Tableau rocks Games panel: sacked official back to business

The organising committee subsequently tried to sweep the matter under the carpet by asking its finance department chief,Sanjiv Mittal,to leave.

But Mittal,an Indian Defence Accounts Services cadre officer,is now back in the committee after the Defence ministry reacted strongly. Mittal was appointed in November 2009 after the Prime Minister’s Office intervened in the preparations for the Games.

The contract for designing and constructing the tableau was awarded at the last moment to an agency called Outdoor Concepts. The move came after the Defence ministry rejected on three occasions a proposal designed by Delhi-based designer Pralay Kumar Mukerjee,who later claimed his designs were copied.

Outdoor Concepts quoted an exorbitant price of Rs 98 lakh for the tableau. The quotation created a furore in the organising committee after former Additional Director General Uday Sahay refused to sign the bill. Sahay,who now works as consultant communication,headed the Games organising committee’s communication wing at the time.

After Sahay’s exit,sources said,the committee bargained with the agency and brought down the cost to Rs 49 lakh,which was finally approved.

But even that amount,officials said,is “unusually high” compared to what other ministries spent in building and designing their tableaus for the Republic Day. For instance,Sangeet Natak Akademi under the Ministry of Culture,which won the best tableau award at the Republic Day parade,spent only Rs 25 lakh.

On January 23,with the parade approaching,Deputy Directory General (Communication) Sudheer Verma asked the director of the accounts wing to clear an advance of Rs 21 lakh to Outdoor Concepts.

But two days later,on January 25,Joint Secretary in the Sports ministry,Rahul Bhatnagar,asked organising committee CEO Jarnail Singh to hold an inquiry in the case.

The Games committee is yet to revert to the Sports ministry on the issue.

Controversy over the tableau,meanwhile,went on. On February 8,the accounts department sent a letter to Deputy Director General (Communication) Sudheer Verma,seeking the file regarding the proposal.

Officer on Special Duty (Finance) Sanjiv Mittal wrote in the letter: “Upon scrutiny,it was revealed that the bill,along with connected papers,were not complete in all respect… It is requested the file and all papers relating to this proposal may be forwarded to the undersigned for examination.”

Soon after he sent the letter,the Games committee asked Mittal on February 19 to return to his parent body.

With Mittal back at the committee,the organising committee has now instituted a committee to bargain with Outdoor Concepts again in a bid to bring down the price from Rs 49 lakh.

All over tableau
* Agency given contract to make tableau at 11th hour before R-Day parade
* Quotes price of Rs 98 lakh
* Post-bargain,Rs 49 lakh approved
* Sports ministry takes objection
* Games panel’s finance dept chief Sanjeev Mittal asks for contract file
* Mittal asked to leave
* Defence ministry gets Games panel to take Mittal back on board
* Now,new committee within Games committee to bring down cost further