BJP Exposes Scam in Delhi Jal Board, Demands Discussion of CAG Report

New Delhi: A Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) audit placed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) under severe scrutiny, with the accusation of substantial monetary discrepancies for the financial year 2017-18 claimed the BJP on Thursday demanding immediate floor discussion in the Assembly in this regard. 

BJP Delhi President BJP Virendra Sachdeva while addressing a press conference asserted that the Delhi Jal Board demonstrated a staggering loss of Rs 766.31 Crore in the financial year 2017-18. 

Sachdeva also highlighted another significant concern of the alleged non-disclosure of details related to accounts from 386 different bank branches by the Delhi Jal Board.

The CAG audit findings imply that the DJB has systematically failed to provide coherent and comprehensive financial records, thereby sparking allegations of massive corruption. 

“The Delhi Jal board has not complied with the regulations, as financial accounts for the last three years have not been submitted to the CAG, and started only from 2021,” claimed Sachdeva. 

“The Delhi Jal Board’s reported loss estimation of Rs 306.20 crore to CAG vastly differs from the audited findings of only Rs 2747.79 crore. Moreover, DJB claims to have Rs 10.12 crore cash-in-hand, while the audit revealed a mere INR 58 lakh. Notably, a glaring contradiction exists in the reported and audited sum of DJB loans along with their pertaining interests, thereby indicating a fraud estimated to be Rs 5000 crore,” Sachdeva added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Delhi BJP’s Harish Khurana said, the CAG had accused DJB of being elusive and delivering misleading information during the audit investigation. 

Asserting that the revelations might unfold the biggest scam in Delhi's history, he expressed disdain for DJB’s deliberate delay and non-compliance in providing account details from 386 bank branches, even under court orders.

“All these allegations compiled by the CAG audit are serious pretexts and warrant immediate and thorough discussion and scrutiny. The BJP's demands for a legislative debate hence, stand justified, if we aim for stringent accountability and transparency in the governance system,” he said.