CAG finds gaps in central road fund mgmt, highlights undue work delay | Lucknow News

Lucknow: The performance audit of the Central Road Fund, a corpus managed by the public works department (PWD) to strengthen road network, has revealed multiple gaps. The audit, conducted between April 2016 and March 2022, examined the expenditure of Rs 7,258 crore spent under the funds. It was found that some civil works were carried out through the funds after a gap of four years due to various reasons.CAG emphasised the need to prepare long-term, medium-term, and short-term plans to manage works being executed under the funds for proper identification and prioritisation of road network, as envisaged by the state govt. It was noticed that proposals were randomly sanctioned without preparing a comprehensive plan to maintain and manage roads. A lack of periodical surveys and traffic studies also emerged as key issues that need to be addressed on priority.The team that worked on the audit report noted a significant difference between the budget provisions and actual works that amounted to Rs 6,492 crore out of the provision of Rs 20,370 crore during the said period. After opening the financial bids, the bills of 15 tenders out of 111 were revised to the tune of over 50%. Delays in periodic checks and inspections were also widespread.Citing examples, the CAG report highlighted the delay of two years during the widening and restrengthening of the Varanasi-Shaktinagar route, a project worth Rs 122 crore. Similarly, works on the road stretch between Gumti No. 9 and NH-2 in Kanpur were delayed by four years as a no-objection certificate from a public sector oil company could not be obtained for providing the land coming under the impact of the project.In eight cases, anomalies were detected in release of payments to contractors. Providing its recommendations, the report recommended periodic surveys of traffic and axle load for improved pavement designing.