The Gosikhurd inter-district irrigation project on the Vainganga river in Bhandara is still a picture of neglect and indifference, even 24 years after its initiation.

The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had performed ‘bhoomipujan' for the project on April 22, 1988, when its original cost was a moderate Rs 372 crore. Now 24 years on, and after spending Rs 6,049 crore, Vidarbha's biggest irrigation project is nowhere near completion.

Promises were made for its early completion to bring about changes in the socio-economic state of Vidarbha but there are no more funds to realise the dream.

According to sources, the cost of the entire project has now escalated to whopping Rs 13,600 crore or roughly 40 times the original estimate and real benefits are yet to be passed onto people of Bhandara, Nagpur and Chandrapur districts who are going to be immensely benefited once the project starts irrigating land, providing drinking water and supply to industries.

The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, during his visit to Vidarbha region on July 1, 2006 had promised to accord National Project status to Gosikhurd.

While accepting the demand to provide more funds for irrigation, the Prime Minister had observed, “The Indira Sagar Dam and the Gosikhurd Project are close to the hearts of the people of Nagpur. Its foundation stone was laid by the late Rajiv Gandhiji. I request the Government of Maharashtra to speed up the work on the project and we will provide all necessary assistance from the Government of India for the speedy completion of the project.”

The project failed because of paltry budgetary allocations made by the Staet government all these years.

The project was later included in the Centrally funded Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and as a special case declared as National Project wherein the Centre bears 90 per cent of the cost while the remaining 10 per cent has to come from the State government.

However, because of bitter feuding between some influential contractors and their political associates, the project work has come to a grinding halt, with most of the small contractors running from pillar to post to get their dues, which could not be cleared due to monetary crunch, sources said.

The Centre has blocked the release of Rs 800-crore second instalment, putting the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) – which is executing this project – and the contractors in a tight spot. Whether the project will be completed in 2012-13 depends on the political will of Vidarbha's leadership, sources said.

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