Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

Objection to TWAD Board decision not to collect investigation charges

S. Sundar

Not to collect charges for investigation works of new drinking water projects separately

MADURAI: The Accountant-General of Audit has raised objection to the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board's decision not to collect the charges for investigation works of new drinking water projects separately and instead to meet it out from centage charges of the scheme.

Even as the board has taken up the uphill task of calculating the money lost in that aspect by way of implementing many new projects in the three financial years starting from 2002-03, the TWAD Board Workers' Federation affiliated to the All-India Trade Union Congress has questioned the "unilateral decision of the board members that led to the board incurring a huge loss."

The federation's State vice-president, K.K.N. Rajan, said the board did not have any powers to amend the TWAD Board Act, without the approval of the Assembly. "Now, who will bear the loss that would run into few crores of rupees," he asked.

As per Section 18 of the TWAD Board Act 1970, the cost of investigation of any scheme undertaken by the board should be borne by the beneficiary local authority. In the event of any failure on part of the local authority to pay the cost, the Government should make the payment, according to Section 23 (3) of the Act. The cost of investigation included supervision and centage charges at the prevailing rates.

However, the board amended the rules with effect from 2002-03, following which it did not collect investigation charges from local bodies/State Government in the last three financial years, "incurring a loss of approximately Rs. 80 crores in the said period," Mr. Rajan said.

Reversal not easy

The federation felt that the reversal of the board's decision was not an easy one. Calculating the investigation charges from the files, such as pay of subordinate personnel involved in field work, fuel, levelling operations, creation of source, probing and boring operations, supervisory charges and one per cent centage charge on the cost of investigation works was not an easy task, the federation headquarters secretary, P.H.C.M. Gandhi, said.

"The problem does not end at calculating the charges. Now, how could the board collect investigation charges from local bodies after a lapse of three years," he asked. The financial position of many local bodies was not good. The State Government already owed over Rs. 200 crores to the board, Mr. Rajan said.

The federation sought action against officials who took the "loss-making decision" without the approval of the Assembly.

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