UP PWD Research Institute lacks equipment, manpower: CAG

The CAG has observed that the Uttar Pradesh PWD Research Institute, responsible for road design and quality testing, "seriously" lacked equipment and manpower and the facility needed strengthening.
In its Performance Audit Report on 'Contract Management in Road Works' in Uttar Pradesh, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) stated the institute was also not getting enough samples for testing from the divisions.
Despite considerable increase in road construction in the state, the number of samples received by the institute has substantially declined, said the report, which was tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly today.
The divisions of the Public Work Department (PWD) were not sending samples to the research institute for quality testing, despite repeated instructions from the government, it said.

Hence, the quality of road construction was largely not verified or ensured in the state, the CAG report, for the year ending March 31, 2016, said.
As far as widening and strengthening of roads is concerned, the Uttar Pradesh Road Development Policy, 1998, stated that these would be undertaken on the basis of traffic density and present condition of roads, the report said.

"The audit, however, observed that in 38 per cent of the test-checked cases in 17 selected districts, the proposals for widening and strengthening of roads were not supported by traffic census reports," it said.
Hence, work on large number of roads was conducted without proper need assessment, the CAG observed.

The audit also found that in the 17 test-checked districts, no provision was made in the estimate for tree plantation along the roads despite the engineer-in-chief's instructions in 2008, the report said.
"Thus provision of Rs 47.87 crore for tree plantation was not made in the estimates of 168 out of 170 test-checked works during 2011 to 2016. The audit further observed that the engineer-in-chief also did not ensure compliance of the 2008 instructions at the time of approval of estimates," it said.
The CAG report went on to say, "Thus the aims and objectives of the Policy remained largely unachieved even after 17 years of issue of the policy declaration. In reply, the government stated that the proposal is under consideration."

The CAG recommended that the government should prepare a clear road map to achieve the policy objectives enumerated in its Policy.
Planning in construction of roads was found completely absent.
"Neither any five years strategic plan or annual works plan was prepared. Roads were selected and approved by government for construction on ad-hoc basis, without even indicating date of completion of work in the sanctions," the CAG report said.