The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has initiated a ‘special audit’ into the alleged administrative and financial irregularities in the renovation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence at Civil Lines in the national capital.
The CAG began the special audit on a recommendation by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which took note of a May 24 letter from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s secretariat that reportedly pointed out gross financial irregularities in the reconstruction of Kejriwal’s official residence at 6, Flag Staff Road, Civil Lines. It was done in the name of “addition/alteration. Saxena’s letter to the MHA was based on Delhi’s Chief Secretary’s factual reports sought by the former at Kejriwal House.
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On April 27, 2023, and on May 12, 2023, Delhi Chief Secretary wrote to the LG outlining “alleged deviations/violations from rules, regulations and guidelines by the PWD, GNCTD in the name of renovation of the Chief Minister”.
The LG informed the MHA that the alleged violations/extravagant expenditure were done, as pointed out by the Chief Secretary’s report, “at the behest of the CM Madam (Kejriwal’s wife)” during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
When asked for an update on the audit, a senior official of CAG confirmed to Businessline that the audit was going on to confirm if there were irregularities in the upliftment of Delhi CM’s residence.
The serious irregularities in renovation of CM, according to the report of the Chief Secretary, prima facie were as follows.
The PWD constructed/re-constructed a new building, after demolishing an existing one, in the name of renovation of CM house to provide additional accommodation, said the LG office. More than that, “the mandatory and pre-required sanction of the Building Plans in terms of applicable building bylaws, have not been obtained from the Building Committee of the PWD until now,” charged the LG office.
The initial cost for construction work was ₹15 to ₹20 crore, said the LG House. It was, however, “inflated from time-to-time and as per report, a total expenditure of ₹52,71,24,570/- (approximately ₹53 crore) has been spent till date which is more than 03 times the initial estimate ,” the LG office charged. “Further, the record shows, that to avoid approvals from Principal Secretary (PWD) who has been delegated powers for giving financial sanctions above ₹10 crore, split sanctions of amount less than ₹10 crore on each occasion were obtained convolutedly”.
Besides that, the Chief Secretary’s report also brought out gross violation of the Master Plan for Delhi-2021 (MPD-2021), which is the law of the land in matters of land and spatial development/redevelopment. “To avoid obtaining approval of Competent Authority for felling/transplantation of trees of more than 10 numbers, as per Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, split approvals were taken 05 times for felling/transplantation of 9,2,6,6 and 5 ie a total of 28 trees. This issue regarding violation of Environmental Laws is also pending before NGT in OA 334/2023,” LG office pointed out.