Contract management ahead of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) was 'highly irregular', the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said while stating that there was Rs.30 crore wasteful expenditure with the knowledge of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
However, Delhi Government said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has not been indicted by the Comptroller and Auditor General on corruption charges in Commonwealth Games projects as the auditor has only pointed out certain 'procedural wrongdoings'.
Within hours of the CAG report being tabled in Lok Sabha, top Delhi Government sources said that 'no charge has been made against the Chief Minister.
"The CAG has only pointed out certain procedural wrongdoings. This is not an indictment."
Addressing the media, Rekha Gupta, deputy CAG, said there were numerous instances of 'single tendering' and the awarding of contracts to 'ineligible vendors'.
The process was inconsistent so as to favour particular bidders, she said, while disclosing details of the report tabled in parliament earlier in the day.
Stating that there was 'active involvement of the (Delhi) chief minister', she said favours were granted to vendors who were not qualified.
Relations between the Organising Committee, headed by Suresh Kalmadi who is now in jail, and the Indian Olympic Association were blurred, the official said.
She said the OC had made 'highly dubious payments'. And pointing to 'enormous bungling', she said the CAG audited 33 entities.
There were delays at all stages, Gupta said, adding that implementing agencies were 'needlessly dependent on external consultants'.
Besides, there was 'favouritism and bias' in selecting brands of sports services for badminton and hockey and in the award of contracts.
Earlier, Dikshit said she will comment on the report only after going through it. "How can I comment? We will have to read the report.
Let me go through it," she said. She also refused to comment on the Opposition demand for her resignation.