Flagged 'most urgent', former CM Kejriwal's house remake mooted & passed on same day: CAG
Audit reports normally lament delayed execution of official projects, but in the case of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official house, former CAG Girish Chandra Murmu found something out of the ordinary. The report reveals that the project to raze and rebuild 6, Flag Staff Road house was mooted and approved on the same day.
Audit documents accessed by The Tribune show that the Delhi PWD Minister and Government of NCT of Delhi marked the work of remodelling of the existing CM residence (pejoratively called Sheesh Mahal by the BJP) at the ground floor and construction of an additional storey at 6, Flag Staff Road as "most urgent".
No record provided to auditors
Audit documents show the work for a staff block and a camp office at CM house awarded at a cost of Rs 16.54 crore, but no record of staff block construction provided to auditors. Also, the contractor was paid Rs 19.22 crore even when the camp office was not yet completed
"Superintending engineer proposed on July 27, 2020, that the building, being an old construction, having load-bearing walls, remodelling of the existing ground floor or creation of an additional floor could not be done, and recommended fresh construction within the premises after the demolition of the existing structure. The engagement of a consultant and an architect for design and requisite approval from the local body was also proposed. The proposal was approved on the same day -- July 27, 2020, by the Minister of PWD, Principal Secretary, PWD, Engineer-in-Chief and Principal Chief Engineer," states the audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year ended March 31, 2022. The report was signed recently and is yet to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly.
The CAG said there was nothing in records given to it that indicated any feasibility study for remodelling of the CM house done by the PWD.
Apart from the startling findings about luxury fittings and over 342 per cent cost escalation over the original estimate related to the former CM's house, the audit also reveals that while Rs 19.87 crore was sanctioned for the construction of a staff block and a camp office inside CM house complex, these funds were diverted for other works in the CM house itself.
The audit report speaks of the provision for construction of a staff block (705 sq m) and a camp office (510 sq m) inside the residential complex at the Delhi CM house. "The work was awarded at Rs 16.54 crore. As per records made available to audit, there is no mention of the staff block constructed... the work of camp office had not been completed as of October 2023, however, payment of Rs 19.22 crore had been made to the contractor against a sanctioned amount of Rs 19.87 crore. Moreover, in the work progress report, physical progress of work was mentioned as 100 per cent complete, but it was pending as per foreclosure report," says the audit.
It adds that arbitrary short listing of bidders along with not resorting to open tender deprived the government of competitive rates for the works amounting to Rs 25.80 crore.
In a segment on diversion of funds, the CAG report estimates that Rs 1.87 crore was incurred on providing and fixing and placing of sanitary items, furniture and a gym at the CM residence, but instead of charging these funds to the work for addition/alteration at 6, Flag Staff Road, these were included as extra items for work for addition or alteration in a complex that was not built. "Approval for this diversion was accorded by the Chief Engineer," the audit says.
It adds that against the construction of eight servant quarters at 33 Shamnath Marg, PWD incurred Rs 1.33 crore as extra items in the work for addition or alteration of the staff block or camp office, 6 Flag Staff Road, approved by the Chief Engineer.
In conclusion, the audit says only works of providing additional accommodation at 6 Flag Staff Road were completed whereas only raw construction of the Camp Office was carried out and the Staff Block was not completed. "The planning was fraught with doubtful selection of consultants, frequent revision of estimates, increasing the scope of work without proper justification. The tendering stage was also fraught with arbitrary preparation of a restrictive list of tenderers. The execution stage involved huge deviation in execution of agreement quantities and execution of superior specification items involving Rs 18.88 crore," says the audit.
