Caught in politics? Two Saifai projects incomplete for years

Two projects -- a tourist complex and a multi-level parking facility – have remained incomplete in Etawah district’s Saifai years after they were sanctioned, leading to speculation whether political considerations were behind their fate.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the state legislative assembly early this week, has drawn attention to the two incomplete projects for which Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN) was nominated as the executing agency.

The state government’s tourism department had approved the construction of the tourist complex at Saifai (in March 2016) at an estimated cost of ₹28.93 crore and a multi-level parking there at an estimated cost of ₹41.89 crore (January 2017).

Those aware of the development said the department apparently did not provide more funds or approve the revised estimates following a change of government in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

The money spent (about ₹24.26 crore) after the department accorded administrative and financial sanction for both the projects in March 2016 and January 2017 has now turned out to be “wasteful expenditure”.

The tourism department had released ₹20 crore in two instalments (released in March 2016 and August 2016) for the construction of the tourist complex and ₹16.76 crore for the construction of the parking facility (in January 2017). The department apparently felt that the flow of tourists would increase in Saifai.

The CAG has observed that the department did not provide any details of a survey indicating an increase in footfall of tourists in Saifai, Etawah which led to approval of these projects.

The CAG observed that about 68% of the work on the tourist complex has been completed while 16% of the work on multi-level parking too was completed.

Though the CAG did not mention the change of government, it has indicated that no further funds were released for the two projects. The CAG, however, has referred to the regional tourist Officer (RTO) Lucknow’s request to the executing agency (in April 2017) to make the tourist complex and parking facility usable with the funds already released. But the executing agency informed that the projects cannot be made usable with the available funds. The department then asked the work executing agency in November 2017 to revise the scope of multi-level parking up to ground level and submit revised estimates to make the projects operational. A revised estimate for ₹23.53 crore was submitted though approval was awaited. The CAG report observed that no revised estimate was submitted for the tourist complex. The CAG said also that the executive submitted an incorrect utilisation certificate issued for an unspent amount of ₹10.82 crore while entire expenditure of ₹24.26 crore incurred on both the works remains blocked and wasteful.

Director general, Tourism, Mukesh Meshram said he would be able to comment only after studying the CAG report. He said reply to CAG reports is submitted once they (the reports) are received by the department.