CVC to inspect more CWG related works

New Delhi: After finding alleged financial irregularities in 16 of the Commonwealth Games related

projects, the Central Vigilance Commission is likely to expand its probe ambit to include other works by government and civic agencies in the national capital. Official sources said the Chief Technical Examination Wing under the Commission has decided to inspect other Games related projects too to check corruption. The team is re-examining all the tenders floated by the different civic and construction agencies and other documents related to award these CWG-related works after it noticed misappropriation, inflated prices and tampering with post-tender documents by certain government employees in alleged connivance with private companies in the 16 projects, they claimed. Construction and upgradation works being done at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex and Yamuna Sports Complex, Talkatora Garden Complex may appear in CVC`s new watch list, sources said. According to Games Organising Committee, there are six venue clusters and five stand alone venues in the capital for the mega sporting event. Twenty-six new training venues are being constructed for different sports. In addition, sixteen training venues are being upgraded. However, the anti-corruption watchdog has termed these inspections as "routine". "Chief Technical Examiner`s Organisation (CTEO) of the CVC, in a routine manner, inspects the works of different organisations, when they have been tendered out and are in progress," the Commission said. In 2009, CTEO had inspected 129 works in 71 organisations. In 2010, so far CTEO has inspected 57 works in 42 organisations including DMRC, MCD and DJB. The reports of the CTEO are sent to different organisations for remedial action, system improvement and to identify officials responsible, where vigilance angle is suspected, it said. "Organisations respond to CTEO reports, and some aspects are closed and in some cases advice is given for disciplinary action against officers, when they are found responsible," the Commission said. It added that CTEO report is the "first step and does not, in any way, assume the form of a final CVC report as it is sought to be projected in different quarters.” "CTEO reports are followed by agency reply, CTEO counter, agency’s further reply etc," it said. An inspection by the Central Vigilance Commission had found serious discrepancies like award of works at higher rates to bidders, poor quality of construction and grant of work to ineligible agencies in as many as 16 different Commonwealth Games-related construction works being carried out by various departments here. The cost of the projects have been estimated to be over Rs 2,000 crore. Six of them are being done by Public Works Department (PWD), three by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), two each by Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and one by RITES, a Government of India Enterprise, the report said. The CVC has written a letter of complaint to CBI asking for a probe into alleged criminal conspiracy by unknown MCD officials in granting work for upgradation of street lighting in the national capital. According to the report, "Almost all the organisations executing works for Commonwealth Games have considered inadmissible factors to jack-up the reasonable price to justify award of work at quoted rates citing urgent or emergent circumstances. Despite higher rates, poor site management and delays and quality compromises have been observed." PTI