Mumbai: The adverse CAG (Comptroller and AuditorGeneral of India) report on infrastructure works in Navi Mumbai is likely to put former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP on the mat in Assembly onthe fifth day of Budget session on Friday.
The draft report of CAG, submittedto Maharashtra Government recently, has passed several strictures on lapsesrelated to three major infrastructure projects – Navi Mumbai Metro Railway (NMMR), Nerul-Uran Railway (NUR) and Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) undertaken by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) during the tenure of the Fadnavis-led BJP Government.
The CAG report, which reportedly objected to work worth Rs 1,101 crore in Rs 9,000 crore projects, was discussed in the State Cabinet meetingon Thursday. The report is likely to be tabled in State Assembly on Friday. Ther eport has pointed out several violations by CIDCO while allotting tenders which led to losses to the state exchequer, said sources.
According to sources, in its report, CAG has found that CIDCO has not recovered compensation of over Rs 185 crore from 22 contractors for delay in completing works related to Navi Mumbai Metro Railway project worth Rs 4,759 crore. In another case, it has found that CIDCO violated contract conditions by giving over Rs 25 crore as advance to a contractor in a Rs 1,328-crore work under the NMMR project, said the sources.
In the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project, CAG also found that in three contracts, worth Rs 2,033crore, related to land development work, the contractors demolished a hill and used its rock for levelling the ground, but showed Rs 22 crore on material expenses. In another case, works worth over Rs 800 crore were allotted to six inexperienced contractors. The additional works worth over Rs 69 crore were allotted to 10 existing contractors without calling for fresh tenders. The allotment process was also not transparent, the CAG has remarked.
The CAG, in its report, has said that while taking up infrastructure development works, CIDCO has not done systematic and comprehensive planning. There was no long, mid- and short-term planning. The phaseI of Nerul-Uran Railway (NUR) was completely delayed from December 2015 to November 2018, as CIDCO didn’t appoint an adviser for the project. In May 2016, it has to cancel a work to construct a railway over bridge (ROB) in Dronagiri after spending Rs 67 lakh. The ROB was planned to avoid a gas pipeline, added the sources.
