New Delhi: Three CPWD engineers have been suspended over alleged irregularities, including "massive cost escalation", in the construction of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official bungalow in the Civil Lines area, officials said.
The suspension orders of the three -- CPWD's Additional Director General (Civil), chief engineer and superintendent engineer -- were issued on August 5 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under which the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) comes and disciplinary proceedings against them are pending, an official said.
The three engineers, who earlier worked under the Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD), were associated with the construction work of Chief Minister Kejriwal's official residence at 6, Flagstaff Road in north Delhi's Civil Lines, the official said.
"They, along with some others, were responsible for the irregularities that included violation of rules and massive cost escalation in the name of superior modifications," the official alleged.
In a statement, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said there should be a fair and impartial investigation into the matter and if any corruption or irregularities are found, then that should be met with strong and decisive action. "If either case proves true, in this matter, it is deeply unfortunate and should never have occurred," it said.
Until sometime back, the two engineers were posted in Guwahati while one was in Kharagpur. The three "have been suspended for their role in the alleged irregularities in the construction of Kejriwal's residence", the official said.
According to the Delhi government's Vigilance Directorate, the officers were issued show-cause notices in June 2023. The Directorate found that the officers were allegedly resorting to delaying tactics and also approached the court, but failed to get any relief, according to DoV documents. AAP said political witch-hunting or victimisation of officers, who are honestly fulfilling their duty, should not happen under any circumstances.
