Dehradun, February 16
Continuing with its poor track record of utilisation of funds earmarked in the annual budget, the Khanduri government has once again failed to spend 58 per cent of the planned budget funds sanctioned for the financial year 2008-09.

Although only one-and-a-half month is left in the current fiscal year, it appears virtually impossible for the government to exhaust funds amounting to Rs 2,800 crore in this short span.

According to official figures, the budget for the financial year 2008-09 was to the tune of Rs 4,775 crore. Out of this, till January 31, 2009, the state government had utilised only Rs 1,958 crore (42 per cent). As a result, funds amounting to Rs 2,800 crore are lying in the government exchequer unutilised. It would be a daunting task for the state government to spend this amount in just 45 days.

And since the Lok Sabha elections are nearing, the Model Code of Conduct is expected to come into force from the last week of February, which means that no new schemes would be announced.

Interestingly, when Maj Gen BC Khanduri (retd) took over reigns of the state as Chief Minister in March 2007, he had jokingly said he would be a “miser” with an aim to bring about fiscal discipline in the state administration. Now, with more than 22 months in the saddle, Khanduri government has indeed been a “miser”’ as far as spending from the state exchequer is concerned.

Coming from the national political scene to the state, Khanduri, since the beginning of his tenure as CM had been trying hard to consolidate his position politically, announcing developmental schemes all over the state. But the budget spending depicts a totally different picture.

During the last fiscal year also, the Khanduri government had miserably failed to exhaust the annual budget. Subsequently, the issue of inability of the state government to utilise the annual budget had become a major embarrassment for the BJP government and Khanduri during the winter session of the assembly held in November 2007.

Thereafter, Khanduri had strictly asked bureaucrats to speed up development works and lay stress on proper and time-bound utilisation of the sanctioned budget. However, figures for 2008-09 show that there has been no improvement, with 58 per cent of the budget lying unutilised.

Notably, this is likely to become one of the main election issues this time. The Congress, which is the main opposition party in the state assembly, has strongly flayed the state government and has dared the authorities to issue a white paper on the budgetary spending. Speaking to mediapersons recently, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) media incharge Suryakant Dhasmana came down heavily on the Khanduri government. He accused the government of being completely “irresponsible” towards development of the state. “Non-utilisation of more than 50 per cent of the budget has vindicated our accusations that the development in the state has come to a standstill,” he alleged.

While pointing out that majority of the government departments, including PWD, Irrigation, Jal Sansthan, Forest, Information Technology etc have not utilised the funds for the financial year 2008-09, Dhasmana said schemes and development works in all the government departments are hanging fire.

“The road network in the hill areas of the state is in a shambles, but the PWD is not bothered and is not even spending the funds available with them,” he alleged, while adding that various schemes related to the Jal Sansthan are also lying in cold storage.

He said non-utilisation of the funds for the current fiscal year would have an adverse impact on the budget for the fiscal year 2009-10. “When the Union government would see that the state government ha failed to spend the budget, the chances for increase in for the next fiscal year will diminish,” said Dhasmana.

He added that during the five-year Congress regime, there had been an increase of almost 400 per cent in the budget. “But unfortunately, the Khanduri government witnessed an increase of just 10 and nine per cent, respectively, in the last two budgets. And the way funds are lying unutilised, we apprehend very little increase in the budget for the fiscal year 2009-10,” claimed Dhasmana.

On the other hand, planning minister Parkash Pant said the government departments have not been able to spend the funds made available to them. “On the basis of the outlay provided by the various government departments, we allocate the funds from the annual budget. Now, we would be reviewing the funds’ utilisation of all the departments. Subsequently, a list of the departments that have not utilised a considerable amount of the funds would be prepared, and in future they would be given funds accordingly,” he said.

The minister, however, said some of the departments are not forthcoming in initiating new schemes. “Since a monitoring committee keeps a tab on each and every department to check that there is no misappropriation of funds, some of them are hesitant in spending them. This may also be another reason because of which funds are lying unutilized,” he said.

Pitthoragarh, February 16
The ridge of Chontuldhar at Tawaghat, which was showing symptoms of cracking, had suddenly burst into a big heap of dusts mixed with boulders and moved towards the Kali river that flows between India and Nepal last week. Since then villagers living in the periphery of the river are living under insecurity.

“The scene created a big catastrophic movement and covered the 12-km stretch of the road with dust and big sounds of heavy boulders pushing towards the river and creating a threat of stopping it,” said Kamal Singh Dhami, an eyewitness of Khela village. However, the flow of the river was not stopped much to the relief of the villagers and the administration as a red alert was sounded in the entire district on the banks of the river.

It was not a stray incident that occurred here, the area started responding to the outside interference specially use of blasting material in the road construction from 1977 onward when the villages of Shikury and Palpala witnessed heavy landslides during the rains killing more than 15 persons. The catastrophe was repeated in same locality in 1982 when 17 Army Jawans were drowned in an artificial lake created in the Kali river in the night when heavy boulders slide down. There have been frequent incidents of landslides in this part of Kumoan as Kulaghar, Baluwakot, Joljibi, Baram, Syalidhar and Gowalgoan areas witnessed landslides in the past 30 years.

Malpa was one of the biggest landslides in that area in 1998 in which 255 persons, including 55 pilgrims, died while on route to the Kailash Manshrover Yatra.

The natural calamities in the area are not confined to landslides alone, earthquakes, cloudbursts and flashfloods have also taken toll of human life and property. “Since 1971 at least 400 persosns have died in nine major and numerous minor landslides,” said Sumit Joshi, disaster mitigation officer in Pithoragarh district. “Every year hundreds of acres of cultivable land is washed away in around 50 villages situated on the bank of the Kali river and the Gori river making the villagers poorer every year,” said a resident of Ailagar village near the landslide area. The residents have been forced to live under the constant threat to their lives and lands.

The administration and the state government prepare disaster plans during the rains, but this time even during the current dry spell, the mountain bursts for the first time giving an indication that not only rains but even tectonic movement beneath the earth can trigger landslides.

“These mountains are made of metamorphic rocks and fall on the man boundary thrust of earth quake which goes from Nepal to Pakistan and passes from this area,” said Rajendra Shukla, a geologist who visited site after the recent landslide. Shukla was of the view that the landslide was result of a 4 Richter scale earthquake.

Locals fear about the safety of the 280 MW Dauliganga project built by the National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC). However, officials deny that the project would pose any threat due to earth movement. 

Haridwar, February 16
A resident of Riyav village in Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh, Bhoopendra Nath came to Haridwar, after the formation of SIDCUL, to work in a company called Alps Industries.

He worked as an operator in the factory but a terrible accident happened on June 30, 2006 where both his hands got badly injured while working in the factory. Bhoopendra Nath was referred to Safdarjung hospital, New Delhi, where both his both were amputated.

After recuperating he joined the same company in January 2008 but after nine months his services were terminated with no specific reason. Company officials said there is no work for him. Company has shed off its responsibilities and its officials refused to talk on this matter and said that its company’s prerogative to hire and fire workers, especially who are on contract basis.

“There are several instances in SIDCUL like Bhoopendra where employees are not being properly compensated after any such accident,” said Vimla Pandey, a social activist.

Grief-stricken Bhoopendra wrote several letters to the CM and to the company officials too but all in vain. Some people have come forward to help him in getting adequate compensation and a job but it is an arduous task without state’s help.

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The route chosen was mix of city and highway driving. Drivers of i10 Kappa who got the best mileage out of their cars were given prizes. The winner of the rally got a prize of Rs 15,000/-. The first and second runners up received prizes worth Rs. 12,000/- and Rs. 7,500/- each. — TNS