Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on General and Social Sector: Government of Odisha
The State Government failed to avail Central assistance of 128.23 crore because of delay in execution and utilisation of funds for drinking water projects. Drinking water in adequate quantity was not supplied to all people in 95 out of 106 urban areas of the State. The CAG, in its latest report, has pulled up the State Government for its failure to ensure safe drinking water despite a policy in place. Water quality monitoring and surveillance was weak and unsafe water was supplied to many urban areas, the CAG said. Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Town (UIDSSMT) gave priority to water supply projects and provided for cost sharing between the Centre, State Government and urban local body (ULB) concerned at 80:10:10 respectively. During 2009-14, 17 water supply projects with project cost of 407.03 crore were sanctioned by the Centre under UIDSSMT and Central assistance for 197.39 crore was received. However, for six projects in Angul, Berhampur, Bhawanipatna, Jharsuguda, Parlakhemundi and Phulbani, Central assistance was not released as the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO) failed to utilise 70 per cent of the scheme fund in time. Central assistance of 99.28 crore could not be availed for projects in Baripada, Choudwar, Cuttack, Rourkela and Sambalpur Phase II as these were not started by the time the scheme was closed in March, 2014. The CAG maintained that as of March, 2015, only 92.36 crore was utilised and only two projects were completed.