CAG finds major irregularities in Jharkhand ULB's waste management projects

The performance audit involved test-checking 14 sampled ULBs out of 50, covering financial years 2017-18 to 2021-22, conducted between July 2022 and January 2023 to assess quality of SWM facilities

Major irregularities were detected in the performance audit of solid waste management in Jharkhand's urban local bodies (ULBs), according to the latest CAG report tabled in the assembly on Friday.

Anomalies were found in planning and institutional mechanisms, financial management, implementation of solid waste management (SWM) projects, expenditures, and other areas, the report said.

The performance audit involved test-checking 14 sampled ULBs out of 50, covering the financial years 2017-18 to 2021-22. This audit was conducted between July 2022 and January 2023 to assess the quality of SWM facilities, the report added.

The state government notified the Jharkhand State Urban Sanitation Policy in 2018. The audit revealed that none of the 14 test-checked ULBs had prepared SWM plans. Additionally, nine out of the 14 ULBs failed to recognise organisations of informal waste pickers or collectors.

"There was a 28 per cent vacancy for sanitary supervisors and an 89 per cent vacancy in the public health officer cadre. The staff shortages affected the effective implementation and monitoring of SWM activities," it said.

Five ULBs Chatra, Garhwa, Jhumri Telaiya, Koderma, and Ranchi began construction work on landfills or dumping sites without obtaining the required environmental clearance.

"Audit noticed that 66 community bins purchased in February 2022 at a cost of Rs 11.75 lakh were lying idle at Pakur Municipal Corporation, and 12 refuse bins purchased at a cost of Rs 6.24 lakh in August 2018 were lying unutilised for more than four years," the report stated.

It further added that two transfer stations constructed in June 2019 in Ranchi at a cost of Rs 41.73 lakh remained non-functional.

The report recommended that the state government ensure the submission of annual reports on solid waste by all 50 ULBs. It also suggested the formation of district or ULB-level committees to monitor the implementation of SWM plans.

Meanwhile, the compliance audit report of the road construction department noted that the department's failure to provide encumbrance-free sites to contractors resulted in a cost overrun amounting to Rs 37.29 crore in eight projects, according to the CAG report.

The audit also identified time overruns ranging between two and 78 months in 49 out of 80 test-checked road works.