Govt fails to keep statutory promise, withholds irrigation funds

While the VIDC made a laudable effort to raise funds totalling Rs 1,219 crore through bonds, the State government made little effort to fulfill its statutory commitment of contributing 50 per cent of the amount raised by the VIDC.

The State government not only withheld its share of funds but also failed to take steps to appoint competent officers of the rank of deputy collectors and tahsildars for carrying out the job of acquiring land earmarked for irrigation projects, to prepare cases for payment of compensation to the ousters and to develop new townships for their rehabilitation.

As many as 25 posts of deputy collectors and about 70 posts of tahsildars are lying vacant in the Vidarbha region.

This shocking state of affairs came to light at a meeting of the Vidarbha Statutory Development Board, held here under the chairmanship of Board chief Harshwardhan Deshmukh. Two newly-appointed vice presidents of VIDC, Dr Sunil Deshmukh and Ramesh Bang, also attended the meeting.

The VIDC office-bearers and Development Board members, who were critical of the State government’s approach, suggested a way out. According to them, the better way is to empower the VIDC to carry out the land acquisition work on the pattern of the MIDC, which has already been empowered to acquire land for its industrial estates.

They found that an earlier experiment of utilising the services of retired government officials for acquisition work was a failure. This was because the re-employed retired officials could not be given powers to take decisions on financial matters. As an alternative, they suggested that the VIDC be empowered on the pattern of MIDC.

They also claimed that more officials would be needed for acquisition and rehabilitation work since all the 124 on-going irrigation projects were transferred to the VIDC, following the government’s decision to hand over projects with potential to irrigate 250-hectare land and more, should be implemented by the VIDC.

But the State government has not taken into account the changing situation, the members said in a sharp criticism of the government’s apathetic attitude towards this region. The VIDC officials and Development Board members also noted that the State government made no contribution to VIDC this year. As against funds amounting to Rs 1,219 crore raised by the VIDC through bonds, the government is committed to contribute a little over Rs 600. But its contribution has remained stagnant at Rs 264 crore. This amount was also made available from the special funds earmarked for the removal of the developmental backlog of backward regions, they added.

A report submitted by the Indicators and Backlog Committee of development boards also confirmed that the government was paying more attention towards the already developed western Maharashtra region. In case of the irrigation sector alone, the government released funds totalling Rs 1,414 crore in the last five years for western Maharashtra, which was Rs 480 crore more than the total irrigation backlog of that region. At the same time, the Vidarbha region was kept starving. As against the total irrigation backlog of Rs 4,083 crore, Vidarbha received funds totalling Rs 1,408 crore only during the same period.

As a result of the favoured treatment given to western Maharashtra, the region’s irrigation backlog has been completely wiped out. But Vidarbha’s backlog continues to remain pegged at Rs 2,588 crore, the report pointed out.

While accepting the report, the Governor also directed the State government to make sufficient funds available to these region so as to `liquidate the remaining backlog as on April 2001 in a period of five years’. This is for the first time that the Governor has set a deadline for wiping out the developmental backlog. He took into consideration funds earmarked for different regions and `directed the State government that from the year 2002-2003 onwards, higher allocation for the removal of backlog should be made so as to liquidate the entire backlog by March 31, 2005′.

IT seats

In a dubious move that is bound to create resentment in this region, the State government has decided to challenge the High Court decision to fill up 610 Information Technology seats allotted to Vidarbha region in this academic year.

The Bombay High Court, while granting 610 IT seats to engineering and technology colleges in this region, had directed the State government to take necessary steps to fill up these seats in this academic session alone. The State government first chose to remain silent on this issue for over a fortnight.

It has now decided to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.

This issue was also discussed by the Statutory Development Board members, who expressed `displeasure’ over the government move. Board Chairman Harshwardhan Deshmukh, however, ruled out the possibility of the Board playing the role of an interveneor in the interest of the students of Vidarbha region.