Delhi:
The BJP trooped out of the Lok Sabha this morning over the government's delay in tabling the Shunglu report that assigns responsibility for the massive corruption that infected the Commonwealth Games held in September in India.
The report - now available online - concludes that there was gross mismanagement by different teams that reported to both the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The BJP has demanded Sheila Dikshit's resignation as Chief Minister, who says she is preparing her response. We will send the report to the Prime Minister and the Union Cabinet Secretary," Ms Dikshit said.
(Read: Sheila Dikshit's reaction to stinging report on CWG) The Shunglu Committee was set up in October last year by the Prime Minister. It was asked to investigate "wasteful expenditure," misuse of funds, and mismanagement among those in charge of organising the Games. The panel is named for its head, VK Shunglu, the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. He is assisted by Shantanu Consul, who retired as Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training.
Ms Dikshit comes in for both praise and criticism. "The Chief Minister took personal interest in the planning and execution of these projects. While full credit must be given for the leadership provided, she also carries the responsibility for the decisions taken including those relating to 'city image' improvement projects which cost the city dear."
Ms Dikshit's government is indicted for wasting 900 crores by moving far too slowly on developing the new infrastructure, especially roads, required for the Games. The Shunglu report states that because contracts were awarded at the last minute, companies who were hired charged a fortune to meet their tight deadlines. The report states that the government showed "no special preparation" for the construction of new roads, despite "a constrained time frame."
The Chief Minister is also scrutinised for expensive attempts to dress up the city. The report says that several projects to improve the image of the city missed their deadlines; many saw contractors being over-paid by crores.
"In street lighting contracts, the contractors have received undue gains to the tune of Rs 63.20 crore...In streetscaping contracts, the contractors are estimated to have been unduly benefited to the extent of at least Rs 16 crore," the report declares.
The Athletes Village - which seized international notoriety in the days before the Games began on account of the filth and shoddy construction - has grabbed the Shunglu Committee's attention too.
The Village was overseen by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which reports directly to Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna. The report states that work on the Village began two years late, which added up to losses worth hundreds of crores. The location of the village near the capital's Akshardham Temple was poorly selected, the report finds, especially since it necessitated the construction of an elevated road that cost the city 600 crores.
The DDA is criticised for not monitoring the progress of the Village. And the company hired to build the Village- Emaar MGF - got a sweetheart deal, the report opines. The DDA granted concessions worth 100 crores to Emaar, and when the company said it had run out of money, the DDA offered a bailout package that included buying 330 flats in the Village - leading to a 220-crore loss. The Lieutenant Governor, the report points out, chaired a meeting that approved buying those flats at above-market rates.
Read the complete Shunglu report below: