No Maintenance Fund of Assam Government Makes Assets Lie Idle!

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Various departments of the Assam government create assets (projects) worth crores of rupees, but as often as not, leave many of them unattended due to lack of funds for their upkeep. The list of valuable assets lying idle for want of repair or renovation is getting longer every successive year.

Not laying stress on the right maintenance of assets created continues to remain a chronic lapse among the planners and others at the helm of affairs in Assam. There are even instances of inauguration of assets or projects even before the completion some minor works for political or other mileage. Such a practice makes assets created lie defunct soon after their inauguration. Due to lack of funds for repair, the departments can do precious little to bring such defunct projects back on track. There are many such instances. A PHE water supply project at Gariapara in Mangaldai was inaugurated in September 2018 when around 30 per cent of its work was yet to be completed. The water supply project has since been lying idle. In yet another instance, the residents of Somotiapara in Darrang district have not been getting water supply even as a water supply plant was inaugurated at the village way back in 2013. The water supply plant was inaugurated without giving it electricity connection. Likewise, an incubation plant was set up at Barhampur in 2015. However, because of some minor repair works the plant has been lying idle.

Delving deep into the problem, an official has said that many schemes have been lying defunct for want of minor repair works. “We get much less fund from the Finance Department than what we demand for maintenance of projects already inaugurated. For such a reality, our field officials have to bear the brunt of the public. The situation is the same for most of the departments like PHE, Irrigation, Water Resources, PWD, Veterinary etc. The plan estimation of every project should include the maintenance cost at least for five years. In the PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana) the contractor paving the road has to maintain it at least for five years.”

Meanwhile, a Finance Department source says that proposals for funds for maintenance of projects are never through. “The technical faults in them make us sanction smaller amounts than they seek. Lack of clarity in their proposals for funds for maintenance makes us not to sanction the full amount they seek,” the source said.

Given the crux of the problem, those at the helm of affairs in planning projects in the government should bear this in mind that ‘maintenance money is not a follow-up cost, but a part of the estimated project cost’. This is an all-cure pill for such a rot in the system.

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