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Centaur Hotel deal to be probed
August 18, 2004 20:17 IST
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday promised to take steps to address "some of the discomforting aspects" relating to the divestment of the Centaur Hotel in Mumbai by the previous National Democratic Alliance government after receipt of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
His assurance came at the end of a debate on the controversial sale of the government-owned hotel into which Congress and Left parties demanded an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Central Vigilance Commission.
The Divestment Development: Complete Coverage
"I will wait for the CAG report and whatever steps in the matter based on the report are to be taken to address some of the discomforting aspects will be done," Chidambaram said replying to a Calling Attention Motion on the issue.
Chidambaram questioned the decision of the NDA government to go ahead with the strategic sale of Centaur Hotel, Juhu, despite only one bidder being left in the fray.
The minister said the government could have called for fresh bids.
Chidambaram said though he was not against privatisation as such, the NDA government in its zeal to divest overlooked some of the "discomforting" aspects of the transaction.