NEW DELHI: Amid BJP allegations of corruption in the allocation of works for upgrading Delhi Jal Board’s sewage treatment plants, CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said he has directed the DJB audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). It will ascertain if there are irregularities in the water utility funds. The DJB’s audit will cover its 15-year records.
The BJP has demanded a probe by the ED and the CBI. The Delhi government said the objective of the CAG audit was to bring transparency to the DJB’s functioning. It will also bring out the truth behind allegations of the misuse of government funds for the DJB. Kejriwal said the audit would prove the charges wrong.
The CM also said that if there was no accountability in “bureaucratic governance”, running the government would become impossible. Funds are not being released to DJB, raising the possibility of water shortage and sewer problems.
At present, Water Minister Atishi, who is also the DJB chairperson, is assessing the situation in several areas. Sewer overflows have been reported in many places. There are also maintenance issues. The DJB has not received the second installment of the grant-in-aid, which is adding to the problems.
Atishi has said that government representatives will sit with the chief auditor to finalize the auditing process. She hoped the audit would be completed at the earliest. “We will finalize the rules with the CAG. If a case of corruption or irregularity is pointed out, the Delhi government will take strict action. If no corruption is proven, it will also be presented to the people of Delhi,” she added.
In November, Atishi wrote to L-G VK Saxena and appealed for his intervention following stoppage of funds to DJB, blaming finance secretary Ashish C Verma who worked on the directions of the chief secretary.