Shimla: The office of the Accountants General, Himachal Pradesh released details of the comptroller and auditor general reports of different departments before the media. A report tabled by Principal Accountant General Satish Lumba showcased messy picture of the state’s financial status.
In a performance audit of working of public works department (PWD) revealed that the dept has not formed a comprehensive road policy and hadn’t formulated any long term plan for providing a time bound connectivity to all census villages in the state.
Lumba revealed that department has not prepared budget estimate on realistic basis as against the provision and thus there was excess expenditure of Rs. 1084.14 crore during 2008-13. He also revealed that funds were withdrawal without actual execution.
In the CAG report 914 works taken up for execution during 2008-13 and construction of 823 works having estimated cost of Rs. 521.92 crore were stipulated to be completed by March 2013, but surprise to all only 183 were completed after incurring an expenditure of Rs. 152.74 crore and 640 works on which Rs. 136.50 crore had been spent, were laying incomplete as of March 2013.
In a performance audit of Himachal Pradesh State Compensatory Afforestation Fund management and planning Authority (CAMPA), CAG report revealed that as unspent amount of Rs. 21.51 crore of catchment area treatment plans of hydro electric projects pertaining to 2002-06 was not credited into Ad hoc CAMPA and remained with the State Government as of May 2013.
In 142 cases of diversion of forest land (between Oct 2002 from April 2008) the department did not realize the net present value of Rs. 25.85 crore. Against total available funds of Rs. 188.38 during 2009-13, the state CAMPA could only utilise Rs. 127.09 crore only and year-wise percentage utilization during the above period ranged between four and 48.
CAG found that monitoring mechanism was ineffective as the specified inspections of CAMPA works were not carried out by the functionaries at the field and state level. Besides the prescribed system of concurrent monitoring and evaluation had not been evolved as of May 2013.
In a performance audit of n Medical Education and Research was conducted, it found that the overall expenditure of the department executed the approved outlay by over Rs. 55 crore. In Government Medical Colleges except for 2008-09 and 2012-13 there were excess ranging from Rs. 8.77 crore to Rs. 30.08 crore during 2009-12.
Against funds of Rs. 21 crore released to public Works Department for execution of four works during 2004-12, an amount of Rs. seven crore was diverted in one work for objectives other than the ones sanctioned. Report sugegest that non-utilisation of central assistance of Rs. 8.14 crore by the medical institutions against the total receipt of Rs. 14.03 crore during 2008-13 resulted in non creation of infrastructure, etc., non-receipt of further central assistance of Rs. 11.27 crore.
CAG revealed that the machineries and equipments costing Rs. 3.52 crore were lying unutilized in the Government Medical Colleges and hospitals attached to them for want of repairs and non renewal of annual maintenance contracts. It also found that prescribed monitoring mechanism and internal audit arrangements for effective implementation of various schemes and activities of the department were non existence.
