CAG raps Home Ministry, wireless wing for spectrum loss

NEW DELHI: The CAG has rapped Home Ministry and its police wireless wing for incurring an "avoidable expenditure" of Rs 13 crore towards spectrum charges for Multi Access Radio Telephones (MART) and said the project has failed to deliver even eight years after award of work.

MART is an essential component for the functioning of the Police network-- also called POLNET.

"The reply (from the Directorate of Coordination Police Wireless) confirms the audit conclusion of the failure of the Ministry (of Home) to undertake feasibility study to assess the suitability of the MART technology with reference to the existing locations of police stations and embarking on the project without ensuring the availability of site readiness.

"The purpose of the project of achieving a national police network to provide connectivity to all police stations in the country with state capitals, district headquarters and the national capital was not fulfilled even after eight years of award of work and incurring expenditure of Rs 94.57 crore," the CAG report tabled in the Parliament said.

"Further, the Ministry also incurred avoidable expenditure of Rs 13.08 crore on account of spectrum charges for un-installed BSUs and RSUs, MART," the report said calling it an "unfruitful expenditure".

BSUs and RSUs are acronyms for Base Station Units and Remote Station Units respectively.