SHILLONG: The lack of urgency in completing civil works of water supply schemes (WSSs) by PHE department and its inability to coordinate with Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) to ensure timely availability of power, resulted in denial of piped water to targeted population for six to eight years, despite incurring an expenditure of Rs 2.22 crore.
This was revealed in the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
Water supply schemes are implemented by the PHE department for supply of potable water to the consumers in adequate quantity. As per the current practice, the concerned division of PHE approaches the MePDCL for providing power for water supply, followed by a joint inspection for preparation of cost estimates. Thereafter, advance payment was made by the PHE Division concerned to MePDCL for execution of the work.
As per the report of the CAG, it was revealed that under the Rural Water Supply Division (RWSD), Jowai, there were seven on-going pumping water supply schemes, sanctioned between March 2008 and March 2017, which required electricity for supplying water to the intended population.
The audit report said that scrutiny of records in March 2018 of the RWSD, Jowai revealed that out of the seven on-going projects, five sanctioned between March 2008 and March 2011 at a cost of Rs 3.15 crore were not completed even after incurring an expenditure of Rs 2.22 crore and after six to eight years of their stipulated date of completion.
The five schemes are Cham Cham, Sakhain Moolimen, Musniang Jondang, Umrasiang and Umlatdoh.
As per the quarterly progress reports (OPRs) of the RWSD, Jowai, the non-completion of the projects was attributed to non-supply of power by the MePDCL. The default in providing the supply of power to the five schemes was pointed out in August 2018 to MePDCL and its reply was received on September 2018.
Cross verification of the reply of MePDCL with the records of the division revealed that the quarterly reports of PHE division attributing non-completion of the schemes to MePDCL were not entirely correct and that the division was also responsible for not completing the schemes on time.
