By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: The State government has cancelled 650 engineering works at an estimated cost of Rs 350.3 crore in the Panchayat Raj department. Orders to this effect were issued on Monday.The decision was taken after the Chief Engineer and Engineer-in-Chief of the Panchayat Raj department submitted a report, recommending cancellation of 650 works costing Rs 305.03 crore sanctioned under the Reconstruction of PR Roads Grant before April 1, 2019. The works are yet to be grounded.

Out of 650 works, as many as 575 at a cost of Rs 259.96 crore are in Guntur district. This is the third time that the government cancelling engineering works in the Panchyat Raj department in the past 10 days. It has already cancelled as many as 813 works sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore.

The government is of the view that a large number of engineering works were sanctioned beyond the budget limitations by the previous government, resulting in a huge burden on the State exchequer. Sources said priorities were not followed while sanctioning most of the engineering works. A Panchayat Raj department official told TNIE that chances of inviting fresh tenders for all the cancelled works were bleak.

“There are chances for taking up some urgent works and they will be taken up after inviting fresh tenders,” the official informed. “It is common to cross the budgetary allocations to some extent. But in this case, the works were sanctioned beyond the reach (eight times more than the budgetary allocations), causing a huge burden on the exchequer and the government wants to balance the budget by scrapping such works,’’ the official said.

Expert panel’s tenure extended till Sept 30

The State government on Monday extended the tenure of the Expert Committee constituted to examine execution and grounding of works or projects in the engineering departments till September 30. The chief technical examiner of water resources department, who is the convenor of the Expert Committee, had requested the government to extend the tenure of the panel.

The committee has eight members, including retired engineers and experts from irrigation, roads and buildings, AP Genco, Central Designs Organisation and Water Resources Department. While constituting the committee on June 14, the government said the committee shall review the works and submit a comprehensive report within 45 days. The panel was formed to ensure transparency in execution of projects and to end corruption. Infra projects

575

works at a cost of Rs 259.96 crore are in Guntur district

This is the third time that the government cancelling engineering works in the Panchyat Raj department in the past 10 days813

works sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore were scrapped earlier