 "2 officers suspended over Delhi CM home renovation, 5 others to face action")
Two Central Public Works Department (CPWD) officers have been suspended, and action has been recommended against five others in connection with the construction and renovation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence on Flag Staff Road, Civil Lines, according to a report by The Times of India.
In a letter addressed to the Director-General of the CPWD on Tuesday, the Vigilance Department of the Delhi government mentioned that Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena has called for measures ranging from suspension to disciplinary proceedings against the five officers of the department. These officers, who have either retired or been transferred out of Delhi, now fall under the CPWD’s jurisdiction.
The suspended officers are Executive Engineer Vinay Chaudhary and Assistant Engineer Rajat Kant, the report said.
This marks the first action taken in this matter, following the issuance of show-cause notices to all seven officers a year ago.
The issue of house renovation was first officially raised last year when the Vigilance Department questioned the expenditure and the procedure followed for the work.
While Kejriwal remains in custody following his arrest in cases related to the Delhi excise policy case, his family resides in the official residence, which also includes the Chief Minister’s camp office.
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CPWD officers under scanner
The officers against whom action has been sought include two who have retired: A K Ahuja, the former Principal Chief Engineer, and Shibnath Dhara, the former Executive Engineer (Central and New Division). Disciplinary proceedings for a ‘major penalty’ have been recommended against both, the report said.
The other three officers are P K Parmar, the former Chief Engineer (East); Ashok Kumar Rajdev, Chief Engineer; and Abhishek Raj, who was posted as Superintendent Engineer.
The report quoted AK Ahuja as saying, “I retired in September 2020 and the tender was floated in October. Work was awarded in December... There might be some error and I had, in my reply to the show cause notice, mentioned that I retired when work on this project started... It was mentioned in the notice sent to me that I recommended demolition of the structure but it was done by the Engineer-in-Chief, not me.”
Officers accused of wasteful spending
Last year, the Vigilance Department issued a show cause notice to the officers, accusing them of ‘wasteful expenditure’ amounting to nearly Rs 53 crore on the renovation and reconstruction of the official residence.
The officers were required to respond to allegations of various ‘commissions and omissions’ as outlined in a report prepared by the department.
The Vigilance Department letter to the DG, CPWD stated, “It was observed that these officers are using dilatory tactics to delay the matter and have nothing to say... These officers had also approached the court but they were not provided any relief by any court in four rounds of litigation.”
The Vigilance department has requested the CPWD to submit an ‘action taken report’ in this case.
Kejriwal’s residence under scrutiny
As per the show cause notice given to PWD officials last year, Delhi CM Kejriwal was only eligible for a residence below Type VIII accommodation, and the current house was considered ‘disproportionately high’ according to established norms.
The notice further mentioned that the built and plinth area expanded from 1,397 sq metres to 1,905 square metres during the project’s execution, and an extra Rs 6.94 crore was spent on ‘superior specification work’.
This included creating ornamental moulding over reinforced cement concrete, installing a sky-light window above the main staircase, and using Burma teak wood. They were also asked to clarify why the old structure at 6, Flagstaff Road in Delhi was demolished without a survey report and why no building plans were approved for the new building constructed by the Public Works Department, the report mentioned.
Previously, the Vigilance Department stated that around Rs 52.71 crore was spent by the PWD on the residential complex-cum-camp office of the chief minister. It was noted that the construction was categorised as addition and alteration, yet a completely new building was erected to replace the existing structure, the report said.