Thiruvananthapuram: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report reveals that SRIT has been responsible for significant lapses in the management of the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) project. The audit findings highlight that SRIT’s shortcomings are directly linked to the inefficient performance of KFON. Furthermore, the CAG audit report indicates that officials from SRIT acknowledged these lapses during a meeting convened by Bharat Electronics, the entity overseeing project execution.
Despite KFON being a project initiated by the Kerala government, its operations are entrusted to the private firm SRIT. The private company has been granted extensive authority over KFON. In a review session held on January 18th of this year, Bharat Electronics—an entrusted public sector organisation overseeing project implementation—raised serious concerns regarding SRIT’s inadequacies.
A glaring disparity exists between the required workforce to execute the KFON scheme and the actual number of employees currently engaged. Regrettably, a significant portion of these personnel are not actively contributing. Moreover, SRIT’s oversight over subcontracted firms is notably lacking. The evaluation process for task prioritisation has also proven to be notably ineffective.
The CAG report calls upon KFON to provide an explanation regarding the identified lapses attributed to SRIT within the scope of the KFON project.
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