Probe ‘corruption’ by PWD officials in drain desilting: L-G; AAP says new ‘conspiracy’

According to officials in the L-G Office, desilting work was carried out in Southwest Road-I and Southwest Road-II divisions of the PWD in Palam.

The L-G directions came following a complaint by a BJP councillor, advocate Amit Kharkhari, who alleged that officials involved in the project are engaged in “serious irregularities, including misuse of public funds, blatant disregard for established tender norms, and other serious corrupt practices”.

The complaint alleged that one single contractor was unduly favoured and given contracts to desilt drains in violation of norms, causing financial losses to the government. The complainant named four engineer-level officers of the PWD and the contractor.

The Principal Secretary to the L-G has written to the Chief Secretary conveying Saxena’s orders. “Keeping in view the severity and scale of the alleged irregularities, supported with substantial proof of corruption in the complaint, the L-G has desired that this matter may kindly be referred to the ACB for in-depth investigation, so that further course of action be initiated, as per rules,” said Ashish Kundra, principal secretary, in a note to the CS.

The note also reads, “It is also requested that an action-taken report in the matter may be forwarded to this Secretariat, at the earliest.”

The AAP further said: “The BJP and its L-G must stop its theatrics and immediately launch an investigation against former Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and other officials who have failed to conduct a third-party audit on the matter to date. The L-G should stop wasting the public’s time and money with these frivolous investigations.”