ATR on Shunglu Committee report to PMO next week

New Delhi: The Prime Minister’s Office is likely to get the home ministry’s Action Taken Report on the findings of Shunglu Committee next week that probed alleged irregularities in execution of Commonwealth Games projects. The home ministry is likely to submit its Action Taken Report on the findings of Shunglu Committee that probed alleged irregularities in execution of Commonwealth Games projects to the Prime Minister’s Office next week.[caption id=“attachment_58086” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] Official sources said the Home Ministry has received the responses of the Delhi government, Delhi Development Authority, New Delhi Municipal Council and Municipal Corporation of Delhi on the Shunglu Committee report and now preparing the ATR to be submitted to the PMO. “We will tell the PMO what action has been taken or could be recommended on the findings of the Shunglu Committee. Hopefully, we will send the report next week,” a source said. While forwarding the report to the agencies concerned, the home ministry had asked them to explain their position on the findings of the Shunglu Committee and what action they were taking on it. The Shunglu Committee has allegedly held the agencies responsible for lack of oversight and decisions that led to cost escalation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had on 25 October appointed a two-member high level committee under the chairmanship of former Comptroller and Auditor General V K Shunglu to look into various aspects of corruption and other deficiencies in the conduct of mega sporting event held here between 3 October and 14 October last year. The committee has submitted six reports on broadcasting, Games Village, city infrastructure, Games venues, Organising Committee and main report – Organisation and Conduct of CWG 2010. The report on city infrastructure was referred to the home ministry by the PMO for appropriate action on the queries raised by the Shunglu panel in works done by the city government-controlled departments. The administration of Delhi, being the Union Territory, comes under the control of home ministry. In its third report on projects to upgrade city infrastructure, especially related to road and transport, the committee has noted that there was no special preparation by the government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) and allegedly blamed Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for her decisions that led to cost escalation in CWG related projects. The report said there was no special preparation by Delhi government despite constrained time frame. It said unfair cost advantage was given to contractors due to compressed time frame and noted indication of “collusive bidding” by tenders floated by Public Works Department. According to a conservative estimate by the panel, works worth over Rs 5,500 crore were carried out by the Delhi government, a majority of which—about 75 percent—were executed by PWD. PTI