'PMO representative Jarnail Singh approved Swiss firm for TSR deal'

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New Delhi, April 28 : Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) CEO Jarnail Singh, appointed by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), is now being accused of approving a contract with a Swiss firm for the timing, scoring and result (TSR) system that led to the arrest of former OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
CNN-IBN reported Thursday that Singh, in a letter to the sports ministry, approved the Swiss Timing Ltd-Omega ahead of Spanish firm MSL Software, which had quoted a much lower price for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
In the letter, Singh said that Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell and chief executive Mike Hooper also approved the company.
The letter was a reply to sports ministry, which was, in fact, looking into a complaint on the deal forwarded to it by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
'We are not aware of a situation whereby MSL Software has provided the full TSR solution to a major multi-sport event such as the Olympic or Commonwealth Games, they certainly have provided elements of this e.g. some of the OVR at the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne,' Singh wrote in his letter, which was made public by the TV channel.
'It would therefore seem that the only remaining respondent that fulfils your assessment against the RFP issued is Swiss Timing/Omega, as you will be aware they have had a long association with major multi-sport events including the last two Commonwealth Games in Manchester and Melbourne and as such we would if deemed appropriate by the Organising Committee, support their appointment as the TSR provider,' the letter added.
The TRS contract was finally awarded to Swiss Timing Ltd-Omega, at an inflated cost of Rs. 141 crore, causing a loss of Rs.95 crore to the exchequer. The deal has landed Kalmadi in jail as he was arrested Monday by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for awarding the Swiss firm.
Singh, however, defended his decision, saying the Swiss firm was given the contract after it went through the highest level of scrutiny.
'Selection of Swiss Timing was done by putting every stage through the highest level of scrutiny not only by the Organising Committee Finance Committee which has Sanjeev Mittal, Joint Secretary, Rahul Bhatnagar from the Ministry of Sports but also by the empowered finance sub-committee set up by the government, which is chaired by Secretary, Urban Development,' Singh was quoted as saying by the CNN-IBN.
'The deal was approved by senior IAS officers in the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. The deal was also approved by the finance sub-committee set up by the Government. The Organising Committee even managed to get a discount of Rs 26.35 crore from Swiss Timing in the deal,' he said.
Hooper also said that Swiss Timing was the best choice.
'We went by the measures adopted by the Organising Committee for TSR deal. Swiss timing is second to none in TSR services,' said Hooper.