A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the ‘Prevention of Air Pollution from Vehicles’ is set to be presented in the Delhi Assembly on 1 April.
The report will be tabled by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, as part of the government’s ongoing review of key transport and environmental policies.
Earlier, during a discussion on another CAG audit report concerning the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), Chief Minister Gupta alleged that the corporation suffered significant financial losses under the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
She claimed that the DTC, once a profitable entity, incurred losses amounting to ₹70,471 crore. Of this, operational losses accounted for ₹14,198 crore.
She further criticised the AAP government for poor management, stating that while DTC had a total of 814 bus routes, only 468 were actively in operation.
Additionally, she alleged that funds were disproportionately spent on advertisements rather than improving transport services.
She also pointed out that despite receiving ₹233 crore from the central government, the funds were not utilised effectively. The number of buses, which stood at 4,344, reportedly reduced to 3,937 during the AAP tenure.
The Chief Minister also raised concerns over a financial deal involving IDFC, a DTC partner agency. According to her, IDFC had advised the Delhi government to purchase its shares, but this recommendation was not followed. As a result, IDFC sold shares worth ₹95 crore to a private company for just ₹10 crore.
She questioned why the government did not acquire the shares itself, suggesting that this decision significantly devalued DTC, reducing its worth to merely ₹20 crore.
She further alleged that 4,000 bus drivers in the city were being paid salaries despite a shortage of buses, exacerbating inefficiencies within the transport department.
Gupta emphasised that the CAG report should be referred to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for further scrutiny. She also announced plans to revive DTC’s profitability and transform it into a revenue-generating entity.
Additionally, she reiterated the government's commitment to continuing free travel schemes for women but noted that there is currently no data on how many women are benefiting from the initiative.
The Delhi Assembly held an in-depth discussion on the CAG findings related to the DTC’s operations.
The audit, covering the period from 2015-16 to 2021-22, highlights alleged financial mismanagement and irregularities in the functioning of DTC. It suggests that government negligence led to the misallocation of taxpayer funds.
Following the Assembly’s review, the report is being referred to the Committee on Government Undertakings, which has been instructed to submit its findings within three months.
Additionally, the Transport Department and DTC have been directed to submit an Action Taken Note to the Legislative Secretariat within one month.
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