. However, the overall irrigation potential utilized was encouraging, the irrigation potential created was only 89 per cent and 41 per cent in case of major/medium and minor irrigation schemes respectively.
For economic viability of an irrigation scheme, cost benefit ratio (CBR) of the scheme should be more than unity. To ensure that a scheme has actually come up to the desired level in respect of creation of irrigation potential and utilization thereof, it is essential for the Department to work out the cost benefit ratio on actuals after completion of the schemes. It has, however, been seen during detailed scrutiny that no such exercise had ever been conducted by the Department to ascertain the cost benefit ratio actually achieved in respect of completed schemes to identify bottlenecks, if any, for its non-achievement for taking remedial action.
As a matter of fact Perspective Plan needs to be formulated and guidelines approved under AIBP and should be adhered to. Only approved schemes should be taken up for execution.
Adequate funds should be provided and released on a timely basis for approved items of work; diversion of funds to unauthorized activities should be strictly avoided.
The schemes should be taken up in a planned manner after fulfilling all the pre-requisites. Efforts need to be made to utilize the potential created is utilized to the maximum level.
Appropriate monitoring mechanism should be instituted to ensure that projects are completed on time within the approved budgets and envisaged benefits are derived.
But scrutiny of the records has shown that out of the 240 tube wells existing (March 2009) in Jammu Province for providing irrigation facilities, only 77 per cent remained functional on an average during 2004-09. It was seen that out of 9, 126 hectares of irrigation potential created, only 3,708 hectares (41 per cent) was utilized.
It has also come to light that the total demand of Abiana ranged between Rs. 4.41 crore and Rs. 5.63 crore for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09 against which the recovery has been in the range of Rs. 1.03 crore to Rs. 1.29 crore during the above period. The increase in shortfall from Rs. 3.38 crore (77 per cent) in 2004-05 to Rs. 4.44 crore (79 per cent) in 2008-09 indicated that the Department had not taken effective measures for recovery of outstanding Abiana resulting in piling up of arrears as on 31 March 209.(To be continued)
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