Auditor finds loopholes in lake conservation
30 Jun 2015 5:59 AM IST
The results of performance audit showed that implementing agencies had taken up conservation and development work in lakes in an ad-hoc manner, without adequate prioritisation and coordination amongst each other, CAG said in a report tabled before the Karnataka Assembly on Monday.
The performance audit on 'Conservation and Ecological restoration of Lakes under the jurisdiction of Lake Development Authority and Urban Local Bodies' was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the initiatives taken by various agencies involved in conservation and rejuvenation of lakes in urban and semi-urban areas.
The performance audit for the period 2009-14 covered the activities relating to conservation and restoration of lakes in the Revenue Department, Forest Department, Urban Development Department and Fisheries Department.
The audit also covers the role of various implementing agencies namely Lake Development Authority, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Development Authority, <g data-gr-id="34">Belgavi</g> and Hubballi-Dharwad city corporations, Pollution Control Board and Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board.
It covered 56 lakes, including 13 under BBMP, Bengaluru civic body and 19 lakes under BDA.
The report also said that Revenue Department had failed to carry out its responsibilities related to conducting surveys and removing encroachments in lakes, despite having the mandate for the same.
Also, the implementing agencies did not have any proper database on encroachments and hence the work of removal of encroachments from lake areas was only partial, it added.
The study of the lake area for 33 test-checked lakes showed that there were <g data-gr-id="33">incompetencies</g> in lake areas as per different records and the most recent records in many cases indicated reduction in the lake area. This was mainly due to roads, residential layouts and change in land use.
Further, the lake areas had been granted irregularly to various government bodies and private parties, it said.
Karnataka's Suvarna Gramodaya Yojana a failure, says CAG
The Karnataka government's 'Suvarna Gramodaya Yojana' was a "failure" as the overall development of each village was not achieved, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India <g data-gr-id="54">has</g> stated. Suvarna Gramodaya Yojana was launched by the state government in February 2007, with an intention to develop village communities by adopting an intensive and integrated approach to rural development. The objective of the scheme was <g data-gr-id="52">development</g> of 1,000 villages every year through the concentrated efforts of government, non-government organizations, partners from <g data-gr-id="53">private</g> sector and village communities.
The government on Monday tabled the CAG report on local bodies for the year ended March 2014 in the Assembly, which is holding its monsoon session here. The report contains results of the performance audit and compliance audit of Panchayat Raj institutions and urban local bodies. Stating that the performance audit of the scheme for the period 2009-14 showed that Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department allocated funds in pre-determined percentage for 10 different components, the report said.
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