Maha PAC chief demands case against Kalmadi in CYG scam

In potentially more trouble for Suresh Kalmadi, the Public Accounts Committee of Maharashtra legislature has recommended a criminal offence to be registered against the Organizing Committee of the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games headed by the suspended Congress MP for alleged misappropriation of funds.
PAC Chairman Girish Bapat told the legislative assembly that Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had given the Organizing Committee three months' time to submit the final statement of expenditure, failing which criminal offence will be filed against Kalmadi.
"The stipulated three months time is over. Some papers have been received and the government should go ahead with filing of a criminal offence," Bapat said.

He said that despite adequate budgetary provision for organising the games in Pune, over Rs 30 crore was given from the state's contingency fund and till date details of utilization of that amount had not been made available to PAC.
PAC's recommendation for action against Kalmadi, Lok Sabha member from Pune, came 10 months after it had in its report indicted the former Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Chairman, already facing criminal charges in connection with 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi.
Kalmadi, who was also Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, was in jail for about 10 months in connection with alleged irregularities in award of a contract to a Swiss firm.

"The organizing committee has misused government as well as public funds. Despite requests, the OC or the Director of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS) failed to provide details of the expenditure incurred," the PAC report read.

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India had, in a 2011 report, highlighted the financial irregularities in the Pune games, which had a budget of Rs 425.5 crore.
The PAC report had said the OC headed by Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot (another tainted former Commonwealth Games official) demanded in August 2008 additional emergency funds of Rs 32.95 crore. The money was released by the state government between September 2008 and August 2009 in three instalments from its contingency funds.

Later, talking to reporters, Bapat said the government's Action Taken Report on PAC's findings on alleged involvement of bureaucrats said they had been reprimanded.
"However, PAC is of the view that a probe should be ordered against them and the guilty be punished," he added.