Dubey stink: Govt’s own report shows something rotten

 Dubey stink: Govt’s own report shows something rotten

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/full_story.php?content_id=36489

AMITAV RANJAN

Posted online: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 at 0000 hours IST

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 2: The Government’s stand on Satyendra Dubey’s complaint to the Prime Minister isn’t known yet—except for Union Minister B C Khanduri’s comment to this newspaper that he ‘‘can’t recall the letter.’’ But the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways’ half-yearly progress report on the Golden Quadrilateral makes one thing clear: the stretch Dubey was working on has one of the worst track records in the nation. • Progress on the 60-km stretch between Aurangabad and Barachatti in Bihar was a mere 4.04% in nearly nine months after Dubey’s complaint letter was passed from the PMO to the Ministry to the National Highway Authority of India.

The progress on the World Bank-funded section as on January 30 this year was just 5.86% compared to the target of 18.76%

• By September 30, the stretch could progress to only 9.90% as against the targeted 38%.

These figures are among the lowest and are abysmal when compared to progress in a 110-km stretch in Andhra Pradesh. The Nellore-Tada section achieved 93.67% progress as against the target of 92.51% as on September 30.

The tardy progress on the Aurangabad-Barachatti section also meant slow disbursal of funds by the project officer. As against Rs 105.8 crore that was sanctioned for disbursal between April 2003 and March 2004, a meagre Rs 17.77 crore was paid in the first six months.

The situation was no different in the previous fiscal year. As against the sanctioned amount of Rs 71.05 crore, the money disbursed for the whole year was Rs 32.42 crore.

At no place does the Ministry’s report give any reasons for the slow progress.