CAG raps Karnataka govt over pending road works

A large number of road works have remained incomplete for years despite the state government investing a “substantial” amount of money, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which rapped the government for not furnishing reasons for the non-completion of these works.

These projects are worth Rs 2,341.53 crore and a majority of them are road works.

The CAG report on Finance Accounts tabled in the ongoing legislature session shows that 1,778 works worth Rs 2,164.53 crore were approved between 2015 and 2019 and were pending for nearly five years, while a total of 38 works worth Rs 177 crore and sanctioned between 2010-14 were pending for more than five years.

“A scrutiny of information furnished by different Public Works/Irrigation Department has revealed that a large number of works in which substantial amount was spent are remaining incomplete,” the report said.

Among the pending works, around 70% of them were road works followed by irrigation projects and bridges.

Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, who heads the Public Works Department, cited several factors for the delay.

“For bridges and culverts, the delay is primarily due to lack of working season due to rainfall. If rainfall is more in the pre-monsoon season, all these works cannot be taken up,” he told DH.

When it comes to roads, contractor delays and litigation in courts are the major reasons for the pendency. In some cases, a shortage of funds is also causing delays, Karjol added.

A senior official in the PWD said extra works assigned in the middle of the year — for which no allocations are made in the budget — also contributed to the pendency.

“If new projects are approved in the middle of the year, funds are generally diverted from other projects. This is also among the reasons for projects to be kept pending for years,” the official said.