Architect of CWG scam report under scanner for graft: Shunglu panel

CAG DG had selected a consultant arbitrarily during his tenure as finance officer in Delhi Univ.

A senior official of the CAG,which had prepared the report on the Commonwealth Games malpractices,is himself under the scanner of a high level committee that went into the irregularities of the mega sporting event.

In its report submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,the committee headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu has said that R S Mathrani,presently Director General in the CAG,has followed an “arbitrary” procedure to select Engineers India Limited (EIL) as project management consultant during his tenure as finance officer in Delhi University.

Interestingly,Mathrani has contributed to CAG’s report on Commonwealth Games irregularities which indicted Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and certain officials of her government.

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According to the report,in one of its notes Mathrani recorded that EIL would be invited to make a presentation to the Works Advisory Board and,if found suitable,price negotiations would be carried out to finalise the consultancy fees.

“If EIL is not found suitable then other PSUs would be invited to make a presentation,” it said.

“Having such a condition for selection of agency clearly demonstrates that other identified agencies were not offered equal opportunity to be selected. EIL was given preference over others by inviting them to make presentation to Work Advisory Board.

“No opportunity was given to other agencies Rites Limited & Engineering (Projects) India Limited — to make similar presentations,” the Shunglu panel pointed.

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The committee felt that the consultancy fee of Rs 23 crore to EIL was very high and unjustified.

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