Civic body plans to scrap third-party audit for road works

MUMBAI: Amid allegations of irregularities and an inquiry into road works, the civic body has decided to scrap the ambitious third-party road audits and may also file a first information report (FIR) against the firms that were entrusted with the work to conduct an independent audit of road repair and reconstruction work.

Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta has decided to do away with third-party auditors because they approved road works even though the quality was poor.

Third-party audits were introduced in 2011 to keep a tab on the quality of work and also suggest improvements. However, over the years, it did not translate into better work.

In 2015, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had made it mandatory to obtain a no-objection certificate from its vigilance department for clearance of contractors’ bills with a report of third-party auditors.

The municipal commissioner had last year also ordered the vigilance department to check on materials used for pothole filling frequently rather than wait for a third-party audit.

Also, if a third-party audit is required for any work, then the department concerned can take permission from the additional municipal commissioner on a case-by-case basis.

“For example, the roads department will be responsible for the quality of the work done and its inspection. There will no audit for each work,” said a senior civic official, on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media.