Concurrent audit of projects

To obviate and prevent obvious hiccups in the smooth execution of projects of different hue , it was imperative to have them subjected to physical and financial auditing . In fact, it was not something new to be introduced in the system but was an inalienable part of the entire complete process of raising up of a project, most decidedly sans delays and irregularities , in conducting them financially. ‘Excelsior’ has on umpteen occasions through these columns, pleaded for not only introducing the system of periodic auditing of projects under construction but in each and every department and the PSU getting funds support or aid from the State Government. It is , however, a welcome step taken by the administration to subject large number of projects currently being undertaken under ‘Languishing Funding Scheme ‘(LFS) to audits and striving for their completion by the year end . What is , however, needed is besides constituting of District Level audit teams as decided by the administration , to have on them professional audit experts for overall supervision and ensuring of auditing strictly on well set professional standards. That the provision for having a chartered account on such audit teams, as is proposed by the JKIFDC, is a bold step to lending the required professional credence to the audit teams.
Departments of critical and sensitive nature like Power Development, Roads and Buildings, PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control etc, the heads of which are on the Board of Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIFDC) had been assigned the task of framing of policy which , however, later culminated into constituting of the teams of ‘concurrent auditors’. It is nice to have such team for each district which shall ensure the undertaking of the most important task evenly without mobility constraints, had there been one such centralised audit team . Physical and financial audits should necessarily follow preparation of reports in time bound manner especially in cases of glaring irregularities found and if, mandatorily as per the policy framed, monthly reports are to be furnished , submission of the same should be doubly ensured with proviso to have no such bar ruling in case some serious irregularity was found out as the same required to be reported for necessary corrective steps immediately.
The very nomenclature of the projects , viz ‘languishing’ denotes that some deliberate , or circumstantial including administrative lapses might have occurred to lead to suspension of work on such projects or abandoning them due to absence of financial backing after symptomatic start of work on them. Governor’s administration deserves compliments to have all such projects surveyed and arrange financial support to them to kick-start work on them and get completed within a fixed time frame say by the end of the current year. Among these 1717 projects many projects were of such nature which should have not remained languished as those pertaining to Power Development, drinking water projects related to PHE , Health and Medical Education, Roads and Buildings, School Education and the like which were very closely related to the immediate needs of the public . Hopefully , we expect them to see fully operational by the end of this year.
What is required now is to have all such collateral but critical measures employed for assuring thecompletion of the projects and use by the public .It is also a welcome step that each member on the audit team as furnished and provided by the District Development Commissioners was going to be imparted training in the specific job which would enable such officers on audit teams to carry out the assignment on expected lines. The working culture of having periodic audits was a concomitant of and inversely related to timely finding out areas of financial frauds, mismanagement and embezzlements and suggesting measures as to how those could be avoided as delayed surfacing usually created complications for fixing responsibility and accountability. It is notable to mention that Comptroller and Auditor general of India, in its numerous reports, has laid stress on subjecting all projects to the realms of due audits in Jammu and Kashmir.

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