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Regular-article-logo Sunday, 03 November 2024

CAG glare on faulty planning of bus shelters

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Sanjeev Kumar Verma Patna Published 24.08.17, 12:00 AM

Patna, Aug. 23: The Bihar government has spent Rs 27.6 lakh in installing and dismantling bus queue shelters in Patna, a cost that could be avoided, the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has said.

In a report on local bodies for the financial year ending March 2016, the CAG has observed that the government had spent Rs 18 lakh in setting up 10 bus queue shelters and is now spending another Rs 9.6 lakh in dismantling them.

The report was laid in the Legislative Council on Wednesday. Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) constructed 117 bus queue shelters in 2014-15. Of them, 10 were constructed for Rs 1.8 lakh each, including civil and structural fabrication and electrical work. However, another Rs 9.6 lakh would be spent in total for dismantling and re-installing the shelters. (See chart)

"The decision to dismantle some of the bus queue shelters was taken in the wake of new projects of roads and flyovers which did not exist when this plan was formulated," said a senior BUIDCo official, requesting anonymity, on why the structures would be dismantled so soon after being set up.

The CAG report, however, reads: "The BRPNNL (Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited) requested in September 2014 to stop work on ten BSQs (bus queue shelters) at the stretch of road from Lalit Bhavan to Vidyut Bhavan due to initiation of the project work of flyover, under-pass and multi-junction interchange. But, ignoring the request, BUIDCo constructed BSQs on this stretch."

The report holds unacceptable the reply of the BUIDCo project director that the bus queue shelters were constructed and inaugurated before the Nigam's request.

It said at the time of the request from the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited, only the vegetation in the area was being cleared according to "the measurement book". Construction of the 10 bus shelters was completed in March 2015, the CAG has said.

The BUIDCo official claimed that the dismantled bus shelters would be "reused" once the ongoing projects are complete and a proper site for the shelters is identified in the original area. "The bus shelters have a steel frame and only a little cost would be incurred in putting them for reuse," he said.

The Telegraph could not speak to Suresh Sharma, the urban development and housing minister. First, one of his aides picked up the call and asked this correspondent to call after 10 minutes, and second time, no one answered the call.

The CAG also mentions in its report unauthorised occupation of district board (zila parishad) inspection bungalows and lands in seven places - five in Madhubani district and two in Rohtas district.

An inspection bungalow at Sakri, Madhubani, is being used as a police station without any rent being paid for it, and the one in Benipatti of the same district is being used by the deputy superintendent of police, Benipatti. The inspection bungalow in Umgaon is being used as a Sudha parlour.

Office of assistant engineers in Jhanjharpur is being used as a bus stand. The district magistrate is using the inspection bungalow in Madhubani town as his residence for a paltry monthly rent of Rs 250. In Rohtas, the sub-divisional office uses the inspection bungalow at Bikramganj since 2005-06. A rent of Rs 68 a day is paid. The inspection bungalow in Kochas is being used as the block and circle office for a rent of Rs 64 a day the last 24 years.

"These are complicated issues as government agencies are using the properties belonging to the district boards," said an official in the panchayati raj department.

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