CAG Flags Exorbitant Project Cost Of Dwarka Expressway: Exposed Expenditure Discrepancies from INR 18 to INR 250 Crore per km

CAG Flags Exorbitant Project Cost Of Dwarka Expressway: Exposed Expenditure Discrepancies from INR 18 to INR 250 Crore per km

The Dwarka Expressway project, prompted as a solution to the traffic congestion between Delhi and Gurgaon, has been brought under intense scrutiny after the release of a revealing audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). The report, which emphasises on the ‘Implementation of Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana’, has brought to light alarming cost discrepancies that bring into doubt the efficiency as well as transparency under the project.

In accordance to the CAG’s findings, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Board gave approval for the Dwarka Expressway with a whopping civil cost of INR 7,287.29 crore, which translates to an exorbitant INR 250.77 crore for every kilometer. This stands in a stark contradiction to the INR 18.20 crore per kilometer civil cost that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved. The staggering disparity prompts major questions about economic responsibility as well as management of public spending.

The fact that the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway was sanctioned at the NHAI Board level despite not originally being on the list of Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I projects that the CCEA had approved is substantially more alarming. The dearth of sound arguments for these actions as well as the disdain for established approval systems are blatant signs of poor management and an absence of regard for basic protocol.

The CAG report also calls attention to the implementing agencies’ failure to adhere to the CCEA-mandated appraisal and approval process. Out of 50 sample NHAI projects, 8 underwent no appraisal for a variety of reasons, and 35 had tenders floated without any technical or financial due diligence before, only to be assessed after the fact. Such a flagrant disrespect for accepted practices raises questions about the integrity of the project and the competence of those in charge of ensuring that it is carried out.

The research also reveals inconsistencies in the definitions of “project” as well as “package,” which made it unclear what kind of building should be done. It seems that NHAI took advantage of this ambiguity, which led to exorbitant prices as well as a lack of responsibility. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) strenuously disputed the figures provided as a response to the CAG’s findings. The CAG claimed that the civil cost per kilometer was INR 250.77 crore, whereas the MoRTH insisted that the sanctioned cost is INR 206.39 crore. This discrepancy merely compounds the ambiguity and casts doubt on the veracity of the data being made available to the public.

The CAG report’s choice to build the Dwarka Expressway to serve as an elevated corridor serves as one of the most contentious topics it raises. According to the CAG study, there was enough space for a 14-lane grade-level road as well as choosing an elevated route was unnecessary and inefficient. In support of its decision, the MoRTH argued that elevated construction was required to guarantee efficient interstate traffic movement.

The CAG’s counterargument, which asserts that underpasses and flyovers may accomplish the same level of traffic efficiency without the astronomical cost of building an elevated road, is a legitimate one. The fixation on an elevated route demonstrates a lack of planning, good judgment, as well as consideration for less expensive options.

In conclusion, serious concerns have been raised concerning financial irresponsibility, procedural breaches, as well as a lack of transparency in decision-making by the CAG’s audit report on the Dwarka Expressway project. The project’s exorbitant cost, together with the differences in approval processes, construction methods, and road type selection, call for urgent attention from the appropriate authorities. Given that it involves their hard-earned tax dollars and the overall development of essential infrastructure, the taxpayers deserve a complete as well as thorough examination into this situation.

AAP Protests Alleged Corruption in Dwarka Expressway Construction, Demands Accountability

Few days back, the Aam Admi Party (AAP), under the leadership of its national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, protested at the Dwarka Expressway construction site close to Nangli Sakrawati. The purpose of the protest was to call attention regarding what the party sees as obvious corruption in the creation of this crucial infrastructure project. In order to reduce traffic on NH-48 between Delhi and Gurugram, AAP leaders charged the Narendra Modi-led central government of organizing a major scam in the construction of the highway.

AAP leaders said that the project is being carried out at a cost that is roughly “14 times” the initial sum that was authorized by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) earlier in 2017. They cited a recent audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). In accordance to the CAG report, the Dwarka Expressway, which forms part of the Bharatmala initiative and is being built by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), was approved by the NHAI board at a total cost of INR 7,287 crore, or nearly INR 250.77 crore per kilometer. This contrasts sharply with the CCEA-approved expenditure of INR 18 crore for each kilometer.

The AAP’s national spokesperson, Priyanka Kakkar, issued a strong denunciation in the following words:

The Dwarka Expressway project is a big scam by the Modi government. It was approved at a cost of INR 18 crore per kilometer, yet it is being built at an astonishing INR 251 crore per kilometer, all without any prior approval. The central government is drowning in corruption while the AAP government consistently delivers projects under the approved costs. We saved INR 100 crore on the Azadpur flyover and used it to provide amenities to the people.

The project was also given the name “Sone Ki Sadak” (Road of Gold) by AAP politicians, who additionally emphasized the allegedly excessively high cost of construction of INR 250 crore for each kilometer. The Kondli member Kuldeep Kumar poked fun at the excessive costs, saying, “The soil from this Rs. 250 crore per kilometer project should be put on display in museums as evidence of the central government’s corruption.”

Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, had said, echoing the protestors’ concerns, that the CAG report’s findings showed that the Union government had broken every record it had set for corruption during the previous 75 years. The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, rejected the AAP’s claims and characterized them as an effort to deflect attention from the party’s own corruption concerns. The CAG report, according to the BJP, did not examine the factors that contributed to the cost increase, which included land acquisition cost escalation as well as additional constructions.

Congress Slams PM Modi’s Silence on CAG Findings, Alleges Multiple Scams

The Congress Party grabbed the opportunity to draw attention to Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) findings that pointed out different instances of anomalies in reaction to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest allegations against opposition parties for corruption during his Independence Day speech. During a news conference at the party headquarters, the Congress challenged the Prime Minister’s silence about these CAG findings.

The CAG detected cost inflation as well as money wastage in seven cases, according to Supriya Shrinate, the Congress chairwoman for social media and digital platforms. The perpetrators of these schemes ought to be held accountable after a thorough investigation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be held accountable for these crimes, and his involvement in them should be closely examined, according to Ms. Shrinate.

The Bharatmala project, a comprehensive endeavor to build national roadways, was one of the examples given by the Congress spokesperson. She drew attention to problems like exorbitant prices, questionable tendering practices, as well as a lack of safety consultants.

She drew attention to the Dwarka highway, which connects Delhi and Gurgaon, and noted that the total expense of construction had increased from about 18 crore rupees per kilometer to an astounding 250 crore rupees per kilometer for merely two kilometers of the highway.

Ms. Shrinate drew attention to a random examination of five toll booths in which the CAG found that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had wrongfully received 132 crores from motorists because revised tolls had not been put into effect. She underscored the potential scope of the problem by asking, “If every toll plaza in this country were audited, what magnitude would this scam attain?“

The Congress spokesperson also cited CAG reports, which revealed a number of defects and anomalies. Among these were a flawed engine design that resulted in a 159-crore loss for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, flaws in the Ayodhya Development project, as well as the alleged diversion of pension funds intended for the Rural Development Ministry for the setting up of Swachh Bharat Mission hoardings.

Ms. Shrinate observed the media’s seeming silence on the issue: “…The reality is that today the media is quiet.” Not one, not two, however seven CAG scams have been exposed, while the Prime Minister has remained silent, she noted. As the political debate over these alleged irregularities as well as misappropriation of public funds heats up, the Congress Party’s insistence on responsibility raises serious concerns about openness, integrity, along with the correct use of the money provided by taxpayers.

Unearthing a Trail of Inefficiency and Corruption in National Projects

The recent disclosures that surround the Dwarka Expressway project, as pointed out by the CAG report and a succession of political replies, depict a bleak image of mismanagement, financial inconsistencies, as well as a lack of responsibility in the execution of critical national projects. This tale not only demonstrates a flagrant disdain for public funds, but it also puts doubt on the transparency and oversight processes that should protect taxpayer funds.

The CAG’s study on the Dwarka Expressway highlights a troubling tendency of projects ballooning into extravagant expenditures, allowing taxpayers to suffer the full brunt of financial miscalculation. The disparity between a permitted cost of INR 18.20 crore per kilometer as well as an alarming real cost of INR 250.77 crore per kilometer is both astonishing and intolerable. It prompts inquiries as to the reason and manner in which such a sharp increase took place, who is responsible for the oversight, and why remedial action wasn’t taken sooner.

The responses of various political parties to the aforementioned revelations additionally indicate a greater climate of political finger-pointing and a lack of a sincere desire to work together to solve these problems. The public’s hard-earned money, which is wasted in an intricate web of inefficiency as well as lack of transparency, remains the common denominator despite one party pointing fingers at the other.

The Congress’s criticism of the Prime Minister’s silence on the CAG findings along with the AAP’s allegations of corruption highlight the increasing mistrust citizens have towards the government’s commitment to fiscal prudence. The belief in the governing system is weakened by the notion that tax revenues are being utilized to encourage corruption rather than to promote development and advancement.

The systemic inefficiencies as well as murky decision-making that afflict our national initiatives are the real issue here, not just one particular project. The financial strain on taxpayers grows larger as a result of the lack of a clear system for monitoring and enforcing responsibility as well as the insufficient controls on cost inflation.

The fact that these findings are not representative of isolated events is depressing. Cost overruns, improper evaluation, and insufficient scrutiny are repeating themes that indicate a fundamental problem with our governance system. It emphasizes the necessity of changing how projects for the public are planned, carried out, and ultimately monitored. Transparency, responsible management, and strict control are what the taxpayers are entitled to in order to make sure that their money is used wisely.

The Dwarka Expressway saga, in the final analysis, serves as a clear reminder that national projects, financed with taxpayers’ hard-earned money, must be carried out with the utmost care and openness. Political parties need to stop fighting among themselves and work together to solve these structural problems. The dream of a prosperous and developed country will remain elusive without sincere efforts to eliminate corruption and inefficiency from our national projects, leaving taxpayers to bear the heavy burden of not only financial costs but additionally dashed hopes and diminished trust in their elected representatives.