NCG Audit Report: Rs 47.1M Spent on Ship Maintenance

In a report released on Tuesday, April 2nd, it was revealed that only two out of five ships belonging to the National Coast Guard (NCG) were operating normally as of October 2023.

The CGS Baracuda and the CGS Valiant were the only functioning vessels.

The total amount spent on the maintenance of all five ships for the financial year was Rs 47.1 million, with the report highlighting unnecessary expenses.

One such example was the procurement of equipment for the Adsu in March 2019, where procedures were initiated for the acquisition of two pieces of equipment and training at a cost of Rs 20 million.

The delivery of all items was scheduled for September 2019, but only one piece of equipment was received.

The report also mentioned the New Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), as the old system was no longer operational.

The project specifications were revised three times, with costs escalating significantly from Rs 20 million in February 2018 to Rs 101.2 million in March 2022.

This final amount represented a 406% increase from the initial estimate, showing a concerning trend of rising costs and inefficiencies within the NCG.

It is clear from the report that there are systemic issues within the NCG that need to be addressed in order to ensure the effective functioning of the Coast Guard and the safety of our waters.

Source: Defi Media