Allocate Rs 850-cr water tax for repairs of irrigation projects: Maharashtra dept

A highly placed source said, “In the past six decades, Rs 70,000 crore has been spent on the construction of irrigation projects. Today, 376 projects worth Rs 84,000 crore are in the pipeline. But in the last 60 years, we have never made provisions for a dedicated budget to maintain these projects.”

In 2012-13, the water resources ministry had mooted a proposal of Rs 488 crore for repairs and maintenance of mega-irrigation projects. However, they were provided just Rs 158 crore. In 2015-16, the amount required was Rs 647 crore and sanctioned amount was Rs 90 crore.

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A senior officer said, “The water resources department has to take care of 3,189 irrigation projects across Maharashtra. The paucity of funds has led to seepage and cracks in the canals, because of which they remain underutilised. Almost 20 per cent loss of water can be attributed to the poor condition of irrigation projects.”

A senior officer in the ministry of revenue confirmed, “There are no specific guidelines from the ministry of finance or the ministry of water resources to divert part of the water tax funds for irrigation projects. The allocations of funds is the prerogative of the finance department.”

An official in the finance department said, “In the 2016-17 budget, we set aside Rs 7,800 crore to complete 28 irrigation projects. It was left to the water resources department to manage the funds and allocate them to projects they prioritise.”