New Delhi, March 27
The Prime Minister-appointed Shunglu Committee has found that over Rs 250 crore of the tax payers money has been pocketed by various contractors executing the Commonwealth Games projects.

The high-level committee (HLC) has estimated Rs 900 crore as "cost of delay" by certain government departments in implementing infrastructure related projects and Rs 300 crore loss to the DDA in construction of Commonwealth Games Village near Akshardham temple here.

The Shunglu panel findings n Rs 900 crore "cost of delay" by certain government departments in implementing projects n Rs 300 crore loss to DDA in construction of Commonwealth Games Village near Akshardham temple n Irregularities like delays, collusive bidding and haste decision on part of certain central and Delhi Government officials  n Procedural violations by Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, CM Sheila Dikshit and other top govt officials

The committee in its two reports - construction of the Village and development of City infrastructure - has pointed out several irregularities like delays, collusive bidding and haste decision on part of certain central and Delhi Government officials, which led to cost escalation and loss worth crores to the government exchequer.

The HLC has found procedural violations by Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and other top government officials for alleged inadequacies and indications of their poor oversight in executing projects related to the mega sporting event.

In its second report, the committee said the Village site suffered from many shortcomings and necessitated extra spending of over Rs 630 crore in constructing a 'Barapullah Nallah' flyover. Besides, the project developer Emaar MGF also made gain of Rs 134 crore to Rs 220 crore and questioned the role of the consultant, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), the report said.

"The HLC, based on the records made available to it, finds that the Union Cabinet was not provided with all the information regarding the pros and cons of the location of the Games Village...

"The consultant chosen by the DDA (PwC) to advise them on execution of the Games Village Project in the PPP mode failed to perform their assigned task satisfactorily," the Committee said in the report basing its findings on interview of 16 people.

It also questioned the bail out package given to the builder and recommended action against Emmar MGF. "The Government of India/DDA may take appropriate action against Emaar MGF, Project Developer, for knowingly supplying incorrect information and for its various acts of omission and commission," the report submitted by the Committee to the Prime Minister's Office said. — PTI

Widening its probe, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is looking into at least 40 CWG-related construction and procurement works carried out by different government agencies for alleged financial irregularities.

The sale of VIP passes, supply of furniture, equipment and utensil for Games Village, misuse of funds by certain central and Delhi Government officials and discrepancies in appointment of placement brokers are also being examined by the anti-corruption watchdog.

According to the information received in response to an RTI application, out of the total of 40 projects, among others, 15 were carried out by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, six by the DDA, four by the Delhi Government, three by Municipal Corporation of Delhi, two by the New Delhi Municipal Council and one by the Games Organising Committee.

Whereas, one work each relating to the Department of Commerce, the Indian Meteorological Department and the Ministry of Earth are also being probed for alleged financial and managerial discrepancies, the RTI reply said. — PTI

New Delhi, March 27
The Congress today slammed Arun Jaitley over his reported comment that the BJP was using Hindutva as an opportunistic tool, saying it exposed the real face of the opposition party and demanded an apology from him. "The BJP gave full credence to the WikiLeaks. So we test them by their own standards," Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here.

"The BJP should publicly state that their stalling of Parliament over the WikiLeaks revelations was wrong and apologise to the nation," Sibal said.

Hitting back at the Congress for flaying Jaitley, BJP said the party is throwing "expired missiles of allegation" from the "sinking ship of corruption". "The BJP does not need any certificate for its nationalism and ideological commitment from the Congress or its government," party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. As far as the WikiLeaks is concerned, the party has clarified on it and there is no need for any further clarification, he said.

"The Congress is throwing expired missiles of allegation from the sinking ship of corruption," said Naqvi, who is the national in charge of the party's campaign and programme.

Senior Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed said he was not surprised by the WikiLeaks cables, first accessed by 'The Hindu'. "We are not surprised. No leak was necessary for this as it was known to the entire world that the BJP used religion only for political purposes," he said.

Ahmed alleged that the BJP only wanted to divide the society on the basis of religion to garner votes. The WikiLeaks cables had reported that Robert Blake, in charge at the US Embassy, had conveyed to his government, after a meeting with Jaitley on May 6, 2005, that "Jaitley argued that Hindu nationalism 'will always be a talking point' for the BJP. However, he characterised this as an opportunistic issue."

Jaitley has maintained that he had not used the word "opportunistic". Terming Jaitley's response as "ridiculous", Ahmed said, "When anything (in the WikiLeaks cables) is against the Congress and the government, they believe it as gospel truth but if something goes against them, they behave entirely in an opportunistic way.

"It shows double standards of the BJP and the RSS. Time has come that they should openly accept before the nation that until now they were trying to fool the people of the country in the name of religion for political gains," said Ahmed, a former Union Minister. — PTI

WikiLeaks cables had reported that Robert Blake, in charge at the US Embassy, had conveyed to his government, after meeting Jaitley in May 2005, that "the BJP leader argued that Hindu nationalism 'will always be a talking point' for his party. 

The BJP was using Hindutva as an opportunistic tool. It exposes the real face of the opposition party. Time has come that they should openly accept before the nation that until now they were trying to fool people in the name of religion.

Hyderabad, March 27
The Justice BN Srikrishna Committee on Telangana, a “secret note” of which has triggered a political storm in Andhra Pradesh, is likely to face legislative wrath as MLAs from the Telangana region are planning to move a privilege motion against the five-member panel.

“The members of the Srikrishna Committee must face action for insulting the Telangana people and denigrating our statehood movement. We will move a privilege notice in the Assembly with a demand that the panel members be summoned to the House and admonished,” Deputy Floor Leader of the Telugu Desam Party N Janardhan Reddy said.

Cutting across party lines, the Telangana leaders have lambasted the Srikrishna Committee for its anti-Telangana observations. A group of Telangana MLCs, belonging to the ruling Congress, has already moved a privilege motion in the council against the panel. If council Chairman A Chakrapani admits the motion, the panel members and its chairman and former Supreme Court Judge Justice BN Srikrishna could be summoned to the House and asked to explain their position.

MLCs KR Amos, K Yadava Reddy, Jagadeeswar Reddy and Bhanuprasad submitted a privilege notice, contending that the chapter 8 of the committee’s report contained several observations that amounted to insulting the elected representatives of the Telangana region and hence action should be taken against them.

The secret note of the report has already angered Telangana proponents as it presented a scary law and order situation, if the state is bifurcated. It said Telangana would become an “epicentre” for Maoist and communal violence if Andhra Pradesh is divided. The Telangana Political Joint Action Committee has already demanded prosecution of the committee members.

Noida, March 27
The wife of Hemraj, who was killed along with teenager Aarushi, today repeated her allegation of the involvement of Talwars in the killing of her husband.

Khumkala Banjade, a resident of Arghakhanchi district in Nepal, in her application yesterday before the special CBI court, levelling same allegations.

The 43-year-old woman had said none of the probe agencies had recorded her statement in the murder case and claimed she was privy to some information which Hemraj, who was the Talwars' domestic help, shared with her over phone barely 15 days before he was killed.

Banjade had also said she suspected Aarushi's parents' hand in the killing of both the girl and Hemraj. — PTI

Chennai, March 27
Never before in Tamil Nadu politics was an election boycott expected to alter the election results, as does this time one by Vaiko’s MDMK. The pro-Tiger party has a vote share of just six per cent, but this has become a key factor as a few thousand votes can change the results in what is predicted to be a close fight.

Before the exit of Vaiko, the poll arithmetic was clearly in favour of the AIADMK front, which had a combined vote share of about 51 per cent, compared to about 42 per cent of the DMK-Congress combine. However, after the exit of the MDMK, due to the reported insults it suffered during seat-sharing talks, AIADMK front’s vote share had come down to 45 and the DMK alliance is expected to further narrow it down by obtaining the votes of Vaiko’s supporters. DMK leader M Karunanidhi has already began this process by issuing an open invitation to Vaiko to join his alliance, recalling the latter’s association with the parent organisation. As the MDMK was forced out of the AIADMK alliance at the eleventh hour, the cadres and supporters of Vaiko are furious with the AIADMK and hence, they are likely to vote for the DMK front to teach a lesson to Jayalalithaa.

Besides losing Vaiko’s vote-share, the AIADMK front has lost a key issue for campaign: the Lankan Tamils’ plight, to portray the Congress as an “anti-Tamil party” and the DMK as a “betrayer” of Tamil cause. Now, the AIADMK alliance may not be able to use it as an election plank since Jayalalithaa’s anti-LTTE image is likely to come in the way of securing pro-Tiger votes. On the contrary, the presence of another pro-Tiger leader, Thol Thirumavalavan, and the PMK, which too supports the Lankan Tamils’ cause, will ensure that the ruling alliance obtained the votes of Tamil nationalists. The eleventh hour exit of Vaiko has evoked sympathy for the MDMK leader and the DMK front is using this incident to paint Jayalalithaa as an “arrogant, opportunistic” leader who has pushed out a “trusted ally” at the last minute.

The AIADMK front is now struggling to draw the attention of voters to the 2G Spectrum scam and price rise since Vaiko’s exit has become a poll plank for the DMK and its allies. Karunanidhi’s pro-Tiger allies have started pointing out Jayalalithaa’s actions against the LTTE in the past and alleging that her anti-Tamil attitude was the real reason behind forcing Vaiko out of her alliance.

The Lankan issue, which was expected to be a weapon in the hands of Jayalalithaa, has suddenly turned into a weapon against her in this election, as the Congress leaders silently enjoy her discomfiture. The Congress leaders are relieved while the DMK camp is celebrating this last minute development, which has taken the focus away from 2G Spectrum allegations and power cuts.

When the elections were announced, the AIADMK front was expected to perform well in the western and southern districts of Tamil Nadu due to the presence of MDMK. Suddenly, Jayalalithaa’s camp has become weak in these areas where the support for Vaiko is more pronounced. Jayalalithaa has written an open letter to Vaiko, calling him as an elder brother and how she was pained by his exit. Media supporting the AIADMK has already began publishing reports saying that the relatives of Sasikala, a close aide of Jayalalithaa, were responsible for the “shabby” treatment meted out to Vaiko during seat-sharing talks.

The young Gandhi had dropped in at Sonia Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence to invite her and his cousins, Rahul and Priyanka, for the wedding and the reception which was to be hosted later at Delhi's Ashoka Hotel. None of them put in an appearance at the wedding. The reception was called off as Maneka Gandhi lost her mother a few days before the wedding.

New Delhi, March 27
The role of Coast Guard in failing to prevent the 26/11 attacks has come in for scrutiny of the CAG which is believed to have expressed its unhappiness over the force being unable to detect and prevent 10 armed Pakistani terrorists from sneaking into Mumbai.

The Defence Ministry and the Coast Guard officials, during an 'exit conference' with the CAG, are understood to have admitted that there were some lapses, particularly in patrolling, on the part of the maritime force due to which it failed to prevent the attack, government sources said.

In a performance audit of the Coast Guard, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has extensively dealt with the role of the maritime force at the time of the terror attacks on November 26, 2008 when the Pakistani terrorists struck in Mumbai for 60 hours, killing over 160 people.

"The Coast Guard officials have accepted that there has been a mistake on their part," a source said. An 'exit conference' is usually conducted when the audit exercise is complete and the CAG officials discuss their findings and recommendation with the auditee. Besides the 2008 attacks issue, the CAG audit has examined the overall performance of the Indian Coast Guard.

The report is expected to be tabled in Parliament during the next session. After the attacks, the Cabinet Committee on Security had sanctioned 40 ships, 20 boats and 42 aircraft in February 2009. the government has also sanctioned a Coast Guard plan to deploy radars, cameras and sensors atop all light-houses in coastal areas to detect and identify ships close to shores in a two-phased project. — PTI