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Chandigarh’s urban planning dept didn’t recover ₹18L for building design services: Audit
The department of urban planning consists of the architecture wing and the town planning wing; the architecture wing handles the design of government-standard structures, including architectural details and frame control
The department of urban planning in Chandigarh failed to recover over ₹18 lakh from various government departments for designing multiple buildings, the director general of audit (Central), Chandigarh, has stated in a report.
The department of urban planning consists of the architecture wing and the town planning wing. The architecture wing handles the design of government-standard structures, including architectural details and frame control. The town planning wing is responsible for implementing the Chandigarh Master Plan, planning new areas and sectors, and preparing zonal plans, along with identifying land use zones.
The town planning wing also manages land allocation for institutions and societies. Besides, the department is involved in concept approvals for various types of buildings, scrutiny of building plans, and handling projects from other states and central government public sector undertakings as deposit works.
The audit team conducted a review of department records from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2024, and found that an amount of ₹18,41,935, including departmental charges plus applicable GST, remained unrecovered as of March 31, 2024, from various departments and institutions for building design services.
According to the report obtained under the RTI Act by activist RK Garg, ₹3.34 lakh were pending against BBMB, ₹26,781 against ITBP and ₹14.81 lakh against the municipal corporation.
Further, during the inspection of records related to government vehicles used by the department, it was found that an avoidable expenditure of ₹1.11 lakh had been incurred on vehicle insurance, in violation of existing rules.
As per Staff Car Rule 45 of the Government of India, in regard to compensation to third parties for accidents involving government vehicles, attention was drawn to the amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which took effect on November 14, 1994. These amendments specify that compensation, pre-determined based on the age and income of the victim, is payable without establishing fault by the owner or driver. For central government-owned vehicles, particularly those not used for commercial purposes, the concerned ministry or department must pay the compensation, as these vehicles are not insured.
In response to the audit observations, the department stated that they would avoid incurring insurance expenses in the future. However, the final compliance is still awaited, as noted in the report.
