Saryu Nahar Pariyojana: Cost escalates from ₹299 cr to ₹10K cr in nearly 40 yrs, CAG report flags lapses

Hindustan Times

11 hours ago

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has detected lapses in the launch of the Saryu Nahar Pariyojana (SNP) that led to an increase in the estimated project cost from ₹ 299.20 crore in 1982 to the actual cost of ₹10,003.11 crore in 2021, when the canal was commissioned. The SNP was formulated in 1982 at an estimated cost of
₹ 299.20 cr by enlarging the scope of the left bank Ghaghara canal project. (For Representation)
The state government should fix responsibility for lapses and delays in the project execution, the CAG audit report said, adding that awarding of contracts and quality of construction works should be probed. Even after the launch, the project failed to provide desired benefits to the farmers as many of the canals and their distribution system remained incomplete, the report said.
Uttar Pradesh parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna tabled the report during the Monsoon session of the state assembly that concluded on August 14. The performance audit focused on the execution of works from April 2017 to March 2022. The SNP was formulated in 1982 at an estimated cost of ₹ 299.20 crore by enlarging the scope of the left bank Ghaghara canal project, which was conceptualised by the state government in 1978 to irrigate 3.54 lakh hectare area of the trans-Ghaghra region in eastern Uttar Pradesh, the CAG said
A culturable command area (CCA) of 11.29 lakh hectare was to be created under the project, covering nine eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh. Irrigation potential of 14.04 lakh hectare was to be generated in this area. SNP was commissioned in December 2021 at an expenditure of ₹10,003.11 crore.
SNP received funds from the state government resources, central assistance from Government of India under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programmes, National Project and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana and loan from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the CAG report said.
The CAG report observed that the project suffered due to delay in acquisition/purchase of land and funding. The CAG report also noticed that detailed estimates were prepared without approval to longitudinal sections of canals and drawings of the masonry structures, which led to significant changes in the scope of contracts. Cost estimates were not prepared as per the norms prescribed in the Schedule of Rates and in the Detailed Project Reports, due to which there were cases of overestimation in the works estimates.
Contract management was weak and tenders were invited without technical sanctions, the report said. Insufficient time was given to bidders to submit the bids and instances of excess expenditure and undue advantage to contractors were noticed, the report added. The project was commissioned in December 2021 after nearly 40 years from the date of start of work.
However, many of the canals were incomplete/not taken up for construction. The Rapti Main Canal and its distribution system were not utilised for want of outlets and sumps, the report said. Command area development works were completed only in 20 per cent CCA hindering the flow of water from canals to fields, the CAG report said.
The CAG urged the state government to investigate the reasons for incorrect assessment of requirements of the project leading to significant variations in the scope of works during execution and consequential delays in the completion of project.
'The state government should carry out comprehensive field surveys to determine the actual area covered with the Saryu Nahar Pariyojana for correct assessment of required development work and for effective irrigation planning,' the CAG report said.