Guidelines of Union Ministry being flouted with impunity
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 19: Though huge development works are being executed under Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) yet physical verification of the same has remained least priority for the concerned functionaries of the Jammu and Kashmir despite clear guidelines in this regard from the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. This is mainly because of lack of proper coordination between the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department and Nodal District Development Commissioners.
The guidelines of MPLADS issued by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation clearly state that the concerned State Government will assign monitoring of works to a department or a dedicated cell so as to ensure their timely completion. Moreover, the concerned State shall authorize its officers to inspect MPLADS works for ensuring quality.
It has also been specifically mentioned in the guidelines that the district authorities are responsible for overall coordination and supervision of the works under the scheme and inspect at least 10% of the works under implementation every year.
“However, in Jammu and Kashmir there is no focus on physical verification of works being executed by utilizing the funds made available under MPLADS”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “none of the Nodal District Development Commissioner has evolved any mechanism to ensure inspection of 10% of the works under implementation every year and they largely rely on the reports of the executing agencies despite the fact that it is only during physical verification that quality of the work can be checked”.
“Moreover, the implementing agencies are not furnishing physical and financial progress of each work to the concerned district authorities every month despite the fact that much stress has been laid on this aspect in the guidelines of the Union Ministry”, sources regretted, adding “not only to the concerned district authorities the implementing agencies are also required to submit a copy of progress to the concerned State Department”.
They further disclosed that majority of the Nodal District Development Commissioners are also not submitting monthly progress reports to the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and the Member of Parliament concerned in the format devised by the Union Government on or before 10th of the succeeding month, which otherwise is mandatory as per the guidelines.
Quoting an instance of non-seriousness in getting the physical verification of MPLADS works conducted, sources said that the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department vide Order No.27 dated September 6, 2017 had communicated to all the Nodal DDCs that department will shortly assign physical verification of MPLADs works to the teams of officers.
Even the criteria for selection of MPLADS works for inspection purpose was defined in the order but till date no list of such works has been furnished either to the Nodal DDCs or teams of the officers, sources said, adding the teams constituted for assessing updated status of web portal; updated status of closure of 14th/15th Lok Sabha accounts; updated status of closure of 14th/15th Raj Sabha accounts; status of utilization certificates; functioning of facilitation centres; status of administrative expenses; pendency in release of the sitting MPs; status of inspection/verification of MPLADS works by Nodal DDCs and examination of all complaints received from the MPs have not completed the assigned task in majority of the districts.
The lack of coordination between the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department and Nodal DDCs can be gauged from the fact that many Nodal DDCs are not aware of the teams constituted for assessment of various activities in their offices, sources informed.
In the criteria defined by the Planning, Development and Monitoring Department it was stated that all the works costing Rs 25 lakh and more shall be inspected; 50% of all works costing Rs 15 lakh to Rs 25 lakh shall be covered and for rest of the works samples of at least 50 works shall be drawn up.
“Moreover, the Members of Parliament are also not showing any interest in getting the physical verification of works conducted otherwise they can easily pass directions in this regard to the Nodal DDCs”, sources regretted.
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