Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) as many as 372 works on rural roads in 11 states were abandoned or proposed to be abandoned mid-way due to non availability of land which may result in loss of Rs 280.01 crore, according to a CAG report.
"...372 works in 11 states were abandoned/proposed to be abandoned mid-way on similar grounds after incurring expenditure of Rs 280.01 crore," the official auditor said.
The official auditor has also said that 538 works were not commenced and subsequently dropped due to non-availability of land or land disputes.
Further in 13 states 1,550 works were dropped or proposed to be dropped for the various reasons such as deficient planning, remote location to carry the material, naxal problem and no response to the bid among others, the Comptroller and auditor general (CAG) said.
Earlier, the Rural Development ministry n its reply had said that a circular was issued to states in November 2013 for recouping the amount incurred on dropped roads under the PMGSY.
"The reply of the Ministry was not acceptable as the deficiencies in the preparation of DPRs continued and no remedial action was taken to minimise the dropping of the projects," the CAG said.
To review of the progress of the PMGSY programme, CAG said it was decided to take up the performance audit covering the period from 2010-11 to 2014-15.
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