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| 2,120 works executed without inviting tenders in R&B: Harsh | | |
Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 20: Panthers Party (PP) MLA Harsh Dev today alleged that there was a total collapse of the public works department (PWD) in the state and PMGSY sector had utterly failed to achieve the stipulated targets.
He regretted that PMGSY, which was the most ambitious flag-ship scheme of the Centre, had become a casualty of bureaucracy and non-governance, and had failed to accomplish the targets fixed by the Government of India. In a statement issued here, Harsh claimed that the state had recently been declared as a tail ender in the implementation of PMGSY scheme much to the chagrin and disappointment of the rural areas eagerly awaiting road connectivity. He said that, if implemented in proper perspective, PMGSY could have transformed the rural life and revolutionized the rural economy.
The PP leader said the core network of road connectivity for the state, as approved by Government of India, envisaged provision of roads to all villages and habitations of the state in a time bound manner with the completion of entire exercise before 2011. He said despite the launch of the scheme more than 15 years back and its completion year having already elapsed, the success achieved was less than 30 per cent. He regretted that even the schemes included in the priority of core network could not be completed due to multiple failures and defaults on the part of PWD.
Harsh alleged that the department-contractor nexus in PMGSY and R&B had adversely affected the pace of works. He said the contractors had been openly violating the terms of agreement stipulated under the scheme with the result that the schemes envisaged for completion in one year often took 5-6 years for completion and even more in certain cases.
He pointed out that in several cases the contractors abandoned the construction work half way in breach of the term agreement, with the department failing to initiate any action against the erring executing agencies.
He said the most distressing aspect was that the department not only condoned the delays but also accommodated the defaulting contractors in new schemes. He castigated PWD for its alleged failure to start construction work in respect of many of the PMGSY schemes sanctioned for the state during 2009-10. He said even the allotment of works had been inordinately delayed and allotment orders had not been issued despite lapse of more than two years. He regretted that inordinate delays in the release of funds for PMGSY had been causing undue hardship to the labour class. He assailed PWD for alleged large scale irregularities and financial indiscipline in R&B sector. He said he was informed in the assembly that 2,120 works were executed in the state without inviting tenders during the period of two years. He expressed grave concern over the irregularities pointed out in the CAG report which indicated that R&B department had created unauthorized liability of Rs 110.82 cr during 2010-11 due to the execution of unapproved works, besides the diversion of Rs 16.30 cr.
He charged R&B sector with the misuse of state sector, reconstruction plan and projectisation plan. He said that funds under these heads were allocated in the most clandestine and arbitrary manner without adhering to any financial norms.
Emphasizing the need for bringing about transparency and accountability in the department, Harsh sought holding of periodical reviews of the functioning of department so as to ensure not only proper utilization of funds but also time bound completion of public utility works in the interest of public at large. He urged upon the state governor to take notice of the acts of omission and commission, misfeasance and malfeasance allegedly being committed in the department with impunity.
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