The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has slammed the Mizoram government for incurring an “avoidable” expenditure of Rs 4.88 crore on formation cutting of Darlak-Sihthiang road in Mamit district due to “negligence”.
The CAG report tabled in the assembly by Chief Minister Zoramthanga in the recently concluded session said that the construction of the Darlak-Sihthiang road was undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) despite the village being already connected. It said that Sihthiang was connected by 11-km long Chuhvel-Sihthiang paved road, which is an all-weather road since December 2020.
While the construction of the Chuhvel-Sihthiang paved road was being taken up in May 2016, an agreement was signed in August 2019 between Mizoram Rural Road Development Agency of the state Public Works department and contractors for the construction of Darlak-Sihthiang road at a cost of Rs 52.81 crore and the project was scheduled to be completed by June 2020.
“The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for construction of Darlak-Sihthiang road indicated that Sihthiang village, with a population of 495 was unconnected from any part of Mamit district and the length of the proposed Darlak-Sihthiang road was 35.61 km and the estimated project cost was Rs 58.32 crore,” the audit report said.
