The CAG report for the fiscal ending March 31, 2010, tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday has indicted the director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department for according administrative approval to drinking water schemes under the mission taken up in Bagalkot, Belgaum and Chikmagalur districts, without ensuring availability of land.
“The projects were executed partially and then stopped due to non-availability of land resulting in unfruitful expenditure of Rs 37.39 crore ” the report states.
A review of implementation of development programmes in select departments of the zilla panchayat in Chitradurga has revealed that annual district development plans finalised by district planning committee were prepared without conceptualising an overall plan for the district development, the report states.
Lapse of funds
The lack of financial discipline and financial control resulted in irregular drawing of funds on self cheques, deposits of Rs 8.7 crore outside government account and lapse of grants of Rs 88.92 lakh, the report states.
The CAG report has also pointed out deficiencies in the management of Grama Swaraj - a project to strengthen panchayats in the State during 2006-07.
The State government released grants to gram panchayats without ensuring achievement of the envisaged performance indicators.
The objective of the Gram Swaraj project to achieve online communication and face-to-face training suffered due to delay in establishment of taluk resource centres and satellite communication centres.
There was no material improvement in collection of taxes and in response of rural population towards gram sabhas, the CAG has pointed out. Impact study on the effectiveness of service delivery in Gram Swaraj areas had not been conducted.
Operation of project funds through current accounts in banks resulted in loss of interest aggregating to Rs 1.06 crore, the report states.