Missing Audits and Multi-Year Expenditure Gaps

According to documents obtained through RTI and details shared by regional publications, the alleged irregularities span several years, including periods where statutory audits were reportedly not conducted. Negi has alleged that this pattern points to serious gaps in financial oversight and compliance within the utility.

Year-wise Irregularity Figures

• 2016–17: ₹92.41 crore
• 2017–18: Audit not conducted
• 2018–19: Audit not conducted
• 2019–20: ₹656.05 crore
• 2020–21: ₹829.90 crore
• 2021–22: ₹43.48 crore
• 2022–23: ₹96.99 crore
• 2023–24: ₹803 crore
• 2024–25 (till May): ₹38.41 crore

Negi claims that skipping mandatory audits for two consecutive years directly violates established statutory norms and weakened financial checks on the department’s expenditure and tendering processes.

Activist Seeks Forensic Audit

The RTI activist has urged the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the Uttarakhand government to initiate a forensic audit into the utility’s financial operations. He maintains that the scale of discrepancies and absence of timely audits indicate systemic governance lapses rather than isolated incidents.

According to Negi, only a detailed inquiry supervised by an independent agency can establish responsibility and determine whether public funds were misused or diverted in violation of financial rules.

Public Impact and Governance Concerns

The Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan is responsible for water distribution and related infrastructure in multiple regions of the state. Large-scale financial irregularities, if proven, could affect the quality and reliability of drinking water supply, delay maintenance and development of critical water infrastructure, and reduce transparency in tendering and procurement processes.

Such allegations also raise broader questions about accountability mechanisms in publicly funded utilities and the effectiveness of statutory audits in detecting and preventing irregularities.

In recent years, regulatory scrutiny around public spending and compliance has increased, with several agencies tightening norms on GST compliance and public sector audit reforms.

Government Response Awaited

As of the time of publication, no official statement has been issued by the Uttarakhand government or the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan regarding these allegations. The matter is expected to attract further attention as demands for an independent probe continue to grow.