Only 6.42% of licensed construction works were carried out between 2017 & 2022; with poor coordination & oversight cited by audit watchdog
PANAJI
In a detailed review, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed that only 6.42 per cent of construction works were carried out between 2017 and 2022, despite local bodies issuing 1,169 construction licences across four panchayats, three municipal councils and the Corporation of the City of Panaji.
The CAG flagged a big gap between the number of licences issued and the actual works executed, pointing to poor oversight by the government.
In its report tabled in the Assembly, the CAG said the registering authorities, including the Labour and Employment Department, local panchayats and municipalities, had no information on the number of construction works in their areas. There was also no coordination or data sharing between the licence-issuing authorities and the registering authorities.
The data shows that of the 1,169 licences issued, only 75 works or sites were registered with the District Labour Commissioner. The coastal Calangute panchayat issued the highest number of licences (334), but only one site was registered. Sancoale village panchayat issued 223 licences, with 31 sites registered. The Corporation of the City of Panaji issued 151 licences, with 31 sites registered. Aldona village panchayat issued 144 licences and the Quepem Municipal Council 113, but none were registered.
“It can be seen that the percentage of registration of construction sites was very low i.e. 6.42 per cent during the period 2017-22,” the CAG said.
After physically inspecting some unregistered sites, the CAG found that none had applied for registration and no employers had informed the Labour Department about the start or completion dates of works.
It also noted there was no coordination between the registering authorities (DLCs) and the bodies issuing licences, and that the Labour Department had not instructed licence-issuing authorities to share relevant details. No awareness campaigns were conducted to ensure compliance with registration rules.
The government argued that the pandemic was the reason for low registrations, but the CAG rejected this, pointing out that numbers were low both before and after COVID-19.
“The Department may take immediate measures to increase the enrolment of establishments including a mechanism with Local Bodies and works executing departments to get the data of construction licences issued and work orders executed respectively,” the CAG recommended.
