DAO working to wind up projects without verification

MUGU, July 4: With merely two weeks remaining for the fiscal year to end, the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO) of Mugu is set to wind up its projects without proper monitoring.

For the current fiscal year, DADO had reached agreements with community-based organizations and local users groups to undertake eight different projects under Food Security Program and 23 small projects under Small Irrigation Program in the district around three months ago. But most of these projects are still incomplete.

Two weeks ago, the district-level monitoring committee had carried out the monitoring of different projects implemented by both non-governmental and government agencies through field visits, physical verification and by interviewing the beneficiaries. Before visiting the project locations, the monitoring team had sought the list of the projects that DADO had awarded to community groups. But DADO failed to submit the project list to the team.Upon the team's return, their monitoring report included no record of the projects found during their visit.

DADO had selected 31 small projects worth Rs 3 million -- around 85,000 for each project. But the monitoring team has found neither the projects in the field nor the community groups implementing the projects.

The irony is, the community groups are seen approaching DADO seeking reimbursement. Although the district development coordination committee's meeting had decided to make payment only after the projects are physically verified, DADO has started to settle the projects without monitoring.

DADO chief Chet Narayan Pandey admitted his office's weakness on the part of submitting the project details to the district-level monitoring committee.

"We can settle the project without monitoring by the district level committee if the project settlement is recommended by the respective VDCs, local service centers and technicians of DADO," said Pandey.

As per the existing provision, Development projects of the government have to be settled five days before the end of fiscal year, or else the funds allocated will lapse. Fearing budget lapse, DADO is working to settle the projects even incomplete projects, an official from DADO claimed, on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Ramsurath Pal, agriculture processing officer at DADO, informed that many people from eastern part of the district have set out for the mountains for picking yarsagumba and this will delay the projects in the lack of manpower.

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