Kejri discusses audit of discoms with CAG

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal discussed the audit of power distribution companies in Delhi with Comptroller and Auditor General Shashi Kant Sharma on Wednesday.

Sources said Kejriwal conveyed to Sharma that the AAP government would fully cooperate and provide all the documents necessary for the audit of the three discoms’ accounts. The AAP government in its 49-day tenure in 2014 had ordered the CAG audit of the discoms. But after the AAP quit, the CAG had claimed it was not getting any cooperation from Delhi government -- then under President’s rule.

Kejriwal, on Tuesday, had said that promises related to power and water would be fulfilled soon.

In its election manifesto, AAP had promised to cut power bills by 50 per cent immediately after coming to power and said the tariff will be revised based on the findings of the CAG audit.

The AAP government had ordered CAG audit of the discoms since 2002 after power distribution was privatised in Delhi by the then Sheila Dikshit government. Delhi discoms are a 51:49 per cent joint venture between the private companies and the Delhi government.

The discoms had opposed the CAG scrutiny and approached the Delhi High Court, contending that Delhi government’s decision asking CAG to audit the power companies’ accounts is patently illegal on several counts. The government had told Delhi High Court last Friday that it was not trying to stop or interfere in the functioning of the discoms but was only trying to bring them under public audit as it holds 49 per cent stake in them.