Delay in taking change of scope 'approval' delaying NH projects
New Delhi: In a shocking revelation, it has come to notice that the collusion between contractors and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) engineers/officials are one of the key reasons for the delay in timely completion of national highway projects leading to a huge financial loss to the government exchequer.
As per official sources, the contractors and project heads of national highways are in the practice of 'deliberate delay' in taking in-principle approvals of change of scope (COS) and reduction in scope (RIS), which is a gross violation of the NHAI directives issued in this regard.
Taking a strong note of such 'intentional' delays, the NHAI, in a fresh directive issued on August 24, has asked all concerned officials to submit proposal of in-principal approval for CoS before August 31 else they would face adverse action for such a deliberate act.
The NHAI, in a letter to all concerned officials, has made it clear that if processing of COS/RIS is delayed without proper justification, an appropriate entry in APARs will be made against the errant officers of the NHAI.
Notably, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in its report to the Parliamentary Committee, has stated that 888 projects pertaining to construction of 27,665 km of national highways have been delayed.
In the letter, the NHAI has noted that serious delays in taking in-principle approvals of COS/RIS have come to the notice. In some cases, the proposals for change in scope were returned by the NHAI officers to engineers for getting further details and thereafter these were neither pursued nor closed, it noted.
"In many cases, this situation has been used as a strategy to cover up the delays in construction by the contractor. Another practice by NHAI officers has come to notice that they ask for undertakings from contractor for no claim on COS despite the fact such undertakings are irrelevant," it said.
"The NHAI would not consider the COS proposals beyond six months of appointed date. It would be allowed in very rare cases after vetting out the justification for delay in this regard. Also, the NHAI officials would have to justify the delay," it said.
