Corruption, compromise on security in CCTV project: Cong

Alleging that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government took kickbacks, the Delhi Congress on Friday said that the contract for installing CCTV cameras was given to a Chinese government-linked company through Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which won the bid.

“The AAP government in Delhi has compromised national security for kickbacks. It is an open and shut case of corruption and compromise of national security,” Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said at a press conference here.

1.4 lakh CCTV cameras

The Public Works Department (PWD) of the Delhi government had given the contract for installing 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras to BEL, a Central government PSU, earlier this year.

Citing the minutes of the meeting held by the PWD on February 6 to discuss technical bids, Mr. Maken said representatives of the Chinese company, Hikvision, were present, in addition to representatives of BEL, and Larsen and Toubro, the other company that had bid for the tender.

Mr. Maken said that the two representatives of the Chinese company were present during the discussion of the project’s technical issues. Hikvision was the company that would execute the work for BEL, he added.

Hikvision was not on the list of vendors of BEL when the first tender for the project was active, from November 1 to December 6, 2017, he added. However, the company was added to the list when the second tender, which eventually BEL won, was active from January 9 to January 30, 2018.

“The AAP has claimed that the contract was given to a PSU, but the contract was not given to BEL till Hikvision became a vendor,” said Mr. Maken.

The Congress would approach the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Central Vigilance Commission and, if required, the courts for an investigation of the matter, Mr. Maken said.

The Congress would hold a demonstration outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on Sunday, he said.