CAG pulls up state govt for ‘mismanaged’ Maha Kumbh

LUCKNOW: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) have pulled up the state government for mismanagement in the organisation of Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad last year.

Parliamentary affairs minister Azam Khan tabled the report of CAG on performance audit of Maha Kumbh Mela, 2013 in legislative assembly on Tuesday. Ironically, Khan was the chairman of the Kumbh Mela organisation committee and had praised the body for successfully organising the fair.

While auditing the Kumbh Mela, the CAG detected several shortcomings in the planning, executing and management of the affair.

Planning: CAG observed the absence of synergies, coordination and synchronisation among the agencies. No scientific method was adopted for assessing the number of pilgrims during Kumbh Mela. No specific arrangements for differently abled persons and their safety and security were put in place. It seemed the organisers had not learned from the past and committed the same mistakes.

Financial management: Against the released amount of Rs 1,152 crore, the state government spent Rs 1,017 crore leaving Rs 134.83 crore unspent. There was no nodal authority for monitoring the finance of mela. There was delay in release of fund from the urban development department to Mela Adhikari and from Mela Adhikari to the executing agencies.

Infrastructure: The milestones for completing works and

PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS MINISTER AZAM KHAN TABLED THE REPORT OF CAG ON PERFORMANCE AUDIT OF MAHA KUMBH MELA, 2013 IN LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ON TUESDAY

procurement were not adhered to. Construction works to the extent of 59% and supplies up to 19% were not completed by the start of the mela on January 14, 2013. Material worth Rs 9 crore was procured in excess.

Crowd Management: Crowd management was found deficient. Human resource management was weak and there was lack of coordination between departments as no integrated plan for management of passengers was made. Around 67 fire incidents occurred during the mela.

Environment and ecology: Waste management during the Mela was dependent on the infrastructure facilities in Allahabad. No additional arrangement was made for Kumbh Mela.

Quality Assurance: The quality test of the infrastructure facilities was not done. Out of the 111 roads constructed for mela, samples of non-bituminous works from only 22 roads were sent to laboratory for quality test.

Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitoring mechanism was not effective. A committee was constituted to ensure quality and submit report to the state government. There was no record to show that the committee took any action.