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| Rs 1.42 Cr turns unproductive as PDA planned road via forest | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 7: Be it mismanagement or be it a deliberate attempt but Rs 1.42 Crore meant for construction of road turned unproductive, as Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) officials planned road through forest area.
As per the CAG report, to promote tourism and develop Patnitop and its adjoining areas, PDA decided to construct nine kilometer Karlah to Gaurikund road. The project estimated to cost Rs 3.20 crore was submitted in December 2000 to the government for approval.
Report says that after inspection in April 2011 of the records of authority showed that in anticipation of administration approval and technical sanction, the authority advanced Rs 38.70 lakh to Land Acquisition Officer, Udhampur for acquisition of private land and Rs 5.69 lakh to District Forest Officer (DFO) Batote for transfer of forest land coming under the first two kilometers of road alignment.
Report further says that the authority for the work on the first two kilometers of the road executed through Executive Engineer, R&B Division, Udhampur during 2002-05 at a cost of Rs 81.55 lakh.
Moreover the authority spent Rs 15.80 lakh on construction of retaining walls and lanes during 2007-10 on the already constructed stretch of the road whereas no further execution was carried out thereafter.
Reports adds that on this being pointed out the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Authority stated that the project got bogged down due to passing of the proposed alignment through forest land and a wild life sanctuary and to avoid loss to the green wealth and the sanctuary, decision to think of an alternative route was taken.
The reply was not acceptable as these aspects should have been taken into cognizance by him before embarking upon the project. Thinking of these aspects after spending Rs 1.42 crore on the project was indicative of the casual approach of the authority in planning the project.
It seen in the audit that the authority formulated a revised project in January 2007 at a cost of Rs 2.08 lakh through a consultant who put the revised cost of the project at Rs 18.24 crore. The revised estimated envisage construction of a 680 meters tunnel which would reduce the length of the road to 6.658 kilometer only.
Through the project report sent in February 2007 to the government for getting it funded by the Government of India, yet it was decided in March 2011 by the board of the authority, in view of the escalation in the project cost, to get the balance work executed through the state Public Work Department (PWD).
Henceforth incurring an expenditure of Rs 15.80 lakh on the first two kilometer of the road in view of appointment of a consultant for revising in March 2005 the project for an alternative road to save the green wealth was also questionable. The action of the CEO in embarking upon a project without taking the environment concerns into account, which dawned on him after spending Rs 1.42 crore, resulted in the whole expenditure becoming unproductive. |
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