Local representatives running the Lumbini provincial government’s ‘Hardawa Smart Agriculture Village Programme’ have submitted piles of fake bills to overcharge for every bit of work done under the programme.
Devendra Basnet, Center for Investigative Journalism-Nepal
It was during the 2019/2020 fiscal year that the Lumbini provincial government launched the ‘Smart Agriculture Village Programme’. Under the programme, a project was envisioned to build a reservoir to collect rainwater to be used for agriculture purposes near a rivulet in the Hardawa forest in Lamahi Municipality Ward No. 9, Dang. Local resident Bhup Bahadur Reule said, “The aim of the project was to provide irrigation facilities to the village by developing a reservoir to tap into water that flows in it during the rainy season.”
Work on the project started in June 2020. The western stream of the rivulet was blocked by allocating Rs. 1.5 million of the Rs 5 million budget set aside for the project. “The western stream of the river has been blocked by debris,” said Reule. “Nothing has been done after that.”
But the Smart Agriculture Village Programme’s report says that a big dam has been built on the rivulet. Khim Bahadur Yogi, a member of Lamahi Municipality Ward No. 9, said, “They didn’t even use a single loader in the process.”
However, the programme’s report claims that a concrete dam was constructed on the site. The bill presented for the work says that a total of 156 hours of work was needed to dig earth, move it and then to build the dam. The total cost claimed was Rs. 759,291. However when one visits the project site, the cost quoted seems inflated.
Dam built at a cost of Rs 1.5 million. Photo by Devendra Basnet
A sum of Rs. 759,291 was paid to Rajpur Construction Company Pvt Ltd for the digging and dumping of earth on the river. The company’s owner Bhim Oli said a backhoe loader was used in the construction. He said, “I claimed my remuneration based on the number of hours spent.”
The Smart Agriculture Village Programme Implementation Committee said pipes were procured for the irrigation part of the project, but it was found that the committee used pipes that were already with them. However, the programme report states that new pipes were purchased for the project. The pipes used were made available for irrigation by an organization called ‘Resume’ four years ago.
The people’s representatives are not even hesitant to say that fake bills were prepared to procure new pipes on paper, but the pipes used were actually old ones. Khim Bahadur Yogi, a ward member of Lamahi Municipality-9, said, “A bill worth Rs 38,052 has been prepared to pay for the new pipes, but old pipes were used instead of new ones.”
According to a local people’s representative, it was Amar Kunwar, chairman of Hardawa Agriculture Smart Village Programme Implementation Committee who prepared the fake bills. However, Kunwar denied that old pipes were used. He asked, “If the pipe was not bought, where did it come from?”
Of the 50 households in Hardawa, 19 have so far received water for irrigation from the Hardawa reservoir. “Nineteen households in the lower reaches have not received the facility,” said Bhakta Bahadur Pun, a local resident.
Yubaraj Kunwar, secretary of the Hardawa Smart Agriculture Village Programme Implementation Committee, said water could not be supplied to all places in the lower reaches due to lack of pipes. He says, “We are now planning to propose a new project to buy new pipes in the upcoming budget.”
Discrepancies in moving earth
Irregularities have also been found in the moving of earth for the construction of the dam. A tractor (Ra 1 Ta 1510) belonging to Dandu Giri of Ward No. 9 was used in the construction. The project’s report says the vehicle made 500 trips and charged Rs 300 for each trip. Tractor owner Giri said, “My tractor has not made 500 trips. However, on paper I was reimbursed Rs 150,000 for doing 500 trips. I only received Rs. 61,000 in the end. ”
Giri said that Kunwar, the chairman of the Smart Agriculture Village Programme, got him to sign the fake bill by saying that other tractor owners are to be looked after as well. Giri said, “As he said he was issuing a cheque of Rs 150,000 in my name as everyone had to be brought onboard. I signed it.”
Ward member Khim Bahadur Yogi’s tractor was also used to transport earth during the construction of the dam. Yogi was also reimbursed Rs 150,000 on paper. However, he said that he received Rs 83,000 only. Yogi said, “As I was also told that other tractor owners also need to be taken care of, I signed the bill.”
Shady tool procurement deals
The Agriculture Smart Village Programme has prepared a report saying it purchased a power tiller with a capacity of 20hp from Kisan Trade and Suppliers, Lamahi, for Rs 210,000. But it turns out that a tiller with 18 hp capacity was bought instead of the 20hp mentioned in the report. Director of Kisan Trade and Suppliers Radheshyam Chaudhary confirmed that the Hardawa Agriculture Smart Village Programme Implementation Committee purchased a power tiller with 18hp capacity. Chaudhary said, “I sold it for Rs 185,000.”
The programme purchased a mini tiller for threshing maize. A bill of Rs 185,000 was presented to account for the procurement. It seems that around Rs 50,000 was embezzled in this deal as well. Asked about the current market price of the mini tiller, Chaudhary said, “The price of the mini tiller is Rs 135,000.”
It has been found that the programme quoted Rs 8,000 more than the actual price when it bought a combined rice mill. The programme bought the unit for Rs 42,000 but claimed to have done so by paying Rs 50,000.
The programme also procured three corn sheller machines from Kisan Tractor Spare Parts, Lamahi. Three machines were purchased at the rate of Rs 20,000 each, the programme report says.
However, Tractor Spare Parts, the vendor, said that the shellers were worth Rs 40,500, not Rs 60,000. Radheshyam Chaudhary from Tractor Spare Parts, said, “A corn sheller costs Rs 13,500.”
There have been irregularities even in the procurement of secateurs used to cut small branches off trees. It has been shown that Rs 35,000 was spent on the procurement of 25 secateurs at the rate of Rs 1,400. But they were actually bought for Rs 18,750. “The price of a pair of secateurs is Rs 750,” said seller Radheshyam Chaudhary. “I sold the units at the same price to Hardawa.”
The Smart Agriculture Village Programme procured 3,650 lemon saplings on June 28, 2020 to distribute them to farmers. It has been found that the programme paid Rs 255,500 to Sirjan Famous Nursery Farm, Salyan for the saplings at the rate of Rs 70 per plant. However, it can be provided at the rate of Rs 25 per plant when 3,000 saplings are bought, said Khumraj Dangi, manager of Sirjan Nursery. He said, “I am ready to sell 3,000 saplings at Rs 25 per sapling.”
The scheme is part of a programme being run by the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Lumbini Provincial Government. This programme was implemented by the provincial government in all 12 districts of the province. Various schemes related to the promotion of agriculture and animal husbandry have been run under the programme. The scheme under question in Hardawa is one of them.
The Smart Agriculture Village Programme is four years old. While Rs 5 million was spent in the first year of the programme, only Rs 1 million out of Rs. 3.7 million allocated for it has been spent in 2020/21. Local governments haven’t signed project agreements with the provincial government to continue the programme during the next fiscal year. Amar Kunwar, chairman of Hardawa’s programme implementation committee, said: “We are in a dilemma whether to sign the project agreement this year or not.”
Kunwar said that he is not keen to negotiate the project agreement as he was accused of financial mismanagement while implementing the program. He said, “Even ones doing good deeds for the society are accused of financial irregularities. So we don’t know what will happen this year.”
The provincial government has allocated Rs 3 million for Hardawa Smart Agriculture Village Programme in the current fiscal year.
The programme is under the purview of the Programme Unit of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives. Buddhi Ghimire, programme chief at the ministry, said, “I can comment only after looking at the work done there in detail. But the reports we received say the programme is being implemented well.
A seven-member programme implementation committee was formed in Hardawa under the chairmanship of Amar Kunwar. Devika Oli is the co-coordinator of the committee while Yuvaraj Kunwar is the secretary. Chairman Kunwar is an NCP cadre. He claims that he was compelled to present fake bills as he had to look at the practical aspects while doing social work. He said, “We have to look at the practical side as well.”
