CWG works made contractors richer by Rs 250 cr

Hindustan Times

The Prime Minister-appointed Shunglu Committee has found that over Rs 250 crore of the tax payers money has been pocketed by various contractors executing the Commonwealth Games projects.
The high-level committee has estimated Rs 900 crore as "cost of delay" by certain government departments in implementing infrastructure related projects and Rs 300 crore loss to DDA in construction of Commonwealth Games Village near Akshardham temple in New Delhi.
The Committee in its two reports -- construction of Village and development of City infrastructure -- has pointed out several irregularities like delays, collusive bidding and haste decision on part of certain central and Delhi government officials which led to cost escalation and loss worth crores to the government exchequer.
The HLC has found procedural violations by Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and other top government officials for alleged inadequacies and indications of their poor oversight in executing projects related to the mega sporting event.
In its second report,the Committee said the Village site suffered from many shortcomings and necessitated extra spending of over Rs 630 crore in constructing a 'Barapullah Nallah' flyover. Besides, the project developer Emaar MGF also made gain of Rs 134 crore to Rs 220 crore and questioned the role of the consultant, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), the report said.
"The HLC, based on the records made available to it, finds that the Union Cabinet was not provided with all the information regarding the pros and cons of the location of the Games Village...
"The consultant chosen by DDA (PwC) to advise them on execution of the Games Village Project in the PPP mode failed to perform their assigned task satisfactorily," the Committee said in the report basing its findings on interview of 16 people."
It also questioned the bail out package given to the builder and recommended action against Emmar MGF.
"Government of India/DDA may take appropriate action against Emaar MGF, Project Developer, for knowingly supplying incorrect information and for its various acts of omission and commission," the report submitted by the Committee to the Prime Minister's Office said.

PM protecting colleagues guilty of corruption: RSS

Hindustan Times
Slamming the government over "endless chain of corruption", RSS on Saturday said it was shocking that people in the upper echelons of power, including the Prime Minister, were protecting guilty colleagues in spite of evidence pointing against them. "The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha expresses grave concern over the endless chain of incidents of widespread corruption in the country", the organisation said in a resolution passed during its three-day annual meet being held in Puttur, around 350 kms from Bangalore. "It is all the more shocking that the people occupying the upper echelons in the government, including the Prime Minister are engaged in protecting guilty colleagues till the end by describing them as innocent in spite of incontrovertible evidences against them," the RSS resolution said.
Describing the appointment of P J Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) as a "misdemeanour of the top rung of power", the RSS said "the country wants to know as to what was the compulsion and which invisible hand was behind the misdemeanour of the top rung of power in a most sensitive matter like the appointment of CVC".
Raking up the issue of corruption in the organising of the Commonwealth Games, the organisation said that "people at the helm of power are either turning a blind eye or taking steps against the guilty as an eye wash under the pressure of the judiciary and media".
The RSS said that be it the stock market scandal of 1992 or the recent 2G spectrum scam, mind-boggling figures of money was found to be involved.
"What needs special mention is that the people involved in these increasing acts of corruption are the ones who are highly educated and belong to the affluent class of the society. All these facts clearly indicate that there is need for further intensification and expansion of the process of being better people, it said.
On the issue of black money, the RSS demanded that the government bring back money stashed outside the country and declare it as the nation's asset.

Corrupt Ghaziabad Police (Corruption in Uttar Pradesh Police)

This is my Personal experience with Corruption. Last Week i was travelling to my In-Laws from Delhi to Ghaziabad.
I was with my family my wife and my 4 year old kid. Traveling on the NH-24 Highway , through a massive traffic jam i came across a Crossing where just before crossing it i was waved down by a Police Constable in Half Uniform. The Uniform Shirt was missing . I asked him the reason and he asked me to show my documents.
I promptly showed him all the documents, and to my utter surprise he told me that he wanted to search my Baggage.
I told him that i was going to my in-laws house and that could he not see that i was traveling with my family.
Then, he told me that As my Car was  Having a Delhi Number Plate so, he could even impound my Car if i Resisted.
Totally, Frustrated I asked him what he Wanted. He told me that Saab Would be Angry with him as he had wasted 10 minutes of his talking to me.
 I Asked him in Clear terms what he wanted. And, Then Prompt came the Reply that he wanted  INR300
to let me go. I resisted and he settled for INR200.
 Being a Common Man i had to give in to the high handedness of this police constable while his superior officer was standing at not more than 5 feet away from me.
Is this the way the Ghaziabad police Loots the Common Man. Is it a crime to travel to Ghaziabad in a NON Uttar Pradesh Numbered Vehicle.
IT IS HUMBLY REQUESTED, IF ANY SENIOR OFFICER FROM THE GHAZIABAD  POLICE FORCE COMES ACROSS THIS POST THEN A SUITABLE CHECK ON THE FIELD LEVEL OFFICERS WOULD BE HIGHLY APPRECIATED.

CBI must inquire into corruption by CM: Ugrappa

The Times of India
MANGALORE:In six decades of post-Independent India,only one senior politician,Rao Shiv Bahadur Singh,has been convicted of graft and served a jail term -- for taking bribe of Rs 25,000 back in 1949. Therefore, it makes no sense in handing over cases of corruption involving politicians to commissions of inquiry (COI), and Padmaraj panel set up to go into cases of corruption against politicians in the state will serve no purpose.
Taking this stand at a media briefing on Sunday was KPCC spokesperson V S Ugrappa, who said the only way that the state can know the extent of corruption indulged in by the CM B S Yeddyurappa was for the CBI to inquire into them. Quantifying this amount in the last 2-1/2 years involving denotification in KIABD, BDA, JNNURM, and mining to be Rs 1 lakh crore, Ugrappa said only the CBI could unravel this issue in its entirety.

India among most corrupt countries,says Advani

The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader LK Advani Sunday said India had slipped three points to the 87th spot in worldwide transparency and corruption index. He attributed the fall to alleged corrupt practices in the 2010 Commonwealth Games(CWG).
"It can hardly be denied that the year just concluded has caused extreme distress and depression to the citizens not only because the common man's family budget has been totally upset by food inflation and the cost of petrol diesel etc, but also because our country has come to be known all over the world as among the most corrupt countries of the world," Advani wrote on his blog.
Citing a report on a website, Advani said India had slipped to 87th spot in Transparency International's latest ranking of nations based on the level of corruption. He said the 'Corruption Perception Index' report covering the public sector in 178 countries shows that India fell by three positions from its ranking of 84th in 2009.
Quoting from the report, Advani said: "The perception about corruption in India seems to have increased primarily due to alleged corrupt practices in the recently held Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Delhi."
He said the four investigating agencies - the central vigilance commission (CVC), enforcement directorate (ED), Income Tax Department and the Comptroller and Auditor General(CAG) - were looking into allegations of corruption against the organisers of the Games.
Advani said while the scene is really depressing on the national level, "one feels proud to hear reports that have been coming from Gujarat lately".
He said this year's "Vibrant Gujarat" attracted 101 countries and about 1,400 foreign delegates.
"MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) worth $21 billion, that is, roughly one-third of India's GDP (Gross Domestic Product), were signed in two days," he said.
He said Mahatma Mandir, the venue of this year's Vibrant Gujarat conclave, was built in just 82 days.
"The project conceived was so ambitious that many doubted as to how such a project could be completed so soon. But all credit to Narendrabhai that he saw to it that this monumental splendour located on a 34 acre plot was constructed in just 82 days," the blog said.
"The achievements in Gujarat have a lot to do with Narendra Bhai's astounding success in making the state's administration effectively curb red tape and corruption. It is this success that attracts entrepreneurs, Indian as well as foreign very naturally to Gujarat," he wrote.