3 Government Engineers Suspended In Arvind Kejriwal Bungalow Case

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has suspended three engineers for their role in alleged illegalities involved in renovating the official house of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The three engineers - Pradeep Kumar Parmar, Abhishek Raj, and Ashok Kumar Rajdev - were instrumental in renovating Mr Kejriwal's bungalow, sources said.

Along with four others, they allegedly allowed rule violations and cost escalation in the name of superior modifications on Mr Kejriwal's instructions, sources said. All the four, too, have been suspended.

Mr Parmar is currently posted in Assam's Guwahati, Mr Raj is working in West Bengal's Kharagpur.

These engineers allegedly colluded with the Delhi public works department (PWD) minister and allowed the construction of the new bungalow for the Chief Minister by invoking an urgency clause, where no such urgency existed when the nation was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the vigilance department.

While the finance department had been issuing orders on fiscal management and reduced expenditure due to the pandemic, the PWD minister allegedly pushed for fast-tracking the new bungalow construction proposal, but in the name of addition to or alteration of the old house, sources said.

The vigilance department has said on record that the demolition of the old building and construction of a new one and the "disproportionate increase in expenditure" were done on the directions of the PWD Minister.

This led to major changes in drawings of interiors submitted by the consultant, which led to deviation in the total amount paid and the amount sanctioned for the work, sources said.

The vigilance department has pointed out crores of rupees were spent on superior specifications like extra artistic and ornamental works, superior class stone floorings, superior wooden doors and automatic sliding glass doors, etc.

The matter is already being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).