PANJIM: Beach cleaning contractor Bhumika Cleantech Services Pvt Ltd has challenged in the High Court of Bombay at Goa, the interim order passed by Goa Lokayukta directing Tourism Director to stop 50 percent payment of beach cleaning contract. After hearing arguments on Monday, the court adjourned the case to September 21.
During the hearing, advocates Ashwin Bhobe and Shivam Desai representing contractor contended that the Goa Lokayukta does not have the power to stop payments of private parties. Lokayukta can only direct public functionaries.
Advocate Aires Rodrigues who is a complainant in the Lokayukta submitted to the High Court that the petition filed by the errant beach cleaning contractor who had siphoned crores of tax-payer’s money was in clear collusion and rank connivance with the government.
Pleading that the Goa Lokayukta be allowed to complete the probe unhindered, Rodrigues pointed out that the beach cleaning tender was a multi-crore scam.
Goa Lokayukta P K Misra, who is probing the alleged multi-crore beach cleaning scam, had on August 12 by an interim order directed the Director of Tourism that after proper scrutiny of the pending bills, half of the amount payable to the contractor be kept in a fixed deposit so that appropriate directions can be issued after the completion of the detailed investigation.
The Lokayukta, while directing that notices be issued to Goa’s Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar seeking his comments on the complaints, adjourned the matter to October 3.
The government, after the Lokayukta’s order, terminated the beach cleaning contract after serving a month’s notice to the contractor.
