HERE’S WHY CM IS SILENT ON IRRIGATION SCAM

WHITE PAPER NAMES SEVERAL CONGRESS POLITICIANS IN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF FORMER AND SITTING LEGISLATORS WHO GOT CHANGES MADE IN ORIGINAL PLAN OF IRRIGATION PROJECTS, WHICH LED TO DELAYS AND COST ESCALATIONS.

UJANI PROJECT (DISTRICT SOLAPUR) Administrative approval given in 1964 ORIGINAL COST: Rs 40.51 crore.
REVISED COST: Rs 1,992.78 crore.
The project is still incomplete and 10 lift irrigation schemes are yet to be completed.
Major changes were made that led to widening of the scope of the project when the then Congress CM S B Chavan in 1986 approved a demand of locals which led to inclusion of 282 villages and irrigation potential increased by 1.38 lakh hectares.

KRISHNA KOYNA LIFT IRRIGATION SCHEME (DISTRICT SANGLI) Administrative approval given in 1984 ORIGINAL COST: Rs 82.43 crore.
REVISED COST: Rs 3,042 crore.
Cost escalation happened due to certain demands made by political bigwigs such as Ministers Dr Patangrao Kadam (Congress), R R Patil and Jayant Patil ( both NCP), ex- MLAs Ajit Ghorpade (Congress), Anil Babar (NCP) and others.

URMODI PROJECT ( DISTRICT SATARA ) Administrative approval given in 1993 ORIGINAL COST: Rs 212 crore.
REVISED COST: Rs 1,417 crore.
The scope of the project was changed mainly due to a demand made by then Cooperation Minister and local MLA Abhaysinharaje Bhosle ( Congress) who demanded canal irrigation instead of Kolhapuri type weirs.

WARNA PROJECT ( DISTRICT SANGLI ) Approval for the project was given in 1963- 64 ORIGINAL COST: Rs 31.64 crore.
REVISED COST: Rs 2,149.95 crore.
In 2006 , an increase of Rs 108 crore came in when it was decided to go for geo synthetic lining to canals.
The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Shivajirao Deshmukh (Congress).

IRRIGATION WHITE PAPER PUTS CONG ON BACKFOOT
CRITICISM is pouring in from all quarters over the white paper on state irrigation projects remaining silent on corruption and steering clear of putting any blame on former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar for delays and cost escalations.

This silence of the Congress-led Democratic Front government can be explained by the fact that demands by a number of former and sitting legislators for changes in the original plan of projects resulted in delays and cost escalations.

The white paper, which was made public yesterday, details the causes for delays and rise in project costs over the years. In this light, it would have been a logically inconsistency to pin responsibility for the maladies in the irrigation sector on Pawar, the NCP strongman who resigned from the government in a huff in September following allegations of corruption in several projects.

The state water resources department, which is led by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Minister Sunil Tatkare, has revealed the names of the legislators who made the demands for project modifications and also listed the changes they wanted that led to cost escalations. And many of these names are of leaders from the Congress, a fact that might be the prime reason behind Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan refraining from announcing any high- level inquiry.

The NCP, which has been pushed into a corner for allegedly making a mess of the irrigation department, has revealed these names in the 768- page Volume II of the white paper. The first volume of the white paper runs into 113 pages.

Volume II contains a list of 17 big projects, 19 medium projects and 19 lift irrigation schemes that are alleged to have drained the state coffers as most of them involve large- scale delays.
For the delays and cost escalations, the white paper blames land acquisition problems, rehabilitation of the project affected, paucity of funds and time consumed for detailed design and plans of the project, besides changing the scope of the project midway following demands from locals, projectaffected people and elected representatives.

For the delays and cost increase, the NCP- led water resources department indirectly blames the Congress- led departments, such as the revenue department that is responsible for land acquisition and relief and rehabilitation for project- affected people.

The white paper seeks to clarify that the prime reason behind cost escalations has been changes made in the scope of a project.

SOME BIG PROJECTS THAT HAVE SEEN CHANGES

UJANI PROJECT (SOLAPUR)
Approval given on August 20, 1964 Original cost: Rs 40.51 crore Revised cost: Rs 1,992.78 crore Status: Incomplete , ten lift irrigation schemes pending Projected benefits: Irrigation potential of 2.59 lakh hectares of land Reason for delay/ Cost increase: Major changes to original plan that led to widening of scope of project. In 1986, the then CM S B Chavan (Congress) approved a demand by locals that led to inclusion of 282 villages under project and increase in irrigation potential by 1.38 lakh hectares. Length of canals also saw increase by a few kilometres.
Project cost rose by Rs 518 crore for these changes, besides other cost escalations like Rs 124 crore for command area development

KUKDI PROJECT (PUNE)
Approval given in 1966 Original cost: Rs 31.18 crore Revised cost: Proposal for cost increase is Rs 2,184 crore and has been submitted to the government Projected benefits: It will cater to needs of parts of Pune, Ahamadnagar and Solapur Status: Incomplete Reason for delay/Cost increase: Changes in district scheduled rates (DSR), land acquisition problems, and widening of scope of project following certain demands made by locals and MLAs that would cost Rs 255 crore. In 1986, demands made by local MLA Nandkumar Zawre (Congress) were approved in a meeting chaired by the then minister of state for irrigation Annasaheb Mhaske. In 2004, demands made by the then minister for tribal development Madhukar Pichad and the then energy minister Dilip Walse Patil ( both from NCP) also approved. Al this also led to cost escalation.

WARNA PROJECT (SANGLI)
Approval given in 1963- 64 Original cost: Rs 31.64 crore Revised cost: Rs 2,149.95 crore, proposal is awaiting government nod Status: Incomplete Reason for delay/ Cost increase: Land acquisition problems, DSR issues and expenditure on establishment. Public demand for change in site of the hydropower project led to increase in cost. In 2006, cost increase of Rs 108 crore followed decision to go for geo synthetic lining for canals taken in a meeting chaired by Shivajirao Deshmukh, chairman of the legislative council.
Changes in water distribution system added another Rs 176.82 crore to cost.

NIRA DEOGHAR PROJECT (PUNE)
Approval given in 1983- 84 Original cost: Rs 61.84 crore Revised cost: Rs 1,334.35 crore ( approved in 2009) Status: Incomplete Reason for delay/ Cost increase: Scope of the project changed when local MLA, ex- minister Anantrao Thopte (Congress) demanded 21- km canal and lift irrigation scheme. Ex- MLA Madanrao Pisal (Congress) and former Dy CM Vijaysinha Mohite Patil (NCP) also demanded benefits of the project for their constituencies, Wai and Malshiras respectively, leading to cost escalation of Rs 123.15 crore and increase in dam length from 1,608 metres to 2,330 metres and height from 46 metres to 58.8 metres.

URMODI PROJECT (SATARA)
Approval given in 1993 Original cost: Rs 212 crore Revised cost: Rs 1,417 crore Status: Incomplete Reason for delay/ Cost increase: Scope changed as then Cooperation Minister and local MLA Abhaysinharaje Bhosle (Congress) demanded canal irrigation instead of Kolhapuri- type weirs

TARALI PROJECT (SATARA)
Approval given in 1995- 96 Original cost: Rs 194.32 crore Revised cost: Rs 1.57.63 crore Status: Incomplete Reason for delay/ Cost increase: Scope changed when then chief minister Manohar Joshi of Shiv Sena approved a lift irrigation scheme as a special case, which led to a cost escalation of Rs 110.49 crore

SINA KOLEGAON PROJECT (OSMANABAD)
Approval given in 1992 Original cost: Rs 70.88 crore Revised cost: Rs 455.28 crore Status: Incomplete Reason for delay/ Cost increase: Scope saw an increase of Rs 76 crore when a meeting chaired by then Water Resources minister Ajit Pawar, Minister for Krishna Valley Development Corporation Ramraje Nimbalkar and local MLA Rahul Mote (NCP) approved inclusion of a new lift irrigation scheme.
Change in designs caused cost increase of Rs 106.62 crore

KRISHNA KOYNA LIFT IRRIGATION SCHEME (SANGLI)
Approval given in 1984 Original cost: Rs 82.43 crore Revised cost: Rs 3,042 crore Status: Incomplete Reason for delay/ Cost increase: Cost escalated because of certain demands made by Ministers Dr Patangrao Kadam ( Congress), R R Patil and Jayant Patil ( both NCP), former MLAs Ajit Ghorpade (Congress), Anil Babar (NCP) and others.
Dr Kadam demanded inclusion of some villages, which led to cost increase of Rs 22.17 crore.
Demands made by R R Patil and Jayant Patil increased cost by Rs 28 crore.
Cost escalation of approximately Rs 48 crore came about due to various demands by the former minister Ajit Ghorpade. He was also part of a demand that was made by then minister Shivajirao Deshmukh, former MLA Umaji Sanmadikar and Minister Laxman Dhoble, which led to cost increase of Rs 336.73 crore. A demand by Anil Babar resulted in cost increase of Rs 11 crore
Courtecy:
RAVIKIRAN DESHMUKHhttp://epaper2.mid-day.com/showtext.aspx?boxid=12032753&parentid=187598&issuedate=01122012&edd123=Mumbai
http://epaper2.mid-day.com/showtext.aspx?boxid=12653878&parentid=187630&issuedate=01122012&edd123=Mumbai

 

How ministers kept IAS out of irrigation and PWD depts

Irrigation Scam of 70,000 Crores in Maharashtra

Two state departments - irrigation and public works - now facing serious charges of corruption have long been resisting the appointment of IAS officers as their administrative heads.

While the irrigation department is currently helmed by Nationalist Congress Party's Sunil Tatkare, who is facing an Anti-Corruption Bureau probe for amassing assets disproportionate to his income, the public works department is led by his party colleague Chhagan Bhujbal, who has faced embarrassing questions about irregularities in the reconstruction of the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi.

The irrigation department till 2009 was controlled by Ajit Pawar, who resigned earlier this week as deputy chief minister following allegations that cost escalations in construction of dams had robbed the state of close to Rs 35,000 crore.

In December last year, the then chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad had proposed that both irrigation and PWD, just like any other department, must be headed by an IAS officer for better administrative oversight. The file went to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and he marked it 'Please speak' and sent it back to Gaikwad.

However, when the proposal discussed at a post-Cabinet briefing in January this year it met with stiff resistance from Tatkare, Bhujbal and Pawar, who was then the deputy chief minister. The proposal was never considered again.

Speaking exclusively to Mumbai Mirror on Thursday evening, Gaikwad confirmed he had moved the proposal to install IAS officers in irrigation and public works department. "The proposal met with opposition from certain ministers and was then put in cold storage," he said.

On Thursday evening, all attempts to contact Tatkare and Pawar were futile, and Bhujbal said he did not remember anything about any proposal to appoint an IAS officer as the administrative head of public works department.

Irrigation and PWD are the only two departments, apart from law and judiciary, where non-IAS officers rise through the ranks to the top slot of secretaries. While the logic behind having a non-IAS head law and judiciary is that the department requires somebody who knows his law, this clearly does not apply to irrigation and PWD.

The irrigation department has eight posts of secretaries. Two of them are posted in Mantralaya - one as principal secretary (irrigation) the supreme boss, and the other as secretary, command area development. There are six more posts of executive directors of various irrigation corporations and they have secretary rank. All these are engineers who have risen through the ranks.

The PWD has two secretaries - one for roads and another for buildings. Again, both are engineers.

Gaikwad's proposal did not seek to change this structure. It had only sought to appoint an IAS officer as the supreme boss in both departments. "The idea was to have independent oversight of the department. The political heads, obviously, did not want this," said an officer who did not wish to be identified. "The officers who start as engineers in irrigation or public works departments know they have to make their careers in these two departments. Hence they always toe the line. IAS officers have life beyond a particular department. In fact, they have a life beyond the state government. Hence, they tend to question more, probe deeper," he said.

No wonder then that no questions were raised in the irrigation department, when costs of building dams rose from a few hundred crores to a few thousand crores in a matter of days. Obviously, nobody had anything to gain by raising any questions and, of course, everything to lose.

 ‘Is this how partners behave?’
The Congress leaders have taken strong objection to effigies of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan being burnt by NCP activists, who blamed Chavan for the problems his former deputy Ajit Pawar finds himself in.

State Congress office-bearers and district unit chiefs met in the city to condemn the action of NCP workers.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre said he would convey the "strong sentiments" of Congress functionaries to his NCP counterpart Madhukar Pichad, who said he had already instructed party workers to stop protest rallies and demonstrations across the state.

The exit of Ajit Pawar from the government appeared certain, with NCP boss Sharad Pawar saying the issue of the deputy chief minister's resignation was "over" for the party.

Pawar said that after the party leadership gave Ajit the "permission" to step down after "due consideration", he handed over the resignation letter to Chavan.

Courtesy:
Yogesh Naik
Posted On Friday, September 28, 2012 at 04:31:01 AM
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