Indo-Tibetan Border Police flags delay in Central Public Works Department construction projects

It says 59% of projects are running behind schedule with over two-year-long delays.

January 29, 2020 02:25 am | Updated 02:25 am IST - NEW DELHI

The chief of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) flagged the delays in the construction of facilities for its personnel, while pointing to the speed of construction in China, at a recent review meeting with Central Public Works Department (CPWD) officials here.

ITBP Director-General S.S. Deswal cited the example of China, which, he said, constructs almost “one floor per week”, while 59% of the ITBP projects being carried out by the CPWD, the government’s construction agency, were running behind schedule, according to the minutes of the January 3 meeting issued on Monday.

An official of the ITBP, the primary force deployed along the Line of Actual Control with China, said at the meeting that 146 projects, at a total cost of ₹1,679.76 crore, had been sanctioned and were being implemented at various locations in the country. “Out of 146 works, 87 works/projects are running behind schedule, among which 13 are delayed by more than two years. For example, the work on the renovation of the quarters at Faridabad is delayed by more than two years,” the document read.

Mr. Deswal highlighted the issue of some projects that were “inordinately delayed”, but should not be. “We are a very, very progressive country. If a project is delayed, the country’s development gets delayed. When we see around in different countries, the construction is done at a very, very fast pace, whether we go to Gulf [West Asia] or we go to China. China almost constructs one floor per week and their speed of construction of building is very, very fast. The CPWD is requested to evolve some new systems so that the projects are completed in time,” the minutes cited Mr. Deswal as saying.

He also pointed to the pace of construction in Qatar for the upcoming football World Cup. Meanwhile, a CPWD official “demanded that additional funds be allocated by ITBP”, the minutes said. The construction agency was asked to complete by March 31 the 13 projects that were delayed by over two years.

Infrastructure in the Northeast

Among projects in the northeastern region, the CPWD informed the ITBP of the completion dates for seven works, including the construction of barracks and quarters, between March and December. Thirty-seven projects were 75%-99% complete, ITBP officials said, asking that they be handed over by March-end. ITBP officials also informed the CPWD of cost overruns in 16 projects.

Responding to a CPWD official asking for additional funds in “some cases”, “the ITBP informed that MHA [the Ministry of Home Affairs] has issued sanction on 2-3-year-old estimates without updating the estimate with the present cost index and therefore the divisions are facing a lot of problem in completing the work within sanctioned amount (sic).”

CPWD Director-General Prabhakar Singh said many sanctions issued by the Central police forces in the past two to three years were based on the detailed/preliminary estimate “without having proper provisions for development works and furniture etc,” the minutes said. “As a result, it has been found that the quarters are ready, but could not be used because there is no provision of road, STP [sewage treatment plant], street lights, external electric connection etc.”

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