What a misfortune it is to conceive projects but fail to plan their proper execution on the ground. Our State’s Planning Department is perhaps the most ineffective agency to execute any project properly and within the stipulated time. This is the experience we have gained from a number of reports of the CAG and other agencies on the progress of some of the vital projects that were undertaken a decade or so back. From the reports and findings of the CAG, we come to know that there is great variance between what has been officially stated about the completion of the projects and what the factual situation on the ground is. It is a matter of regret that the State, despite support from Central agencies, is unable to give proof of its serious interest in the development of the State.
We have commented on some of the reports of the CAG made public in recent past and we have shown that there are formidable irregularities and inconsistencies in the execution of projects and programmes, more especially the ones sponsored by the Central Government. The case under consideration is CAG’s report on various irrigation schemes in all the three regions of the State. Put it briefly, 19 irrigations schemes were in hand and an amount of rupees 40 crore have been spent. What do we have on the ground after spending this hefty amount and time? Flood Control Department under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) of the Union Government took up these irrigation schemes in our State. The ground position is that out of 224 Minor Irrigation schemes under execution from 2009 to 2014 only 103 seem to be completed ending March 2014. However, of these reportedly completed schemes audit observed that 12 schemes in six divisions were either incomplete or non-functional as on March 2014 despite incurring an expenditure of Rs 13.18 crore.
Full details of most of these incomplete irrigation schemes are available with the press along with the funds expended. It is shocking that the administration has demonstrated absolute apathy towards implementation of irrigation schemes from which the farmers and the society in general would have benefited immensely. What is more disquieting is the fact that the Government has not cared to verify whether the completion reports submitted by the Flood Control and Irrigation Department bear veracity. The CAG has categorically stated that the real beneficiaries of these half-abandoned schemes are only the contractors, not the farmers, and the people. The contractors are the blue-eyed persons with political cloud and influence among the rulers. In other words, this is a blatant example of nepotism and favouritism but at the cost of the welfare of ordinary people of the State. It will be noted that most of the small-scale irrigation projects were meant for backward and hilly areas of the State whether in Kashmir region or in Jammu or Ladakh region.
Defining the causes of these incomplete schemes, the CAG has broadly mentioned three reasons. These are; land disputes, delayed acquisition and lack of planning. Legal battles over land are a common feature just because the Revenue Department never cared to update and rectify its land record as a matter of priority to avoid legal disputes of ownership. As regards problems of land acquisition, we know that this is a serious issue and the Central Government is grappling with its intractability. However, as of today, we have the Land Acquisition Act in the State and the owners of land whose land is to be acquired can appeal against the award if they feel they are aggrieved. Thus, land acquisition should not be any major hindrance unless landowners are finding clandestine support from revenue officials.
However, in fact the real reason for abandoning the projects half way is either lack of planning or bad planning. Therefore, we say that there are projects but there is no planning whatsoever. We have the planning department and it must give a green signal for every project conceived at different levels. Why the green signal is not obtained from the Planning Department and why the opinion of expert s not sought before the project is floated? This question has remained unanswered since a long time.
J&K is a backward State and a hilly State. We are not self sufficient in food production and unless we bring more land under proper cultivation, how can we meet our food requirements. Irrigation is a major and vital component of agricultural activity. It was right to have conceptualized small irrigation schemes. If the departments had carried them forward according to a well chalked out plan, these would have become highly beneficial. All we say is that the Flood Control and Irrigation as well as the Agriculture Department have to be answerable for leaving this project incomplete. There has to be accountability and those who were responsible ought to be charge sheeted. For future, the Government will have to overhaul the machinery with the purpose of not loosing the funds given by the Centre for any major or minor project.
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