New Delhi: The Delhi government today said it is not true that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit intervened to allow an ineligible company serve as a supplier of street lights during the Commonwealth Games last year.
"We have not committed any irregularities while holding the Commonwealth Games," Ms Dikshit told PTI. "We were entrusted with certain responsibilities for holding of the CWG and we delivered that."
A report by the government's auditor (CAG) says a company named Spaceage was rejected by a technical committee but was hired later to provide lights after the Chief Minister intervened. This report will be presented in parliament on Friday.
The Delhi government's cabinet secretary today pointed out that Spaceage had gone to the Delhi High court to challenge its disqualification. Two judges ruled in its favour in July 2008, he said.
Sandeep Dikshit, the Chief Minister's son and an MP from Delhi, added, "There is no role of the Chief Minister...the court said reinstall this company."
The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General also states that companies like Spaceage imported lights at low costs - about Rs 5,000 each - and sold them to the government for Rs 25,000 per light, earning super-profits at the government's expense. The auditor says Mrs Dikshit's sanction to use imported lights instead of locally-made ones cost the government Rs 31 crore in losses.
The Cabinet Secretary, PK Tripathi, says that the decision to use imported lighting was based on the advice of a consultant from Kolkata who said that the Games needed lights of international standard. He also said that Spaceage may have tried to avoid customs duty by deliberately under-listing the value of each light that it was importing. He said that at no point was the government aware that Spaceage may have paid an amount as low as Rs 5000 per light; he suggested that the Customs Department further investigate the company for possibly misstating the value of the lights it was bringing into the country.
"We have not committed any irregularities while holding the Commonwealth Games," Ms Dikshit told PTI. "We were entrusted with certain responsibilities for holding of the CWG and we delivered that."
A report by the government's auditor (CAG) says a company named Spaceage was rejected by a technical committee but was hired later to provide lights after the Chief Minister intervened. This report will be presented in parliament on Friday.
Sandeep Dikshit, the Chief Minister's son and an MP from Delhi, added, "There is no role of the Chief Minister...the court said reinstall this company."
Advertisement
The Cabinet Secretary, PK Tripathi, says that the decision to use imported lighting was based on the advice of a consultant from Kolkata who said that the Games needed lights of international standard. He also said that Spaceage may have tried to avoid customs duty by deliberately under-listing the value of each light that it was importing. He said that at no point was the government aware that Spaceage may have paid an amount as low as Rs 5000 per light; he suggested that the Customs Department further investigate the company for possibly misstating the value of the lights it was bringing into the country.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
AAP vs Lt Governor Over Shortage Of Doctors In Delhi Government Hospitals Delhi Government Issues Guidelines For Safety And Security Of School Students Central Government Sells Subsidised Tomatoes At Rs 60 Per Kg In Delhi-NCR Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah To Be Prosecuted In Land Scam Case Video: Woman Tries To Jump Off Mumbai's Atal Setu, Saved By Driver, Cops Kolkata Rape-Murder Case Updates: Doctors On 24-Hour Nationwide Strike Trump Seeks Hindu-American Leader's Help To Fight Indian-Origin Harris Video: Under Construction For 9 Years, Bihar Bridge Collapses For 3rd Time Raksha Bandhan 2024: A Unique Tradition And Its Genesis Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.