Title - 'Metro officials must skip IGI line meeting'

NEW DELHI: In a bid to avoid any "conflict of interest" when the DMRC board looks at the role of eight serving and former officials of Delhi Metro, including its managing director Mangu Singh in the Airport Metro line mess, the urban development ministry wants Singh and other functional directors to recuse themselves from the meeting. Out of the 16 members in the board, Delhi Metro has seven representatives, including its MD. A source said that as the meeting with this special agenda will discuss the role of Metro officials, none of its representatives should be present. He added that their presence would raise questions on the impartiality of the decision. As per the advice of Central Vigilance Commission, the ministry has asked the board to consider the finding of the ministry's probe panel. The panel had named eight functionaries responsible and found deficiencies on the part of the concessionaire, construction contractors (IJM-IJMI JV), consultants (PCI-PBI-JARTS-TONICHI-RITES) and the detailed design consultants (Systra).

Sources said CVC has advised that the Metro's chief vigilance officer should probe the case and submit the report to the ministry. Questions are now being raised if the CVO can conduct the probe in which the role of his superior (DMRC MD) is under the scanner.