IRRIGATION SCAM: Govt saves face, names irrigation SIT members at the 11th hour

Mumbai: In a last-ditch effort to save itself from major embarrassment, the state government announced late on Monday the terms of references as well as the names of members of the special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam.

The announcement came at 11.40pm, just 20 minutes before the expiry of the government’s self-imposed December 31 deadline.

According to a release put out by the CM’s office, the SIT, headed by water management expert Madhavrao Chitale, will have three former bureaucrats—retired additional chief secretary (finance) A K D Jadhav, retired irrigation secretary V M Ranade and retired agriculture commissioner Krishna Lavekar— as its members. The SIT, which will be headquartered in Aurangabad, will have to submit its report within six months.

The government also announced the SIT’s terms of reference, which include reasons for lesser irrigated area, cost escalation in projects and the delay in execution and implementation of the projects. The SIT will also probe if administrative procedures were followed while approving the cost escalations. The government has asked the SIT to recommend measures it needs to take to complete irrigation projects within deadlines.

Water resources minister Sunil Tatkare had announced the formation of the SIT in the state legislative assembly on December 17. “The SIT probe will certainly go beyond what the white paper has already established,” he had said.

“The government took its own sweet time to make the announcement. Fearing criticism from the Opposition in case the government missed the deadline, Chavan made the announcement at the eleventh hour,” a Mantralaya official said. “The difference of opinion among the coalition partners on the SIT’s terms of reference led to the delay.”

For the past few months, the Congress and the NCP have been at loggerhead over the irrigation issue. The NCP’s Ajit Pawar had to resign following allegations of irregularities in irrigation projects. After the government’s white paper practically gave Pawar a clean chit, he was re-inducted into the state cabinet. The Opposition condemned Pawar’s re-induction, following which the CM agreed to an SIT probe.

STORY SO FAR

• Following allegations by opposition parties over the irrigation scam worth Rs 70,000 crore, the CM announced an SIT probe
• The white paper tabled by the government in November claimed 28% rise in the irrigation potential in the past 10 years
• The state economic survey cited .01% rise in irrigated area in Maharashtra while the white paper tabled by the government claims 5.17% rise

Courtesy:
Sanjeev Shivadekar TNN
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IRRIGATION SCAM : NCP may seek judicial probe to keep SIT at bay

Mumbai: In a politically strategic move, the NCP has decided to submit a proposal for a high-level judicial probe into the multi-crore irrigation scam in the state to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Although Chavan declined comment, a senior Congress minister told TOI on Sunday that the NCP had sought legal opinion on entrusting the probe to a panel set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act to end the weeklong stalemate over the scandal in both houses of the state legislature.

The minister pointed out that six public interest litigations against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and water resources minister Sunil Tatkare were pending before the Bombay high court, while leader of opposition Eknath Khadse is in the process of filing two more PILs on gross misuse of power and corruption in the irrigation department.

“The NCP fears that the court may order setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) or entrust the probe to the CBI as urged by the petitioners. In that event, the NCP will be at the receiving end. To avoid such a situation, the NCP itself will propose a judicial probe. If the proposal is accepted, then it will inform the court accordingly. In that event, the chances of setting up a SIT will be lower,’’ the minister said. Irrigation white paper has ‘outdated, misleading’ stats

Mumbai: Lies, damned lies and statistics.
The controversial white paper on irrigation projects produced by the state water resources ministry is littered with outdated, confusing and allegedly misleading statistics. Data pertaining to over half a dozen major projects are at least a decade old and widely differ from information submitted by the ministry to the state assembly eight months ago.

Most projects are in drought-prone Vidarbha region. A senior department official said the white paper seems to have exaggerated the irrigation potential and actual land which came under irrigation.

A detailed analysis of the two-volume report released by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on November 29 shows old data was used to boost figures of land under irrigation.

The discrepancies are glaring, as in the case of the Wan project in Akola district of Vidarbha. The white paper boasts that the irrigated land due to this project is 14,428 hectares. It also admits that this figure is for the financial year 2003-04.

However, the programme estimate booklet presented in the budget session of the state assembly early this year,issilenton theirrigated land and shows it as ‘nil’. “Even if the figures in the white paper are correct, it is misleading to give data whichis a decadeold,’’ sources said. The department has to give updated figures every year, they added.

In the Upper Wardha project in Amravati district, the white paper shows a total irrigated area of 36,119 hectarestill2007-08.On theother hand, the programme estimates booklet pegged the figure at 31,760 hectares in 2010-11. “This is a total farce. The white paper relied on fiveyear-old data. Moreover, the figure in the estimates booklet shows a smaller area under irrigation,’’ department officials said.

The Arunavati project in Yavatmal district is another where major discrepancies have been found.

The white paper pegs the land under irrigation at 10,229 hectares, although the programme estimates booklet gives a figure of 670 hectares as on 2009-11.

Differences in expenditure figures have also been found in the Pench project in Nagpur. While the white paper saidonly Rs293 crorewas spent till March 2012, the estimates booklet pegged it at Rs 323 crore till March 2011.

The length of the right bank main canal of the Gosikhurd national irrigation project also varies in the two government documents. The white paper puts its length at 99 km while the estimates booklet shows it at 107 km. TOI had reported how the white paper claimed the quantum of landbroughtunder irrigation by the Gosikhurd project was 5,279 hectares, but the programme estimates booklet puts the figure at1,582hectares. Similarly, the white paper claimed expenditure on the Gosikhurd project was Rs 6,073 crore, but the programme estimates booklet puts the figure at Rs 6,609 crore.

Interestingly, the white paper does not reveal the actual figures of land under irrigation in western Maharashtra. It only gives the irrigation potential (where canals are ready, but water hasn’t reached fields) these projects have created.

The target irrigation potential of many projects in western Maharashtra is pegged on a lower side in the programme estimates compared to the white paper.

“If figures in the programme estimates booklet are wrong, it will be a fit case for breach of privilege in the assembly,’’ the sources said.

Courtesy:
Prafulla Marpakwar TNN
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