After the CBI arrested former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman, Suresh Kalmadi, the CWG scam has returned to haunt the Delhi government. The Shunglu Committee Panel probe has raised fingers at the role of Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit and Lt-Governor Tejinder Khanna in the Games. So far, the Shunglu Panel
had submitted to the PMO three reports pointing at financial irregularities in the Delhi government’s role. The findings in the three reports against the Delhi government are the following:
· The Shunglu panel pegged the cost of delays, undue gains, poor planning and bad leadership in the execution of CWG-related infrastructure projects at over `1,250 crore in losses to the state exchequer. The report primarily blamed the Delhi CM and L-G Tejendra Khanna.
· In a direct indictment of the Delhi CM, the committee asked why the expenditure finance committee was centralised under the CM and how it was giving clearance to all types of projects. It also questioned the logic behind breaking down large projects into smaller “packages” (or phases and portions) and hence ruling out the involvement of bigger, reputed companies.
· Civic agencies like PWD, MCD and NDMC have been blamed for wasting public money worth `700 crores. Shunglu panel has also asked for action against top brass of MCD, DDA, PWD and Delhi government for all acts of omission and commission.
· On undue profits to contractors by the Delhi government, the panel noted these amounted to `52 crores in the Barapullah elevated road, `47 crores in the Ring Road bypass, `16 crores in streetscaping, `63 crores for street lighting and `46 crores for signages.
· The committee also stated that an additional expenditure of `60 crore rupees was incurred because it was felt that different light bulbs were sought by the Delhi government for the Games. The panel in its report has pointed out that why the misunderstanding happened is something that is unclear.