Corruption and incompetence

The scapegoating of Mr Kalmadi alone ignores other culprits

The Indian Olympic Association president, Suresh Kalmadi, has been widely pilloried for the overt corruption and missed deadlines that the media has uncovered in a range of Commonwealth Games-related activities and constructions. In that sense, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was right to sideline him and set up a group of ministers to oversee the remaining Games works in his place. But Mr Kalmadi is not the only villain. All the agencies involved, including the Union urban development and sports ministries, and the Delhi government, have let the Games down. Indeed, Mr Kalmadi’s alleged misdemeanours may not be as big as those of others and the incompetence of the urban development ministry and its outfits like the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). So, it is ironic that the final job of oversight of works completion has been given to minister Jaipal Reddy. Going by his own admission to Parliament earlier this month, Mr Reddy’s remit was significantly larger than Mr Kalmadi’s in monetary terms as well. Mr Reddy told the Lok Sabha that of the Rs 28,054 crore spent on the Games, Rs 16,560 crore — more than half — was given to the Delhi government for upgrading the Capital’s infrastructure and building of various stadia. In fact, according to Mr Reddy’s Lok Sabha statement, only Rs 670 crore — or 2.3 per cent — was spent directly on the Games, on building stadia and so on. Seen from that prism, Mr Kalmadi’s acts of omission and commission may well be small beer, compared to some others in the Congress party.

Signs of the rank inefficiency of CPWD and the Delhi government are starkly visible all over the national Capital — nowhere more so than in Rajiv Chowk, which now resembles a chaotic archeological dig, hazardous to denizens and visitors alike, and in the host of abandoned projects from incomplete subways that are being feverishly refilled to the underground metro connection to the airport. Why should beautification of Lutyens’ Delhi have gained precedence over completion of essential works for the Games? Both the Delhi government and the urban development ministry must answer why they were so warped in their priorities. They ought to have monitored the progress of construction works long before the media raised the red flags. Yet, with just over a month to go, Mr Reddy now oversees a body tasked with ensuring that the work is completed on time and without further corruption.

It would appear that at this eleventh hour, the prime minister has tasked Mr Reddy to oversee the completion of works more because of his unsullied reputation for personal integrity, against the background of corruption charges against Mr Kalmadi, rather than the competence of his ministry and its agencies. It seems to be an unfortunate fact of Indian politics that few competent ministers are known for personal integrity, and few honest ministers are known for their competence. Honesty does not necessarily translate into efficiency — as the defence forces are learning through their minister A K Antony whose legendary integrity is holding up all manner of vital defence purchases. In the end, it is possible that the committee headed by the Cabinet secretary, which has subsumed the Games organising committee, will get the job done in time. The “steel frame” still has its uses!