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
