Shunglu panel to fix political accountability

NEW DELHI: In the first indication that V K Shunglu committee would fix political accountability for Commonwealth Games mess, the panel has sought and received minutes of meetings of group of ministers ( GoM) headed by urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy, committee of secretaries (CoS) under Cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar and all Cabinet notes on funds sanctioned for the Games.

Shunglu committee, which had started work four days back, would fix political responsibility for the Games fiasco and would include in its report a set of recommendations on how such international sporting events can be better managed.

Speaking to ET, Mr Shunglu said: “The focus is to see managerial failure. There is an obvious failure of governance also. I have all the documents from Cabinet note downward to the committee of secretaries. They are very much the basis of my probe.”

With Shunglu panel examining minutes of meetings of all stakeholders, it won’t be only Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi who would feel the heat. The decisions of GoM and committee of secretaries would also be scanned. GoM on Commonwealth Games has as its members sports minister M S Gill, tourism minister Kumari Selja and chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

Just 50 days before the Games, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had appointed the committee of secretaries in August after successive completion deadlines were missed by the implementing agencies. The probe panel would see whether delays could be averted with better management on part of CoS and GoM.

The two-member committee, which includes department of personnel and training secretary Shantanu Consul, would not look into specific contracts or cases of corruption as these are already being looked into by investigative agencies like Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Enforcement Directorate and income-tax department. “I don’t want to duplicate probe,” Mr Shunglu said.