'Suspend babus for failing to prevent corruption'

Civic activist, Vijay Kumbhar, has demanded that the chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan, immediately suspend bureaucrats who failed to prevent corruption during the organisation of the Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG), 2008 held in the city.

In a letter to the chief minister on Saturday, he demanded that stern action be taken against those guilty in the CYG scam. He said that in the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Commonwealth Games, 2010 held in New Delhi, the wrongdoings in the organisation of the CYG have also been exposed.

An organising committee was formed for the CYG and many senior bureaucrats and police officers were its members. How can these officers remain silent when so much corruption was being done in organising the games in the city, Kumbhar asked.
He said all suspected officers should be immediately suspended and stern action taken against the guilty.

The CAG report pointed out deficiencies in organising the CYG in the city.

It has referred to the hotel constructed on public-private partnership (PPP) basis near the Balewadi sports complex and the procurement of equipment for the games.

Kumbhar has been trying to make public all documents related to organisation of the CYG by using the Right To Information Act, 2005. He had filed a complaint with the state information commissioner, Pune bench in this regard in 2010. State information commissioner, Pune bench, Vijay Kuvalekar on November 11, 2010, ordered the state sports directorate to publish all documents related to the expenses of Rs425 crore for CYG on its website.