Panaji: In its Compliance Audit – Civil and Commercial report for the year ended March 2022, the CAG slammed the state’s tourism department for poor identification and planning of projects under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The CAG said the projects taken up by the department were not in line with the focus areas given in the scheme guidelines. “Deficiencies in planning and execution were observed in all projects,” it said.
The report said there was lack of coordination with the local panchayats during project preparation.
“Failure of the department to coordinate with the panchayats resulted in relocation of the Aguada helipad site, as the local residents opposed the construction of the helipad.” “The Morjim Khind project was executed on leased land in contravention of the scheme guidelines. Buses for the Aguada Fort project, equipment for sound and light show at Aguada Jail project were procured before the project site was ready, leading to idling or diversion of the assets,” the CAG commented on the implementation of the scheme in the state.
The report further said there was ineffective operation and maintenance in three out of eight projects and the assets created were missing or in an abandoned or deteriorating condition though Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) said that operations and maintenance partner was selected for all the projects.
“Parking areas developed under the scheme in Anjuna and Morjim were not being used for the intended purpose. Thus the goal of creating better tourist infrastructure was not achieved as envisaged under the scheme,” according to the report.
The CAG report has flagged wasteful expenditure of Rs 3.94 crore under the scheme due to shifting and non-utilisation of light and sound equipment. Besides, it has also flagged wasteful expenditure of Rs 1.65 crore on account of construction of tourism information centre at Terekhol.
A central project of the Ministry of Tourism, Swadesh Darshan Scheme in Goa is divided into two phases – coastal circuit I and coastal circuit II, implemented by GTDC. The total central financial assistance for the scheme is Rs 199.3 crore.
The CAG audit was conducted during the period from October 2021 to May 2022 and it aimed at finding out whether the projects under the scheme were progressing as per the guidelines and objectives.
The audit findings revealed lacunae in the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs), with the execution marked by defective planning. The projects located on private land were sans no-objection certificate etc.
As per the scheme guidelines, the DPRs were to be prepared taking into consideration the carrying capacity of the destination, showcasing of handicrafts, souvenirs, local cuisine, etc. However, the tourism department’s focus with regard to the scheme was on construction of toilet blocks, which remained non-functional.
