Wasteful expenditure in construction of Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang
SHILLONG: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rapped Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretariat for a wasteful expenditure of Rs 2.14 crore for construction of the Assembly building at Mawdiangdiang.
Terming the award to construct the proposed building as ‘irregular’, the CAG report, which was tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday, said, “not only did the Assembly Secretariat commit a gross irregularity by awarding the work to the firm which was totally outside the scope of the tender but paid Rs 2.14 crore to the firm for the work claimed to have been executed by it, for which no proof exists.”
The CAG report revealed that the Assembly Secretariat issued a work order to construct the Assembly building at Mawdiandiang to a firm in contravention of terms of the tender and made a payment of Rs 2.14 crore
As per report, the Assembly Secretariat in July 2001 invited tenders for consultancy for reconstruction of the Assembly building.
Seven parties bid for the consultancy out of which the High Powered Committee in June, 2002 selected a Shillong-based firm M/S Caroline C Pala.
In October 2012, the Assembly Secretariat issued a preliminary work order (PWO) to the firm to carry out consultancy assignment and in December 2002, the Assembly Secretariat issued another PWO to the firm to construct the Assembly building at Khyndailad at a cost of Rs 26.62 crores and this was followed by a final work order issued to the firm in January 2003.
Action of the Assembly Secretariat to award the construction of the Assembly building to the firm was irregular as the tender notice issued by the Assembly Secretariat was only for consultancy work, the report said adding the basis on which estimate of Rs 26.62 crore was arrived at was not produced to audit.
Again in 2004, the HPC changed the site from Khyndailad to Mawdiandiang and on 12 November, 2004, Assembly Secretariat issued another FWO to the firm to construct the building at the new site at a cost of Rs 20.55 crore.
However, on January 13, 2005, the HPC again changed the site from Mawdiandiang to PWD Complex at Barik point and on January 17, the Assembly Secretariat directed the firm to stop the work at Mawdiandiang.
The firm on 10 march 2005 submitted a bill of Rs 2.14 crore for works it had executed at Mawdiandiang before the stoppage and the amount was paid by the Assembly Secretariat to the firm in December 2009.
The CAG report observed that the PWD was not consulted before commencing work and the firm did not obtain permission from MUDA before commencing the construction.
The CAG also observed that the total area of Mawdiandiang site as per the tender notice issued by the Assembly Secretariat in July 2001 was 10000 sqm but the firm billed an amount of Rs 10.34 lakh for making a trace path in an area of 13425 sqm.
According to report, Rs 30.60 lakh was billed for construction and dismantling of labour and sentry shed and another Rs 0.80 lakh for security which was not prepared by PWD, adding the firm billed Rs 12 lakh for parking of JCBs at the site for sixty days but no excavation work was undertaken.
