Water meter scam: ACB notice to ex-Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, asked to join probe

New Delhi: Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) today sent notice to former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit asking her to join investigation in connection with the four cases registered in the alleged water meter "scam". Four FIRs were registered by the AAP government during its previous 49-day rule in 2014 in connection with alleged irregularities in Delhi Jal Board (DJB) during the Sheila Dikshit government. The AAP-led government had directed ACB to register FIRs in these cases of alleged irregularities in DJB that allegedly caused a loss of Rs 341 crore to the state exchequer. Two notices were sent to Dikshit. In one, she has been asked to join investigation and in the second, she has been requested to inform the agency about convenient time and place for the questioning to take place, an ACB source said. ACB chief MK Meena confirmed that the notices have been sent to Dikshit but refused to divulge further details. The AAP government had asked ACB to probe irregularities in allotting work to a private company at DJB's Bhagirathi water treatment plant in North-East Delhi that allegedly resulted in a loss of Rs 158 crore to the government. The other case pertained to alleged financial irregularities in the purchase of four lakh AMR (automatic meter reader) and non-AMR water meters with a purported intent to favour one particular company, which resulted in a loss of around Rs 150 crore to the government. In another case, it was alleged that 3.5 lakh non-AMR water meters were purchased on the basis of a single tender to benefit a particular private company which led to an approximate loss of Rs 33 crore to the state exchequer.