Former MLAs under scanner as Govt decides to audit Dev projects

SRINAGAR: Former legislators are under the scanner after investigations revealed that some of them have flouted guidelines and launched hundreds of developmental projects in their constituencies withouttaking nod from the Finance Department.
Sources said for the last so many years MLAs had inaugurated several projects in their constituencies without considering the financial implications. “With the result most of these works have been halted,” sources in the Finance Department said.
Taking cognizance of irregularities, Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to frame district level committees to audit the projects and fix the responsibility.
“The committees shall conduct physical and financial audit of all the projects. The committees have to find out when and how these works were started without knowing the source of funds mostly by former legislators,” sources said.
“Each team shall furnish audit report of projects being implemented in their respective districts through district development commissioner to the chairman Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC Ltd),” a government order reads.
“The list of officers deputed in the concurrent audit teams shall be furnished by the district development commissioner of each district so that training to the team members is imparted at the earliest,” the order reads.
Sources said that these works will be implemented under languishing project scheme funded by JKIDFC.
For the last eight months, High-Powered Committee (HPC) of JKIDFC constituted for ensuring assured funding, has cleared over 2000 languishing projects.
Sources said Governor Satya Pal Malik has also expressed concern over slow pace of developmental works in Jammu and Kashmir.
Following which the authorities of Finance Department directed the administrative secretaries and deputy commissioners to point out “issues faced by them” in execution of the works in a time-bound manner.
District development commissioners were also directed to identify causes of delay in the works in consultation with all the departments and resolve problems.