Overview
- Audit Report No. 5 was tabled in the Lok Sabha on July 21, detailing 25 observations from test audits up to FY23 that uncovered ₹573 crore in fiscal and operational lapses.
- Revenue management failures include Northern Railway’s shortfall of ₹148.61 crore in land licence fees and nine zones’ non-recovery of ₹55.51 crore in District Mineral Foundation contributions.
- Operational oversights cost East Central Railway ₹50.77 crore by not levying shunting charges at Bina siding and blocked ₹11.81 crore in South Western Railway’s unused road over bridge.
- Procurement irregularities in Northeast Frontier Railway led to an undue benefit of ₹9.4 crore to contractors and underutilised assets such as ₹27.91 crore in idle Nilgiri Mountain Railway coaches.
- The audit’s findings underscore the need for stricter enforcement of board directives, tighter financial controls and improved interagency coordination to support Indian Railways’ reform agenda.