CAG detects irregularities in Ports dept

Says Director misled government through misrepresentation of facts

Jacob Thomas was the Director of Ports during the audit period

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has detected irregularities in the installation of a solar power system and a host of purchases made at the Directorate of Ports and observed that the director had mislead the government through misrepresentation of facts.

The report on the economic sector for 2016, tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday, says that nine out of the 11 solar systems installed at port offices spending ₹82 lakh, were not functioning.

(Director General of Police Jacob Thomas was the Director of Ports during the audit period, but the CAG has not mentioned his name in the report.)

The government accorded sanction for renovating the Kodungalloor signal station for ₹56.21 lakh to address space constraints and also flooding during high tide there.

The director diverted the fund to construct a conference hall on the same premises without securing government sanction.

He obtained a revised administrative sanction saying that the funds were used for renovating the signal station. “Thus, the director misled the government through misrepresentation of facts and executed an unauthorised work diverting the fund sanctioned for another work,” the report says.

Violation of norms

Construction of the office building for the directorate at Valiyathura for ₹1.93 crore here has also drawn flak of the CAG.

“We found that the building was constructed within 30 metres of the High Tide Line on the seashore and subjected to heavy winds and saline atmosphere,” the report says.

This is in violation of the Public Works Department Manual which states that the site selected for a building should be most advantageous for the intended purpose, have a suitable neighbourhood and should not be exposed to heavy winds without protection. All such norms have been ignored, the report says.

Procurement of steel furniture, computer and other electronic equipment for the directorate too has been found to be made in violation of the provisions of the Kerala Financial Code.

Liquidated damages

Liquidated damages to the tune of ₹47 lakh owing to the delay in commissioning the container handling crane procured for the Kollam port was not levied from the supplier, the report says.

The report has also cited irregularities in the regulation of houseboats and allotment and utilisation of industrial plots too during the audit period.