Srinagar: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has pulled up the Jammu and Kashmir administration for poor progress in completion of roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
In its report tabled in the Parliament on September 23, the CAG has pointed out poor performance of the authorities in the implementation of 100 per cent centrally funded rural road connectivity program in JK.
“Out of sanctioned 1,769 road projects involving road length of 9,383.07 kilometres under construction during 2013-18, only 810 road projects (46 per cent) having a road length of 4,172.50 kilometres were completed as of March 2018,” reads the report.
“The year-wise completion rate of road projects during 2013-18 ranged between 8 to 19 per cent. Due to problems in land acquisition, forest clearance, etc. 467 road projects (road length: 2,577.88 km) sanctioned prior to April 2013 for connecting 175 habitations were incomplete, as of March 2018.”
The report also lays bare that planning for implementation of PMGSY in JK was deficient as district rural road plan was neither prepared in most of the sampled programme implementation units nor approved from the intermediate panchayat/ district panchayat/ district rural development department and state-level standing committee.
“Core Network did not cover all the eligible habitations, inadmissible road projects were included in the Core Network and road projects which were not in Core Network were taken up for execution,” the report states.
The monitoring and quality of works executed under the scheme has also been questioned by the CAG.
“No Action Taken Reports (ATRs) were submitted by any of the PIUs in respect of 492 inspections conducted by the State Quality Monitors during 2013-14 to 2017-18,” it states.
According to the report, 159 inspections were graded as ‘Un-satisfactory’ and the remaining 333 ‘Required improvement’.
“In eight sampled districts, Action Taken Reports in respect of 221 inspections conducted was awaited from PIUs. Against 180 meetings required to be conducted by DVMC/ DISHA in nine sampled districts for monitoring the PMGSY works, only six meetings were conducted in two districts, during 2013-18,” it reads.
(Syndicated feed from KNO)
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