As farmers in the state are being battered by a severe drought-like situation, a stinging report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has blamed the Congress-NCP led government for mishandling irrigation projects.

The CAG has found that despite costs shooting up by thousands of crores, over 400 canals and dams are incomplete. The state’s auditor has detected massive cost overruns of Rs26,617.26 crore and time overruns – as long as 40 years – in these projects.

After allegations of corruption in these projects surfaced, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar resigned in September 2012 only to be sworn in again two months later. Pawar was the irrigation minister from 1999 to 2010.

Last year, the economic survey said irrigation in Maharashtra had risen by just 0.1% to 17.9% from 2001 to 2010 despite Rs70,000 crore being spent on irrigation projects.

In its audit report on state finances for the year ending March 2012, submitted to the legislature on Thursday, the CAG said in the 426 incomplete projects, the time overruns were up to 40 years. The projects, on which an expenditure of Rs43,270.01 crore had been incurred, were being executed by the water resource department and the five irrigation development corporations.

“In 242 out of 426 incomplete irrigation projects, the initial budgeted cost increased from Rs7,215.03 crore to Rs33,832.29 crore, resulting in significant cost overrun totalling Rs26,617.26 crore,” it said.

The highest cost overrun was seen in the Krishna Marathwada Irrigation project, which started in 2007. The initial budgeted cost was Rs2,382.50 crore but was later revised to Rs4,845.05 crore, a cost overrun of Rs2,462.55 crore. This was followed by the Kukadi project, where costs rose from Rs31.18 crore in 1967 to Rs2,184.16 crore, an overrun of Rs2,152.98 crore.

“Though these irrigation projects started five to 45 years ago, they are not yet complete. The oldest being Kukadi project, which started in 1967 with a target date of completion of five years (1972),” the report said.

“Under the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (98 projects), TIDC (Tapi Irrigation Development Corporation) which has 27 projects and GMIDC (Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation) which has three projects, no cost revision had been reported though these projects were commissioned three to 37 years ago,” the report pointed out.

Cost overruns have also been reported in Lower Dudhna (Rs997.37 crore), Nandur Madhyameshwar (Rs817.60 crore), Waghur (Rs1,171.27 crore), Lower Tapi (Rs985.10 crore), Koyna (Rs1,091.27 crore), Shelgaon barrage (Rs870.02 crore) and Bodwad Parisar (Rs819.09 crore).

The state government has appointed a special investigation team, led by irrigation expert Madhav Chitale, to look into “irrigation scam” after the opposition took up the issue.