Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 6: The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh is facing peculiar situation as fate of numerous vital projects is hanging in balance despite an expenditure of Rs 83 crore during the past several years because of cost overruns due to time lost in the sanctioning of the works and subsequent revision of the Detailed Project Reports.
The Hill Council has now pinned hope on the 14th Finance Commission, which has been apprised of the prevailing situation with the request for sanctioning one time grant to the tune of Rs 163 crore in order to complete these languishing works.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that under various schemes/programmes of the Union Government like the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Programme (PMRP), 13th Finance Commission, Special Task Force, NABARD, Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and Border Area Development Programme (BADP), several major infrastructural projects were sanctioned for the district several years back.
However, the work on these projects, which include bridges, flood protection works of nullahs, roads, school buildings and sports stadium, could not be completed due to cost overruns on account of revision of Detailed Project Reports and time lost in sanctioning, sources informed, adding “these works are incomplete for the last seven years”.
Quoting an example, they said that an amount of Rs 1207 lakh was sanctioned in the year 2000 under Prime Minister Reconstruction Programme for the ambitious project of construction of Hill Council’s infrastructure but the project remains incomplete till date as earlier the release of funds took time and later due to limited working season in Leh district owing to climatic conditions the cost of the project increased manifold.
“As far as this particular project is concerned, an additional amount of Rs 1656 lakh is required to complete the pending works”, they said, adding “in the event of non-availability of funds, these incomplete buildings will become unfit for any further use thereby rendering the earlier sanctioned amount as a wastage as well”.
In response to a question, sources said, “at least a dozen buildings under the R&B sector are lying incomplete during the past seven to eight years and many of these have also developed cracks”, adding “in case these buildings are not completed the expenditure incurred till date would become unfruitful”.
“In order to complete all the languishing works across the district, an amount of Rs 163 crore is required as one time grant and this has been conveyed to the 14th Finance Commission by the Hill Council”, they said, adding “the Commission has also been apprised that in case this amount is not made available an amount of Rs 83.61 crore, which has been incurred on the projects till date, would go down the drain”.
When asked, they said, “it is unfortunate that the project sanctioning authorities don’t keep in mind the fact that Ladakh remains cut from rest of the country for over six months during winters and there is very limited working season in the region”, adding “if this fact is kept in mind while sanctioning the projects there would not be any problem in the completion of the projects without any delay and cost overrun”.
Underlining the need of shifting major works to special funding under 14th Finance Commission, sources said, “the Hill Council has undertaken major projects in roads and bridges sector under the District Plan and the Border Area Development Programme. All these projects are of more than Rs 1.5 crore each in estimation”, adding “with an annual plan size of about Rs 76 crore, these works get meager allocation of Rs 5-7 lakh per year. At this rate, a project of an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore will take 20 years to complete”.
“There is a need to shift 15 such works worth an estimated cost of Rs 43 crore out of normal plan to special funding under 14th Finance Commission”, sources said.
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