CBI initiates another preliminary enquiry against Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain

NEW DELHI: The CBI has initiated an inquiry against Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain in connection with alleged irregularities in the hiring of professionals in the Public Works Department.

The CBI inquiry against the minister of the Aam Aadmi Party may dent its image in its first electoral test in the national capital in MCD elections since its massive win in 2015 mainly on anti-corruption plank.

Jain is already facing a CBI FIR and two more preliminary enquiries.

The hiring of 24 architects was allegedly done through a detective agency which had no prior experience but was tasked with finding the "best brains" in architecture colleges across the country to be inducted in the creative team of the PWD.

The agency has registered a preliminary enquiry on April 5 against Jain and unknown persons.

It is alleged that the creative wing floated by the Delhi government on September 1, 2015 was without the requisite approval or knowledge of the Lieutenant Governor.

It is also alleged that the hiring of the 24 professionals was done for two years on which Rs 5.74 crore were spent.

The preliminary enquiry was registered on the complaint from Vigilance Department of the Delhi government.

Speaking on the issue, BJP leader Vijendra Gupta alleged that the monthly remunerations were arbitrarily fixed at Rs 50,000 for fresh graduates, Rs 75,000 to post graduates and Rs one lakh to MBAs without approval of the finance department.

"Decision was taken in an arbitrary manner to outsource the engagement of these professionals through agency. Simply the note of the office of the PWD minister conveying his approval was floated without the essential sanctions from the concerned departments," Gupta alleged.

He also alleged that the agency approved was favourite of the minister.

It had no infrastructure to recruit professionals, he alleged.