Report tabled in assembly also raps PWD, UPCL, mining &, stamps & registration departments
The Tanakpur- Jauljibi Road which comes under Indo- Nepal border road project has attracted indictment by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
In its report for the year 2020 tabled in the Uttarakhand assembly on Saturday the CAG has pointed out several irregularities in the project.
It is pertinent to mention here that Lohaghat MLA Puran Singh Fartiyal had raised the issue of irregularities in the important road on several occasions. He had even caused embarrassment to his own government by raising the issue in the assembly.
In the report the CAG mentions that the 173 kilometre Tanakpur-Jauljibi Road had been proposed but the detailed survey found that the actual length of the proposed road was only 135.47 kilometres. It further mentions, “The Public Works Department did not comply with the extant rules and failed to provide a clear site to the first contractor which resulted in delay of more than four years in completion of stretch 0-12-km besides an extra burden of Rs 1.92 crore on the state government. Further, the work on the 12-55 km stretch was either delayed or was held up due to termination of the contract and the matter going to the court,’’ the report reads.
The CAG mentions faulty Detailed Project Report (DPR) and adoption of improper tendering process in the project. The report says that a stretch of the road was constructed in contravention of provisions of Indian Road Congress Codes resulting in inferior quality of road which was of strategic importance. The CAG also found diversions of funds worth Rs 9.21 crore in the project. The report also indicted the mining department for non levy of penalty of Rs 277.10 crore and non realisation of five times royalty from the contractors in the absence of Form MM-11. It also mentions that the stamp and registration department suffered loss of revenue of Rs 22.90 lakh due to inadmissible exemption of 50 per cent allowed by the department on stamp duty.
The report states that the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) did not ensure replacement of burnt and defective meters within prescribed time resulting in penalty of Rs 6.89 crore while delay in testing of meters attracted a penalty of Rs 66.34 lakh.
Sunday, 07 March 2021 | PNS | Bharadisain
