At a time when alleged corruption in construction of dykes and embankments in Assam is in sharp focus, it has now come to light that the Water Resources Department is starved of funds that could be released on time for execution of crucial work. Well-placed sources have revealed that the Department has been facing acute shortage of funds, which has led to its increasing dependence on other government departments and a resultant delay in implementation of various schemes. One of the prime reasons for the fund scarcity is that there exists no budgetary provision for the important department, even though the vital schemes in the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys are in need of large amounts of money. With no budgetary provisions, the department has to rely on departments like Revenue and Finance, a practice that might look fine on paper, but has contributed to delay. "It would need at least a few months before a scheme would be sanctioned in the present circumstances,' said a senior Water Resources Department official. With the delay in the movement of files, it is no surprise that vital schemes do not get approved on time. On several occasions money was finally released by the end of the dry season, compelling engineers and contractors to carry out work in the rainy season, a development that invites the censure of affected people. Although the government has not stated it in clear terms, officials at the Water Resources Department believe that budgetary provisions do not exist because the department does not generate anything in the form of revenue. However, what seems to have been ignored is that the department provides protection to large populations, agriculture and commercial activities and thus serves vital interests. Referring to the Matmara embankment in Lakhimpur district, which has hogged the headlines in the last couple of months, a senior engineer said that work at the affected sites could be carried out much better if there were timely release of adequate funds. But with funds being provided by outside agencies, a situation has taken place where quality work cannot be expected. Lack of budgetary provisions has also had an affect on contractors, who on some occasions have stopped work after completing about 40 per cent of work. With no funds readily available, the contractors show a reluctance when they fail to get "running payments.' It has also been stated that even though several politicians have repeatedly announced major schemes, some even going on to state the amount earmarked, most of those projects have not even been sanctioned till date.