Notwithstanding Rs 70k Cr Irrigation scam, allocation for removal of development backlog shot up from Rs 492 Cr to Rs 1,09,390.17 Cr in last 35 years and yet Amravati district has the highest backlog. Where did the money go? Why are SDBs toothless tigers?
@prashanthamine
Mumbai: From an Central allocation of Rs 492 crore under the Fourth Plan in 1975-85 to remove backwardness in Maharashtra, the allocation to remove Irrigation backlog in Maharashtra as per Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s directives the total balance cost required for the completion of 313 irrigation projects has shot up to Rs 1,09,390.17 crore. It is a rise of Rs 1,08,898.17 crore when one considers the period of the last 35 years. Despite spending such huge sums, yet Amravati district has the highest irrigation backlog as of now.
Even the Rs 70,000 crore Irrigation scam amount falls short by Rs 39,390.17 crore, if one were to deduct the amount from the Rs 1,09,390.17 crore required to complete the 313 irrigation projects coming under the three Statutory Development Boards (SDBs) of Vidarbha, Marathwada and Rest of Maharashtra. As per the Governors directives for 2020-21 an allocation of Rs 6,540 crore was meant for the 313 irrigation projects.
What is worse still is that the Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is yet to decide upon the reconstituting of the 3 SDBs whose term ended on April 30 this year.
Sources in Raj Bhavan while speaking to thenews21 on conditions of anonymity disclosed that even before the deadline for granting extension to the 3 SDBs was to get over in April, the Governor had written to the MVA government wanting to know its stand on the issue. However, Raj Bhavan was informed by the MVA government that the matter was under its consideration.
Meanwhile, according to a senior state government official who also while speaking to thenews21 disclosed that the matter did twice come up before the state cabinet for approval but no decision was taken. The official added that prior to April 30, it would have been a decision to grant further extension of five years. Now since the deadline is over now the decision will have to be made for reconstituting the 3 SDBs.
The senior official admitted that in the last 25 odd years the issue of SDBs has become more of political nature. When those in power when they were in the opposition sitting across the table they used to demand greater autonomy for the SDBs. Now when the same people get into power the same issue is no longer important for them.
The official further added that the 3 SDBs do not have any financial powers or any control over the spending of the funds allocated for completing the irrigation projects. They are powerless and can only make recommendations to the government. Commenting upon the huge increase in funds required for completing the pending 313 irrigation projects and the backlog remaining, he added that despite the allocation made in the past Amravati district in Vidarbha region remains the most backward in terms of irrigation backlog.
Minister for Energy in the MVA government and senior Congress leader from Vidarbha, Dr Nitin Raut who had raised the issue in one of the recent meetings of the state cabinet however remained non-committal on the issue. When asked for his comments, he merely said that the matter was under consideration of the state cabinet and could not say as to when the decision would be made.
When asked for his comments, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye remarked “this MVA government has neither any vision nor vikas (development). The government has made no efforts for removal of the backlog in backward areas of the state. For this government ‘backlog’ has a different meaning. This government has pushed Maharashtra back in terms of development by several years”.
As per the Justice Ranjit Singh Sarkaria Commission report on Financial Relations, the Center under the Fourth Plan between July 1975 to June 1985 had allocated assistance worth Rs 2,212.1 crore, of which Rs 492 crore (7.3 percent) was meant for backward areas of Maharashtra. Between July 1970 to June 1980, the Center had made allocation of total assistance of Rs 424.7 crore for irrigation in specified backward areas, of which Rs 240.6 crore (7.6 percent) were meant specifically for backward areas.
Whereas, as per the Indicators Backlog Committee (IBC) report of July 11, 1997, the total backlog as on April 1, 1994 for the 3 SDB regions was Rs 14,006.77 crore. Out of which the backlog for Vidarbha was Rs 6,624.02 crore (47.60 percent), Marathwada Rs 4,004.55 crore (28.77 percent) and for Rest of Maharashtra the backlog was Rs 3,378.20 crore (23.63 percent).
As per the Fact Finding Committee (FFC) report or the Dr V M Dandekar committee report of 1983, out of the total Rs 3,186.78 crore backlog, Vidarbha had a backlog of Rs 1,246.55 crore (39.12 percent), Marathwada Rs 750.85 crore (23.56 percent) backlog and Rest of Maharashtra had a backlog of Rs 1,198.38 crore (37.32 percent) worth backlog.
Whereas, as per the Governors directives for financial year 2020-21 issued on February 28 earlier this year, a total allocation of Rs 6,540 crore was need for irrigation projects. For Vidarbha SDB it was Rs 1,237.04 crore, Marathwada 1,613.15 crore and Rest of Maharashtra Rs 3,689.81 crore.
As against this a total allocation of Rs 170.79 crore was earmarked for removal of non-Irrigation backlog. Out of which Rs 17.74 crore were meant for Vidarbha, Rs 20.25 crore for Marathwada and Rs 132.80 crore was meant for Rest of Maharashtra SDB.
In respect of total allocation of Rs 1,09,390.17 crore meant only for completion of 313 Irrigation projects, Rs 43,560.57 crore were needed only for 123 projects in Vidarbha, Rs 16,385.07 crore were needed for 55 projects in Marathwada SDB and Rs 49,444.53 crore were needed for 135 irrigation projects in Rest of Maharashtra.
The Sarkaria Commission had submitted its report to the then Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi on October 27, 1987, which is 33 years ago. As per the provisions of Article 371 (2) of the Constitution, it was decided to set up the three SDBs on July 26, 1984. The President of India accepted the Maharashtra State Legislatures resolution on March 9, 1994. Following which, the Maharashtra Governor on April 30, 1994, issued orders constituting the three SDBs.
As per the provisions of Article 371 (2) of the Constitution, it was the Special Responsibility of the Governor to ensure – equitable allocation of funds for development expenditure, equitable arrangements for technical education and vocational training, and, equitable opportunities for employment in services under control of the state government.
