Amid chorus of ‘poor quality’ devp works, Ludhiana MC chief wants third-party audit

The Ludhiana MC chief said a third party should carry out a technical and financial audit of the developmental work as it will act as a quality check.

With the Opposition raising a dust over the “poor quality” of developmental works under the Smart City Mission, municipal commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal has written to local bodies principal secretary AK Sinha seeking a third-party audit of the same.

Ludhiana MC chief wants third-party audit to bring transparency to the ongoing development works. (Representative Image/HT File)

Writing to the principal secretary, Sabharwal, who is also the chairperson of Ludhiana Smart City Limited (LSCL), said a third party should carry out a technical and financial audit of the developmental work as it will act as a quality check.

“The services of project management consultant company, AECOM, have been replaced with those of the project implementation unit (PIU), which is efficiently monitoring the projects. However, a third-party audit will bring in more transparency. Besides, independent inspections should be made,” said Sabharwal.

An official, requesting anonymity, said the recommendation to hire a third party has been taken in the wake of objections by locals. “This way, the MC will be able to justify its working,” he said.