Syed Junaid Hashmi
ET Report
JAMMU, Feb 26: Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has put a question mark on the implementation of centrally sponsored Indira Aawas Yojana (IAY) scheme in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a report tabled in the Lok Sabha recently, CAG has said that in Jammu & Kashmir, the details of housing shortage were available with the blocks but it was not consolidated at the district level. They have added that 3,764 out of 9,831 beneficiaries having kutcha houses in 11 out of 12 selected blocks were given financial assistance of Rs. 6.96 crore construction of new houses.
Further, in 48 selected districts of nine states viz. Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Rajasthan, 61,293 houses remained incomplete despite a lapse of more than two years which resulted in unfruitful expenditure of Rs 150.22 crore in respect of these incomplete houses.
Abandonment/non-completion of houses by beneficiaries after receipt of one or two instalments of assistance was also pointed out in Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Uttarakhand in the previous performance audit report. Ministry told the CAG that houses are completed in two to three years. Thus, a house remaining incomplete at the end of the year is completed during the subsequent year(s).
CAG pointed out that the reply of Ministry is contradictory to the extant provision in lAY guidelines which provided that completion of house in no case should take more than two years. Cases pointed out in audit all those in which houses remained incomplete for more than two years.
In 10 blocks of six selected districts, 1,903 beneficiaries were given financial assistance amounting to Rs. 3.87 crore during 2008-12 as first instalment for construction of the lAY houses. The second instalment in these cases was not released and the department did not monitor the status of construction. In the absence of any monitoring of the construction/post-construction work and related data, audit could not ascertain the status of construction in such cases.
BDOs replied that the beneficiaries were selected by GPs. The reply is silent on the measures being initiated to rectify the problem. CAG further noted that in all 140 selected districts of 22 states viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, type designs were not finalized/approved by the state governments.
They said that adoption of disaster resistant technology in the lAY houses falling in seismic zone was a pre-requisite for construction of houses. However, designs, having disaster resistant features were not adopted for construction of houses. The department stated that adoption of disaster resistant features would escalate cost of construction. However, CAG noted that the administration never took up the matter with the Ministry to enhance the amount of assistance for adoption of disaster resistant technology. The administration stated that suitable directions would be issued to motivate the BPL beneficiaries to adopt disaster resistant technologies.
In 285 selected blocks of 125 selected districts in 22 states/UT viz. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, local carpenters and masons were not trained for their skill up-gradation, disaster resistant technology and use of low cost technology and local material. |
