Govt assures action in CWG corruption

Hit by allegations of corruption in the Commonwealth Games (CWG), the government today promised to take action against those found guilty even as another venue was inaugurated with a leaking roof.

Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy was in damage-control mode over the Central Vigilance Commission's (CVC) report on widescale corruption in Games' construction projects.

"CVC has come out with preliminary remarks on the alleged irregularities in the construction of Commonwealth venues. I assure you that all concerned would be punished. Nothing would be spared. We will seriously look into it," Reddy said during the inauguration of the Weightlifting auditorium inside the Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium complex here today.

The CWG Organising Committee (OC) Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, who was forced to address an hour-long press conference to rebutt charges of financial bunglings yesterday, was issuing clarifications yet again.

The Indian Olympic Association chief insisted that the UK-based firm at the center of a corruption row that has hit OC was recommended by the Indian High Commission despite an embarrassing denial issued by it earlier.

The Indian High Commission had denied recommending A M Films, the little-known UK-based firm which allegedly received lakhs of pounds for providing its "services" during the Queen's Baton Relay in London.

Kalmadi refuted the claim and asserted that the High Commission's protocol official Raju Sebastian made the recommendation and even produced letters indicative of OC's communication with the High Commission.

However, Sebastian has been dubbed in reports as "too junior an official to make any recommendation on behalf of the High Commission".

"The Organising Committee would like to clarify that we had written to Vikrant Ratan, the first secretary (Protocol) of the Indian High Commission, to provide us the list of agencies for transportation, accommodation and other services and their approved rates.