Despite specific clues provided by Delhi Water and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra that there is a scam in Delhi Jal Board and it requires to be investigated on the priority basis, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is yet to initiate any probe in this regard.
On the other hand, the DDCA being a private company under Companies Act is being probed by a Commission of Enquiry headed by former solicitor general Gopal Subramanium.
Kejriwal’s no holds barred attack on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in connection with the alleged financial irregularities in the DDCA has set the local political circles thinking on why the AAP chief had not acted against DJB scam that occurred during the erstwhile Congress government.
Kapil Mishra had raised this issue, alleging that DJB water tanker distribution scam had resulted in a loss of Rs 400 crore to the State exchequer.
It was over two months after initiating an enquiry into the water tanker distribution system of the DJB, that Mishra had in August asked Kejriwal to lodge an FIR in the DJB scam and other erstwhile board members in connection with the alleged scam.
On June 19 this year, a five-member committee was constituted to probe the hiring of 385 stainless steel tankers in 2012. The committee had been formed after the DJB received complaints about irregularities in the process of awarding tenders. The committee stated that the irregularities had resulted in a loss of Rs 400 crore.
“The report is self explanatory and exposes how then DJB chairperson and (then) Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and other board members have consistently by-passed laws and rules to cause a loss of almost Rs 400 crore to the Delhi Jal Board. I am forwarding this report to you with the request that a FIR should immediately be lodged by Delhi Govt based on this report against all those involved in this scam,” read Mishra’s letter to Kejriwal.
Not only this, Mishra also claimed that there may be attempts to topple the AAP Government after the “big expose”.
“I am afraid that immediately after this expose, there will be attempts to destabilise our Government in Delhi and also to remove me from this chair,” Mishra’s letter stated.