58% of construction work in DRDO not completed on time between 2014-19: CAG

Around 58 per cent of the total construction work in the Defence Research and Development Organisation was not completed within the original schedule between 2014 and 2019, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has said in a report.

Moreover, the national auditor found that 38 scientists of the DRDO were posted in the construction works department without the approval of the Ministry of Defence.

The core activity of DRDO is research and development of technologies required for the armed forces and it had a deficiency of 180 scientists in Defence Research and Development Scientists (DRDS) cadre, the auditor's report, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, noted.

"The purpose of having a dedicated Research and Development Construction Establishment (RDCE) for planning and execution of time bound DRDO works was not fully met as 58 per cent of works for the period 2014-2019 could not be completed within the original schedule," the CAG said reported.

Further, the percentage of works completed within the original schedule declined from 47.09 per cent in 2016-17 to 36.53 per cent in 2018-19, it added.

The national auditor found that the DRDO does not have standards for assessing the requirement of guest houses (GH) similar to that of the defence services wherein the construction of officers' mess is based on the authorised strength of officers at a particular 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 report noted.

The CAG audit also found that two additional GHs were constructed at a station that already had three GHs having yearly occupancy between 11 to 42 per cent only.