Nearly 58 per cent of the total construction work in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was not completed within the original schedule between 2014 and 2019, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India said in a report.
According to news agency PTI, the CAG report that was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday said the percentage of work finished within the original schedule dipped from 47.09 per cent in 2016-2017 to 36.53 per cent in 2018-2019.
In the report, the CAG further said that as many as 38 scientists of the DRDO were posted in the construction department between 2014 and 2019, without the approval of the defence ministry. Also, there was a dearth of a total of 180 scientists in the Defence Research and Development Scientists (DRDS) cadre between the same timeline.
The national auditor said the DRDO does not have the standard to review the requirement of guest houses (GH) similar to that of the defence services in which the construction of officers' mess is taken up on the basis of the authorised strength of officers at a certain unit.
"Audit observed that occupancy in 53 (41.40 per cent) out of 128 GHs under the jurisdiction of DRDO, was less than 20 per cent during the period from 2014-15 to 2018-19," the PTI quoted the report.
{{/usCountry}}"Audit observed that occupancy in 53 (41.40 per cent) out of 128 GHs under the jurisdiction of DRDO, was less than 20 per cent during the period from 2014-15 to 2018-19," the PTI quoted the report.
{{/usCountry}}The CAG further found that two additional guest houses were constructed at one of its stations, which already had three of the houses with a yearly occupancy between 11 to 42 per cent only.
The report came in the wake of the DRDO successfully test-firing a number of missiles, including the surface-to-surface guided, short-range Pralay ballistic missile off the Odisha coast on Wednesday.