24% of Odisha’s irrigation potential cost ₹12,742 crore in five years: CAG

‘Lack of assured supply of water has deprived farmers of irrigation facilities’

Odisha has achieved only 24% of its envisaged irrigation potential despite spending ₹12,742.11 crore in the five years between 2014 and 2019, a performance audit conducted by Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reported.

Various anomalies in the execution of irrigation projects have been detected by the CAG in its performance audit on surface irrigation in the State. The report was tabled on Thursday.

The apex audit agency observed: “Odisha government had initiated various irrigation projects at considerable cost with the objective of providing adequate and assured water supply for farming. However, as noticed in audit, lack of adequate and assured supply of water through completion of irrigation projects has deprived the farmers of irrigation facilities.”

The audit had checked five major irrigation projects, nine mega lift projects (MLP) and 10 minor irrigation projects (MIP) for which a sum of ₹12,742.11 crore had been incurred up to March 2020.

“In spite of incurring expenditure of ₹12,742.11 crore in all projects, the irrigation potential achieved was 1,22,418 ha against irrigation potential proposed of 5,02,842 ha which constituted only 24% of the envisaged potential,” the CAG points out.

It says, “The reasons for non-completion and non-achievement of irrigation potential in projects are non-acquisition of land, deficient detail project reports, defective survey and investigation, deficient design in execution of the projects and inadequate availability of water in the canals.”

“Other than nine MLPs, increase in cost of the projects ranged between 182 and 4,596%. Despite escalation, only one major project — Upper Indra Irrigation Project — had been completed and other four major projects were in different stages of execution,” it says.