Panel expresses concern over non-completion of JNNURM projects

A parliamentary panel has expressed anguish over the delay in completion of a large number of projects under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission among others.
In its eighteenth report, the Public Accounts Committee headed by K V Thomas said that as per the audit report, only 253 of the total 2482 JNNURM projects (8.98 per cent) approved upto 31st March 2009 could be completed within the average period of completion of 2 years that is March 31, 2011.
The panel said that despite taking remedial action, the Urban Development (UD) ministry could complete only 46 percent of their projects as on September 30, 2013.

The record of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry (HUPA) was hardly any better.
While deploring the delays, the panel hoped that both the ministries have learnt suitable lessons and that the remaining projects would be completed without loss of time.
The panel also rued the adverse impact due to non completion of JNNURM projects like cost escalation, inconvenience and hardships to general public.

The committee also expressed concern at the shorfall in release of additional central assistance by the Centre for JNNURM. Against an allocation of Rs 66,084.65 crore envisaged by the Planning Commission for JNNURM during Mission period 2005-06 to 2011-12, a budgetary allocation of Rs 45.066.23 crore was made and against this allocation only Rs 40,584.21 crore had been released, it said.

The panel also noted that while conduct of elections in Urban Local Bodies was a mandatory reform under JNNURM, at least in six states the elections had been irregular.
The committee also criticised the failure of the government to implement other reforms including those pertaining to land and property.
It also took note of lapses in identification of beneficiaries of housing projects in some of the states.
The panel also sought suitable action in cases where JNNURM funds were diverted for inadmissible or even non JNNURM purposes.