Arvind Kejriwal's secretary Rajendra Kumar to be questioned in 100-crore transport scam

NEW DELHI: Investigations into the Rs 100-crore transport scam have gained momentum with the anti-corruption branch sending out summons to top government officials, including Rajendra Kumar, secretary to the chief minister, for questioning.

While Kumar, who was transport commissioner when ACB submitted its report in 2013, will be quizzed on Friday, several others have also been sent the summons and asked to join the probe on different dates of the month, sources said.

"Virender Kumar, former joint commissioner (transport), has been asked to join the probe on August 10. Former additional commissioner S M Ali will be quizzed on August 13. Two DCs (transport) D P Arora and R P Gupta and motor licence officers (MLOs) and ex-MLOs—Ajay Samal, Magan Singh, Subhash Chand, Sampat Nayak and Ramnathan—have also been asked to join the probe subsequently," an officer at ACB said.

The scam had taken place in connection with the transport department outsourcing fitness tests of commercial vehicles. The Delhi government is alleged to have lost crores awarding contract of operation and maintenance work of inspection and certification lanes at Burari authority to a company called ESP India Pvt Ltd.

The company, it is alleged, did not conduct certain tests it was required to but charged money for them. Moreover, eight additional test lanes worth around Rs 7 crore were allotted to the company. The contract was also allegedly awarded without any tendering.

The case came to light after an RTI activist reported the matter to ACB in June 2012. However, a formal FIR was registered in the case only on December 17, 2012, after ACB in its inquiry report, conducted on court orders, found irregularities.

Meanwhile, turning down a Delhi government order, LG-appointed ACB chief M K Meena has refused to allow seven inspectors of Delhi Police, who are serving in the anti-graft body on deputation, to return to their parent cadres.