Bhubaneswar, April 9: The state-owned Orissa Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC) has been pulled up by the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) for its failure to achieve target for creating irrigation potential, which is key to the state’s economic growth.

“No attempt was made by the state government or the OLIC to formulate perspective plan for execution of lift irrigation projects till September, 2009, though the state had lift irrigation potential of 8.9 lakh hectare. As a result, the corporation could create irrigation potential of 4.64 lakh hectare only by March, 2010,” said the CAG in its report for 2009-10.

The OLIC also failed to achieve the target envisaged in the state master plan prepared in December, 2006, for providing irrigation facilities to 174 deficit blocks having less than 35 per cent irrigation facility, the CAG report said.

Orissa being an agrarian state, irrigation plays a major role in its economic development and poverty alleviation here. The state government has, therefore, been attaching priority to the irrigation sector. The ruling BJD had also promised to provide irrigation to at least 35 per cent of the cultivable land in the state.

Out of the state’s total 61.65 lakh hectares of cultivable land, 8.90 lakh hectares had the potential to be irrigated through lift irrigation projects. Keeping this potential in view, the Orissa Lift Irrigation Corporation had been set up in 1973 with the basic objective of installation, operation and maintenance of maintenance of lift irrigation projects.

“However, neither the state government nor the OLIC did prepare any perspective plan for development irrigation facility till September, 2009,” noted the CAG report.

The OLIC formulated a perspective plan for 2009-14 only in October, 2009, to install 7,739 lift irrigation points with designated irrigation potential of 1.57 lakh hectare. The state government had also decided in May, 2005 to prepare a state master plan to provide irrigation facilities to 35 per cent of the cultivable area in every block during 2005-10. As per plan, the OLIC was required to install 9,391 lift irrigation projects in 174 blocks which have less than 35 per cent irrigation potential during the period.

However, the OLIC could install only 1,532 lift irrigation projects, which indicates the lack of focus and direction for achievement of the objectives of the state master plan. The corporation also lagged behind in creating irrigation potential, as it could achieve irrigation potential of 86,058 hectare as against the target of 1.33 lakh hectare.

The state PSU also came under the CAG’s rap, as 3,145 lift irrigation projects were rendered defunct due to improper maintenance, which resulted in non-realisation of projected benefit of Rs 1090.18 crore. Though large number of lift irrigation projects became defunct during 2005-10, no long-term action plan was drawn up for these projects so as to stabilise the created irrigation potential, noted the report.