Bhubaneswar: Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has not implemented the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) and the Odisha Disaster Recovery Project (ODRP) effectively despite utilising Rs 1,432.72 crore as of March 2017.
The CAG report which was tabled in the Assembly Thursday said OSDMA has not made early warning dissemination system (EWDS) one of the five components of the NCRMP, operational even after six years of the commencement of the project.
The Rs 65.56-crore project awarded to L&T was to be completed by March 2017. Among other things, the company was to install alert siren towers (ASTs) in 164 locations. Though the Special Relief Commissioner had released Rs 9.74 crore in March 2017 for the purpose only seven ASTs were installed in Ganjam. None of the towers were functional due to some technical lacunae. Likewise, mock drill was also not conducted.
The towers could not be completed due to belated finalisation of the design within stipulated period even after incurring an expenditure of Rs 9.74 crore.
The CAG report said 74 per cent of the multi-purpose cyclone shelters (MPCS) were not ready for use due to non provision of essential equipment and electricity.
The OSDMA had constructed 56 MPCS at a cost of Rs 77.84 crore in excess of the recommendations of IIT-Kharagpur.
The report said, IIT-Kharagpur had recommended for construction of 512 MPCS in six coastal districts based on area population and availability of cyclone shelters within 10 kms of coast line.
But OSDMA constructed 568 MPCS under various schemes between 2000 and 2017 without assessing the requirement. These included 316 MPCS constructed under NCRMP out of which 21 were constructed beyond 10 km from coastline resulting in an extra expenditure of Rs 77.84 crore.
The OSDMA had planned to set up MPCS in the campuses of existing schools. MPCS would be equipped with emergency equipment like generator and kitchen utensils. A corpus fund would be created for each MPCS for funding maintenance of the building. But OSDMA completed 242 out of 316 MPCS and handed over 233 to Cyclone Shelter Management and Maintenance Committee. The MPCS were not equipped with emergency equipment. There was no provision for electricity. It had also not created corpus funds. The audit observed that out of 43 MPCS only 11 were located within school or college campuses were being utilised.
There were instances of excess payment and undue favour in construction of saline embankments. OSDMA had not recovered liquidated damage of Rs 15.26 crore from the contractors despite delay in completion of works.
Against the planned construction of 30,000 houses under Odisha Disaster Recovery Project (ODRP), OSDMA had identified beneficiaries for only 16,576 houses.
UNI
