Bhopal, Apr 3: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has criticised the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation for undue delay in completing 10 projects sanctioned under the Tourism Ministry's destination development scheme.

Out of ten destinations to be developed at a cost of Rs 30.90 crore during 2002-07 period, only one destination, Amarkantak, had been completed till August, 2007, that too without preparing the master plan, said the CAG report for 2006-07 presented in the Assembly recently.

''Delay in completion of the projects resulted in non-achievement of targeted upgradation of tourist infrastructure, thereby affecting the growth of tourism in the state'', the CAG said.

Projects of tourist destinations at Amarkantak, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, Indore, Burhanpur, Mandu, Panna, Jabalpur, Maihar and Bhopal were sanctioned with the stipulation that utilization certificates were to be submitted on completion of works and any unspent balance was to be surrendered to the Ministry of Tourism.

Any escalation due to delay in completion of works was to be met by the state government from its funds, the report pointed out.

Amarkantak, the CAG said, is primarily a religious tourist destination having 12 temples and Narmada and Sone originate from there. Besides, Amarkantak is basically a green sub-mountainous resort with wide open, well watered meadows and sunlit sal forests alive with springs and brooks. It has a potential to attract one lakh tourists every year.

On the basis of the estimates prepared by the Corporation, the Tourism Ministry sanctioned Rs 4.90 crore for the Amarkantak project.

The scheme was divided into eight components- preparation of the town's master plan (Rs 5 lakh), extension of Narmada temple campus, laying of marble stone inside the temple, development of tourist points and forest trek, augmentation of public utilities, works related to saving Narmada Dham from pollution, development of recreation centre and renovation of holiday home.

Of the eight works, the Corporation took up seven works except preparation of master plan spending Rs 2.02 crore and transferred Rs 2.46 crore to the Anuppur District Collector for carrying out other related works.

The corporation did not prepare a master plan which was to serve as the primary guide for development nor prepared any detailed project report for the works to be executed. Detailed estimates were not prepared and technical sanction not obtained with the result cost over-run could not be assessed, the report pointed out.

The expenditure incurred by the corporation included Rs 1.59 crore diverted to other works not included in the sanction order. Such works include development of Chouraha, Gazibo Sonmuda, Gazibo Kapil Dhara, development of Kapil Dhara, highmast and metal handle lamp signages and signboards, construction of entrance door of the temple and construction of ghat at Pushkar Dam.

Pointing out that utilization certificate for Rs 2.46 crore transferred to the District Collector of Anuppur for carrying out other works was not obtained, the CAG said the Corporation, however, submitted the utilisation certificates for the sanctioned amount without ascertaining the utilization of funds transferred to the Collector.