Govt staff held up until probe ends

For the last few days, Rakesh Sharma (name changed on request), a Delhi government official, has been feeling like a school student detained after class while his classmates left for home.

For the last few days, Rakesh Sharma (name changed on request), a Delhi government official, has been feeling like a school student detained after class while his classmates left for home.

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Sharma is one of the many senior Delhi government officials who joined the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on deputation. The officials have now been stopped from joining their parent organisations till the investigation into corruption charges in the OC are over.

While the officials have been told to sit tight, the 2,000-something workforce has begun to leave. The members of the workforce, who were hired on contract, will leave OC in three batches by end of October.

The first batch would leave on Wednesday.

“There are many officials who have nothing to do with the deals or other financial aspects of the Games but have to still come to the office every day,” a senior OC official said.

“I have no work in the OC now and I m eager to go back to my department, where I was expected to take up a new responsibility after the Games,” he said. “What makes it worse is that the bulk of the workforce, who are not from government departments, are leaving now.”