Congress leader Ajay Maken on Wednesday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government committed a corruption of Rs 382 crore in the healthcare sector. Addressing a press conference, Maken said that they used to make allegations against the Congress government on the basis of CAG reports. “There are at least 14 CAG reports pointing to serious lapses and flagrant violation of protocols in AAP governance,†said Maken in the presser themed around ‘AAP ke Paap’.
Maken listed out multiple lapses, including cost escalation of projects, inflated tender cost and also ‘criminal negligence’ by the AAP dispensation during the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, 14 CAG reports are showing serious corruption charges against the AAP government.
"Kejriwal came to power in the name of eradicating corruption but never allowed the 14 CAG reports of his and his government's corruption to be made public on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha. Today, we are exposing one of the 14 reports of his corruption in the health sector in front of the people of Delhi," he claimed.
Citing a CAG report, Maken further claimed that he found that there was a scam of Rs 382 crore against former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
AAP claimed that they would complete their work before time and also save money. But the CAG report states that only three new hospitals were built in the past 10 years, Maken said. All three hospitals started during the time of the Congress government. The delay of Indira Gandhi Hospital was five years, Burari Hospital was delayed by six years and Maulana Azad Dental Hospital was delayed by three years.
"Apart from this, there was a total of Rs 314.9 crore extra spent on Indira Gandhi Hospital over the tender amount. An amount of Rs 41.26 crore extra was spent on Burari Hospital and Rs 26.36 crore on the Maulana Azad Dental Hospital. A total of Rs 382.52 crore was spent extra from the tendered amount. I am not saying this, the CAG report is saying this," Maken said.
"I am directly accusing Kejriwal and his government that this is the biggest reason for stopping the CAG report," he further stated.
According to the CAG, a total of 15 plots were acquired by the Delhi government between 2007 and 2015 on which hospitals and dispensaries were to be built, but no work was started. From 2016-17 to 2021-22, Rs 2,623 crore lapsed out of the money sanctioned for infrastructure projects, Maken said.
The budget received from the Central Government during the COVID-19 pandemic could not be used, he said.
The Central government gave a budget of Rs 635.62 crores, of which 56.74 per cent i.e. Rs 360.64 crores was not spent. The budget for the four-year period from 2016-17 to 2020-21 had a target of increasing 32,000 beds but could only increase 1,235 beds by 3.86 per cent, he said during the press conference. The average bed occupancy in nine government hospitals in Delhi is 101-189 per cent, meaning two patients on one bed. In seven hospitals, it is 109-160 per cent, Maken said.
Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav demanded that the CAG report on the health sector of the Kejriwal government be investigated by the agencies after it was exposed. The LG should intervene and order an investigation into this.
This comes ahead of Delhi Assembly polls on February 5 and the results will be declared on February 8.
