By
K R Sudhaman
Project delays are a common phenomenon
in India unlike in China where cost and time over-runs are rare. In fact in
1990s and early 2000, China had a record in no delay in implementation of World
Bank’s development projects. Cost over-runs occur because of delay in projects.
A delay in project results in increased cost of inputs including labour besides
interest costs. Inflation adds to the woes.
During the Policy paralysis of UPA-ll,
Rs 18 lakh crore worth of projects, mostly infrastructure were pending and due
to which a ministerial committee was set up during the last leg of its tenure.
To check delay, central government launched a flagship
programme called is accelerated irrigation benefit programme (AIBP) to ensure
at least irrigation projects are speeded up to ensure Indian agriculture and
farmers do not have to face the wrath of delayed implementation of at least
irrigation projects.
Unfortunately a performance audit
conducted by Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) of this flagship
irrigation projects under AIBP in 25
states between 2008-20017 have found unusual delays and serious lapses like
diversion of funds and financial irregularities. The delays have occurred
during both UPA and NDA governments. The AIBP has now been subsumed under the
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and focus of the government is on 99
incomplete major and medium projects.
According to the CAG report tabled in
Parliament recently, 201 major and medium irrigation projects were taken up
under AIBP during 2008-17 at a cost over Rs 2.22 lakh crore, of which 105
projects suffered time over-run up to 18 years resulting in cost over-run of
over Rs1.20 lakh crore.
The performance minor irrigation
projects under ABVP is much better. Of the 11,291 minor irrigation projects
taken up across various states at a cost of over Rs 16,800 crore during
2008-2017, only 153 projects were delayed up to 12 years and cost overrun was a
mere Rs 62 crore.
The irrigation potential of 201 major and
medium irrigation projects were to create irrigation potential of 85.41 lakh
hectares and the delayed 105 are to create irrigation potential of 58.38 lakh
hectares. The 11,291 minor irrigation projects is meant to create 1.50 lakh hectares and the 153 delayed minor
irrigation projects have irrigation potential of 0.58 lakh hectares.
The AIBP was launched during 1996-97
as a central assistance programme for speeding up implementation of large
projects, which were beyond the resource capability of states and completion of
other irrigation projects, which were at advanced stage but were delayed due to
resource constraints of the states.
A performance audit of AIBP revealed
several deficiencies in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the
programme. Financial management for AIBP was inefficient as there were cases of
non or short release of funds, CAG report said.
There were also delays due to
shortfall in land acquisition, inability to obtain statutory clearances in
advance, changes in design and scope of work and so on. Monitoring by both
central and state agencies was lax, it said adding there were shortfalls in the
number of visits by central water commission and reports were not prepared in
all projects and evaluated, CAG said adding compliance to issues highlighted in
the CWC reports were also pending. State level monitoring committees were not
formed in all the states.
Of the 201 major and medium irrigation
projects, under AIBP, Maharashtra accounted for 48 projects. It is followed by
Madhya Pradesh 19, Karnataka 17, Telangana 13, Jammu and Kashmir 13, Andhra
Pradesh 12, Odisha 11, Uttar Pradesh 9 and Jharkhand 8. These nine states
accounted for 75 per cent of the projects.
The CAG report said that extra
financial implications seen in audit were to the extent of Rs.1,337 crore,
owing to irregular, wasteful and avoidable expenditure while Rs.303.36 crore
implications were due to undue favour to the contractor. Projects and schemes
were included under the AIBP in violation of the programme guidelines,
resulting in irregular release of Rs.3,718.71 crore.
“Financial irregularities such as
diversion of funds amounting to Rs.1,578 crore, parking of funds amounting to
Rs.1122.56 crore and fictitious and fraudulent expenditure amounting to Rs.7.58
crore were also observed,” the CAG report said.
Notable among the lapses found by the
auditor were lack of financial discipline and diversion of funds in the Sardar
Sarovar Dam implementation in Gujarat.
“Scrutiny of statement of
expenditure for the years of 2014-15 and 2015-16 revealed that an expenditure
of Rs.213.17 crore on power projects and canal top solar power plant was booked
under AIBP even though CWC had excluded power projects from components eligible
for funding under AIBP if installed on main or branch canals,” the report
said.
In terms of deficiencies in planning and
detailed project report, the audit stated an instance of Chandrabhaga barrage
where canal construction could not be completed even as barrage completion
ended in June 2015. “The canal could not be constructed due to location of
command area at a higher level than the submergence area, indicating improper
survey and planning, resulting in blocking of huge expenditure of Rs.188.96
crore,” the CAG report said. (IPA
Service)
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