CWG irregularities: BJP charges PMO, Union Cabinet for approving cost escalations

NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) upping its ante on Commonwealth Games irregularities on Wednesday claimed that the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Cabinet approved cost escalations for the 2010 Games projects five times between 2007 and 2009 that shot the expenditure up from Rs 1000 crore to over Rs 2,400 crore.

“The Cabinet approved Rs 1000 crore budget in its meeting on March 15, 2007. The revised cost estimate passed by the Cabinet stood at Rs 2,460 crore on March 5, 2009,” said BJP President Nitin Gadkari in a statement here today quoting from the Cabinet notes.

Gadkari alleging that the documents mention the role of the Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet, Group of Ministers, Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) and the Ministries concerned said all major proposals were first processed by the concerned ministries, then by the EFC, then by the PMO and later approved by the Cabinet.

“The Commonwealth Games were allotted to Delhi on November 11, 2003, but detailed estimates were considered and approved by the Cabinet on March 15, 2007,” he added.

Alleging that the recently held XIXth Commonwealth Games was a victim of rampant bungling, Nitin Gadkari had earlier on October 19 squarely blamed the Prime Minister’s Office for the same.

Gadkari said: “The Games were budgeted at around Rs. 8000 crore which went upto Rs. 70,000 crore with the approval of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet.”

“Every CWG file has the Prime Minister’s signature on it. How can the government release such a huge amount of money for the Games, without a thorough enquiry on where the amount is being spent?” asked Gadkari.

Demanding a joint parliamentary probe into CWG irregularities, Gadkari said the investigation should include all agencies of the Centre as well as the Delhi Government. (ANI)