Goa govt has Rs 973 crore locked in incomplete projects: CAG

Panaji: Goa has Rs 973.2 crore blocked in 3,395 incomplete projects as of March 31, 2024, reflecting poor execution and weak monitoring of capital works, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said. Of these, 63 projects were reported to be “100% physically completed”, but did not attain financial closure, while 128 projects were to be completed by March 2024.Information on the completion timeline or physical progress was missing for 33 projects, said the CAG in its report on state finances for the year 2023-24.The central auditor in its report also flagged missing data from several divisions of the public works, water resources, and power departments, which hindered a full assessment.“Blocking of funds in incomplete projects and works negatively impacts the quality of expenditure and deprives the state of the intended benefits. Further, funds borrowed for the implementation of these projects during the respective years add to the fiscal burden in terms of servicing of debt and interest liabilities,” said the CAG in its audit report.The report highlights that 115 of these incomplete works, each worth over Rs 1 crore, already consumed Rs 484.1 crore from the state’s treasury. Notably, road widening and hotmixing work in Morjim, initiated in 2015-16, remained unfinished even after eight years.A total of 102 large projects, with an estimated cost of Rs 790.7 crore, were delayed by one to three years. The roads, bridges and buildings department accounted for 78% of the total estimated cost of such projects.The CAG said that incomplete works not only fail to benefit citizens but also increase the strain on the state’s limited revenue. The CAG recommended that state govt put in place a robust monitoring mechanism to track project progress, enforce timelines, and prevent unnecessary delays.