Discuss audit report on Delhi Jal Board at budget session: BJP challenges AAP

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva demanded that the audit report be “discussed immediately” on the floor of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, during the ongoing budget session.

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Accounts not reliable: Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva

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The BJP on Thursday slammed the AAP-led Delhi government over “massive corruption” in the Delhi Jal Board during the 2017-18 fiscal — based on Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit findings.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva demanded that the audit report be “discussed immediately” on the floor of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, during the ongoing budget session.

“According to the CAG audit, the accounts of the Jal Board are not being fully disclosed, and the accounts that are being shown are not reliable,” said Sachdeva.

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“As per the rules, within three months of the financial year-end, accounts need to be deposited with the CAG, but according to the audit, no accounts have been deposited since 2015, and these accounts have been written in 2021,” Sachdeva said, adding that the Jal Board had informed the CAG of a loss of over Rs 9,300 crore, but when the accounts were deposited, only over Rs 2,700 crore were found, which meant, there was no record of more than Rs 6,500 crore.

Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana said it was “only after the BJP moved court over the matter that an affidavit by the CAG, stating that it had written 21 letters to the Jal Board over the delay, surfaced. “After the court’s order, the Jal Board had to compulsorily provide details of its accounts to the CAG, and now that the audit of the 2017 accounts has come out, it will prove that this is going to be the biggest scam in Delhi,” alleged the Delhi BJP secretary.

The AAP government, led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, had said in December 2023 that it would take action against any erring officers if irregularities were proved. Water Minister Atishi had said that as “allegations of irregularities” were made, an audit since 2008 was being sought by the Delhi Chief Minister. “As the opposition is raising allegations of financial irregularities and mismanagement in the DJB, the CM has ordered a CAG audit of the Board’s accounts from 2008 till date to bring out the truth… The Delhi government will take strict action against all those involved if any discrepancy comes out…” Atishi had said.

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