CBI puts brakes on 'unsafe' Games buses

Investigating agency suspects foul play and fudging of reports on testing of vehicles to check fire safety standards

Investigating agency suspects foul play and fudging of reports on testing of vehicles to check fire safety standards

In the current scenario, you can probably count on your fingers the number of Commonwealth Games projects that remain free of any controversy, so far. With each passing day, a new skeleton is tumbling out of the CWG closet. Here's the latest bone of contention.


Green horns? Many more such low-floor buses are expected in the city
around the Commonwealth Games in October. file pic

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has lodged a case against officials of the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) in Pune and Ashok Leyland Ltd for allegedly committing a fraud by forging the test reports of the quality of plywood used in CNG buses that were ordered for the Commonwealth Games in the Capital. CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal said a case has been registered against M H Bavardekar, in-charge of Technical Directorate, V D Chavan, Scientist, Auto Lab-I, and D N Nande, Head, Engineering Division-I, of CIRT. Two representatives of Ashok Leyland Ltd,u00a0A Medhekar and V P Gautam are also accused in the case registered on July 21 under IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, he added.
The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) had allegedly placed orders on M/s Ashok Leyland Ltd Company for supply of 5000 CNG Buses to be used during the Commonwealth Games.

Superintendent of ACB Vidya Kulkarni said, "Samples of Marine Board (plywood) to be used in the buses were taken out jointly by representatives of DTC and M/s Ashok Leyland. The samples were sent to CIRT for lab tests.

The procedure is such that manufacturer shall not be allowed to use items in the production of buses unless the material procured meet the specifications during lab tests and fulfil the parameters. DTC inspecting officers shall affix unique stickers on the samples having the signature of all persons present. Only after this can the manufacturer use the material for designing the buses," Kulkarni said.

"As per specifications for fire test, time taken for second ignition should be 30 minutes, so that in case of a blaze, passengers of the bus can get sufficient time to escape. But the lab test at CIRT revealed that the time taken was approximately 9 to 21 minutes. A representative of CIRT unofficially informed Ashok Leyland about the failure of the test on plywood but did not inform DTC," she said.

"The CIRT officials obtained fresh samples of plywood from M/s Ashok Leyland, marked the old sticker number on it by themselves, tested them as per specifications and sent a fitness report by giving the reference of the first samples and induced DTC to accept the same. All this while the test reports in question were forged," Kulkarni added.

"More details cannot be shared as investigations are still going on. We have not arrested anyone so far," she concluded.