CAG to audit Noida, Gr Noida and Yamuna expressway authorities
ANNUAL AUDIT The UP govt had earlier sought audit of Ghaziabad Development Authority
After allowing the audit of Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to conduct CAG audit of three industrial development authorities — Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway.
On July 11, Uttar Pradesh Industrial Development department principal secretary Alok Sinha wrote a letter to Vinita Mishra, accountant general (Economic and Revenue Sector Audit), Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, in this regard.
“Now CAG audit will be conducted annually in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities. CAG will audit all accounts and transactions,” Sinha said.
The controversy over allowing CAG access to these authorities had erupted during the UP assembly poll campaign when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had alleged large scale corruption in the GDA.
The Samajwadi Party government had denied permission to the CAG to audit the GDA despite governor Ram Naik’s intervention on the issue. The accountant general had brought the matter to the notice of the governor through letters on May 5 and May 31, 2016.
Naik took up the issue with President Pranab Mukerjee. “For the purpose of transparency, audit should be carried out wherever government funds are given,” he had said.
Apart from carrying out checks on procedures, utilisation of funds and progress of projects, the CAG audit may also scrutinise the terms of contracts, agencies and contractors to whom the projects have been awarded.
Social activists and homebuyers allege that the three authorities had made large-scale land allotments to the builders and other allottees at throw away prices in the past 10 years.
“The Greater Noida, Noida and the Yamuna Expressway authorities also leased back prime residential land to persons, who were not even eligible for such lucrative land allotments. Previous government was hand-in-glove with the builders, thus it did not allow the CAG audit,” said a senior Noida authority official, requesting anonymity.
Apart from this, the Noida authority kept paying ₹100 crores per annum in the name of paying salary to various contractual employees without actually working anywhere, the official added.
“Comptroller and Auditor General audit, if done properly, will unearth several unknown scams in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities. But if CAG will not carry out its duties honestly then the defaulters will go scotfree,” said Raghuraj Singh, a Congress leader.