The Comptroller and Auditor General has slammed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati for incurring an “extra” expenditure of Rs 66 crores on her two dream projects — B R Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram memorials here.
The auditor said a sum of Rs 15 crores was wasted transporting stone blocks used in the memorials from Lucknow to Rajasthan and back. An avoidable expenditure of more than Rs 22 crores was also incurred by revising contracts.
The two projects — Bhim Rao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal (DASPS) and Manyawar Kanshi Ram Smarak Sthal (MKRSS) were executed by government body Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (RNN).
Noting that the initial outlay for the two works was Rs 881.22 crores, which included Rs 366.82 crores for DASPS and Rs 514.4 crores for MKRSS, the CAG in a report tabled in the UP Assembly yesterday said due to frequent changes in drawings/estimates and addition of new works, total sanctioned cost of the projects as revised upto December 31, 2009 was Rs 2451.93 crores.
Against this funds of Rs 2261.19 crores were released by the state government between November 2007 to December 2009.
“The work was suspended from September 2009 due to stay order of the Supreme Court. The progressive expenditure against the two works amount to Rs 1776.57 crores upto December 2009,” the report said.
“Audit of two works conducted during December 2009 to February 2010 revealed instances of financial irregularities. These resulted in extra expenditure of Rs 66.48 crores on the works besides locking of funds on premature procurement of material, ultimately increasing cost of the works,” it said.
The CAG said the two works involved construction of boundary walls and flooring of Mirzapur/Chunar stand stone for which blocks were transported from these places to Bayana in Rajasthan (670 kms) for sawing and carving and finished stones were transported to Lucknow (450 kms).