PANAJI
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticised the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) for deficient planning, poor execution and failure to follow guidelines while implementing the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan Scheme in the State.
The audit, the report of which was tabled on the concluding day of the Goa Legislative Assembly on Friday, found that projects were identified and prepared without due consultation and in violation of the scheme’s core objectives. This, it observed, ultimately led to the abandonment or misuse of assets and failure to create a functional tourist circuit.
The Swadesh Darshan Scheme, launched in January 2015 by the Ministry of Tourism for the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits, was implemented in Goa in two phases — Coastal Circuit-I and Coastal Circuit-II — with GTDC as the implementing agency. For the eight projects sanctioned under ‘Development of Coastal Circuit-I’, covering Sinquerim-Baga, Anjuna-Vagator, Morjim-Keri, Aguada Fort, and Aguada Jail, it pointed out deficiencies in execution.
“The identification of projects and project preparation was not in line with the focus areas given in the scheme guidelines. Deficiencies in planning and execution were observed in all projects. Lack of coordination with the governing local panchayati raj institutions during project preparation resulted in relocation of the Aguada helipad site as the local residents opposed construction of the helipad, subsequently,” it said.
The report noted that 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 the Aguada Jail project were procured before the project site was ready, leading to idling or diversion of the assets,” it slammed.
The CAG pointed to “ineffective Operation and Maintenance in three out of eight projects” with assets missing or in an abandoned/deteriorating state, despite GTDC claiming that O&M partners were appointed.
“Parking areas developed under the scheme in Anjuna and Morjim were not being used for the intended purpose. Thus, the goal of the creation of a better tourist infrastructure remains to be achieved as envisaged under the scheme,” the report stated.
Under the scheme, the Ministry of Tourism sanctioned Rs 99.99 crore for nine projects under Coastal Circuit-I and Rs 99.35 crore for 18 projects under Coastal Circuit-II (Rua De Ourem Creek-Dona Paula-Colva-Benaulim), making it a total of Rs 199.34 crore in central financial assistance.
The audit revealed that Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) were “not compliant with scheme guidelines” and that there were cases of “defective planning, execution of projects in private/trust land, and non-obtaining of NOC.”
The CAG said DPRs must factor in carrying capacity, local arts and crafts, cultural promotion, sustainability and environmental impact, but “five of the eight projects primarily focused only on amenities like public toilets, parking, Tourist Information Centre, etc, and did not specifically consider projects providing diverse tourism experiences.”
Also, other stakeholders such as local bodies or departments were not consulted on issues like sustainability/environmental impact before the preparation of DPRs. This resulted in delayed clearances and opposition from locals.
