Team Herald
PANJIM: Alleging that giving post facto approval to crores of rupees spent on event management companies has become a major source of revenue for the State government, the Opposition members in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday demanded that a House Committee be constituted to probe colossal waste of taxpayers’ money during the last three years.
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The demand for the House Committee was made by leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, who alleged corruption in the tenders of event management. They demanded that the committee be formed to investigate into the contracts worth crores being given to event management firms.
Replying to a starred question jointly tabled by Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Sardessai regarding various events organised by the Department of Information and Publicity, CM Pramod Sawant said that the events were tendered as per the set procedures.
The CM said Rs 4.28 cr were spent on opening ceremony of 60th year of Goa Liberation Day at Campal on Dec 19, 2020; Rs 9.35 crore were spent on National Women’s Parliament, Youth Parliament and Panchayat Parliament held from Nov 8 to 12, 2021, at Bambolim indoor stadium; Rs 8.71 cr were spent on closing ceremony of 60th year of Liberation Day at Bambolim stadium on Dec 19, 2021; Rs 2.60 cr were spent on 2 Tiranga rallies held on August 13, 2022, (bill under process, not yet paid); Rs 51 lakh on celebration of International Yoga Day on June 21, 2022; Rs 90 lakh on 35th Statehood Day celebrations on May 30, 2022 at Raj Bhavan among others.
Alemao said that the records reveal that the government is on a borrowing spree with total debts crossing almost Rs 30 crore now resulting in burden of 2.14 lakh on each Goan. On the other hand the government is spending Rs 33 lakh per minute for organising event of swearing-in ceremony, he charged.
Alemao further said that the Department of Information and Publicity has no expertise on engineering, architecture, creative designs and fabrication which are essential components of specifications of tenders of event management. Tenders are floated just on the instructions of the in-house event management agencies, who “manage the Ministers and BJP office-bearers”. There is a blue-eyed boy who is patronised time and again by the government with repeated tenders, he said.
Adv Ferreira said that though 11 events were organised last year, the Governor’s address had mentioned 12 mega events while, the amount paid to event management firms was frightening.
He said that some of the information about amount paid to firm was not given to him and placed a copy of information obtained by him under RTI Act, on the table of the House. He told the Chief Minister that he will spend money for ‘Sarkar Tumchya Dari’, an outreach programme of the government at Aldona and demanded that the government money should percolate to the people availing doles.
Sardesai alleged that the government’s borrowings had hit a high at Rs 6,450 crore from the market to celebrate events and was granting post facto approvals despite knowing the dates of most of the events. Why post facto approval for the completion of two years of Chief Minister in the office on March 19, 2021, 60 years of Goa’s liberation, International Yoga Day and Statehood Day when the government is aware of these dates? Is the government following ‘Shah Jahan model’?, he asked. This has become event-managed government, he charged.
The Chief Minister said that the some of the events were organised by the GAD which had not reflected in the given annexure. He said that the government had borrowed Rs 6,000 crore when its targeted borrowings was over Rs 8,000 crore.
“I have revised loan interest from 13 per cent to 7 per cent and in all the cases tender process have been completed though post facto approvals have been granted, he said adding that the government has not paid Rs 69.82 crore for ‘Sarkar Tumchya Dari” programme held at Sanguem and it is under process.
