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Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘CVC Report Kept Under Wraps For 3 Yrs'
New Delhi: The Anti-Corruption Bureau 's action on the construction of classrooms in the capital comes in the wake of a report by the chief technical examiner of the Central Vigilance Commission besides the enquiry carried out by the agency and the department of vigilance (DoV), sources said. The CVC's report pointed out several anomalies in the classroom construction project, but it was kept under wraps for about three years, said Madhur Verma, joint commissioner of police and ACB chief, on Wednesday. "During enquiry, it was found that the examination report of the chief technical examiner, CVC, in the matter was issued on Feb 17, 2020, with the approval of the competent authority but it was suppressed for about three years," he said. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi In April 2015, then CM Arvind Kejriwal had directed construction of classrooms in govt schools. PWD was entrusted with the initial task of constructing 2,405 classrooms in 193 schools. It carried out a survey and projected a total requirement of 7,180 equivalent classrooms in 194 schools, almost three times the initial figure, sources said. It was decided that semi-permanent structures (SPS) would be cost effective for the project. The CVC report , however, observed that ultimately the actual cost of the SPS classrooms was more or less equal to the cost of permanent structures. Due to adoption of richer specifications, the construction cost of these classrooms almost matched the cost of pucca classrooms and apparently no financial benefit of adoption of SPS construction was achieved, the report concluded. "The actual cost per sq ft … as worked out in the CVC report is Rs 2,292 per sq ft against the cost of pucca structure model schools @ Rs 2,044-2,416 per sq ft," the report says. ACB also observed that contracts were awarded after the tenders for work worth Rs 860.6 crore. However, contract values eventually escalated by 17-90% due to richer specifications. "The escalation amounted to Rs 326.2 crore, of which Rs 205.4 crore was attributable to richer specifications, comprising 23.8% of the award value," Verma said. Contrary to CVC guidelines, no fresh tenders were invited to reflect these changes. Additionally, construction work worth Rs 42.5 crore was executed in five of the schools without proper tenders and under existing contracts, the investigation of CVC and ACB revealed. Verma said, "The report of CTE/CVC flagged violations of various clauses of the CPWD Works Manual 2014, GFR 2017, CVC guidelines and other irregularities and alleged that various decisions taken after the award of tenders were not in accordance with the guidelines of CVC and other manuals, resulting in financial loss," Verma said. ACB has communicated its findings to DoV, which has examined the probe report and observed that the construction cost of classrooms in different zones and districts of the education department was revised despite the expenditure and finance committee's clear instructions in its first meeting in Oct 2015 that no change would be considered in future. DoV also said that the construction was not completed within the prescribed deadline of June 2016 and in some cases, general financial rules were not followed, thus giving undue advantage to contractors. The vigilance directorate has recommended "fixing responsibilities" of the officials concerned in PWD and the education department.
Mint
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Fresh corruption case against AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain over scam of ₹2,000 crore
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a fresh case against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in connection with corruption in the construction of classrooms at highly exorbitant costs. The scam is pegged at around ₹ 2,000 crore and involved awarding contracts at highly inflated rates with classrooms reportedly built at ₹ 24.86 lakh each — nearly five times the usual cost, news agency PTI reported while citing the ACB's statement. The project was allegedly awarded to contractors linked with AAP. 'A massive scam to the tune of Rs. 2,000 crores was unearthed in the construction of 12,748 classrooms/buildings during the regime of AAP in Delhi,' the Anti-Corruption Bureau was quoted as saying by news agency ANI on Wednesday. The Anti-Corruption Bureau alleged that significant deviations and cost escalations were observed, 'and not a single work was completed within the prescribed period.' It added, 'Consultant and Architect appointed without following due procedure, and cost escalations were carried out through him. Case registered after receiving permission u/s 17-A POC Act from the competent authority.' The complaints from Harish Khurana, spokesperson, BJP Delhi Pradesh, Kapil Mishra, MLA, and Neelkanth Bakshi, Media Relations Department, BJP, were received regarding corruption in the construction of approximately 12,748 school classrooms at an expenditure of Rs. 2,892 crore. Cost for constructing school rooms: The lump sum cost for constructing one school room, as per the awarded tenders, is approximately ₹ 24.86 lakh per room, whereas such rooms could ordinarily be built in Delhi for around ₹ 5 lakh per room. Contractors: It was also alleged that the project was awarded to 34 contractors, the majority of whom are allegedly associated with the Aam Aadmi Party. Not a single work was completed: Head of Anti-Corruption Bureau Madhur Verma told ANI that during verification, it was revealed that in the meetings of the Expenditure Finance Committee for the financial year 2015-16, it was decided that the project would be completed by June 2016 at the sanctioned cost, without any scope for future cost escalations. However, despite these directions, not a single work was completed within the prescribed period, and significant deviations and cost escalations were observed. Report was suppressed: During the enquiry, it was revealed that the examination report of the Chief Technical Examiner, Central Vigilance Commission, in the instant matter was issued on February 17, 2020, with the approval of the competent authority. However, the report was suppressed for about 3 years, ANI reported. Violations of various clauses: The report of CTE/CVC raised serious violations of various clauses of the CPWD Works Manual 2014, GFR 2017, CVC guidelines, and other irregularities. They also alleged that various decisions taken after the award of tenders were not in accordance with the guidelines of CVC and other manuals, which led to a huge escalation of costs and financial loss. The CVC report also observed that ultimately, the actual cost of the constructed SPS was more or less equal to the cost of permanent structures. The actual cost per sq. ft. of Priority-I, as worked out in the CVC report, is Rs. 2292 per sq. ft. against the cost of pucca structure model schools @2044 - 2416 per sq. ft. Due to the adoption of richer specifications, the construction cost of SPS classrooms almost matched the cost of pucca classrooms and apparently no financial benefit of adoption of SPS construction was achieved. Contract values escalated: During the enquiry, it was observed that the tenders were floated and contracts were awarded for ₹ 860.63 crore. Subsequently, contract values escalated by 17% to 90% due to richer specifications. The escalation amounted to Rs. 326.25 crore, of which Rs. 205.45 crore was attributable to richer specifications, comprising 23.87% of the award value. No fresh tenders were invited to reflect these changes, contrary to CVC guidelines. In five schools, work worth Rs. 42.5 crore was executed without proper tenders, using existing contracts. Based on the aforementioned findings in the instant matter, a proposal to seek previous approval u/s 17-A of the POC Act was initiated against the former PWD and Education Ministers of the erstwhile Delhi Government. The competent authority has given its approval to ACB's proposal.
