WE THE PEOPLE
J&K Irri&FC department's failure to utilize 14619 against 30318 acres for production of crops raises many eyebrows
Hence people demand overhauling and restructuring internal mechanism of the department to yield better dividends
By: M. Shirjeel
Srinagar: As intimated in our first article, Irrigation and Flood Control Department was created in 1959 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. The Department is also responsible for construction of lift irrigation schemes besides their maintenance, up-gradation and modernization.
But it has come to light that unplanned execution of works has resulted in unfruitful expenditure of Rs. 4.27 crore.and four schemes completed at a cost of Rs. 3.86 crore cultivated only 19 per cent of the envisaged area. Besides delay in release of GOI funds by the Planning/Administrative department ranged between 30 and 252 days and time overrun on execution of schemes has ranged between 1 and 31 years, while cost overrun ranged up to Rs. 33.86 crore. It has also been revealed that internal control mechanism of the Department was weak, which has resulted in irregular payments, irregular execution of works, etc.
It needs to be stated that LIS are funded by the State Government, GOI under Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and from NABARD.
But the percentage utilization of funds has ranged between 89 and 97. The scrutiny of records has revealed that the funds were released by the planning/administrative department to the executing divisions after delays ranging between 30 and 252 days as mentioned above.
The delay in release of funds not only resulted in non-completion of schemes on time but also resulted in their cost overrun. Seven EEs namely Mechanical Division Jammu have incurred Rs. 22.60 lakh, ID Dharmari Rs. 81.75 lakh, ID-Jammu-I: Rs. 6.88 lakh, ID Jammu-II: Rs. 21.56 lakh; Mechanical ID, Anantnag Rs. 71.09 lakh; ID Tral: Rs. 85.26 lakh and Mechanical ID Srinagar Rs. 113.80 lakh Rs. 4.03 crore in excess of the budget allotment during 1997-2007. The EE, Irrigation Division (ID), Anantnag has attributed this liability to lack of adequate funding by the Government.
The performance of the Department in execution of works and creation of irrigation potential has not remained satisfactory, despite incurring huge expenditure. The performance is stated to have been affected by frequent change in designs and consequent revisions resulting in non-completion of schemes, with time and cost-overruns.
A detailed scrutiny of the records has revealed that 51 out of 93 (Jammu: 34; Kashmir 17) LIS completed up to 2002-03, envisaged creation of a Cultivable Command Area (CCA) of 30,318 acres. But the Department was, however, able to create an irrigation potential of only 21,548 acres against which, only 14,619 acres (68 per cent), was being utilized. 100 per cent irrigation potential created was being utilized in six schemes. In 11 schemes, it was less than 25 per cent, in 18 schemes the utilization ranged between 25 per cent and 50 per cent and in the remaining 16 it was above 50 per cent.
Out of 12 schemes completed during 2003-08, eight schemes were completed only in 2007-08. Therefore utilization of the potential created in respect of these schemes could not be assessed on spot. However, in respect of the remaining four schemes, against the creation of irrigation potential of 3174 hectares, only 612 hectares (19 per cent) had been utilized. LIS Lethpora was stated to have been completed, it could not cater to the envisaged area due to non-completion of the main/subsidiary canals.
Unplanned execution
Out of 30 schemes under execution, seven schemes due for completion between 200-01 and 2006-07 had not been completed due to dispute over land/link alignment (three), insufficient water source, non-completion of civil works, non-procurement/installation of machinery and inadequate funds (one each) as tabulated below: The Department's failure in resolving the key issues relating to these schemes has resulted in unfruitful expenditure of Rs. 4.27 crore besides non-provision of the irrigation facilities to 2,128 acres of land.
Hence people demand overhauling and restructuring internal mechanism of the department to yield better dividends so that J&K State becomes self-sufficient in food grains.
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