New Delhi:
The Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch has registered a corruption case against former health ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Satyendar Jain following allegations of financial irregularities in Delhi’s health infrastructure projects.
The case stems from a complaint filed by then leader of opposition Vijender Gupta, highlighting delays, cost escalations, and suspected embezzlement in 24 hospital projects sanctioned in 2018-19 at a projected cost of Rs 5,590 crores.
Investigations revealed that not a single hospital -11 greenfield (from scratch) and 13 brownfield (redeveloped or repurposed) – had been completed. In many instances, project costs have more than doubled, and timelines have been missed by years. A Rs 1,125-crore ICU hospital project for 6,800 beds, for example, is only 50% complete after three years and nearly Rs 800 crores already spent, despite an initial six-month deadline.
Verification brought to light alleged unauthorised constructions, abandoned sites, and gross violations of tender rules. Projects in Jwalapuri, Madipur, and LNJP Hospital showed significant cost inflation, with the LNJP block cost ballooning from Rs 488 crores to Rs 1,135 crores. Similarly, of 94 planned polyclinics, only 52 have been built, and many are non-functional – despite an inflated project spend of Rs 220 crores.
The Health Information Management System (HIMS), intended to bring transparency through digital monitoring, was never implemented, with the free NIC-developed e-Hospital system being rejected without explanation.
After verifying the complaint and receiving statutory approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, a first information report (FIR) has been filed against the former ministers, unnamed officials, and private contractors under multiple sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, and criminal breach of trust.
A full-scale investigation is now underway to determine the extent of the alleged corruption and the accountability of those involved.
