ACB files status report in corruption case against Sheila, others

The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has filed a status report before a city court stating that the contract for conducting a crucial test, necessary for granting fitness certificates to commercial vehicles, was awarded to a private firm without inviting tenders.

The ACB made this submission in their probe status report to Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal in a complaint, against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and others, alleging corruption in the grant of fitness certificates to commercial vehicles.

The complaint had been filed by RTI activist Vivek Garg alleging that the Delhi government gave the contract for lane test of commercial vehicles to M/s ESP India without inviting any tenders.

Besides Dikshit, the complaint also names the then Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely, former Transport Commissioner R K Verma and M/s ESP India.

The ACB said scrutiny of documents from the Transport department revealed that the Supreme Court had in 1998 directed the department to introduce automated inspection and certification system. Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was hired for lane tests. ARAI hired ESP as consultant and, in 2004, awarded it the work for installation of test lanes.

The report said the Transport department gave the contract for operation and maintenance of test lanes to ESP India on a nomination basis on February 27, 2008. The contract was awarded for five years and allowed the company to charge vehicle test fee directly from vehicle owners.

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