Taj Mansingh auction may come under CAG scanner

The auctioning process of Taj Mansingh Hotel is likely to come under the scanner of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) as the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has given a green signal to a performance audit of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) for financial year 2012-13.

‘In a recent communication, MHA has given the go ahead to the request of CAG for performance audit of NDMC for the financial year 2012-13,’ said Jalaj Shrivastava, chairman of NDMC. 

He, however, emphasised that this is a routine process and the request for audit came from CAG to which MHA has given a green signal. According to sources, the process of auctioning was initiated during this period and hence would surely come under the scrutiny of CAG. 

The major cause of worry for the senior officers is that there is no provision under which NDMC can either extend the lease or go in for a fresh auction. ‘The extension of lease for any property or its auction is done on mutually agreed terms between NDMC and the lessee. There is no set standard for it,’ said a senior officer of NDMC adding that the council will have a tough time defending its decision before the CAG team.

The other major project, the performance of which is worrying NDMC the most is renovation and redevelopment of the Connaught Place project which has already missed around half a dozen deadlines in the past.