Arun Singh
Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 11 : In a rare case, the officials of the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department in Jammu as well as Kashmir have submitted inflated figures of utilization of irrigation potentials to the union government.
Sources told Early Times that irrigation potential in the State has been assessed at 11.76 lakh hectares. As reported by Revenue Department 2012-13, out of net area of 3.25 lakh hectares land irrigated, 2.85 lakh hectares of land is irrigated through gravity canals and the remaining 0.30 lakh hectares through tanks, wells and other sources.
As per the records of two Chief Engineers Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department Jammu as well as Kashmir had shown Irrigation Potential created under74 competed Minor Irrigation schemes including Jammu: 45; Kashmir 29 in respect eight division including ID 1stJammu, ID Akhnoor, I&FC Rajouri, I&FC Doda, IYFDC Bhadewah, ID Anantnag, ID Budgam and I&FC Baramulla out of 10 divisions as 16683 hectares as of March 2014, out of which irrigation potential of 12934 hectares had been utilized.
Shockingly, the records of these eight divisions showed that actual creation of Irrigation Potential under these 74 schemes of Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) was 6068 hectares against which irrigation potential of 4513 hectares was utilized only. Similar was the case in 4 Major Medium schemes (Jammu: 1; Kashmir 3) where Irrigation Potential created shown by the Chief Engineers was 29498 hectares against the actual creation of 23789 hectares recorded in the divisional records, sources informed. Thus the Department had shown inflated figures of irrigation potential created/ utilized in its reports submitted to government of India for demands of funds under the programme," they added.
The Irrigation Potential created by the Department ending March 2014 was 3.32 lakh hectres (Jammu: 1.39; Kashmir: 2.03). The Irrigation Potential utilized was 3.01 lakh hectares (Jammu: 1.11; Kashmir: 1.90) ending March 2014. Under AIBP, the irrigation potential of 1.85 lakh excluding Ladakh region hectares were created upto March 2009 and further 1.57 lakh hectares (Jammu: 0.50; Kahsmir: 1.07 lakh hectares) of irrigation potential were created during the period 2009-14. Against this, irrigation potential of 1.38 lakh hectares was utilized during the same period. Out of 770 schemes under execution during the period 2009-14, total of 407 schemes were completed as of March 2014.
|
