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"World Bank should make all reports, contracts public''

Sujay Mehdudia

Question raised on the role of Bank in bidding process for various projects Bank officials have yet not replied to the letter written by Parivartan on July 13 asking for specific information

NEW DELHI: Contesting the claims of the World Bank that it did not interfere in the bidding process for consultants, non-government organisation Parivartan has demanded that if this was the case then it should place all its correspondence with the Union Government, the Delhi Government, the Delhi Jal Board and all consultants and bidders under this project in the public domain.

"If the World Bank claims that such disclosure is not allowed under its current policies, we also demand that in the interests of being a `transparent public institution', it should change its global disclosure policies to enable public access to such information by the citizens of any of the countries concerned. The records of the Delhi Jal Board and their correspondence with the Bank indicate that the only way people can understand the reasons for certain crucial decisions taken is through access to the relevant correspondence,'' Parivartan convenor Arvind Kejriwal said.

Renowned activist and Magsaysay award winner, Aruna Roy, had also come out strongly against privatisation of water supply and the role of the World Bank in the whole affair.

Bidding process

Seeking answers from the World Bank on what grounds it interfered in the bidding process and went on to change the rules of the game, Mr. Kejriwal - releasing details about some of the correspondence between the Delhi Jal Board and the Bank - asked whether it was because the Bank wanted a pliable consultant which would act at its behest and recommend what it wanted rather than what was in the best interests of the people of India and the residents of Delhi in particular.

Highlighting the connection between the favoured consultant Price Waterhouse Cooper and the World Bank, he said according to the Bank, Price Waterhouse Cooper was one of the companies hired to examine corruption charges against the World Bank officials. "Does its support for Price Waterhouse Cooper not amount to conflict of interest?'' asked Mr. Kejriwal. He said the World Bank officials have themselves admitted, according to Delhi Jal Board records and the documents obtained under Right to Information, that they have intervened similarly in many other projects. "We want to know the details of these projects and the levels of intervention?''

Contracts

Stating that the explanation given by senior official was not satisfactory, he sought to know if the World Bank was intervening similarly in the award of all other contracts under the ongoing water sector reforms in Delhi. He wondered if the World Bank would make all its correspondence, including its exchanges with the Delhi Jal Board, the Delhi Government and the Union Government public if it was committed so much to transparency.

The World Bank on its own disclosure of information policy framed in 2002 states "the Bank reaffirms its recognition and endorsement of the fundamental importance of transparency and accountability to the development process. Accordingly, it is the Bank's policy to be open about its activities and to welcome and seek out opportunities to explain its work to the widest possible audience''.

Mr. Kejriwal said while this is what the policy states, however, in a meeting with some representatives of citizens groups on July 4, the World Bank officials in Delhi interpreted this policy in a very narrow manner and stated their inability to give copies of the correspondence. They have as yet not replied to the letter written by Parivartan on July 13 asking for specific information.

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