*Cost of Rs 1.59 cr scheme increased to Rs 3.24 cr
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 10: Proper planning is the key to timely execution of any project that too within the earmarked money but this vital aspect is not being given importance in the housing and urban development sector in Jammu and Kashmir as a result of which projects are getting delayed for years together and depriving people of their intended benefits.
This can be gauged from the revelations vis-à-vis two solid waste management projects and one truck terminal building in the Udhampur, Rajouri and Doda districts of Jammu region made by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in its latest report.
About seven years back, the solid waste management projects for Udhampur and Rajouri towns were sanctioned for collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste in the scientific manner. The Chief Engineer of Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) Kashmir was directed by the Housing and Urban Development Department to prepare Detailed Project Reports.
Though the Detailed Project Reports were submitted in December 2011 to the Government for Udhampur and Rajouri towns at a cost of Rs 11.25 crore and Rs 6.60 crore respectively yet the land for the projects was not identified in time.
Audit scrutiny of the records revealed that an amount of Rs 2 crore was released by the Chief Engineer UEED in favour of the Sewerage and Drainage Division (West) Jammu, which kept it in a particular head after obtaining sanction of advance drawal from the Government. “The projects could not be taken up as the required land was not provided by the respective District Development Commissi-oners”, the report said, adding “though land was yet to be identified, the executing agency engaged a consultant for preparation of DPRs at a cost of Rs 3.79 lakh as consultant charges and Pollution Control Board fee between October 2013 and February 2014 respectively”.
Later, on the directions of Housing and Urban Development Department balance funds of Rs 1.96 crore were transferred in January 2015 to Director Urban Local Bodies Jammu. However, the funds could not be utilized due to non-identification of land for the proposed projects. “Even at present uncertainty is looming large over both the projects”, the report said.
“The Housing and Urban Development Department should have identified land for both the projects before release of funds to the executing agency”, the CAG said, adding “incurring expenditure on engagement of consultants who in any event would not have been able to prepare the DPRs in the absence of site details. Hence, funds amounting to Rs 1.96 crore remained blocked for more than four years and expenditure of Rs 3.79 lakh was rendered unfruitful”.
Quoting another example of lack of proper planning, the report said that a project for construction of truck terminal building at Akramabad in Doda district was sanctioned about five years back for providing separate parking space for the trucks and tippers and loading/unloading of goods.
The Executive Engineer Urban Local Bodies Division-II Jammu after engaging a private consultant for Rs 3.36 lakh for geo-technical and architectural design prepared the Detailed Project Report for an estimated cost of Rs 1.65 crore, which was accorded administrative approval in September 2012.
Audit scrutiny of the records revealed that an amount of Rs 1.68 crore was released between August 2012 and March 2016 by the Director Urban Local Bodies Jammu and the executing agency allotted the work for Rs 1.50 crore with completion period of nine months. However, during execution, the site of the building was shifted to lower contours due to which quantities of various items of work like earthwork, concrete and back filling of earth got increased and work up to only roof level could be completed after spending Rs 1.59 crore.
Accordingly, a revised DPR at a cost of Rs 3.24 crore was submitted, which however was not approved and the work got held-up resulting in non-completion of building despite incurring expenditure of Rs 1.59 crore. “The Government has admitted that the detailed structural drawings were not prepared before preparation of DPR and the existing road width was assumed as 10.85 meters instead of 3.55 meters which resulted in shifting of main building by 8.972 meters towards lower contour level resulting in increase in the quantities of various items of work”, the CAG said.
“Thus, lack of proper site investigation and defective DPR which should have been taken into account along with the actual realities on the ground resulted in delay in completion of building despite expenditure of Rs 1.59 crore and doubling of the cost to Rs 3.24 crore”, the report said.
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