CAG shoots down Delhi bid to restrict C'wealth Games probe

Showing signs of being rattled by the investigations into its role in the scam-ridden preparations for the Commonwealth Games, (CWG) the Delhi government has written to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) suggesting that it should restrict its probe to only 25 projects directly linked with the games. The CAG had earlier asked for details of 76 projects.
 
The CAG is not buying the state government's stand. It has promptly written back saying that the government should not try to ''filter'' information on the basis of whether it is related to the games or not.

While the sports ministry's estimate of the Delhi government's CWG expenditure is Rs16,650 crore, the Delhi government wants the CAG to only scrutinise projects worth Rs3,240.02 crore.

Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, in a letter to the CAG dated 22 October, said that only 25 of the projects undertaken over the past few years are CWG-related and hence only these 25 projects should be probed, keeping in view the short time of three months given to it to submit the report.

Citing the fact that the government used to send a fortnightly status of works report to the cabinet secretariat under two separate heads - 'CWG projects' and 'List of city improvement projects undertaken by the government of NCT of Delhi' - Mehta told the CAG that it would do well to limit itself to the scrutiny of only the projects in the first list, though it was "free" to do so for the others too.

"As you are aware that the government of NCT of Delhi was not only concerned with the construction of some stadia and training venues for the games but also was dealing with the work to improve city infrastructure. Some of these infrastructure projects were directly related to the CWG while others were part of the routine development works that were done on year to year basis but were monitored closely in order to ensure that they are completed well on time to improve the image of the city," Mehta wrote.

In his reply, Ranjeer Singh, accountant general of Delhi, wrote, "The objective of our audit might require us to go beyond the 25 projects shortlisted by you ... all the records / information relating to every project as required by the audit parties may kindly be provided to them without any filtration of information/ record on the ground that the concerned project comes under CWG project or not."