Untold riches: massive violations found in infrastructure projects
Massive violations were found during the implementation of infrastructure projects — the Accounting Chamber came to these conclusions in its report, analyzing the situation in seven regions (Izvestia studied the document). We are talking about initiatives that are launched with loans from the federal budget. The auditors found errors in the preparation of estimates, found overestimation of cost and late fulfillment of obligations by contractors. For example, in Chuvashia, local authorities purchased almost 50 buses, but they were put on the routes only six months later. The auditors suggested that the government should be responsible for disrupting the plans. Who can carry it — in the material of Izvestia.
To which regions does the Accounting Chamber have claims?
The Accounting Chamber (JV) has checked how the regions spend loans from the federal budget taken out for infrastructure projects from 2022 to the first half of 2024. The auditors studied the situation in the Vladimir, Voronezh, Omsk, Ryazan and Tyumen regions, as well as in Chuvashia and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Yugra.
According to the report (Izvestia has it), the executive authorities of these regions received loans from the federal center in the amount of 56 billion rubles, of which almost 40 billion were infrastructure budget loans and 10 billion rubles were special treasury loans, and the rest were loans to replenish the balance of funds in the regional budget account. At the same time, by the middle of 2024, the balance of funds provided amounted to more than 5 billion (about 10%).
Such loans (from the federal center to the regions) are provided for 15 years at 3% per annum. Dmitry Zemlyansky, director of the IPEI Research Center for Spatial Analysis and Regional Diagnostics at the Presidential Academy, explained that money can be spent on design, construction, reconstruction, technical re-equipment and connection, and major repairs of almost any type of infrastructure, including urban transport development.
What violations were found in the regions
The Accounting Chamber found that in all the regions checked, the deadlines for the implementation of projects were not met, and their cost was indicated incorrectly. This was due to the clarification of the actual volume of work, the appearance of additional work, the inadequate quality of design and estimate documentation, the increase in the cost of construction resources and the non-fulfillment of obligations by contractors. In addition, in all the tested regions, the cost of projects increased by a total of 13 billion rubles (+32%), and the implementation dates were postponed for 60% of the events.
It is not uncommon for funds from infrastructure budget loans, generally allocated for the implementation of large-scale and time-limited projects, not to be used for too long, the joint venture emphasized.
For example, as follows from the auditors' document, the Chuvash authorities purchased 47 buses from December 2023 to March 2024 using special treasury loans. However, in June, at the time of the inspection, they had not been registered. According to the Ministry of Transport of the region dated October 1, 2024, only 20 of these vehicles were put on routes.
In the Omsk region, funds from a special treasury loan in the amount of 850 million rubles were involved in the construction of a water pipeline in the villages of Krasnoyarsk, Krutaya Gorka and the village of Chernoluchinsky. Local authorities have transferred advances to contractors in the amount of 473 million rubles, while only 3 million rubles worth of work has been completed on the acts. The report noted that the unused balance of funds amounted to 375 million.
In the period under review, the Vladimir region carried out the modernization of heat supply facilities in the city of Pokrov in the amount of 672 million rubles. At the same time, only 312 million of the allocated funds were sent to contractors, and 360 million were not used by July 1, 2024. Izvestia sent requests to the subjects where these violations were detected.
If regions increase the cost of projects and shift deadlines, this may lead to the fact that expectations from infrastructure projects will not be met, the report says.
The editorial board asked all Russian regions for comments, asking how they improve the efficiency of using loans from the federal budget. In the Astrakhan region, they said they were taking these funds in addition to regional investments. They are necessary for the modernization of municipal infrastructure. The Magadan Region emphasized that loans are a productive tool for large—scale projects. The Kaluga Region clarified that budget loans are an effective way to develop infrastructure, they increase the attractiveness of the region from the point of view of potential investors and make life more comfortable for citizens.
Responsibility for non-fulfillment of infrastructure projects
As the Accounts Chamber recalled in its report, so far the responsibility of the regions for not meeting targets in the implementation of infrastructure projects is not provided. The auditors sent a letter to the government with a proposal to normalize it. The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers confirmed to Izvestia that they had received the materials, and they had been sent to the relevant federal executive authorities for processing.
For example, such measures may include financial restrictions, suspension of disbursement of funds or redistribution of money already allocated, as well as administrative responsibility for officials who oversee projects, said Yaroslav Kabakov, Director of Strategy at Finam IC. He added: additionally, the authorities can strengthen control over the work and the implementation of plans.
We may even be talking about such types of liability as penalties against legal entities, bringing to administrative responsibility or reducing regional support, says Valeria Starodubova, a member of the Russian Bar Association. According to the senior partner of the Pen Bar Association & Paper Konstantin Dobrynin, the use of criminal law mechanisms to encourage regional authorities to implement their plans is possible.
"But when introducing any responsibility, it is important to realize that the conditions for the implementation of infrastructure projects do not depend solely on the regional authorities, including taking into account their limited powers and capabilities," Konstantin Dobrynin said.
It is important to tighten control over the expenditure of loans from the federal budget right now, when the treasury has been running a deficit for several years. In the updated forecast, the Ministry of Finance estimates the shortfall for this year at 3.8 trillion. This should encourage the authorities to provide funds to the regions more carefully.
After all, it is impossible to completely abandon such loans. Regional infrastructure projects are of great importance for socio-economic development — for example, they contribute to the growth of the number of jobs and final consumption of households, and therefore increase the gross regional product, says independent expert Andrei Barkhota.
— In addition, infrastructure projects are one of the tools of the supply—side economy. Successful cases create conditions for limiting cost inflation through technological re-equipment. And failure to achieve targets means a low ability to develop the investment and financial environment in regional markets," the expert said.
According to Yaroslav Kabakov from IC Finam, the initiative of the Accounts Chamber demonstrates the desire of the federal center to achieve from the regions not only the disbursement of funds, but also concrete results in the development of infrastructure.
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