The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its audit, has pointed out irregularities in the Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department’s procurement of all-terrain vehicles, saying funds meant for disaster preparedness were misused in violation of guidelines.
In December last year, state Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia had ordered a special audit by the Accountant General to check whether due procedures were followed in allotment of 51 all-terrain vehicles.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary, the Principal Accountant General of the CAG Office said the special audit found that the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) had imposed sanctions on… $28.45 lakh crore in July 2024 from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) for capacity building, including procurement of Thar jeeps for forest protection. Of that amount, $Rs 17 crore was spent on purchase and modification of vehicles, while the utilization of the remaining amount was not accounted for.
The audit said that the use of SDF funds for foundation-related expenses or routine departmental purchases such as vehicles was in violation of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). She also said that the SRC is not the competent authority to approve such expenditures, which requires recommendations from the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and approval of the State Executive Committee headed by the Chief Secretary.
HT has reviewed the letter written by the Principal Accountant-General to the Chief Secretary regarding the special audit.
The Forest and Environment Department purchased 51 Thar vehicles during the financial year 2024-25 and spent on modifications estimated at approx. $10,000 per vehicle to enhance patrolling, monitoring and emergency response. High customization costs for the vehicles sparked protests from the opposition, which claimed that the modifications exceeded operational requirements.
The auditors also said that the forest department had given up $338 crore, money that could have been reallocated to purchase vehicles instead of diverting Sustainable Development Fund resources.
“These indicate a serious breakdown in internal controls, oversight failure, and weaknesses in the financial management system, which require urgent intervention at the highest level,” the chief accountant general wrote.
