Jung clears probe against Sheila Dikshit in water tanker scam

In what could turn out an embarrassment for the Congress party, Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday cleared a probe against former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the alleged Rs 400 crore water tanker scam.

The decision was taken on a complaint sent to LG's office by Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra.

"We have received a complaint against Sheila Dikshit by Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra in connection with the water tanker scam. That complaint has been forwarded to the ACB for appropriate action," an official at the LG's office told IANS.

Mishra on Monday has sent a fact-finding report on the alleged scam to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jung.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in June 2015 had constituted a five-member fact-finding committee to probe the irregularities in hiring some 385 stainless steel water tankers by the Delhi Jal Board in 2012 during Sheila Dikshit's rule.

Its report submitted to Kejriwal in August 2015 highlights alleged corruption of Rs 400 crore in the process of awarding tenders for hiring water tankers.

It recommended FIR against Congress leader Dikshit by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).

Dikshit, who ruled Delhi for 15 years from 1998 2013, was also appointed as Governor of Kerala for a brief spell in March 2014 by the then Congress-led UPA government at the centre.

--IANS

am/rn/vm