CAG scan shames Delhi

It was a bad day for the Congress government in the Capital.
u00a0
The 750-page Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam, which indicts the Delhi Government for irregularities and over spending, was tabled in the Parliament on Friday.


Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit arrives after attending the cabinet
meeting at Central Secretariat in New Delhi on Friday

The CAG said that street-scaping project carried out by Delhi government was ill-conceived, ill-planned and caused wasteful expenditure of Rs 101 crore.

The report stated that there were serious irregularities found in award of contract for construction of CWG residential complex to Emaar MGF.

The report also highlighted the fact that Suresh Kalmadi was appointed CWG OC Chairman on PMO recommendation of December 2004 despite objections from then Sports Minister.

CAG pointed out instances of favouritism, bias, largely guided by OC, particularly in selecting surfaces for athletic tracks, hockey turf, badminton courts.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had appointed a high-level Shunglu Committee on October 25, 2010, to investigate and report all irregularities in the execution of various projects by several government agencies during the 2010-sporting extravaganza.

In its report submitted to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Shunglu panel blamed CWG Organising Committee and certain officials for delay in executing contracts for the games.

The Shunglu panel has also questioned ''delays'' in executing number of contracts.

The panel headed by VK Shunglu had on January 31 submitted its first report on alleged irregularities in awarding broadcasting rights during the sporting extravaganza and recommended strict action against suspended Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharti B S Lalli and former Director General (Doordarshan) Aruna Sharma under relevant Sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act for their alleged act of omission and commission.

Both Lalli, a 1971-batch IAS officer, and Sharma (1982 batch IAS officer of MP cadre) are facing allegations of irregularities in the Rs.246 crore deal struck by public broadcasting body which included the controversial decision to give the contract for broadcast of the Games to a UK-based firm SIS Live.

The second and third report submitted by the Committee on the Games Village and the city's infrastructure has indicted Delhi L-G Tejendra Khanna and CM Sheila Dikshit, among several others.