CAG finds hole in PHE department

PHE failed to construct OHT tanks in Channi Himmat, Trikuta nagar and Greater Kailash

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Apr 08: While Government claims of improving water supply system in Jammu city, but report by CAG has found number of holes in the working of the PHE department.

As per the report, for improvement and augmentation of the existing water supply to different part of the Jammu city, the Public Health Engineer (PHE) department proposed three different schemes at the estimated cost of Rs 3.80 crore.

The work has been assigned to the Executive Engineer PHE, City Division-II, where as the city area included Channi Himmat, Trikuta Nagar and Greater Kailash has to cover under this project. The works for which the proposal has been made were construction of Tube-well, water sumps, laying of allied distribution network besides construction of four Over-Head Tanks (OHTs).

The Audit analysis of records of the division revealed that work of construction of three OHTs out of four was allotted in 2004 by the Chief Engineer PHE department to two contractors at an estimated cost of Rs 68.92 lakh for completion within one year.

However, after taking up the work and completing the OHTs upto shaft at Channi Himmat and Trikuta Nagar and dome levels at Greater Kailash. The contractors abandoned the work from July 2007 to June 2008 due to non-supply of key construction material by the department and non-availability of funds for these schemes.

CAG reports says that an expenditure of Rs 68.93 lakh including payment of Rs 48.43 lakh made to the contractors had been booked by the division against these works as of March 2011. The efforts during 2007-11 of the department to have funds sanctioned for completion of the pending works had failed.

Further, efforts to persuade the contractors to re-start the work during 2006-07 had also failed as the contractors asked for compensation for escalation in cost and other losses suffered by them due to delay in supply material.

Moreover, the department with a view to testing the strength of existing reinforced cement concrete structure of the unfinished OHTs approached the Research Officer, Material Testing Laboratory and Government College of Engineering and Technology Jammu for RCC testing. Both these agencies expressed inability to conduct the tests due to lack of facilities which them.

No further action was taken in the matter toll a high level committee was constitutes by the department in January 2010 to address the issue of incomplete OHTs which suggested revision of design of all the structures in accordance win Indian Standard Code.

The committee further recommended that the structures be got inspected through some expert committee so as to strengthen the existing half constructed OHTs. The department thereafter had sought the help of Economic Reconstruction Agency for suggesting remedial measures and further progress in the matter was awaited.

CAG further says that due to improper planning by the department by way of inadequate funding, non-availability of key construction material and not designing OHTs as per the Indian Standard Code, the construction of OHTs could not be completed despite delay of more than six years which rendered the investment of Rs 68.92 lakh wasteful, besides depriving the intended consumers of the benefits of the water supply schemes.