The new guidelines come after the state govt mandated a 20% expenditure cut across all departments to balance commitments like drought relief
“The additional approval process may delay ongoing works, as numerous proposals that were previously cleared by field officials will now face red tape,” a senior PWD official said, noting that several projects across the state are already stalled.
Any unavoidable cost increase must be approved directly by the authority that granted the original administrative sanction, according to the circular. Further, the overall project cost must not exceed the initial approved budget. The decision follows concerns raised by the planning and finance departments regarding instances where excess spending on individual components left the core scope of projects incomplete, compromising their utility. To address this, the govt has made it mandatory to fix accountability for inadequate surveys and poor budgeting before any proposals for revised administrative approval can be submitted. Under the new directives, officials must prepare detailed estimates based on rigorous site surveys, measurements, and investigations. Costs for ancillary components, such as land acquisition, utility shifting, and government charges, can no longer be approximate if actual requirements can be calculated. officials admit the extra scrutiny will lengthen project timelines While these rules aim to prevent cost overruns.