The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has found several irregularities in the implementation of the Biju Setu Yojana (BSY) in the State.
The CAG has pointed out several reasons, including delay in finalisation of tender, poor quality survey resulting in changes in design, failure in resolving issues related to land acquisition and inefficiency of private contractors, for the tardy progress of the BSY.
The CAG report said the State Government had planned to complete 793 bridge projects during 2017 to 2021. Out of this, only 473 (59%) were completed. The BSY was launched by the Government in 2011 to boost road communication in rural areas.
The authorities concerned could spend only Rs 2,255 crore against the budget provision of Rs 2,570 crore under the scheme. Works on 48 projects remained incomplete after incurring an expenditure of Rs 184 crore due to non-acquisition of land needed for the bridge or for the approach roads. Besides, the provision for manual excavation instead of mechanical excavation led to extra expenditure of Rs 4.82 crore in 82 projects, said the CAG report, which was tabled in the Assembly on Friday.
The CAG report cited poor monitoring of the work by the State Quality Monitors (SQMs) and Third Party Quality Monitors (TPQMs). The SQMs did not inspect 96% of the bridge works while the TPQMs did not do their job in 80% of the project works.
A bridge over the Suktel river in Balangir district was completed in September 2015 with an expenditure of Rs 7.58 crore. But cracks appeared in the bridge due to poor quality construction work. The bridge collapsed in April 2020, said the CAG report.