The Delhi Government on Monday recommended either CBI or Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) probe against former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in connection with an alleged water tanker scam running into Rs400 crore.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi Government has sent the report of the fact-finding committee on the alleged tanker scam to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung.
Kejriwal said the leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta can take all the credit for exposing former CM Sheila Dikshit if the Central Government initiates action against her. Referring to Gupta’s table-climbing act in the Delhi Assembly last week, Kejriwal took a humorous tone and said, “Vijender ji staked his life for this report… Had he fallen off the table and hurt himself, where would we have got another leader of OppositionIJ I assure you that he is a man of his word and if Sheila Dikshit is not in jail within two months, not only Vijender ji will shave off his moustache, but he will also resign from his post and sit on a dharna for PM Modi’s resignation.”
The CM was responding to the calling for attention motion moved by Vijender Gupta on the alleged tanker scam of the Delhi Jal Board. Gupta asked why no action has been taken even after 10 months since Kapil Mishra sent the report of the fact-finding committee into the scam to the CM also asking him to file an FIR against former Sheila Dikshit.
Water Minister Kapil Mishra, who also happens to be DJB chairman, said the Government has sent the report of the fact-finding committee to the Prime Minister as well as the lieutenant Governor.
“Since the Central Government has under unusual circumstances taken over all the forces that can investigate corruption, I have asked them to ask the CBI and ACB to file an FIR against Sheila Dikshit. But we fear that just like the Central Government has ensured no action is taken against her in the three FIRs already filed against her with the ACB, it will do the same in this case as well,” he said.
Handing over a copy of the report to Gupta, Mishra further added, “I am personally giving you the report of the fact-finding committee that you were after. Now if Sheila Dikshit is not put behind bars within two months, I will assume, as well as publicly announce, that the BJP is protecting the corrupt.”
It must be noted that BJP leader Vijender Gupta had been demanding the report be made public. In fact, he had climbed atop his desk in the Assembly on Friday demanding that a fact-finding committee report on an alleged water tanker scam during Sheila Dikshit’s tenure be made public.
The AAP Government had in June 2015 constituted a fact-finding committee to probe the irregularities in hiring some 385 stainless steel water tankers by the Delhi Jal Board in 2012, during Sheila Dikshit’s rule. The five-member committee was formed by Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra.
Its report submitted to Kejriwal in August 2015 highlights alleged corruption of Rs 400 crore in the process of awarding tenders for hiring water tankers. It recommended FIR against Congress leader Sheila Dikshit by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
As per the fact finding committee report on Water Tanker scam, the project of WDTMS was presented in such a manner it was a novel and new technology involved project.
The finding committee report has clarified that it was nothing but the existing water tanker distribution system in DJB plus GPS monitoring system.
The report added it could have been formulated, designed and implemented by DJB engineers itself having sufficient experience knowhow and manpower and hence the need for consulting agency is under cloud.
According to the report, the financial loss amounting to Rs323.96 crore due to award of work (WTSS) at exorbitantly higher rates as compared to the rates quoted by M/S SPMl infra limited.
“The comparative loss as compared to conventional hired tankers in DJB if converted in terms of per km rates can be worked out as Rs87.08 per 3Kl tankers and Rs119.61 per 9Kltankers,” said the report.