In deep water

Patna, March 31: The Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) for the fourth consecutive financial year did not get the second instalment of the money this fiscal because its laggard officials failed to submit the utilisation certificate of the first instalment.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had sanctioned Rs 2.14 crore for the VTR in 2010-11. It released the first instalment of Rs 1.71 crore to the state in September 2010. But the tiger reserve officials failed to submit its utilisation certificate. With this fiscal ending today, the remaining money would lapse.

The situation was no better in the 2009-10 fiscal when NTCA had sanctioned Rs 1.34 crore for VTR and released the first instalment of Rs 1.08 crore. The remaining fund never reached the tiger reserve as the utilisation certificate was not sent to the Centre on time.

In 2008-09, VTR could avail just Rs 1 crore against the sanctioned amount of Rs 1.96 crore. In 2007-08, it could get just Rs 78 lakh out of the total fund of Rs 97 lakh earmarked by NTCA for the reserve.

VTR officials, however, are not ready to take the blame for the failure in utilising the first instalment of the central funds on time. They passed the buck to the state government.

A senior VTR official said the NTCA fund does not come to the reserve directly. The funds first go to the state headquarters and from there it is released to the tiger reserve. As the fund releasation process in the state headquarters takes a lot of time we get the fund towards the end of a fiscal, leading to delay in its utilisation.

The official said the first instalment of the fund for the financial year 2010-11 was released by NTCA in September 2010 but the state headquarters took almost five months to release it to the reserve. The fund was actually released towards the end of January 2011.

The official said it was virtually impossible to use the entire fund in just two months and submit the utilisation certificate for getting the second instalment from the Centre. He said the situation had been more or less similar in the past.

The lack of funds adversely affects vital works in the reserve.

“In 2010-11, it forced us to do without the fire lines in the reserve though the fire season is on and the reserve faces the danger of fire engulfing it,” said the official.

Bashir Ahmed Khan, the principal chief conservator of forest, said: “Delay takes place from both sides. Sometimes the NTCA releases the fund very late and at times there is a delay on our part because we fail to submit proposal to the Centre on time.”

Chief wildlife warden Mithilesh Kumar said: “I am aware of the issue and from the next fiscal we will make efforts to ensure the proposal to the Centre is sent on time.”

He added: “The funds received from the Centre would be released to the reserve in the shortest possible time to enable VTR to use the funds and submit the utilisation certificate on time.”