DIMAPUR, April 1 - The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has detected cases of excess/fraudulent payments and suspected misappropriation of government funds in several departments in Nagaland.
In its report for Nagaland State for the year ending March 31, 2016, the CAG particularly pointed to cases involving the PWD (R&B), Rural Development Department, Department of Fisheries and the Tourism Department.
The CAG found that �excess and inadmissible payment� to the amount of Rs 8.01 crore was made to a contractor �by arbitrarily increasing the rates of three items of work�. The payment, the CAG stated, was made for the upgradation of the Dimapur-Niuland Road to a major district road. The Ministry of DoNER had sanctioned Rs 29.41 crore for this work in August 2010.
The CAG, however, revealed that the Executive Engineer, PWD (R&B) had on July 14, 2011 submitted a proposal for revision of the estimate of project cost to Rs 39.90 crore �only nine days before the actual completion of the work (July 23, 2011) on the ground of variation in quantities of work during execution�.
On examination of revised Bill of Quantity (BoQ), the CAG observed that the quantities of three items of work were increased, while the quantities of six items of work were reduced.
While informing that the government in reply in August 2016 had stated that the project cost was revised, the CAG, however, pointed out that it was silent on how the rate of the three items of works was enhanced arbitrarily.
