Sheila Dixit reads the riot act to CWG contractors

From sops to threats, chief minister Sheila Dikshit is trying everything in her power to expedite work on infrastructure upgrade ahead of this October’s Commonwealth Games. On Monday, an edgy Dikshit, concerned by the massive delays in several projects, read the riot act to the contractors.

She threatened all those involved in the Public Works Department (PWD) projects with stiff fines and warned that they could even be blacklisted if they fail to complete work on time.

“ Contractors who are not able to wrap up work by August 31 will not only be penalised monetarily but also blacklisted,” the CM said.

Dikshit had last week dangled a carrot for engineers working on the PWD projects by promising to reward them, possibly with a month’s salary as bonus, if work was completed within the deadline. A senior official, who attended Monday’s meeting where Dikshit gave the ultimatum, said contractors working on the upgrade of roads, called streetscaping, were specifically pulled up since their work was delayed the most.

At least a fifth of the work on upgrade of roads around all the venues and areas central to hosting the Games is still to be completed, officials had informed Dikshit last week. Dikshit was especially miffed with the three private companies installing streetlights. The PWD had hired Bajaj Electricals, Keshlac Shedder and Spaceage to install 10,000 poles with two streetlights each on 424 km of road. The job was expected to cost Rs 198 crore.

“ The work was to be completed by last October, but a lot remains to be done. Some new streetlights installed recently have already conked off,” said an official who attended Monday’s meet.

PWD minister Rajkumar Chauhan had last month said his department was considering seeking a vigilance inquiry into the delay and poor quality of work.

During Monday’s meeting, Dikshit also pointed out that work on a flyover near the Yamuna Sports Complex was also behind schedule. She asked the contractor to visit the site everyday, an official said. The PWD has requested three departments for additional manpower. “ We have asked the departments of flood and irrigation, development and slums to lend up to 700 workers to assist us,” Chauhan said.

Dikshit, though, said her warning to contractors did not mean that work would not be completed in time.

The BJP made matters worse for the CM. Alleging corruption and use of sub- standard material in the Games projects, BJP Delhi Pradesh president Vijender Gupta asked PM Manmohan Singh to make the CAG report on the progress of Games’ works public. He said that would expose the false claims of the Games Organising Committee.