Rules compromised in CWG contracts: Delhi CAG

To avoid further embarrassment on Commonwealth Games, the Delhi government on Friday shrewdly tabled the CAG report on CWG on the last day of the session. By the time opposition could read and react over the report, the session was adjourned.

The CAG report of Delhi government (copy of which is with TSI) is almost on the lines of the CAG report tabled by the Union government in the Parliament on August 5 last year.

 Concluding the report,  CAG of Delhi notes, “Deficient planning put pressure on timelines and created a sense of urgency. As works were not spread out evenly over the years preceding the games, there was unprecedented bunching of activities in the final years before the Games.”

Adding further, the report says, “Transparency in following procedures was not ensured. And Delhi government had not settled its bills in respect of at least 40 completed projects even after one year of Games .”

The detailed report of around 200 pages very minutely points out the discrepancies. On work of Talkatora and Shivaji Stadium, the audit observed that none of the three bidders shortlisted were technically eligible.

It further notes “The reply is not tenable because from October 2006 to May/November 2008 there was sufficient time to re-tender and since M/s Raja Aederi was ineligible for a project valuing Rs. 30.45 crore, the award of consultancy work with the project cost of Rs 204 crore to the firm lacked justification.”

On Thayagraj stadium auditer said, “There was inadmissible payment of 3.03 crore separately for nuts and bolts in steel work”.

In her first reaction over the CAG findings, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said PAC will look into the CAG report.

“It is tabled today and now the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will see into it,” said  Sheila Dikshit.

Reacting on the report, Ramesh Bidhuri of BJP said, “We agree with the findings of the CAG that sense of urgency was artificial so that procedures could be flouted”.

Criticizing nearly on every front, audit notes added, “It found no evidence of Delhi government having conducted detailed studies of experiences of streetcaping projects  in Indian/world cities, and their impact on the local community.”