The government of Uttar Pradesh has mandated third-party audits of all projects valued at over Rs 100 crore to ensure quality. Premier institutes will be tasked to assess roads, bridges, water supply, sewerage, and other works of a public utility nature independently.
The proposal, according to Hindustan Times, has been made by the Uttar Pradesh Planning Department for works audits of roads, bridges, water supply, sewerage, and other works of a public utility nature. On Friday, Additional Chief Secretary of Finance Deepak Kumar issued the order.
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Under the new arrangement, IIT Kanpur will conduct audits for projects across the Kanpur, Lucknow, Banda, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Agra, Jhansi and Devipatan divisions. IIT-BHU, Varanasi, will handle projects in the Basti, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Varanasi and Mirzapur divisions. IIT Roorkee has been assigned projects in the Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Meerut and Aligarh divisions.
The third-party quality audit system is aimed at providing an independent and objective assessment of major infrastructure projects and reducing potential conflicts of interest associated with internal reviews. The technical institutes will assess whether projects comply with prescribed technical specifications, safety codes and environmental standards.
Officials said the inspections will cover the entire project lifecycle, from commencement to completion. Experts will conduct assessments at different stages of construction and prepare reports based on their findings for submission to the state authorities.
The move is expected to strengthen quality control and accountability in major public infrastructure projects while helping identify technical shortcomings at an early stage. By involving independent institutions such as IITs, the state government intends to ensure that large public works meet required engineering and safety standards.
The audit mechanism will apply to projects exceeding the Rs100-crore threshold, with the institutes responsible for examining projects within their designated administrative divisions, according to HT.
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The step comes amidst the state's focus on developing transportation, water, and utilities infrastructure to give these projects the benefit of the premier technical institutions' expertise.
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