CWG scam: Par panel grills govt officials; CBI arrests pvt firm head

After CVC and CBI, the conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games is now under the scrutiny of a Parliamentary committee which grilled top officials of Urban Development ministry and civic agencies, seeking details about projects.

New Delhi: After CVC and CBI, the conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games is now under the scrutiny of a Parliamentary committee which grilled top officials of the Urban Development ministry and civic agencies, seeking details about various construction projects.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development, headed by NDA Convenor Sharad Yadav, wanted to know the basis of selection of vendors, contractors and sourcing of construction material and whether pricing was done at competitive rates. Additional Secretary in the Urban Development Ministry RC Mishra, other senior officials from the ministry and from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) appeared before the Committee. The DDA and CPWD were working under the Urban Development Ministry for carrying out various infrastructure projects like building or renovating stadia, constructing houses for athletes and beautifying the capital. The Committee members asked them to submit details about various aspects of the projects undertaken by them including the reasons for selecting a particular vendor and a particular product.The members also wanted the officials to make separate submissions regarding the availability of certain materials which were procured from foreign countries and whether the same could have been procured domestically. They also sought details about the cost incurred in procurement of materials and the choice of certain foreign contractors for projects like the Commonwealth Games Village, which was developed by Emmar-MGF, a Dubai-based construction company. The members also wanted to know why DDA bought a sizable number of flats in the Games Village once it had asked the foreign company to build it.The Parliamentary panel wanted to know whether some additional flats were constructed at the village beyond the sanctioned 1100 and if so, the details of their sale. Sources said a Congress member wanted the DDA and CPWD to be disbanded and construction, maintenance and renovation work of government buildings outsourced to the private sector. Interestingly, only a couple of Congress members attended the meeting today. Another member wanted to know why, despite following the highest construction standards, the basement of a few buildings in Games Village were flooded when the capital received excess rains a month before the event. The agencies have been asked to submit their detailed replies in the next 20 days. PTI