An RTI inquiry moved by The Indian Express revealed that 38 persons from Pune were given official assignments and designations for the Commonwealth Games. Most of them were hired in the beginning of 2009 and continued till the end of the Games and were stationed in New Delhi during the period. Of the 38,15 held senior positions ranging from additional director general (ADG) to director while three were consultants. The V K Shunglu Committee,set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to probe the Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam,has not just accused Suresh Kalmadi for financial irregularities,misusing powers and running the OC like a club,but also stated that Kalmadi appointed his loyalists,mainly from Pune,in key positions. The three who occupied the topmost positions from Pune were Lt Gen Ashok Kapur,ADG,Games Village,Sangeeta Welinkar,ADG (CS &CI) and Purnima Pendse,ADG ceremonies. All three were also roped in for the Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) held in Pune in October,2008. The pay scale for ADG ranges between Rs 75,000 and Rs 1.25 lakh per month. People were selected for Delhi games based on their experience and performance at the CYG. In fact one of the reasons for youth games was to train persons capable to handle the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, said Gen Kapur. Two persons from Pune were appointed as DDG for the Delhi Games at a salary of Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month. They are Brigadier G A Siddique who was taken for Venue Development and Overlays and Moti Irani who was DDG Accommodation. Both of them were also promoted from their earlier designations of director during the CYG. Ten people from Pune were at the position of directors - Col R B Singh,Venues and Overlays,Vikrant Bhuptani,Image and Look,Jamaal Raazi,Technology,Maneck Kotwal,Village,Sujata Aiyer,Ceremonies,Sharayu Almekar,Catering,Sweety Patel,Merchandising Uma Badve,Volunteer Programme,Ashwin Lokare,CGA Relations and Shekhar Deorukhar. While Patel,Badve,Kotwal,Aiyer and Almekar were project officers earlier and had been upgraded to the post of directors drawing between Rs 45,000 and 75,000 per month,Bhuptani,Raazi and Lokre were joint directors at the CYG. Deorukhar,Kalmadis aide who was was arrested in February from Pune,was Officer on Special Duty to Chairman during CYG. The rest of the Puneites worked in the posts of either Project Officers or Assistant Project Officers while three were taken on as consultants Nishigandha Mathur,Nivedita Saboo and Dimakh Sahasrabudhe.
