PAC to take up CAG report on Commonwealth Games

In what may provide Opposition fresh ammunition to target the government, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament is likely to take up the CAG report on Commonwealth Games this week.

After considering the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the 2010 Games, the Committee would take up the government auditor's report on Adarsh Housing Society for scrutiny, sources in the Committee said.

In its meeting on Friday, the PAC is expected take up the CAG report on Commonwealth Games which could later be studied in detail on a paragraph-wise basis.

In a severe indictment of Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit on Commonwealth Games projects, the CAG had cited her "active involvement" in the grant of a work incurring loss of Rs 30 crore while slamming her government on some projects that allegedly led to a loss and escalation of costs of nearly Rs 500 crore.

The report also dragged the PMO in the CWG mess saying that Suresh Kalmadi, who is in jail for alleged irregularities, was appointed as Organising Committee chief at its behest in 2004 despite "serious objections" from within the government.

Congress members in the committee said they would rake up the issue of PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi's move to circulate the draft report on 2G scam, which was sharply critical of Prime Minister, his office and others, to members.

Joshi had claimed that he was circulating the report after getting opinion from legal experts who said draft was the "unfinished" agenda of the previous committee which can be finished by the new committee constituted on May 1.

The PAC meeting on April 28 had descended into chaos after the UPA managed to secure the support of BSP and SP to obtain a surprising majority which "rejected" the draft report on 2G scam.

Joshi had then sent the report Speaker Meira Kumar along with a covering letter detailing the sequence of events during the meeting.

Kumar had returned the report to Joshi, who was reappointed as Chairman in May, suggesting that it was not supported by the entire PAC, whose term ended on April 30.