Rs 1,204 crore spent, but 153 projects still remain incomplete: CAG report

PANAJI: Pointing out that at least 153 infrastructure projects remain incomplete despite Rs 1,204 crore being spent on them, the Comptroller and Auditor General on India (CAG) said that delay in completion of projects can lead to losses to the state exchequer.
In its report for 2017-18, the CAG report said that as on March 31, 2018, there were 111 roads, bridges and buildings across the state that remain incomplete. The remaining incomplete projects are in the irrigation and water supply category.
“As the delay in completion of projects entails the risk of cost escalation and denial of intended benefits to beneficiaries, the state government may re-evaluate the cost of all incomplete projects and evolve a mechanism for timely completion of projects,” said the CAG report.
The report has taken into account only those projects valued at more than Rs 1 crore.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant, in his budget for 2020-21, has taken it upon himself to complete 50 ongoing projects in the coming financial year.
The CAG report found significant time and cost escalation in the Tillari irrigation project, which is a joint venture between the Goa and Maharashtra governments. Officials said that the project remains incomplete due to a delay in land acquisition. The directorate of accounts did not provide the CAG with any estimate of the cost escalation.
A bridge linking Benaulim to Sinquetim has been left incomplete since 2010, with the Keri-Tiracol bridge suffering a similar fate. The JICA water pipelines and sewerage network remain incomplete in Goa despite being launched several years ago, and with the National Games scheduled to be held this year, the Chicalim squash complex and tennis court at Fatorda are also nowhere close to completion.
The report also said that the financial results of the undertaken irrigation works have not been worked out by the state government. The Goa government incurred an expenditure of Rs 79.6 crore on maintenance of irrigation projects in the state during 2017-18, which was Rs 12.6 crore more than the maintenance expenditure incurred by it in 2016-17. In 2016-17, the expenditure on maintenance of irrigation works stood at Rs 66.9 crore.