While Ghisingh’s tenure is replete with financial irregularities, as detailed in several Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, Gurung is pressing his point by demanding a high-power commission to probe cases of corruption.

The Indian Express documents the last ten years of the DGHC with findings from the CAG reports. Even the CAG audit team had been reportedly denied entry when they had tried to assess the financial statements of the DGHC. But from whatever little they could gather, the compilation of CAG reports from March 1998 to March 2006 exposed gross financial irregularities in the foreign travels of the DGHC chairman Subash Ghisingh, his wasteful expenditure on water supply schemes and expenses which drained the coffers of the public exchequer. The Indian Express documents the last ten years of the DGHC with findings from the CAG reports.

For instance, a close scrutiny of Ghisingh and his coterie’s foreign tours revealed how they had indulged in financial excesses to the tune of $32,550 in 1997 alone.

They had drawn daily allowance (sanctioned to all government officials on foreign tours) at high rates. In some cases, they had overstayed their visit.

During his visit to Berlin and Paris, Ghisingh drew an allowance of $400 while the permissible rate is $100. The allowance drawn by the Principal Secretary Siddharth and C K Pradhan, Executive Councillor, Tourism was the same — $350 each. The excess withdrawal amounted to $18,650.

“The Principal Secretary, DGHC, had stated that higher rates were drawn as DGHC being an autonomous body, would pay the above rates to its officials on foreign tour,” states the CAG report.

The report also reveals how the officials, including Ghisingh, had overstayed during visits abroad. He had also drawn an allowance for his unauthorised extended stay.

Ghisingh had visited Germany and France in December 1997. The tour was sanctioned for three days. But he stayed back for eight days and drew an extra allowance of $3,750.