CWG Scam: Home Min studying Delhi reply
The Home Ministry was studying the Delhi Government?s response to the Shunglu Committee report into the Delhi Commonwealth Games scandal, following which it would be forwarded to the Prime Minister?s office, government officials said on Monday.
The Delhi government, held responsible for certain irregularities during the organising of the high profile games in the state last October in report, had sent the 3,400 page, 14 volume-response on Saturday.
After it finished scrutinising the response, the Home Ministry would then forward it to the Prime Minister?s office and, if it wishes, would attach its opinion on the same. However, giving its opinion was not an obligation, they said.
On Friday, media reports said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directed his government ministries to respond to the Shunglu Committee report into the Delhi Commonwealth Games scandal within two weeks.
In the directive to the ministries, he reportedly sought answers from concerned departments within the time period and asked them keep him informed of differences, if any.
The V K Shunglu Committee, set up by the Prime Minister to probe Commonwealth Games (CWG) scandal, had blamed chief organiser Suresh Kalmadi for financial irregularities and misusing his powers.
The Committee had submitted a 534-page report on the CWG scam to the PM, where it said Kalmadi ran the organising committee ?like a club?-misusing his powers, removing employees who objected to his actions and favouring selected contractors.
Besides blaming Kalmadi, who is now under custody, facing trial, the report had also named Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for irregularities in certain projects.
Dikshit, however, had rejected the report as ?self contradictory? and had on Wednesday said that her cabinet was preparing a ?paragraph-wise response? which would be sent to the Home Ministry withing two-three days.
The Shunglu report had apparently blamed the Delhi government directly for losses amassing up to Rs 280 crores and Lieutenant Governor Khanna responsible for losses to the tune of Rs 220 crores relating to the CWG village.
According to sources, the Delhi cabinet has rejected all findings of the three-member Committee whose report it had been asked to respond to by the Union Home Ministry in April, within a month.
Besides the V K Shunglu committee, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also probing the scam.
Supposed to be one of the most celebrated events of 2010 which would mark the coming of age of India, the October 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games, instead saw the country being humiliated by shoddy preparations that included overflowing toilets and falling bridges.
While the chief organiser of the Games? and ex-Congress member Suresh Kalmadi took the biggest blow as he was booed at the opening ceremony, sacked, arrested and even attacked with a sandal on way to court, probe agencies are still trying to trace back the elaborate trail.