New Delhi, February 6
The AAP government in Delhi today ordered a probe into the Rs 90-crore streetlight purchase scam during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in which former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's role had come under the scanner.

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) lodged an FIR but did not name Dikshit who was indicted by the high-level committee headed by former CAG VK Shunglu. The committee had observed that Sheila took "unusual interest" in awarding the contract.

The move comes three days after the Kejriwal government — which is supported by the Congress — wrote to the President demanding action against Dikshit for wrongly regularising unauthorised colonies in the city.

The streetlight project caused a financial loss of Rs 31.07 crore to the exchequer and ensured “wrongful gains” to vendors and contractors, said Delhi Government officials.

Education and Urban Development Minister Manish Sisodia said though several investigations were carried out into the scam, including those by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission, most of these were closed without reaching any conclusion.

“These investigations were an eyewash and public posturing by the Centre, without any intention to punish the culprits,” Sisodia said.

He said the state government had called for several files, tender-related papers, CAG and Shunglu Committee reports related to various projects executed during the Commonwealth Games and found serious irregularities in these.

Earlier, the state government had recommended to President Pranab Mukherjee to issue an “advisory” to Dikshit based on a Lokayukta order for alleged wrongdoings in the grant of provisional regularisation certificates to unauthorised colonies in 2008.

“The ACB has been directed to conduct an independent investigation and take action. The ACB will file an FIR in the case. Our motive is not to target any particular person,” Sisodia said.

The project for streetlight modernisation was conceived by the Delhi Government in June 2006, with plans to implement it across the city-state in two years. The project was executed on around 800 km of Delhi roads at a tendered cost of Rs 286 crore.

“The ACB, which functions under the Delhi Government, will also probe other CWG-related projects implemented during the tenure of Sheila Dikshit,” he said.