Abandoned hospitals, cost overruns—Delhi ACB's case against AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj, Satyendar Jain
The development comes days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) paved the way for ACB's case against Bhardwaj and Jain on the recommendation of Delhi L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena on 6 May.
The announcement was made in a press statement issued by Joint Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma, who is chief of the Delhi ACB.
New Delhi: The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) Thursday booked senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and former Delhi health ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Satyendar Jain for alleged irregularities, unexplained delays, and misappropriation of funds in connection with the proposed establishment of 24 hospital projects costing Rs 5,590 crore.
Jain, along with former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, was booked in a case of alleged misappropriation of funds exceeding Rs 2,000 crore sanctioned for the construction of classrooms during the term of the previous Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government.
Responding to the allegations, Jain said in a statement issued later in the day, 'There is, as yet, no evidence to suggest that these project sanctions were marred by corruption. Moreover, all these sanctions predate Saurabh Bharadwaj's tenure. How can a Minister be held liable for actions taken two to five years before assuming office? Is this some kind of joke?'
'The FIR would make it abundantly clear that, without any reasonable cause, only two former Ministers have been named—while all Health and PWD officers, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, have been spared,' said Bhardwaj.
The latest case stems from a complaint by then leader of the opposition, Vijender Gupta, who alleged rampant corruption in the health department under Bhardwaj last August. He alleged that 24 hospital projects were sanctioned in 2018-19 at an overall cost of Rs 5,590 crore, which were delayed and suffered 'astronomical cost overruns'. Of the 24 hospitals, 11 were greenfield and the remaining 13 brownfield projects.
However, the ACB chief said verification of these projects revealed unauthorised and additional construction at two hospitals, in Jwalapuri and Madipur. 'Notably, Madipur hospital project was to be completed by November 2022, but remains abandoned and far from completion,' JCP Verma said.
Gupta had further alleged that seven intensive care units (ICUs), with an overall capacity of 6,800 beds were sanctioned for Rs 1,125 crore, which were to be built within six months from September 2021. 'However, even after a lapse of more than three years, they are at a stage of mere 50 percent completion with a cost of Rs 800 crore,' he alleged.
In this case, the ACB says it found that the contract for these seven ICUs was awarded to a firm named SAM India Buildwell Pvt Ltd, and that the project experienced a cost escalation of more than 100 percent despite incomplete construction, even years after the February 2022 deadline.
Other projects sanctioned but allegedly incomplete include a new block at state-run LNJP Hospital, sanctioned for Rs 465.52 crore. Gupta had alleged that the cost of construction tripled to Rs 1,125 crore over four years.
'Verification also found that the New Block at LNJP Hospital, awarded to M/s Swadeshi Civil Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, saw project costs escalate from Rs 488 crores to Rs 1,135 crores over four years, with the structure still incomplete beyond its January 2023 deadline,' JCP Verma said Thursday.
Additionally, Gupta alleged that the Kejriwal-led government planned to establish 94 polyclinics in the national capital at the sanctioned cost of Rs 168.52 crore but only 52 could be built at a cost of Rs 220 crore.
'Many of these polyclinics remain nonfunctional,' JCP Verma said, adding that based on these findings, the Delhi ACB approached the Delhi government's vigilance department to seek prior approval before filing a case against Bhardwaj and Jain. After noting the observations of relevant departments, including health & family welfare and the Public Works Department (PWD), which recommended the probe, the Directorate of Vigilance submitted the file to the L-G for referral to the MHA for sanction.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Classroom 'scam': ED seizes Delhi govt files, PWD officials' stamps from premises of contractors
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