CWG scam:Projects undertaken by the Sheila Dikshit government for Commonwealth Games cost government Rs 101 crore, says CAG

CAG report on streetscaping projects undertaken by the Sheila Dikshit government for Commonwealth Games is a stark account of willful delays, overspending and pandering to the interests of a select few.

By Rumu Banerjee, TNN | Updated: Aug 04, 2011, 09.13 AM IST

CWG scam:Projects undertaken by the Sheila Dikshit government for Commonwealth Games cost government Rs 101 crore, says CAG

NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General's ( CAG) report on streetscaping projects undertaken by the Sheila Dikshit government for Commonwealth Games is a stark account of willful delays, overspending and pandering to the interests of a select few.

Putting the cost to the public exchequer at Rs 101.02 crore, the report slams the government for an "ill-conceived and ill-planned" project that was "without a broad overarching vision and perspective of how it would impact urban design and development". It also exposes the role of the consultants who hiked rates whimsically.

It's not difficult to see that costs were inflated. The average awarded cost of projects for streetscaping and beautification was Rs 4.8 crore/km. Compare this with the estimated cost of Rs 9.5 crore/km for a four-lane national highway of NHAI or the estimated cost of Rs 4.1 crore/km for construction of railway tracks. The decision to implement the project was taken in 2004 but the consultants were finalized in May-October 2008, creating "a situation of urgency in execution of the works."

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