NEW DELHI: Delhi Assembly is set to begin its first three-day session from February 24 with 14 pending Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reports on the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's performance will also be tabled. According to the MLAs of the newly constituted government, reports will be tabled on February 25.
The 14 CAG pending reports are State Finances Audit Report, Performance Audit on Prevention and Mitigation of Vehicular Air Pollution in Delhi, Revenue, Economic, Social and General Sectors & PSUs, Finance Accounts, Appropriation Accounts, Performance Audit Report on Children in Need of Care and Protection, State Finances Audit Report, Finance Accounts, Appropriation Accounts, Performance Audit on Regulation and Supply of Liquor in Delhi, State Finances Audit Report, Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services, Performance Audit Report on Functioning of Delhi Transport Corporation and Revenue, Economic, Social and General Sectors & PSUs and Performance Audit of the Department of H&FW and Compliance Audit.
This comes after newly sworn-in Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Thursday, that 14 pending reports from the CAG, allegedly withheld by the previous AAP government, will be tabled in the first session under the new BJP-led administration.
“In the first cabinet meeting, it was decided to hold a three-day Assembly session on 24th, 25th and 27th February. First of all, a pro-tem Speaker will be appointed by the LG. He (pro-tem Speaker) will chair the House and all 70 members will take oath (as MLAs) in the Assembly. Senior leader Arvinder Singh Lovely would be the Pro-tem Speaker of the House. Pro-tem Speaker is a temporary Speaker who conducts House proceedings for a limited period and till the election of the full-time Speaker. After that Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be elected. The first agenda after this is the CAG report. The report has already been received by the Speaker's office. So, the first agenda is to table the CAG report and hold discussion on it after the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker,” Rohini MLA Vijender Gupta said.
Gupta, whose name has been announced for the post of Assembly Speaker, said the newly elected MLAs will take the oath on February 24-25. During AAP’s rule in Delhi, the BJP had approached the court to direct the government to table the CAG reports. BJP accused the AAP government of stalling the report to hide its "corruption".
The CAG report, which has not yet been officially tabled, revealed staggering overspending on the project, the BJP and Congress, using the findings to attack Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP for alleged misuse of public funds when in power.
The report has uncovered large-scale irregularities in the planning, tendering, and execution of renovation works at 6 Flag Staff Road, Delhi Chief Minister's official residence. Initially sanctioned at Rs 7.61 crore in 2020, the project's cost escalated dramatically to Rs 33.66 crore by April 2022 — marking a staggering 342 per cent increase from the original estimate.
Gupta said that the new government was in place with a new enthusiasm and a new passion.
"Things are moving step by step in keeping with the enthusiasm and passion of the people of Delhi. A meeting has been held with the CM in which some discussion has taken place on how further proceedings will proceed," Gupta said.
Asked who would be the Pro-tem Speaker, Gupta said the agenda would be issued by evening and Lovely would hold the post.