CAG Flags Severe Delays and Irregularities at Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop

Coaches Took Up to 3 Years for Overhaul Against 15–20 Days Norm, Says Audit Report​

New Delhi, April 3 – The Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop under East Coast Railway (ECoR) has come under scrutiny after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) revealed glaring delays and operational lapses in the facility’s coach overhaul processes.

In a report tabled in Parliament on Thursday, the CAG noted that coaches sent for Periodical Overhaul (POH)—which is supposed to take just 15 to 20 days—were delayed by up to three years in some cases. The audit flagged multiple irregularities, highlighting inefficiencies in planning, execution, and monitoring at the workshop.

Downward Revisions and Unrealistic POH Projections​

The audit report stated that projections for the number of coaches due for POH were not realistic and were revised downward year after year. Contributing to the delay were not just sluggish workshop operations, but also the depots’ delays in sending coaches for scheduled overhauls.

Underutilization Despite Capacity Enhancements​

Established in November 1981, the Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop (CRW/MCS) was initially built to handle 45 coaches per month. This capacity was expanded to 100 in 2003–04, and further augmented to 150 coaches per month between 2008 and 2016.

However, between 2016–17 and 2022–23, the actual output ranged only between 86 and 113 coaches per month, well below the enhanced capacity.

Despite this, additional capacity augmentation projects worth ₹181.78 crore were undertaken from 2018–19 to 2022–23, without a clear assessment of infrastructure compatibility or future needs, the report added.

Idle Coaches, Poor Monitoring, and Post-POH Failures​

The audit revealed that 191 coaches remained idle at the workshop for periods ranging from 10 to 171 days, totaling 6,558 idle coach-days. In 43 of those cases, coaches remained unused for more than 50 days.

Moreover, the audit noted a high number of failures within 100 days post-POH, which is considered a red flag by the Railway Board.

• In 2018–19, 103 coaches failed within 100 days of POH
• In 2019–20, the number rose to 139 coaches
• During 2020–23, out of 3,402 overhauled coaches, 131 coaches failed within this timeframe

These figures suggest persistent quality control issues in overhaul processes.

Audit Highlights Other Operational Irregularities​

The CAG report pointed out several additional concerns:

• Four high-value machines worth ₹4.15 crore were lying unused for years due to inherent defects
• Shortfalls in procurement led to material shortages and stock issues
• The Workshop Information System (WISE) used to monitor POH activities was found to be ineffective

Misreporting of POH Capacity​

The audit also criticized the workshop for understating its POH capacity in reports submitted to the Railway Board, raising concerns about the integrity of internal reporting.