New Delhi, London:
The spectre of misconduct looming over the Commonwealth Games stands bolstered by yet another email.
Suresh Kalmadi, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Games, has set up a committee to investigate allegations - by the Foreign Ministry, no less - that the email he cited to defend a questionable deal with a UK-based firm had been doctored. Lakhs of pounds were paid to AM Firms, owned by
Ashish Patel, for services that he allegedly provided for the Queen's Baton Relay in London in October 2009.
(Read: Who is Ashish Patel?)Now, another email accessed by NDTV shows Patel got detailed and written instructions on how much to charge for the taxis he provided from Sanjay Mahendroo - one of Kalmadi's closest aides, and a senior official of the Organizing Committee. (
Read: CWG: UK firm AM Films dubious? NDTV accesses documents)
In the email, Mahendroo states, rather than asks, the rates for Patel's taxis. The prices mentioned by the Organizing Committee are exorbitant, even when compared to the cost of hiring a BMW or Mercedes for an entire day in London. You'd have to shell out 250 pounds for those. For an Ashish Patel taxi, the costs are nearly double - 450 pounds a day.
Mahendroo's email is dated October 7, 2009 - three weeks before the Queen's Baton Relay took place. However, Kalmadi had earlier told NDTV that the reason a contract was not signed with Patel was because it was a last-minute arrangement. "We had this company - AM Cars - who were told to us by Indian High Commission in London...they gave us the rates also...we asked them because there was no time...we had never heard of it before....just 4-5 days before...it was such an emergency," Kalmadi said. He added that London officials at a review meeting for the function said that additional facilities like ambulances and portable toilets needed to be provided because of the scale of the event, and the status of the dignitaries who were to attend it (they included the President of India). (
Read: Kalmadi denies corruption charges, takes on Indian High Commission in London |
(Watch: Suresh Kalmadi to NDTV on corruption charges)
If there was enough time for one of Kalmadi's men to dictate taxi fares to Patel, why did the time melt away when it came to signing a contract? When NDTV spoke to Ashish Patel for his reaction to this email, he denied that Mahendroo was the one dictating the cab hire rates. He insisted that it was he who had quoted those rates and Mahendroo merely sent this email to confirm that. He also denied that the cab hire rates were inflated. (
Watch: Cab rates not inflated: Ashish Patel)
The Sports Ministry has written to Kalmadi to drop Mahendroo and
TS Darbari - another member of the Organizing Committee - because they're linked to the allegations of corruption swirling around the Games. Increasingly, the question being asked is whether Kalmadi can keep safe distance from tainted aides as well as the actual charges.
(Who is TS Darbari?)