Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 22: What to talk of establishing Programme Management and Implementation Units and carrying out much-needed reforms the Jammu and Kashmir Government has even failed to timely remove bottlenecks and obtain necessary clearances from various agencies, which resulted into slow progress in the sewerage projects. Moreover, interest to the tune of Rs 1.03 crore earned on the JNNURM funds deposited in the bank was utilized for the purposes not contemplated in the guidelines of the scheme.
This has also come to the fore during the Performance Audit of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. “No doubt various constraints surfaced in the implementation of the sewerage projects under the scheme but the J&K Government failed to prioritize completion of projects by removing the bottlenecks”, the CAG said.
Pointing towards the Comprehensive Sewerage Scheme for Division A of Greater Jammu, the CAG said, “the slow progress in sewerage projects was mainly due to delay in relocation of utilities and lapses in getting clearances from various agencies”, adding “in several areas the work was held up due to non-shifting of underground utilities by Public Health Engineering Department and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and delay in shifting of electric poles by the Power Development Department”.
“The project was approved in December 2006 at the cost of Rs 129.23 crore and various components were to be completed between May 2009 and March 2010. However, none of the components had been completed as on March 2011”, the CAG said, adding “in respect of one of the components namely Lateral Sewer Line, only 27 per cent of work had been completed till March 2011”.
To keep track of the physical and financial progress of the projects throughout the project development life cycle (pre-construction, construction, commissioning and trial run and post construction), the Union Ministry of Urban Development had evolved a State level mechanism for third party monitoring and review of the projects sanctioned under the JNNURM Sub Mission-I (UIG) by an Independent Review and Monitoring Agency (IRMA) to be appointed by the State Level Nodal Agency. Similarly, the Ministry had also evolved mechanism to appoint Third Party Inspection and Monitoring Agencies (TPIMA) for review and monitoring of the projects.
However, audit scrutiny by the CAG revealed that in Jammu and Kashmir, IRMA had been appointed for monitoring of projects under UIG and UIDSSMT in February 2011 despite the fact that the same was to be appointed from the date of the sanctioning of projects. “The Third Party Inspection and Monitoring Agency (TPIMA) had not been established till September 2011”, the CAG said.
Stating that the funds released under JNNURM had not been utilized due to various reasons such as delay in award of works, taking up work and completion of work, the CAG said, “the parking of funds in bank accounts yielded interest of Rs 11.05 crore. However, interest amount to the tune of Rs 1.03 crore was utilized for the purposes not contemplated in the JNNURM guidelines like office expenses and salary of staff till March 2011”.
“Contrary to the rules, regulations and instructions issued by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the respective Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) didn’t mention available unencumbered land in the comprehensive sewerage project for Phase-I Division A of Greater Jammu City and Drainage Projects in Kathua”, the CAG said, adding “this resulted into delay in assessment of utilities, which would have to be shifted, the list of clearances and agencies from which those clearances were to be obtained”. (Concluded).
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