rkjindal91
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Graft eating into border roads, finds CVC
probe
Apr 14, 2011, 02.08am IST TNN [ Rajat
Pandit ]
NEW DELHI: Corruption has seeped so much
into the defence establishment that even
projects connected with national security
are failing to emerge unscathed. An inquiry
ordered by the Central Vigilance Commission
into Project Deepak of Border Roads
Organization (BRO) has opened a can of
worms, with shocking tales of manipulation
of tenders, cartelization, lack of quality
control and use of substandard material to
maintain and construct crucial roads.
The audit conducted by the chief technical
examiner (CTE) of the Border Roads
Development Board (BRDB), in fact, found
the quality of roads and bridges in some
stretches is so pathetic that "specialized
Army vehicles will find it extremely tough to
use them in times of emergency."
The report is especially alarming since China
has gone in for a massive upgrade of its
border infrastructure over the last decade,
with an extensive rail network and over
58,000km of roads in the Tibet Autonomous
Region. India, in contrast, is floundering to
make the 73 all-weather roads earmarked
for construction along the 4,056-km Line of
Actual Control with China, with not even 20
of them being completed so far.
The CTE inspection report, which has
indicted several top BRO officers, was
recently submitted to the defence ministry
as well as the CVC, said sources. On being
contacted, minister of state for defence M M
Pallam Raju, who is also the BRDB
chairperson, however, said, "I have been
travelling for the last 10 days. I don`t
specifically remember seeing anything like
that. But if an inquiry is held, we will
definitely follow procedures and take
action."
BRO also downplayed the report, holding
that such checks were "a routine matter"
and "corrective action" was taken if needed.
But with Project Deepak being just one of
the several such whose primary task is to
construct strategic roads and other
infrastructure along the fronts with China
and Pakistan, there are fears that similar
stories are being repeated elsewhere. The
inspection report itself says that "proper
investigation" by an "outside agency" is
required to "reveal all the facts."
The technical audit inspected 31 works and
purchase contracts under Project Deepak,
including the Manali-Sarchu, Hindustan-Tibet
and Dhami-Kiongal roads in Himachal
Pradesh, undertaken from September 2005
to October 2010.
But it was forced to drop the work
associated with the proposed 8.8-km long
Rohtang Tunnel due to "reluctance" of the
directorate general of border roads to
"provide tender documents and
correspondence of the contract".
As for the works examined, the report says,
"Serious types of financial irregularities and
manipulations regarding award and
administration of contracts, besides poor
quality of works execution and
documentation, have been observed by the
chief engineer (quality control) both in
contractual and departmental execution."
Though the report gives an estimate of
"more than Rs 100 crore" of financial
irregularities in "selected contracts", it
warns that the "actual figures may be
manifold higher". "Financial management is
lacking in BRO," it says, adding that officials
responsible for irregularities get away scot
free since there is "no accountability."
While BRO`s in-house capability and
resources are being "misused" or under-
utilized, "more and more contracts are being
outsourced to private constructors." The
report dwells upon how only a few
contractors are being favoured with
contracts after contracts, without any
market rate analysis, transparency and
"healthy competition in violation of CVC and
other guidelines". Moreover, tender rates
are being pegged way above the actual
costs by "showing false scarcity of road
construction material" at or near the work
sites, among other things.
Even more worrying is the finding that
"practically no quality control" has been
exercised during execution of contracts to
repair or construct roads. "Neither the
material conforms to the stipulated
specifications and gradation, nor are the
thickness and quality ensured...it`s a matter
of grave concern that locally-available
quarry spoil/river bed material has been
used without proper compaction and wet
rolling," says the report.
Even roads constructed or repaired by BRO
are plagued by similar problems, with total
disregard of "geometric standards" and
strategic needs. Take the widening of the
Manali-Sarchu road, which is part of the
strategic Manali-Leh highway. "Quality of
execution is extremely poor. Road
geometrics is not being achieved as per laid
down standards...Specialized Army vehicles
cannot move easily during emergency on
this vital axis to Leh (J&K)," it says.
Bridges, too, are being constructed without
proper planning and care. For instance, the
report dubs as "technically unsafe" the 50-
metre span steel super-structure bridge
being constructed over the Koksar Nallah on
the Manali-Sarchu road.
probe
Apr 14, 2011, 02.08am IST TNN [ Rajat
Pandit ]
NEW DELHI: Corruption has seeped so much
into the defence establishment that even
projects connected with national security
are failing to emerge unscathed. An inquiry
ordered by the Central Vigilance Commission
into Project Deepak of Border Roads
Organization (BRO) has opened a can of
worms, with shocking tales of manipulation
of tenders, cartelization, lack of quality
control and use of substandard material to
maintain and construct crucial roads.
The audit conducted by the chief technical
examiner (CTE) of the Border Roads
Development Board (BRDB), in fact, found
the quality of roads and bridges in some
stretches is so pathetic that "specialized
Army vehicles will find it extremely tough to
use them in times of emergency."
The report is especially alarming since China
has gone in for a massive upgrade of its
border infrastructure over the last decade,
with an extensive rail network and over
58,000km of roads in the Tibet Autonomous
Region. India, in contrast, is floundering to
make the 73 all-weather roads earmarked
for construction along the 4,056-km Line of
Actual Control with China, with not even 20
of them being completed so far.
The CTE inspection report, which has
indicted several top BRO officers, was
recently submitted to the defence ministry
as well as the CVC, said sources. On being
contacted, minister of state for defence M M
Pallam Raju, who is also the BRDB
chairperson, however, said, "I have been
travelling for the last 10 days. I don`t
specifically remember seeing anything like
that. But if an inquiry is held, we will
definitely follow procedures and take
action."
BRO also downplayed the report, holding
that such checks were "a routine matter"
and "corrective action" was taken if needed.
But with Project Deepak being just one of
the several such whose primary task is to
construct strategic roads and other
infrastructure along the fronts with China
and Pakistan, there are fears that similar
stories are being repeated elsewhere. The
inspection report itself says that "proper
investigation" by an "outside agency" is
required to "reveal all the facts."
The technical audit inspected 31 works and
purchase contracts under Project Deepak,
including the Manali-Sarchu, Hindustan-Tibet
and Dhami-Kiongal roads in Himachal
Pradesh, undertaken from September 2005
to October 2010.
But it was forced to drop the work
associated with the proposed 8.8-km long
Rohtang Tunnel due to "reluctance" of the
directorate general of border roads to
"provide tender documents and
correspondence of the contract".
As for the works examined, the report says,
"Serious types of financial irregularities and
manipulations regarding award and
administration of contracts, besides poor
quality of works execution and
documentation, have been observed by the
chief engineer (quality control) both in
contractual and departmental execution."
Though the report gives an estimate of
"more than Rs 100 crore" of financial
irregularities in "selected contracts", it
warns that the "actual figures may be
manifold higher". "Financial management is
lacking in BRO," it says, adding that officials
responsible for irregularities get away scot
free since there is "no accountability."
While BRO`s in-house capability and
resources are being "misused" or under-
utilized, "more and more contracts are being
outsourced to private constructors." The
report dwells upon how only a few
contractors are being favoured with
contracts after contracts, without any
market rate analysis, transparency and
"healthy competition in violation of CVC and
other guidelines". Moreover, tender rates
are being pegged way above the actual
costs by "showing false scarcity of road
construction material" at or near the work
sites, among other things.
Even more worrying is the finding that
"practically no quality control" has been
exercised during execution of contracts to
repair or construct roads. "Neither the
material conforms to the stipulated
specifications and gradation, nor are the
thickness and quality ensured...it`s a matter
of grave concern that locally-available
quarry spoil/river bed material has been
used without proper compaction and wet
rolling," says the report.
Even roads constructed or repaired by BRO
are plagued by similar problems, with total
disregard of "geometric standards" and
strategic needs. Take the widening of the
Manali-Sarchu road, which is part of the
strategic Manali-Leh highway. "Quality of
execution is extremely poor. Road
geometrics is not being achieved as per laid
down standards...Specialized Army vehicles
cannot move easily during emergency on
this vital axis to Leh (J&K)," it says.
Bridges, too, are being constructed without
proper planning and care. For instance, the
report dubs as "technically unsafe" the 50-
metre span steel super-structure bridge
being constructed over the Koksar Nallah on
the Manali-Sarchu road.
.
