Directions to cease further payments to beach cleaning contractors
Photo Credits: LOKAYUKTA
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MULTI-CRORE SCAM IN THE MAKING!
* Complaints filed by Adv Aires Rodrigues seeks registration of an FIR against Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar and others
* Adv Rodrigues claims former Chief Minister's brother Avdhoot Parrikar was the man behind the scene
* According to Adv Rodrigues, Avdhoot attended meetings between the beach cleaning contractors and government officials
* To substantiate his claims, Adv Rodrigues produces documents obtained under the Right to Information Act
* Documents reveal awarding of contracts in North and South Goa at annual costs of Rs 7.51 cr and Rs 7.04 cr respectively
* The scientific beach cleaning contract was awarded to little known companies at a very exorbitant rate of Rs 14.56 crore, states the complaint
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Director of Tourism has been ordered to submit his comments on the alleged beach cleaning scam and to produce the entire file pertaining to the project
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Goa Lokayukta Justice PK Misra on Wednesday issued directions to the Tourism Director to cease all further payments to Ram Engineering and Construction Company and Bhumika Clean Tech Pvt Ltd, the beach cleaning contarctors of Goa government.
The matter will now be heard on July 19.
The directions were issued during a hearing of the complaints filed by Adv Aires Rodrigues, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte and Suraj Borkar alleging that the beach cleaning project was a multi-crore scam.
Director of Tourism has been ordered to submit his comments on the alleged beach cleaning scam and to produce the entire file pertaining to the project.
Director of Vigilance has also been directed to submit a detailed report on the investigation conducted into the complaint filed by Adv Rodrigues on May 18, 2015.
In his complaint to the Vigilance Department, Adv Rodrigues had sought registration of an FIR against Goa’s Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, Manish Mohata, owner of Ram Engineering and Construction Company and Bhumika Clean Tech Pvt Ltd, Tourism department officials and Avdhoot Parrikar, brother of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, among others in connection with the alleged multi-crore scam.
Adv Rodrigues claimed that though the name of Avdhoot Parrikar did not figure anywhere in the official papers, he was the man behind the scene attending meetings between the beach cleaning contractors and government officials.
He had specifically raised concerns about the tender of Comprehensive Management of Cleanliness of Goa beaches and had alleged that official positions were abused for pecuniary gains besides abetting corruption.
Documents obtained under the Right to Information Act were submitted by the complainant.
Adv Rodrigues informed that these documents revealed that the Goa Government in September 2014 awarded the contract of Comprehensive Management of cleanliness of North Goa Beaches to Bhumika Cleantech Services Pvt Ltd at a annual cost of Rs 7.51 crore and the cleaning of South Goa beaches to Ram Cleansers and Developers Pvt Ltd at a cost of Rs 7.04 crore, both the companies owned by Manish Mohata.
The RTI response also revealed that the total amount spent in 11 months for North Goa was Rs 4.47 crore and for South Goa was Rs 4.53 crore.
The complaint went on to observe that the scientific beach cleaning contract was awarded to these little known companies at a very exorbitant rate of Rs 14.56 crore annually while the cleaning of beaches over the previous years had cost the goervnment a mere average of Rs two crore annually.
Adv Rodrigues also submitted 150 photographs showing that the contractors were destroying the flora and fauna on the beaches and the fragile eco-system by digging pits and burning of garbage on government property while flouting the Central and State Pollution Control Board guidelines.
It was further stated that the two companies had failed to even fulfill the minimum terms and conditions laid down in the tender documents and had given fake names of staff while submitting bills. They had also sought payments for works not executed, it was alleged.
Adv Rodrigues also submitted that the 4000 sq mts land at Saligao given to the contractor for segregation and disposal of waste had been converted into a garbage dump.
The complaint has requested not only the termination of the contract but also the forfeiting of security deposits of the two companies. The security deposit of Bhumika Cleantech Services for North Goa was Rs 37.57 lakh and that of Ram Cleansers and Developers for South Goa was Rs 35.24 lakh.
