The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : CAG finds irregularities in award of works

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Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

CAG finds irregularities in award of works

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Comptroller and Auditor- General of India (CAG) has found several instances of the Public Works Department (PWD) flouting the manual to bypass open tenders in awarding works in the State during the period 2003-04 to 2006-07.

In his report for the year ended March 31, 2007, placed in the Assembly on Tuesday, the CAG said 78 Plan works costing Rs. 211.99 crore were awarded thus by the department in eight roads divisions and one national highway division.

Of these, works costing Rs. 198.6 crore were sanctioned in 2005-06.

The department arranged 6,345 non-Plan works costing Rs. 100.31 crore waiving open tender calls.

Audit scrutiny relating to 15 government orders between June 2005 and February 2006 sanctioning waiver of tender calls contained no reasons for deviating from the normal procedures.

In all the cases, the orders allowed expenses 10 to 25 per cent in excess of the estimates without giving justifications.

This enabled the contractors to know in advance the allowable excess.

In three cases, works started only four months after the date of sanction, although the tender conditions were waived owing to urgency, the CAG said.

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