NEW DELHI: It now seems that along with thousands of spectators, God too was watching over the Delhi Commonweath Games in 2010. How else does one explain the fact that the entire 12-day extravaganza went off without a security hitch despite the fact that equipment procured to thwart non-weaponised terror attacks were not only not in working condition, they could only be set right after the thousands of foreign athletes and dignitaries had returned home?
In a sensational disclosure it has emerged that faulty equipment were on standby to thwart terror attacks with Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) materials and the faults could only be rectified 12 long days after the tournament got over.
A draft report of the Director General of Audit accessed by The Sunday Standard throws up shocking revelation related to CBRN protection extended by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which comes under the Union Home Ministry. The equipment were procured from Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)—government owned companies—for the management of CBRN emergencies during CWG 2010. A CBRN emergency could result in potential mass casualties with long term effects. The CBRN measures are deployed due to threat from Jihadi elements capable of carrying out chemical and biological attacks using lethal agents.
“It was seen that certain practical deficiencies were reported by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which was the end user of these equipment,” the draft report has stated.
In its reply to the national auditor, the NDMA, however, countered the findings saying that equipment deployed during the CWG 2010 had no functional shortcomings and it effectively performed the task assigned.
However, the NDMA response was trashed by the audit saying the problems with the equipment were there even in December 2010, almost two months after the games got over. “The reply of NDMA is factually incorrect as NDMA had required BEL and ECIL to rectify the deficiencies only in December 2010 on the observations made by DG, NDRF,” the audit stated.
NDMA insisted that CBRN vehicles were not simply received and accepted, but in the public interest, certain shortcomings were pointed out to the supplier and follow up action were taken with BEL to carry the improvement. NDMA pointed out a BEL letter dated March 31, 2011 (5 months after the Games) to buttress its claim.
The draft audit note has also pointed out procedural lapses which may have led to procurement of CBRN equipment with deficiency saying that NDMA’s Technical Specifications Committee (TSC) had CBRN experts on board but no member from NDRF, the end user of the equipment. It said when BEL sent the design of CBRN HAZMAT vehicle costing approximately `4 crore per unit, for approval on July 27, 2010 for approval, NDMA neither consulted the TSC nor the end user NDRF while approving the design. Draft audit note suggest that at least 4 such vehicles costing approximately `16 crore were purchased.
“The above reasons led to supply of radiation monitor for vehicle entry point, CBRN HAZMAT vehicle and Integrated CBRN surveillance vehicle with certain practical deficiencies reported by NDRF and accepted by NDMA,” draft audit note further stated.
Details in the draft audit note suggest that 6 units of Integrated CBRN Monitoring System was purchased costing over `3 crore 36 lakh while two Integrated Surveillance vehicle cost over `9 crore 27 lakh.
The draft audit note also pointed out that final payments to ECIL and BEL were put on hold as they were asked to rectify the problems with the equipment. It is learnt that payment to BEL was released in October 2013 and March 2014 after it rectified the deficiencies in the CBRN vehicles. The NDMA is said to have recovered liquidated damage from the BEL for delay in supply of CBRN equipment.
As per the agreement, integrated CBRN monitoring system and integrated CBRN surveillance vehicle were to be supplied by August 16, 2010 while CBRN HAZMAT vehicles were to be supplied by August 31, 2010. But there was delay in supply of equipment of 3 to 5 weeks. Draft audit note also pointed out lack of competition in procurement and decision of NDMA to invite proposals from just two vendors.
However, NDMA contended it was done to due to shortage of time and the issue was mentioned in the Home Ministry meeting on May 6, 2010 which was chaired by the then Home Secretary G K Pillai.