New Delhi: CBI will approach Sports Ministry
to seek removal of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee
Chairman Suresh Kalmadi and Secretary General Lalit Bhanot
from their posts which the agency said were stumbling blocks
in its probe into allegations of corruption in mega sporting
event.
Highly placed sources in CBI said the move came after
Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar conveyed to it that since
the Organising Committee is no more a part of his secretariat
he cannot remove Kalmadi and Bhanot.
The investigating agency had recently written a letter to
the Cabinet Secretary suggesting that Kalmadi and Bhanot
should be moved out at the earliest for smooth progress of the
probe, they said.
The CBI move came after its Director A P Singh was
informed by investigating officers that OC officials were
not forthcoming in sharing information with them because their
bosses (Kalmadi and Bhanot) were still at the helm of affairs.
Sources said a request is likely to be sent to the Sports
Ministry in this regard.
Concerned over delay and allegations of corruption, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh had asked the Cabinet Secretary to
look after the progress of different projects being carried
out by civic and construction agencies in the national
capital.
The CBI has filed three FIRs in connection with alleged
irregularities in CWG and searched the residences of Bhanot
and OC Director General V K Verma on November 30.
Bhanot and Verma have been named in a case relating to
purchase and contracting of timer equipment used for the
Games.
Earlier, CBI had filed two FIRs for the contracting of AM
Films and cars/vans for the Baton Relay ceremonies by the OC
in London. It has arrested Joint Director General T S Darbari
and Deputy Director General Sanjay Mohindroo for their alleged
complicity in these deals.
The Central Vigilance Commission is also probing several
financial irregularities in the conduct of the mega sporting
event in October this year.
PTI
