Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 25: In gross violations of the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) guidelines, the Deputy Commissioner Jammu who is the recommending authority for the creation of model villages has been bypassed leading to the wasteful expenditure.
The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on Jammu district has found that the District Development Commissioner Jammu has been bypassed while creating eight model villages in Jammu district.
Under the PMRP guidelines, creation of the model villages has to be recommended by the DDC to the project sanctioning committee headed by Director Rural Development. The guidelines suggest that an expert group or committee has to be formed to prepare a need based action plan in consultations with the gram Panchayats for the creation of the model villages.
But the CAG has found that while constructing model villages in Jammu no expert group was formed but plans were prepared by Block Development Officers (BDOs), Executive Engineer Rural Engineering Wing and the Assistant Commissioner (Development) Rural Development Department.
The main objective of the PMRP for creating of model villages is to arrest migration of rural population to urban areas by improving quality of life in rural areas through integrated development. Under the plan basic minimum services, improvement in productivity, alleviating poverty and minimum employment opportunity is to be provided to the villagers.
The report says that 8 villages were identified in Jammu district for the creation of model villages at the cost of Rs 9.60 crores. But report has found discrepancies leading to the failure of the programme.
The CAG has gathered records of 6 villages – Gigrial in Khour, Bandhwal in Akhnoor, Allah in Bishnah, Gaink in Bhalwal, Bhour in Satwari and Akalpur in Marh – and physically checked them. It has found that creation of the model villages has failed due to wrong planning and non-implementation of the project.
The CAG has found that 21 shops were constructed in 5 model villages during 2006-10 for providing livelihood to local educated youth and unemployed youth but not a single shop was allotted to any one and they were lying closed.
The report says that community centres were not handed over to the villagers and Rural Information Centres (RICs) were not made functional due to non-availability of trained man power.
The 15 solar lights installed in the six model villages were found by the CAG as non-functional. The report says that except in Khour block children’s parks of the other 5 blocks were in dilapidated condition.
The CAG has, however, found condition of the lanes satisfactory but the sanitation programme in these villages has been ignored completely.
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