Questioning officials about the increase in the project cost of the Suryadhar project, the Irrigation and Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj has directed an inquiry in the matter. The Minister said this after inspecting the project being executed by the Irrigation department here on Thursday.
The minister visited the site to inspect construction of the barrage on Jakhan river as part of the Suryadhar lake project. He said, “This is the chief minister’s dream project which will supply irrigation and drinking water to a population of nearly 35,000 in 18 villages. The CM had clearly instructed that the project should be executed within the budget and that the cost should be checked. The earlier project cost was Rs 50.24 crore out of which Rs 41.12 crore has been spent. However, now the project cost has been increased to Rs 64.12 crore despite the CM’s instructions, which is questionable. I am ordering an inquiry into this matter.” The minister further said that the inquiry would be time-bound to ascertain the reasons for increase in the project cost. He also acknowledged the likelihood of gaps in the detailed project report.
Referring to the benefits of the project, Maharaj said that in addition to supplying irrigation and drinking water to residents of 18 villages and enhancing water conservation, Suryadhar project will also boost potential for income generation through tourism and activities like fishery. The development of the Suryadhar lake will make the opening of home-stays and other tourism related ventures profitable in this area. This is an ideal location for home-stays where visitors could enjoy peace and recreational activities in the lap of nature away from the crowd, he said.
Regarding construction contracts, the minister said that the local contractors of Uttarakhand are unable to get big contracts so the projects of the irrigation department will be divided into smaller contracts to enable the local contractors to secure the same. The proposal for the same will be tabled in the next meeting of the cabinet, he added.