Team Herald
PANJIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has given his nod for an investigation by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the alleged ‘labour gate’ scam related to misappropriation of the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Welfare Fund.
Sources said that the Chief Minister has approved the recommendation of former Lokayukta, Justice (retired) PK Misra, who had directed ACB to investigate the alleged scam. Sources said that the corresponding file has been sent to the Labour Department for necessary action.
Misra, now retired, in an order passed on September 16 had directed ACB to file a FIR against ‘unknown’ persons for conspiracy to ‘siphon’ out funds of the BOCW Welfare Funds and against those who fraudulently received benefits of the fund.
The order also said that the investigation can be entrusted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if there is possible involvement of politicians and high officials.
The Lokayukta had said that the investigation may take sample checks of beneficiaries who have provided full particulars on a random basis and investigate them, with the application form, 20 to a taluka and determine them to be true or false and the real occupation of the beneficiary, whether they had paid the fees, and if they had received any assistance, who had motivated them to enroll, and if they have undergone training, where, in what skill, how many hour/day and how many days.
Goa Forward Party vice president Durgadas Kamat had filed a complaint alleging that an amount of over Rs 13 crore had been disbursed to 15,490 BJP workers cum ‘so-called’ construction workers and labourers during the pandemic.
