CAG slams Sheila Dixit government for irregular CWG spending

NEW DELHI: The Sheila-Dikshit-led Delhi government has been severely indicted by the Comptroller and Auditor General in its performance audit report on the Commonwealth Games held last year. In the detailed report, the CAG has noted serious lapses and irregularities in the bidding process for procurement of different Games-related items and pointed out several instances of wasteful expenditure.

The Delhi government has been taken to task by the CAG for the manner in which it went about its project for "Modernization of Delhi Street Lighting System". The CAG observed that "the decision on use of imported lighting was taken with the approval of the chief minister".

Samples from some leading manufacturers were shown to the chief minister in September 2007. Later, abiding by her directions, both locally manufactured and imported lights were installed on a pilot stretch. The CAG mentions that no technical note "regarding reasons for the use of imported lights along with the cost benefit analysis was found on record".