Land not leased out, CAG detects Rs 100 crore loss in Haryana

Tribune News Service

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, March 24

Finding mismanagement in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found Rs 100.77 crore loss in 18 gram panchayats (GPs) as cultivable land was not leased out.

Panchkula, Gurugram advances not settled

It was found that advances amounting to Rs 342.91 crore sanctioned for development activities were pending for adjustment in MC Panchkula and MC Gurugram.

It also cited how earth filling was carried out in Sirsa with vehicles whose registration numbers either didn’t exist or turned out to be of scooter/motorcycle.

The CAG, in its report, tabled before the Haryana Vidhan Sabha on March 22, test-checked 10 zila parishads out of 21, 68 panchayat samitis out of 126, and 621 gram panchayats (GPs) out of 6,197 from 2017-18 to 2018-19.

The GPs are expected to lease out their land for generating revenue. Eighteen GPs out of 32 test-checked revealed they had not leased out the entire cultivable land, some portion of land was not leased out for intermediate periods and in some villages, the land was not given on lease for periods up to five years. Due to this, the GPs lost revenue of Rs 100.77 crore during the period 2013-19.

Buildings and shops of Zila Parishad, Karnal, were not given on rent from 2013-19, resulting in loss of Rs 33.38 lakh. The efforts for the recovery of the rent of shops and building were lacking, as Rs 76.48 lakh was outstanding against lessees in the case of nine panchayat samitis and Zila Parishad, Karnal.

A sum of Rs 18.86 lakh remained unrecovered from 93 ex-sarpanches/panches. These cases are prior to April 2016.

In a test-check of records of Block Development Panchayat Officers (BDPOs) in 10 districts, it was found that the dues of house tax worth Rs 2.15 crore prior to 2018-19 were outstanding.

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