Delhi govt alleges irregularities in construction of LNJP Hospital block, sends file to LG

LNH block: The Delhi government on Tuesday alleged irregularities in the construction of a new block of LNJP Hospital under the AAP dispensation, a day after former minister Satyendar Jain was granted relief by a CBI court in an alleged corruption case.

Delhi PWD minister Parvesh Verma said the government has sent a file to Lt Governor V K Saxena for a probe into the matter.

“The budget sanctioned for the construction of a new block at LNJP Hospital increased by Re 650 crore. (Former) PWD minister Satyendar Jain got changes done.

“He would go on inspection and suggest changes which led to cost escalation. There was a scam of Rs 650 crore. We have sent the file to the LG on the matter. He will forward it to either ACB or CBI,” Verma told reporters.

A committee was constituted by the LG last year to examine the “procedural lapses” and it was found that the original contract amount was Rs 465 crore which escalated by almost 243 per cent to Rs 1,139 crore.

The committee highlighted alleged irregularities and violations in consultancy work under Jain, who was the then Delhi health minister. The committee suggested that a favoured architect consultant was appointed without a proper tender, violating procurement rules and the general financial rules (GFR), sources said.

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Although six consultants were empanelled, it was specifically noted that financial bids were required to be called separately for each project. This requirement was ignored and an arbitrary decision was taken to appoint consultants district-wise or region-wise, the sources said.

This effectively meant that a single consultant was allowed to handle all projects in a designated area, without any fresh bidding, thereby undermining competitive selection, they said.

There was no immediate reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

In a major relief for Jain, a special court on Monday accepted the CBI’s closure report filed in a 2018 case against him and others related to alleged corruption in hiring a creative team for the department, noting that the “investigation found no criminal activity or wrongful loss to the government”.