Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has asked the Vigilance Department to request the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to constitute a special team of Chief Technical Examiners to examine the alleged corruption and violation of procedures related to construction of additional block in Delhi Government’s Lok Nayak hospital, sources said.
According to LG office sources, Saxena also constituted a committee to examine the procedural violations that led to the alleged cost escalation to the tune of Rs 670 crore. The committee will also examine all such ongoing projects across different hospitals of Delhi government, sources added.
It is alleged that in the construction of a new building block in the said hospital, the start date was November 4, 2020, with a completion period of 30 months, but even after three and a half years, the current progress of complete work is only 64 per cent, while costs have also gone up.
The Health and Family Welfare Department of GNCTD had assigned the project to the Public Works Department (PWD), and it attributed the cost overruns to increase in the scope of work.
It is also alleged that the cost overruns did not go to the Finance Department and the Cabinet, and were done at department level.
The LG had flagged the matter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal back in June 2023, and the government brought a Cabinet Note in March 2024, for approval of the cost overruns, but the same is pending, LG office sources added.