The third eye from the sky has failed to keep an eye on Punjab Police vehicles due to paucity of funds.
Punjab Government’s ambitious project of modernising the police control rooms by installing Global Positioning System (GPS), created at a cost of Rs8.57 crore, remained non-functional for the want of funds.
The project, started in 2010, was aimed at having round-the-clock security cover for public, coupled with immediate and timely police response and to ensure accountable system of police working.
Within just three years of its operations, the multi-crore set up aimed at modernising police working, rendered infructuous due to unavailability of funds resulting in non-payment for the services provided by the service provider.
Initially, the GPS, with auto-generated response, was to be established at six locations — Amritsar, ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, and SAS Nagar (Mohali) — at a cost not exceeding Rs11.50 crore in 2009.
Out of these, an amount of Rs7.74 crore was transferred to Punjab Police Housing Corporation (PPHC) — which was entrusted with the work to install GPS — in two installments. PPHC awarded the work to HCl Infosys — a solution provider in 2010.
It was decided that the HCl would install GPS in 605 vehicles and install one range Control System at each of the six identified locations, and for operating the system, PPHC would pay GPS rental to HCl quarterly.
Subsequently, the HCl supplied system to the tune of Rs6.01 crore, including 605 GPS units for installation in vehicles and equipment for installation in control rooms — constructed at a cost of Rs2.56 crore.
Out of 605, 508 GPS units were installed and commissioned in June 2010, while remaining 97, valuing Rs22 lakhs, “remained uninstalled since December 2013 due to its non-compatibility with batteries of vehicles identified for installation”. Moreover, the warranty of GPS units lapsed in June 2013 during storage.
More to the point, the PPHC incurred an expenditure of Rs92 lakhs towards recurring charges, including rentals and overheads, up to March 2012, besides Rs five lakhs for uninstalled GPS units.
Due to non-availability of funds, the PPHC could not pay rental charges after March 2012; as a result of which, the service provider withdrew the services rendering the entire system set up at a cost of Rs8.57 crore, as non-functional.
The project was the part of Punjab police’s mega project of Ultra Modern Police Control Room (UMPCR), under which the police had fixed seven minutes for a PCR as a target time to respond and reaching on the spot.
Such kind of modern techniques was aimed at help the Punjab police to streamline the response time of local police after any incident occurred. The project, if proved successful, was to be extended to other districts of the State.
70 % BBS OPERATING SANS lICENcES
You may find it bloodcurdling, but 70 per cent of the blood banks in Punjab were functioning without valid licences. Only 29 blood banks, out of total 99 during 2012-13, have “valid license”.
The State Blood Transfusion Council also did not adhere entirely to the objectives of National Blood Policy, and the quality of blood distributed by some of the blood banks “could not b ensured”.
If that is not enough, equipment costing Rs 0.22 crore for establishing Blood Component Separation Unit were lying idle since September 2009 “for want of license and other necessary equipment.
The bloody reality, on perils of taking blood from these banks, came to fore in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s latest report.
A total of 99 blood banks are operating in the State, including 49 in Government sector and 50 in private or charitable sectors. Out of these, 70 were operating in the state without valid licenses.
As per the procedure, the State Drugs Controller is responsible to grant licence to operate blood bank after conducting joint inspection with Central Drugs Standards Controlling Organisation about availability of prescribed infrastructure and manpower. Besides, the license was valid for five years, and requires renewal thereafter.
The report pointed that three blood banks continued to function without license for three to 11 years without renewal of license and finally closed down due to insufficient infrastructure.
It added that 67 blood banks, comprising 68 per cent, were “running without renewal of license” for a period ranging between one month and 16 years. Out of these, 45 blood banks were awaiting renewal for non-removal of deficiencies, 17 for want of inspection, and five for want of authorisation.
The further analysis revealed that number of prescribed equipment in blood banks — prescribed by Drugs and Cosmetics Rules — were either not available, or not functioning for a period ranging between one month and 10 years. Calibration of equipment was not done in blood banks at Civil Hospitals at ludhiana, Barnala, and Banga during 2012-13.
Making matter worse, Rs 22 lakh equipment for establishing Blood Component Separation Unit were lying idle since September 2009.
CAG POINTS OUT MOUNTING VAT REFUNDS DURING 2008-13
Punjab Excise and Taxation department has reported outstanding tax refund of more than Rs200 crore at the end of each financial year during 2008-09 till 2012-13 after receiving fresh tax claims and making refunds to the
industry.
The department, as per the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report of state’s revenue sector, has stated outstanding Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds of Rs240.99 crore after making refunds to the tune of Rs373.80 crore during 2008-09.
The findings come at a time when the traders and industrialists fraternity in the state have all along been pressing for speedy VAT refunds from the State Government. Available information
suggests that VAT refund to the tune of Rs250 to Rs300 crore is still pending with the department for disbursement.
The CAG report stated that outstanding balance VAT refunds stood at Rs264.23 crore in 2009-10, Rs203.28 crore in 2010-11 and Rs259.53 crore in 2011-12.
It added that the department received maximum tax claims of Rs842.33 crore in 2012-13, and claims to the tune of Rs380.28 crore were still pending.