The enduring saga of the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law accepting a bribe for the release of a plot of the GIDC is getting murkier. Herald has now reported that the owner of the Maharshi Badri Pharmaceutical company, Sanjay Jalandhara had to pay Rs 5 lakhs to various officials of GIDC to get possession of the two plots allotted to him. Faced with what he called constant harassment, he decided to use his connection to get the Anti-Corruption Bureau to lay a trap and arrest the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law Ghanshayam Malvankar.
Shockingly GIDC has not even initiated a departmental inquiry or issued a show cause notice and taken departmental action against Malvankar, primarily because of his VIP brother-in-law. Moreover it is evident that the GIDC is unwilling to even take stock of further serious allegations levelled against Malvankar (and other GIDC officials) who was caught red handed taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. It’s General Manager rubbished the next level of charges levelled by Jalandhara in his letter to the Prime Ministers’ Office that he (Jalandhara) had to pay Rs 5 lakh to different officials of the GIDC to get possession of his plots. Therefore a genuine whistle blower’s charges, which he had the courage to mention in a letter to the Prime Minister’s office, has been negated by a General Manager of the GIDC because the person against whom the charges were made, happens to be the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law.
The GIDC’s stand that Jalandhara had not taken possession of his plot for 90 days because of which his application expired, needs to be contested. GIDC should explain why the allotment was simply not extended. It appears that on one hand the plot allotment was actually cancelled by the GIDC while on the other hand he was asked to pay the instalments to take possession of the plots.
The GIDC is in a piquant situation. He did not expect that they would encounter a whistle blower with connections. Herald learns that at a time when, post the allotments of his plots, he was made to run around desperately to first extend the time frame for allotment and then get possession of his plots, he moved a “official” contact in Delhi who called the Goa Chief Secretary RK Srivastava. The powerful phone call prompted Srivastava to ask the Anti- Corruption Bureau to lay a trap against Malvankar, little realising who Malvankar was. It was only when he was arrested that he sought to call “Laxman. He then revealed that he was trying his brother-in-law, the Chief Minister. However since a case was already registered, the ACB had to proceed with the arrest. His reinstatement as an officer of the GIDC, after his arrest, has also been done in a manner which has deviated from law and procedure. The decision to reinstate him was taken by a review committee headed by the Industries Secretary when this power rests solely with the GIDC as an independent corporation. A direct intervention by the state/Industries department can be only in extraordinary circumstances. There is no evidence on record to show that this clause was indeed invoked.
For the sake of complete transparency, Malvankar should be placed on suspension and an independent inquiry conducted, preferably by a national agency, especially since the PMO has taken cognisance of the case. This should be specific to events which unfolded after Malvankar’s arrest and the harassment faced by the whistle blower. And above all the GIDC should show some spine and function like an independent corporation and not as spineless body which is remote controlled by the Chief Minster’s office.
The Chief Minister’s lament is that Malvankar should not face harsh punishment because he is his brother-in-law. Goa’s lament is that powerful people like the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law get their jobs back with no inquiry against them, when lesser mortals in similar cases remain suspended indefinitely.
