Thackeray govt targets another Fadnavis project; forms SIT to probe Jalyukt Shivar scheme

In another move targetting ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis, the Uddhav Thackeray government on Friday, has formed an SIT to investigate the BJP-Sena government's Jalyukt Shivar, as per sources. The scheme which has not been renewed since December 2019, recently came under flak by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for its limited impact inspite of its Rs 9633.75 crore spending. The project involved deepening and widening of streams, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, undertaking work on nullahs and digging of farm ponds to make 5000 villages drought-free.

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CAG report on Jalyukt Shivar

The CAG report tabled in the Maharashtra Assembly said that a sum of Rs 9,633.75 crore was spent on the scheme, but had little impact in achieving water neutrality and increasing groundwater level. The report added that there was “lack of transparency” in the execution of works and inadequate monitoring by the state water conservation department. The Shiv Sena, which was a part of the Fadnavis government, has criticised the BJP for the scheme.

The report stated that the scheme catered to 22,586 villages and 6.41 lakh works were undertaken in all, of which 98 percent or 6.3 lakh works were completed at a cost of Rs 9,633.75 crore. After studying 120 villages, the report found that the storage created in 83 villages was not sufficient to meet the water requirement. Moreover, 37 of these 83 villages suffered shortage due to less storage created than planned - more than 20% less.

The report added that none of the 120 villages collected cess towards maintenance and repairs and that only 29 of the 80 villages, which were declared as water neutral, actually achieved the status. The report also said that of the 58 villages surveyed, 38 had seen no increase in groundwater level and the 22 that did witness an increase, saw a rise between 4 percent to 15 percent. Reacting to the backlash, Fadnavis had maintained that such recommendation by the CAG were routine and that the government should have continued the scheme to make it successful.

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Jal Yukt Vihar stalled

While the State government claims that the project has not been scrapped, the first phase of the scheme which ended on December 31, 2019, has not extended, as per irrigation officials. The Jalyukt Shivar set an ambitious target of making 5,000 drought-prone villages free of water scarcity by 2019. Under this scheme, various water conservation initiatives such as the construction of farm ponds, rejuvenation of water storage capacity, building decentralised water bodies and so forth were undertaken. The project along with several other Fadnavis government projects like Mumbai Metro 3 car shed, Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train to name a few are currently under probe.

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