Chandigarh, Feb 20 (PTI) The procurement of 4,000 electric ultraviolet water purifiers (EUWPs) without ensuring availability of water tanks and water or electricity supply connections at the play schools rendered an expenditure of Rs 1.22 crore unfruitful, according to a CAG report tabled in the Haryana Assembly on Friday.
According to the compliance audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the state Assembly, the Haryana government decided to open 4,000 play schools in the state by upgrading the existing Anganwadi Centres (AWCs). This was announced in the state Budget for the year 2020-21.
For this, the Women and Child Development Department (WCD) procured and provided various items including EUWPs to these AWCs/upgraded play schools during the years 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The June, 2023 audit observed that the WCD placed in October, 2021 a supply order for the procurement of 4,000 EUWPs at the rate of Rs 4,871 per item with a replacement guarantee of one year from a firm of Odisha.
The firm supplied these EUWPs by January 2022, for which a payment of Rs 1.95 crore was made to it up to March 2023.
As of November 2024, out of 4,000 EUWPs, only 1,489 could be made functional. The remaining 2,511 EUWPs could not be made functional due to the non-availability of water tanks, water/electricity supply connections or water/electric fittings at the play schools, and the guarantee also elapsed, according to the CAG report.
The report further said this clearly indicated that the EUWPs were procured by WCD without ascertaining the ground reality as most of the play schools lacked the requisite water tanks and water or electricity supply connections.
The audit further observed that the WCD requested in January, 2024 the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) to provide a list of empanelled firms for supplying water tanks along with the estimated cost for providing water tanks and electric motor for water supply at the play schools.
The WCD also requested in February, 2024 the district programme officers (DPOs) to submit estimates for fitting water tanks and motors for installing the EUWPs duly prepared by PHED.
A meeting was held in May 2024, in which the WCD, PHED and the Panchayati Raj Department participated. It was decided that the Panchayati Raj Department would supply the estimated cost of the electric motor, water tank and internal fittings for water supply connections.
The chief engineer, Panchayati Raj Department, supplied the estimate, which was under consideration in November, 2024 with the WCD.
Thus, the procurement of 4,000 EUWPs by WCD without ensuring the availability of water tanks and water or electricity supply connections at the play schools led to the non-installation of 2,511 EUWPs, rendering the expenditure of Rs 1.22 crore unfruitful, the report said.
Moreover, the objective of providing potable drinking water to pre-school children could also not be fully achieved, it further said.
The WCD director said in June, 2024 that initially, the matter was processed for 1,135 play schools in the first phase during the year 2020-21 and the remaining were to be processed in the second phase in the year 2022-23, assuming that within these two years, the provisions for electricity and water could be made.
Since these items could not be finalised in the first phase, the matter was processed for all 4,000 play schools.
The WCD director further said in December, 2024 that the installation of water purifiers got delayed as electric connections were to be provided by the Electricity Department.
The WCD also said in August, 2025 that, according to the latest reports from field offices, 559 play schools were without water tanks and 465 play schools had no electricity connections. Other deficiencies, such as a lack of proper water connections, were also reported.
The CAG report said that the reply confirms the audit contention that procurement of EUWPs was made without ensuring the availability of essential auxiliary infrastructure at each play school.
Further, the reply is silent on the remaining 1,487 EUWPs out of the pointed out 2,511 EUWPs, and the possibility of degradation in the condition of the uninstalled EUWPs cannot be ruled out.
The CAG has recommended that “the state government may consider fixing responsibility on the concerned officers for procurement of EUWPs without ascertaining ground reality at each play school and also ensure that the remaining EUWPs are installed/made functional in a time-bound manner”. PTI SUN KSS KSS
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