Great Games exposé

As opposition parties stepped up pressure on the Sheila Dikshit government over financial irregularities in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, fresh details of the CAG report emerged on Thursday that revealed "serious irregularities" in procurement of medical equipment including ambulances.

As opposition parties stepped up pressure on the Sheila Dikshit government over financial irregularities in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, fresh details of the CAG report emerged on Thursday that revealed "serious irregularities" in procurement of medical equipment including ambulances.

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The Left and the BJP sought action against the chief minister for the irregularities in awarding certain contracts for the CWG.

Brinda Karat (CPI-M) along with other Left members raised the issue of top auditor CAG reportedly finding faults with the manner in which the Delhi government gave tenders for CWG projects. They were joined by some from the BJP benches but were not allowed.

Karat later demanded that the chief minister leave her post until her name is cleared.

As the political slugfest continues, more details about the report suggest that CAG had questioned the directorate of health services' decision not to go in for tendering for direct procurement of medical equipment since they knew what they wanted to purchase.

"We found that the rates for many of these items were exorbitant (causing financial loss to the Delhi government)," the report said, pointing out irregularities in the procurement of furniture items and medicines too.

The report also questioned the decision to purchase expensive advanced life support ambulances - that require services of trained doctors - rather than buying only basic life support ambulances which would have addressed needs of Delhi and its citizens.

The CAG's performance audit also pointed fingers at Electronic Corporation of India (ECIL) that was nominated by the centre to provide an integrated security system for trying to milk the government.

ECIL prepared a highly inflated cost estimates (R346 crore) which allowed it to make an exorbitant profit of R126 crore on just the procured items," the report said, pointing how 176 portable explosive detectors worth R39 crore were procured even after Delhi Police told ECIL that these weren't required.