Two road projects taken up under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’s (NABARD) Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) in Jammu and Kashmir were abandoned after Rs. 16.6 mn was spent on them, according to the Composite Audit Report. The audit found that the expenditure had remained partially unproductive because the projects were not completed.

The two projects were among 309 NABARD-funded projects examined during the audit. Together, they had a sanctioned cost of Rs. 50 mn. Their abandonment meant that the planned road connectivity was not fully provided to the rural population in the areas covered by the schemes.

The Main Road Choolan to Daragutliyan to Bosian Phase-I project in Uri, Baramulla, was sanctioned under RIDF-XXV. The project had an approved cost of Rs. 24.9 mn, against which Rs. 9.8 mn had been spent before the work was abandoned.

The audit attributed the abandonment of the Uri project to the contractor stopping work. The incomplete project therefore did not deliver the full connectivity intended under the rural infrastructure programme, despite the release and use of part of its sanctioned funds.

The second project was the construction and upgradation of the Hanga Dilmarg Road in Handwara, Kupwara. It was sanctioned under RIDF-XXII. The report identified both projects as examples where implementation did not result in the planned public asset, leaving the intended rural road benefits only partly realised.

The findings highlight the need for closer monitoring of projects funded through RIDF, particularly after work begins and payments are made. Ensuring that contractors continue work until completion would help protect public spending and improve the delivery of road connectivity in rural areas. The report’s observations cover the projects examined as part of the wider audit of NABARD-funded works in the Union territory.