Chandigarh fails to scrap 14 condemned vehicles despite policy: Audit

Despite a policy, the UT Secretariat in Sector 9 here has failed to scrap as many as 14 vehicles which were declared condemned during 2023-24. The observation was made by the Director General of Audit (Central) in its report.

As per the policy, vehicles that are declared condemned or have reached 15 years of age, whichever is earlier, will not be auctioned. All such vehicles shall be scrapped at the Registered Vehicle Scrap Facility (RVSF).

The UT Secretariat serves as the administrative hub for the Union Territory, overseeing governance and public services in the region.

According to the audit report obtained under the RTI Act by RK Garg, during checking of record of the office of the Secretary Establishment, Chandigarh, for the period 2023-24, it was noticed that 14 vehicles of the department were declared as condemned, but not scrapped, leading to financial loss to the government.

The report further pointed out that the UT Secretariat failed to obtain a utilisation certificate from the Vigilance Department for an advance of Rs 6.50 lakh allocated for the year 2023-24 from the Secret Services Fund.

Furthermore, as per the provisions of the General Financial Rules, the government must appoint a controlling officer to conduct an administrative audit of the expenditure and issue an audit certificate. This certificate must then be submitted to the Accountant General (A&E). However, it was observed that no officer was appointed to conduct the mandatory audit.

During a checking of the records, it was also observed that the department did not conduct the required physical verification of stores, stocks, consumable items, and fixed assets during the audit period. In the absence of verification, any excess or shortage of items and fixed assets could not be identified during the audit.