Key irrigation projects hanging in balance

The massive cost escalation of irrigations dotted across Konkan, Vidarbha, Marathwada, North Maharashtra and western Maharashtra, which works up to Rs26,000 crore, have proved to be a nightmare for Ajit Pawar, who quit as the deputy chief minister on Tuesday.

The NCP leader held the portfolio of water resources minister from 1999 to 2009. However, ongoing public interest litigations on various projects pending before six courts across Mumbai, Aurangabad, Pune and Nagpur have brought to the fore the alleged rampant misuse of funds in the irrigation sector.

A report of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) also revealed the misuse of funds. The moot question that is being debated in the state is why the state has failed to increase its irrigation potential despite investing up to Rs70,000 crore in several hundred minor and major irrigation projects.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan indicated, “The state still requires a whopping Rs75,000 crore to complete the ongoing projects.”
In Konkan, three irrigation projects whose cost was tipped at Rs300 crore were escalated to Rs6,000 crore. Similarly, the cost of the Goshikurd irrigation project in Vidarbha, pegged at Rs325 crore, shot to Rs7,700 crore. Despite this, the work remains incomplete.

In Marathwada and north Maharashtra, there are 11 projects whose entire cost has escalated to Rs1,100 crore. These projects should have been completed within a budget of Rs100 crore.

The massive mismanagement of funds and poor construction has marred several projects across the state. The state government has often been blamed for allegedly turning a blind eye to the to the misuse of funds by the politician-contractor nexus.