CAG finds faults with IFFI finances

Thursday, July 13, 2006
Panaji (UNI): The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found several faults with the financial management of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI)-2004, held under the auspices of the then BJP-led Government headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. In its report, for the year ending March 31, 2005 submitted by Chief Minister Pratasinh Rane to the Goa Legislative Assembly today, he observed that ''the works were not planned, executed and monitored efficiently though the State Government hosted the prestigious event like the IFFI-2004.'' Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), the nodal agency, headed by its chairman, who was also Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, for development of the facilities required for holding the event ''did not carry out proper surveys.''

''The tendering process suffered due to lack of transperancy and tender evaluation procedure was faulty. There were cases of excess payment/wasteful expenditure and over dependence on consultants on all the major works,'' the CAG observed. It also noted that the expenditure of Rs 1.78 crore incurred on the State Government-appointed consultant for the IFFI-2004, was not entirely justified due to non-performance and overlap of functions with the Directorate of Film Festivals, Government of India. Further, the delay in settlement of final bill of the consultant resulted in non-recovery of Rs 1.67 crores, the report added.

Proper planning based on surveys with adequate involvement of user departments/ agencies before taking up projects, linkage of dependence on consultants and the fee with physical progress ofthe works, evolving dependable quality assurance mechanism, observation of strict competitive bidding for reasonability of rates to contractors and evolution of contract clauses to safeguard financial interests of the government were some of the recommendations the CAG made to the GSIDC in this regard.

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