Published: Friday, Oct 22, 2010, 0:17 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_how-a-single-bidder-bagged-rs700-crore-games-village-deal_1456257
Who owns Emaar-MGF, the firm that bagged the Rs700-crore Commonwealth Games Village work? How did it secure the prestigious project beating 14 other strong contenders? As the probe into the whole gamut of Games scandals goes deeper, serious questions onpolitical connections of the company have risen.
The Delhi government, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the organisers assert His Excellency Mohammad Ali Alabbar of Dubai is promoter of this real estate company. However, DNA can reveal that while Emaar is wholly owned by the prince, the company that bagged the Games Village contract is Emaar-MGF. MGF has deep Indian connections and its owners are closely connected to top Congress leaders.
The brain behind MGF is Sudhir Sareen, who was earlier a director in Emaar-MGF. Sudhir came into the limelight when the enforcement directorate raided his Greater Kailash residence in New Delhi a decade ago in connection with the Rs133-crore urea scam. He was considered close tothen prime minister the late PV Narasimha Rao’s son and then fertilizers and chemicals minister Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav.
He quietly slipped out when the raids were on and later his name disappeared from the case. He opted to settle in Dubai as an NRI and made forays into real estate business and roped in the Emaar group to do business with MGF.
The political reach of MGF partly explains how the contract for the unique public-private partnership project could have gone to a single bidder. Everyone involved in the process, including Delhi’s lieutenant governor Tejindra Khanna, chief minister Sheila Dixit, head of the group of ministers Jaipal Reddy and DDA vice-chairman declared Emaar-MGF the sole technically qualified bidder.
The firm’s power could be imagined from the fact that it out-bid rivals even before the financial bidding process was in place. A total of 14 developers had requested for bidding qualification. Eleven developers qualified and of these only two — Emaar-MGF and M/s DLF — were short-listed. But DLF’s bid was technically disqualified.
It was a gold mine of a project as the Delhi government was offering 27.17 acres on the bank of the Yamuna near the Akshardham temple for free. The builder was to spend money to construct 1,168 flats in 34 towers. The covered area was 4 million sq ft, including 4,000 bedrooms. Under the arrangement with the Delhi government, the developer would sell the flats after CWG and profits would be shared.
The government started the process of bidding in June 2007,four years after it won the bid to host CWG. It decided not to issue fresh tenders for the project as it had no time and awarded the contract to a single bidder.
But Union urban development minister Jaipal Reddy defends the decision saying, “We could have cancelled the contract. But it would have meant huge delay. When we gave the developer extra money, we had no option. But we revoked his bank guarantee of Rs183 crore. DDA will make profit.”
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Power shift: Amitabh Bachchan in Delhi without Amar Singh at his side
Published: Sunday, Oct 24, 2010, 1:20 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_power-shift-amitabh-bachchan-in-delhi-without-amar-singh-at-his-side_1457177
In a city of political weathercocks, the comfort level of the UPA government became evident in two seemingly unrelated incidents. But both have a common theme.
This past week Amitabh Bachchan visited New Delhi to receive his national award for best actor. A day earlier, he attended a high-profile dinner at corporate lobbyist Suhel Seth’s residence. For the first time in 20 years, there was no Amar Singh by Bachchan’s side.
It was the end of a long chapter of a family friendship. In the early 1990s, Amar Singh had taken Bachchan door-to-door in Lutyens’ Delhi, asking for relief in his income tax and other cases, winning reprieve from a spate of government agencies.
This was after Bachchan had fallen out with the Gandhi. Today, with Amar Singh being shown the door, is a Bachchan-Gandhi reconciliation in the offing? No one is sure as the Gandhis are still uncomfortable with Bachchan’s wife Jaya.
Also looking for reconciliation is Anil Agarwal of the Vedanta group. His flagship ventures in Orissa, the takeover of Cairn India’s oil operations in Rajasthan and expansion of steel plant have been blocked by the UPA government.
His apparent proximity to home minister P. Chidambaram - who once served as a board member on one of Vedanta’s companies and appeared as a counsel - has suffered heavily. In short, Agarwal is desperate to do a deal with the Congress and to win friends in New Delhi. But has drawn a blank so far.
Agrawal is knocking at the doors of Lord Krishna to salvage his business empire.
He is organising a three-day Gita recitation in Delhi’s Kamani auditorium. Invitations have been sent to a range of politicians, civil servants, senior editors and lobbyists. The turnout will offer a clue to Vedanta’s future.
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_power-shift-amitabh-bachchan-in-delhi-without-amar-singh-at-his-side_1457177
In a city of political weathercocks, the comfort level of the UPA government became evident in two seemingly unrelated incidents. But both have a common theme.
This past week Amitabh Bachchan visited New Delhi to receive his national award for best actor. A day earlier, he attended a high-profile dinner at corporate lobbyist Suhel Seth’s residence. For the first time in 20 years, there was no Amar Singh by Bachchan’s side.
It was the end of a long chapter of a family friendship. In the early 1990s, Amar Singh had taken Bachchan door-to-door in Lutyens’ Delhi, asking for relief in his income tax and other cases, winning reprieve from a spate of government agencies.
This was after Bachchan had fallen out with the Gandhi. Today, with Amar Singh being shown the door, is a Bachchan-Gandhi reconciliation in the offing? No one is sure as the Gandhis are still uncomfortable with Bachchan’s wife Jaya.
Also looking for reconciliation is Anil Agarwal of the Vedanta group. His flagship ventures in Orissa, the takeover of Cairn India’s oil operations in Rajasthan and expansion of steel plant have been blocked by the UPA government.
His apparent proximity to home minister P. Chidambaram - who once served as a board member on one of Vedanta’s companies and appeared as a counsel - has suffered heavily. In short, Agarwal is desperate to do a deal with the Congress and to win friends in New Delhi. But has drawn a blank so far.
Agrawal is knocking at the doors of Lord Krishna to salvage his business empire.
He is organising a three-day Gita recitation in Delhi’s Kamani auditorium. Invitations have been sent to a range of politicians, civil servants, senior editors and lobbyists. The turnout will offer a clue to Vedanta’s future.
Netas line up to become Obama’s Man Friday
Published: Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010, 3:20 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_netas-line-up-to-become-obama-s-man-friday_1457947
Who will be minister-in-waiting for Barack Obama? The question is bedevilling the corridors of power in Delhi. Ordinarily, a minister-in-waiting for a visiting head of state or government is not of any significance. Unless the dignitary is the US president. The post then becomes a measure of clout, inviting a scramble for it. This time, it is significant, keeping in view a likely cabinet reshuffle in January.
In the fray are commerce minister Anand Sharma, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal, minority and corporate affairs minister Salman Khursheed, and minister in the prime minister’s office Prithviraj Chavan.
The obvious choice should be Sharma because of his familiarity with the nuances of foreign policy. After all, he has had extensive experience abroad, particularly South Africa. But he will be too busy in business summits in Mumbai and Delhi during Obama’s visit. Sharma is also perceived to be in the line for the post of external affairs minister when SM Krishna is sent back to Karnataka.
Sibal, too, is pitching for the post of minister-in-waiting. Like Sharma, Sibal is in the running for the external affairs ministry. But there is a slight problem: Sibal had been minister-in-waiting for George W Bush, a Republican, during the latter’s visit in March 2006. Since Obama is a Democrat, the external affairs establishment would prefer a new face.
Given this scenario, Khursheed and Chavan are favourites. Khursheed has in the past held the portfolio of minister of state for external affairs. Chavan is equally experienced. But considering the situation, Manmohan Singh would like to depute a full cabinet minister as minister-in-waiting for Obama. The final decision will be taken when Singh returns from his three-nation tour.
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_netas-line-up-to-become-obama-s-man-friday_1457947
Who will be minister-in-waiting for Barack Obama? The question is bedevilling the corridors of power in Delhi. Ordinarily, a minister-in-waiting for a visiting head of state or government is not of any significance. Unless the dignitary is the US president. The post then becomes a measure of clout, inviting a scramble for it. This time, it is significant, keeping in view a likely cabinet reshuffle in January.
In the fray are commerce minister Anand Sharma, human resource development minister Kapil Sibal, minority and corporate affairs minister Salman Khursheed, and minister in the prime minister’s office Prithviraj Chavan.
The obvious choice should be Sharma because of his familiarity with the nuances of foreign policy. After all, he has had extensive experience abroad, particularly South Africa. But he will be too busy in business summits in Mumbai and Delhi during Obama’s visit. Sharma is also perceived to be in the line for the post of external affairs minister when SM Krishna is sent back to Karnataka.
Sibal, too, is pitching for the post of minister-in-waiting. Like Sharma, Sibal is in the running for the external affairs ministry. But there is a slight problem: Sibal had been minister-in-waiting for George W Bush, a Republican, during the latter’s visit in March 2006. Since Obama is a Democrat, the external affairs establishment would prefer a new face.
Given this scenario, Khursheed and Chavan are favourites. Khursheed has in the past held the portfolio of minister of state for external affairs. Chavan is equally experienced. But considering the situation, Manmohan Singh would like to depute a full cabinet minister as minister-in-waiting for Obama. The final decision will be taken when Singh returns from his three-nation tour.
Rs150-crore security system to keep watch on Obama
Published: Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010, 3:11 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_rs150-crore-security-system-to-keep-watch-on-obama_1458384
The world’s most sophisticated surveillance system will be used for the security of US president Barack Obama when he visits Delhi.
The system, codenamed C4Eye, has been imported from Israel at a cost of approximately Rs150 crores. It had a bit of a rough run at the beginning — flopping on debut at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on October 3. This caused a flutter and angered Union home minister P Chidambaram. Later, the system did its job at all important venues during the Games.
The security apparatus has the capacity to ‘Command-Control-Communicate-Coordinate’ 36 surveillance cameras at the same time. These cameras can be installed at various places of strategic importance and can be monitored from control rooms at the Delhi police headquarters.
However, the Obama visit will be an acid test for the C4Eye system, since it has never been used during VVIP visits, let alone a US president.
The cameras have been installed in consultation with top American officials who have been taking care of the minutest security details of Obama’s trip. The US president’s security team has been on the job in Delhi for the past three months, leaving nothing in the hands of Delhi Police or other agencies.
More than 1,500 security personnel have been flown in from the US to be deployed during Obama’s visit to Mumbai and Delhi. This will be in addition to thousands of security personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces who will provide peripheral, traffic and other security arrangements.
US securitymen will take over Taj Hotel in Mumbai a week before Obama lands there. They will be at the ITC Maurya Sheraton from November 2. Obama’s staff will bring food items and chefs from the US to make sure everything is fool-proof.
An officer connected with Obama’s security said it’s now part of the US president’s travel mandate that everything is brought in special jets wherever he travels in the world. Obama’s contingent will be largest ever and will fill up only Maurya but neighbouring Taj too. The president will travel in Air Force One. His contingent, comprising US businessmen and officials, will come in two jumbo jets.
Plus, there will be four cargo planes and two security jets. The president will travel in cars specially flown from the US and specially-designed keeping his security needs in mind. When Obama is in Mumbai, ships and vessels from the Indian Navy, the US Navy and the Coast Guard will patrol up to 330km of the seashore to prevent any attack.
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_rs150-crore-security-system-to-keep-watch-on-obama_1458384
The world’s most sophisticated surveillance system will be used for the security of US president Barack Obama when he visits Delhi.
The system, codenamed C4Eye, has been imported from Israel at a cost of approximately Rs150 crores. It had a bit of a rough run at the beginning — flopping on debut at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on October 3. This caused a flutter and angered Union home minister P Chidambaram. Later, the system did its job at all important venues during the Games.
The security apparatus has the capacity to ‘Command-Control-Communicate-Coordinate’ 36 surveillance cameras at the same time. These cameras can be installed at various places of strategic importance and can be monitored from control rooms at the Delhi police headquarters.
However, the Obama visit will be an acid test for the C4Eye system, since it has never been used during VVIP visits, let alone a US president.
The cameras have been installed in consultation with top American officials who have been taking care of the minutest security details of Obama’s trip. The US president’s security team has been on the job in Delhi for the past three months, leaving nothing in the hands of Delhi Police or other agencies.
More than 1,500 security personnel have been flown in from the US to be deployed during Obama’s visit to Mumbai and Delhi. This will be in addition to thousands of security personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces who will provide peripheral, traffic and other security arrangements.
US securitymen will take over Taj Hotel in Mumbai a week before Obama lands there. They will be at the ITC Maurya Sheraton from November 2. Obama’s staff will bring food items and chefs from the US to make sure everything is fool-proof.
An officer connected with Obama’s security said it’s now part of the US president’s travel mandate that everything is brought in special jets wherever he travels in the world. Obama’s contingent will be largest ever and will fill up only Maurya but neighbouring Taj too. The president will travel in Air Force One. His contingent, comprising US businessmen and officials, will come in two jumbo jets.
Plus, there will be four cargo planes and two security jets. The president will travel in cars specially flown from the US and specially-designed keeping his security needs in mind. When Obama is in Mumbai, ships and vessels from the Indian Navy, the US Navy and the Coast Guard will patrol up to 330km of the seashore to prevent any attack.
Sonia Gandhi in the Prime Monitor’s Office
Published: Sunday, Apr 4, 2010, 0:37 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/analysis_sonia-gandhi-in-the-prime-monitor-s-office_1367115
As the head of the National Advisory Committee, Sonia Gandhi will now get to play a direct role in policy formulation. What exactly does this mean for the power equation between the PM and the president of the Congress party?
Adapting a popular Hindi film song, a senior Congress minister close to Sonia Gandhi smiled and said with a twinkle in his eye, “All is not well.” But he would say no more on the subject that has got the power circles in Lutyens’ Delhi wondering: Is there a larger message behind the revival of the National Advisory Council (NAC) with Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson? Are there policy differences brewing between the Congress leadership and the government?
The NAC was first constituted as a sort of ‘super cabinet’ in 2004, after Sonia turned down the prime minister’s job and nominated Manmohan Singh instead. It was seen as the Congress’ interface with civil society and NGOs and was responsible for formulating flagship social sector schemes such as the Right to Information (RTI), the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
The NAC ceased to be functional in 2006 after the ‘office of profit’ controversy. But why is it back, one year after the UPA-II came to power?
There is a sense in the party that the UPA government has lost sight of its aam aadmi focus. It has not only failed to rein in prices, but has also been hinting at how the government cannot afford to provide for the massive funds required to provide food for all BPL families. The PMO’s stress on economic reform and foreign policy has led to a renewed perception that the prime minister is not sufficiently ‘political’ to realise the implications once the aam aadmi gets out of “hand”.
The rise and rise of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is also being viewed in this light. Jairam has taken on several heavyweights in the government recently and it is being speculated he could not have done this without the High Command’s support, particularly at a time when his Rajya Sabha term is ending and he is seeking re-election.
Airport conflict
Shortly after taking over, Jairam had shot down the Navi Mumbai airport proposal, saying the site would lead to destruction of precious mangroves. This brought him into direct conflict not only with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel but also with the South Block. The Navi Mumbai airport file had already been cleared by the PMO. An irritated prime minister reportedly asked a senior aide: “Can a minister stop a proposal after I have cleared it?”
On the BT brinjal issue, Jairam took on a gamut of senior ministers - including Sharad Pawar, Kapil Sibal and Prithviraj Chavan - and a powerful MNC lobby. Yet again it was suggested that he does not see eye-to-eye with the PMO.
Even so, he shelved the introduction of BT brinjal, travelling around the country and seeking the opinion of the civil society which he knew was against the proposal. It was a method that was bound to appeal to Rahul Gandhi, who is keen to get inputs on development issues from outside the cosy club of Delhi’s policy-makers.
This week, Jairam turned his fire on Highways Minister Kamal Nath, accusing the National Highways Authority of India of not being environment-friendly. Jairam has a history of conflict with Nath (see box) and has said nyet to the building of a highway stretch in Chhindwara (Nath’s constituency in Madhya Pradesh) on the grounds that it will disturb a reserve forest.
More importantly, at a time when the PMO is hoping to roll out billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects using the PPP (public-private partnership) route, Jairam has indicated that green concerns will be paramount. The minister is sitting on 166 major projects, say sources.
The removal of MK Narayanan as national security adviser (NSA) and the transference of the job of overseeing intelligence agencies to Home Minister P Chidambaram was an indicator that “all is not well” somewhere. The new NSA, Shiv Shankar Menon, is working strictly on foreign policy.
The awarding of a Padma Bhushan to controversial NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal also created a tricky situation for the PM. It was the first time that the prime minister - a very correct man, with an unimpeachable reputation - attracted an unseemly controversy. The Chatwal case was sought to be blamed on TKA Nair, principal secretary in the PMO. There were also suggestions that Nair may be ‘promoted’ as governor of a state. However, the prime minister stood his ground on the whole issue. So far so good.
The nomination of Mani Shankar Aiyar to the Rajya Sabha in the eminent person’s category was also seen as Sonia asserting her authority. Rajya Sabha elections for about 40 seats are due this summer and Aiyar could easily have been accommodated. Yet, by choosing to put Aiyar - who has been critical of Manmohan’s economic and foreign policies - on the President’s list, the Congress chief was sending an unmistakable message.
It is in this context that Sonia’s return as head of the NAC becomes important. Her future plans (see box) can only be guessed, but as NAC chair she will have the authority to summon ministers and secretaries and play a direct role in policy formulation. The
division of labour between the political and administrative wings of the government is narrowing.
Harish Gupta is DNA’s national editor based in New Delhi
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/analysis_sonia-gandhi-in-the-prime-monitor-s-office_1367115
As the head of the National Advisory Committee, Sonia Gandhi will now get to play a direct role in policy formulation. What exactly does this mean for the power equation between the PM and the president of the Congress party?
Adapting a popular Hindi film song, a senior Congress minister close to Sonia Gandhi smiled and said with a twinkle in his eye, “All is not well.” But he would say no more on the subject that has got the power circles in Lutyens’ Delhi wondering: Is there a larger message behind the revival of the National Advisory Council (NAC) with Sonia Gandhi as its chairperson? Are there policy differences brewing between the Congress leadership and the government?
The NAC was first constituted as a sort of ‘super cabinet’ in 2004, after Sonia turned down the prime minister’s job and nominated Manmohan Singh instead. It was seen as the Congress’ interface with civil society and NGOs and was responsible for formulating flagship social sector schemes such as the Right to Information (RTI), the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
The NAC ceased to be functional in 2006 after the ‘office of profit’ controversy. But why is it back, one year after the UPA-II came to power?
There is a sense in the party that the UPA government has lost sight of its aam aadmi focus. It has not only failed to rein in prices, but has also been hinting at how the government cannot afford to provide for the massive funds required to provide food for all BPL families. The PMO’s stress on economic reform and foreign policy has led to a renewed perception that the prime minister is not sufficiently ‘political’ to realise the implications once the aam aadmi gets out of “hand”.
The rise and rise of Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is also being viewed in this light. Jairam has taken on several heavyweights in the government recently and it is being speculated he could not have done this without the High Command’s support, particularly at a time when his Rajya Sabha term is ending and he is seeking re-election.
Airport conflict
Shortly after taking over, Jairam had shot down the Navi Mumbai airport proposal, saying the site would lead to destruction of precious mangroves. This brought him into direct conflict not only with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel but also with the South Block. The Navi Mumbai airport file had already been cleared by the PMO. An irritated prime minister reportedly asked a senior aide: “Can a minister stop a proposal after I have cleared it?”
On the BT brinjal issue, Jairam took on a gamut of senior ministers - including Sharad Pawar, Kapil Sibal and Prithviraj Chavan - and a powerful MNC lobby. Yet again it was suggested that he does not see eye-to-eye with the PMO.
Even so, he shelved the introduction of BT brinjal, travelling around the country and seeking the opinion of the civil society which he knew was against the proposal. It was a method that was bound to appeal to Rahul Gandhi, who is keen to get inputs on development issues from outside the cosy club of Delhi’s policy-makers.
This week, Jairam turned his fire on Highways Minister Kamal Nath, accusing the National Highways Authority of India of not being environment-friendly. Jairam has a history of conflict with Nath (see box) and has said nyet to the building of a highway stretch in Chhindwara (Nath’s constituency in Madhya Pradesh) on the grounds that it will disturb a reserve forest.
More importantly, at a time when the PMO is hoping to roll out billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects using the PPP (public-private partnership) route, Jairam has indicated that green concerns will be paramount. The minister is sitting on 166 major projects, say sources.
The removal of MK Narayanan as national security adviser (NSA) and the transference of the job of overseeing intelligence agencies to Home Minister P Chidambaram was an indicator that “all is not well” somewhere. The new NSA, Shiv Shankar Menon, is working strictly on foreign policy.
The awarding of a Padma Bhushan to controversial NRI hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal also created a tricky situation for the PM. It was the first time that the prime minister - a very correct man, with an unimpeachable reputation - attracted an unseemly controversy. The Chatwal case was sought to be blamed on TKA Nair, principal secretary in the PMO. There were also suggestions that Nair may be ‘promoted’ as governor of a state. However, the prime minister stood his ground on the whole issue. So far so good.
The nomination of Mani Shankar Aiyar to the Rajya Sabha in the eminent person’s category was also seen as Sonia asserting her authority. Rajya Sabha elections for about 40 seats are due this summer and Aiyar could easily have been accommodated. Yet, by choosing to put Aiyar - who has been critical of Manmohan’s economic and foreign policies - on the President’s list, the Congress chief was sending an unmistakable message.
It is in this context that Sonia’s return as head of the NAC becomes important. Her future plans (see box) can only be guessed, but as NAC chair she will have the authority to summon ministers and secretaries and play a direct role in policy formulation. The
division of labour between the political and administrative wings of the government is narrowing.
Harish Gupta is DNA’s national editor based in New Delhi
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