Central road fund misused in Punjab: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged the “misuse and uneven distribution” of the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) in Punjab, claiming 60 per cent of the grant was spent in former PWD Minister Vijay Inder Singla’s home district Sangrur.

In its report for the 2020-21 financial year that is to be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha, the CAG said the Punjab Government failed to prepare a proposal covering the “core network” of roads from across the state and instead included 60 per cent of the roads from Sangrur alone. One “ineligible” road too was included, it said. The “core network” comprises selected state highways and major district roads that have the potential to be upgraded as national highways.