The Nagaland public Rights Awareness and Action Forum (NPRAAF) said it was appalling to note that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India had pulled up the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) for “fraudulent payment due to short/ non-execution of drainage works” under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G).
In a statement, the forum demanded that the state government should not remain mute for an indefinite period and initiate inquiry headed by chief secretary or a retired judge to fix responsibility on officials responsible.
Cautioning that failure to exercise due diligence and remaining mute for an indefinite period would not solve the issue of corruption in the state, the forum appealed to the general public too not to accept corruption as an established institution, but raise voice against it boldly.
The forum also said that it would meet Prime Minister and Union Home Minister soon to apprise of the massive corruption in the state in almost every department and demand principal investigating agencies to establish offices in Nagaland to neutralise corruption.
Referring to the CAG report for the year ending March 30, 2020, NPRAAF said that the PHED (Urban) Dimapur Division executive engineer (EE) did not exercise due diligence to check correctness of quantities executed before passing bills for payment. This resulted in fraudulent payment of Rs 90.54 lakh without actual execution of 2,338 metre (m) of drainage works in 18 villages.
Out of the Rs 501.10 lakh that was allocated to PHED (Urban), Dimapur Division EE under the SBM-G, the report stated that Rs 4.03 crore was earmarked for implementation of Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM), including drainage. However, it was observed that the department constructed 6,540 m of drains with bricks in 35 villages, 29 involving an amount Rs 2.53 crore as departmental work.
Scrutiny of cash books, work orders, running account (RA) bills, etc, of 21 villages out of 35 villages revealed that 4,665 m of drainage (with bricks) was constructed and certified as complete (March 2019) by PHED junior engineer, and an expenditure of Rs 1.81 crore was incurred (March 2019). The completion of the work was also countersigned by PHED EE and sub-divisional officer (SDO).
However, joint physical verification (JPV) in February 2021 by the audit along with departmental officials, village council chairmen/water and sanitation (WATSAN) committee members and beneficiaries of 21 villages found that only in three out of 21 villages, construction of 600 m drainage with bricks with an expenditure of Rs 23.23 lakh was done as per work order.
While in the remaining 18 villages, the JPV revealed that against the reported construction of 4,065 m drainage at an expenditure of Rs 1.57 crore, only 1,727 m for Rs 66.87 lakh was actually constructed. This had resulted in short/non-executions of 2,338 m.
In reply, the government had stated in January 2022 that the shortfall in drainage length was due to flash flood/natural calamity that washed off certain portion of the drainage and in some villages drainage work was underway at the time of verification.
In regard to non-construction of drainage, the department stated that the drainage works were delayed and was underway at the time of verification. However, works for both the shortfall and non-construction of drainage were completed, the CAG noted.
The CAG said the reply was not acceptable as the works were certified by PHED JE as completed (March 2019) and was also countersigned by the EE and SDO.
“Moreover, the villages in Dimapur are located in plain areas which are not hilly and there is no sign of wash away or landslides. The department also did not specify either the quantity or location of wash off area. Furthermore, no sign of wash off or work underway was seen and revealed during JPV,” the reported.
Further, the NPRAAF said the CAG also reported that the PHED made excess payment of Rs 1.23 crore to a contractor by allowing higher rate over the state government-approved rate (Action Plan) for construction of community sanitary complexes (CSCs) and deviated from the approved action plans and specifications during actual implementation.
In October 2017, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation sanctioned Rs 35.13 crore as first instalment for implementation of SBM-G during 2017-18. The state government had in December 2017 released Rs 39.03 crore (including state share) to PHED’s Water and Sanitation Support Organisation (WSSO) chief engineer-cum-director.
Noting that baseline survey (BLS) was conducted only in 2012 for implementation of SBM (G) in Nagaland, the CAG stated that except in Viswema village, the rate of Rs 1,80,000 for construction of CSCs and Rs 10,800 for individual household latrines (IHHL) were allowed for all the remaining 43 villages under PHED (Rural), Kohima EE, as per the state government’s approved Action Plan.
However, reasons for providing CSCs at higher rates, i.e. at the rate of Rs 2.48 lakh per CSC at Viswema village was not available in records, the reported pointed out.
The CAG stated that the WSSO director had in December 2017 released Rs 39.03 crore to 12 PHED divisions, out of which Rs 11.13 crore was allocated to PHED (Rural) Kohima EE. And out of this allocated amount, Rs 10.21 crore was earmarked for construction of 9,457 IHHLs, out of which Rs 9.36 crore was earmarked for construction of 8,664 IHHLs in 44 villages under PHED (Rural) Kohima EE during 2017-18.
Out of the 44 villages, Viswema under Jakhama block was allocated Rs 1.84 crore for construction of 1,700 IHHLs. The village was declared open defecation free (ODF) with effect from June 2018, but scrutiny of records (August 2019) revealed that the Viswema Village Council chairman had requested the department in January 2018 to construct 200 CSCs in lieu of the allocated 1,700 IHHLs as the construction of IHHL in the previous years were not successful due to non-availability of land.
Accordingly, the WSSO director approved construction of 74 CSCs at the rate of Rs 2.48 lakh per unit instead of Rs 1.80 lakh approved by the government for implementation of CSC in the State.
The work was awarded in January 2018 to M/s CONSURV, Kohima on the recommendation of the Viswema Village Council and the work order was issued in January 2018 by the EE to the firm, with the divisional officers certifying in the MBs and RA bills that the work was completed in March 2018 and the contractor was paid Rs 1.84 crore.
However, the CAG stated that the WSSO director “arbitrarily allowed” higher rate of Rs 2.48 lakh per CSC for Viswema village, which was in violation to the state government’s approved action plan for implementation of SBM-G, resulting in excess payment of Rs 50.32 lakh.
It was also observed that despite allowing a higher rate of Rs 2.48 lakh per CSC, the CSCs “lacked sanitation facilities as provisions for washing basin, urinal pan, water syntax with stand, etc, were not constructed/provided.”
The JPV found in July 2019 that in six out of 74 CSCs, WATSAN committee members and the village council revealed deviations from the approved drawing/specifications.
“It was noticed that provision for water supply connection was not made in all the CSCs inspected. The department officials, WATSAN committee members and the village council also certified that out of the 74 CSCs constructed, 40 CSCs have single toilet and the remaining 34 have either single toilet with attached bathroom or two toilets without any other facilities,” the CAG noted.
It stated that the deviations from approved design and specifications resulted in reduction of quantities in certain item of works, viz, woodwork for roofing and doors, vent pipes, wash closet pan, etc, resulting in excess payment to the contractor to the tune of Rs 72.70 lakh
The matter was reported to the state government in August 2021, and a reply was awaited as of May 2022, the CAG stated.