‘Buses were never purchased, tenders were cancelled’: AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj hits back after Delhi LG's nod for CBI probe

AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that the CBI had opened a preliminary investigation in the case and that the agency had found nothing a year ago.

New Delhi: After Delhi's lieutenant governor VK Saxena approved an investigation into the Delhi government's purchase of 1,000 low-floor buses, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday (September 11, 2022) hit back at Delhi LG and calrified that the buses were never purchased, and tenders were cancelled. AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj, while addressing a press conference in the national capital, claimed that the CBI had opened a preliminary investigation and that the agency had found nothing a year ago.

“The L-G is facing many serious allegations of corruption. To divert attention, he is making such enquiries. All enquiries so far have yielded no results. After making frivolous complaints against three ministers, he has now made a complaint against the fourth minister. He should first respond to the allegations of corruption against him,” Saurabh Bharadwaj said. 

- @Saurabh_MLAgk pic.twitter.com/oIaDVuEhpR — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) September 11, 2022

“These buses were never purchased, and tenders were cancelled. Delhi needs a more educated L-G. This man has no clue what he is signing on,” Bharadwaj added. 

-@Saurabh_MLAgk pic.twitter.com/IDrp16N8pO

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) September 11, 2022

According to the complaint, addressed to Saxena in June this year, the appointment of the Minister of Transport, Kailash Gahlot, as the Chairman of the Committee for tendering and procurement of buses by DTC was made in a "pre-mediated manner".

"Irregularities in the bid of July 2019 for procurement of 1000 low floor BS-IV and BS-VI buses and a bid of March 2020 for purchase and annual maintenance contract of low floor BS-VI buses," read the complaint.

They said complaint was forwarded to the Chief Secretary on July 11 for eliciting comments from the concerned departments of the Government of N.C.T of Delhi (GNCTD) and recommending the way forward.

The report, thus, substantiated the claims made in the complaint. The same discrepancies were clearly brought out in a report by the Deputy Commissioner, DTC. 

There were various irregularities found after a detailed examination of the documents by DTC. The discrepancy in the document read, "The DTC had floated the tender with RFP No CGM/SBU/924/2019/AC for procurement of 1000 buses and it was a single tender for supply of 1000 BS-IV or latest buses. In the pre-bid, the quantity of 1000 buses was bifurcated into 400 BS-IV buses and 600 BS-VI buses but the tender still remained one only and the bidders could have made the bid for the entire quantity of these buses of both types".

The complaint was forwarded to the chief secretary on July 22 to seek comments from the departments of the Delhi government and consequently their recommendations.

A committee, headed by retired IAS officer OP Aggrawal, constituted to look into the charges of corruption in the procurement of buses in June 2021, in its report submitted in August last year, had clearly indicted the AAP government for "procedural deviations in the entire tendering and procurement procedure", the sources said.

(With agency inputs)