By IANS
New Delhi : The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), a top state-run body to promote the arts, has been hauled up by the Comptroller and Auditor General for continuing to employ staff for a building project that was stopped eight years ago, resulting in Rs.9 million expenditure.
The CAG report tabled in parliament last week accused the IGNCA of taking no steps to control the expenses on its building project despite the construction activity being stopped.
“The services of staff in the cell (Building Project Cell) should be discontinued forthwith,” the report said.
“The ministry (of culture) may also carry out investigation of the actual utilization of the staff and determine accountability for the waste on their pay and allowance,” it said.
The construction work of the building project of IGNCA was stopped in November 2000 after completion of only one building of the eight planned in 1987 due to non-availability of funds. It decided to hand over the remaining work to the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
The remaining construction has not been started.
The CAG report on the autonomous bodies also pointed out that the matter had been referred to the ministry in July 2007, but no reply has been received till November.
“Examination of documents in the IGNCA disclosed that despite cessation of all construction activities, IGNCA continued to operate a building project cell and continued to employ large number of staff leading to waste of Rs.8.96 billion between 2003-04 and April 2007 on their pay and allowances,” the CAG report pointed out.
“Despite no work of building project, the IGNCA continued to employ the 17 persons in the building project cell from September 2002,” the CAG report said, adding that the services of the seven were discontinued in between, but two of them were adjusted against the vacant posts in the art centre.
“Continuance of 10 to 17 employees, who were appointed on purely temporary basis in the cell for up to five years despite no work has resulted in waste of Rs.8.96 million on their pay and allowance,” the report said.