Lack of coordination between the departments concerned and lethargy on the part of the government to utilise Central funds has cost the State dear, with the Centre seeking refund of the unspent money provided for environmental regeneration of the Veli and Akkulam lakes.
The directive from the Union government has come at a time when the State is undertaking a project to remove water hyacinth, dredge and clean the waterbodies for boat rides in order to to attract tourists to Akkulam and Veli tourist villages, the two prime domestic tourist spots.
The ₹4,29,80,000 to be refunded is the first instalment of the ₹17.19 crore (70 %) sanctioned by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the regeneration of the two lakes under the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) in 2005. The State’s share (30%) was ₹7.37 crore.
The funds were released to Theerapadham Urban Development Project (TUDP), nodal agency for implementing the project in the State. Over the years, the Central share was subsequently transferred from the TUDP to the Irrigation Department and later to the account of Travancore Cements Ltd (TCL), a public sector undertaking of the State.
Since the environmental regeneration project to be executed by TCL remained a non-starter, the KWA was asked to utilise ₹24.56 crore of the funds five years ago for setting up a sewage treatment plant at Akkulam to treat water from Amayizhanjan and Ulloor canals before it reaches the two lakes.
The Centre’s directive is in the wake of the finding that “₹4.29 crore could not be utilised till date for the purpose for which it was sanctioned” and that the unspent funds remained in the account of the KWA.
The non-utilisation of ₹4.29 crore under the NLCP had even drawn criticism from the Comptroller and Auditor General Performance Audit on Water Pollution. The State has been asked to refund the first tranche of the Central share to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The Managing Director, KWA, has remitted ₹4.29 crore to the exchequer to comply with the Centre’s directive, official sources said. As a breakwater in Veli and STP is needed at Akkulam to keep the two lakes clean, the State will have to mobilise the funds for STP.
