BJP Leader Manoj Tiwari Criticizes AAP’s Saurabh Bhardwaj Over Delhi Hospital Cost Escalation
New Delhi [India], July 7: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manoj Tiwari criticized Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj for his remarks against the Delhi Lieutenant Governor regarding orders against former minister Satyendar Jain. Tiwari accused Bhardwaj of fearing an investigation.
Manoj Tiwari stated, “The Lieutenant Governor is not giving orders, he is just accepting requests of some people. People are constantly requesting LG that there should be an inquiry in the loot case that occurred in Delhi.”
He questioned, “Why is Saurabh Bharadwaj afraid of investigation? Why he wants to stop this investigation? Whenever there is talk of investigation, the Aam Aadmi Party opposes it. Why should the truth be affected? Whenever there is a situation of investigation, the top leadership of Aam Aadmi Party starts getting nervous. They (AAP) know that they will be found guilty in the investigation.”
Cost Escalation in Delhi Hospital Project
Earlier, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena, alleged that a tender worth Rs 465 crore for constructing an additional block in Delhi Government’s Lok Nayak Hospital had increased to Rs 1135 crore, creating a liability of approximately Rs 670 crore on the Delhi Government.
In a letter, VK Saxena said, “I have perused the matter, which relates to blatant violation of procedures and creating an unauthorized liability of approximately Rs 670 Crores for the GNCTD while constructing a new building block for Lok Nayak Hospital. A hospital originally tendered out on contract for Rs. 465 Crores (approx.), ran into re-estimates and expansion of the scope of work amounting to a whopping Rs. 1135 Crores (approx.).”
He alleged that this huge cost escalation happened with clear collusion of the Delhi Government’s Health Department under Saurabh Bhardwaj and the Public Works Department headed by Atishi Marlena.
Investigation and Committee Formation
LG VK Saxena has asked the Vigilance Department to request the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to form a special team of Chief Technical Examiners to conduct a detailed technical examination in this matter. He has also constituted a committee to examine the procedural violations that led to the cost escalation of Rs 670 crore. The committee will also examine all such ongoing projects in different Delhi Government hospitals.
The case pertains to the construction of a new building block in Lok Nayak Hospital. The scheduled start date was November 4, 2020, with a completion period of 30 months. However, even after three and a half years, the current progress of work is only 64 percent, even as costs have risen by 243 percent.
The Health & Family Welfare Department of GNCTD had assigned the project to the Public Works Department (PWD). However, the work originally tendered out for Rs 465 Crores, ran into re-estimates and expansion of scope of work amounting to Rs 1135 Crores. The PWD attributed the cost overruns to an increase in the scope of work. But while the scope of work increased by 8.61 percent only, the cost increased by 143 percent.
Interestingly, such huge cost overruns were done at the level of the Engineers of the Department itself, even though it should have gone to the Finance Department and the Cabinet. However, after LG flagged the matter to CM Arvind Kejriwal on June 22, 2023, the AAP Government brought a Cabinet Note in March 2024, for approval of the cost overruns, which is yet pending.
