Discrepancies in accounts found
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: The Cuncolim Municipal Council has come under the scanner of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Sources in the know said the ACB is probing into host of queries raised by the audit, especially relating to fixed deposits amounting to lakhs of rupees. Besides, the ACB is also investigating into the Health Club project which was undertaken by the civic body on the eve of last year’s Assembly polls without work order.
Sources said the ACB has taken serious note of the Municipal accounts, especially in view of the queries and discrepancies raised by the audit. Highly placed sources have not ruled out an independent account officer carrying out the accounting of the civic body in respect of the fixed deposits, even as CMC has engaged a chartered accountant to put the accounts in place.
As far as the Health Club is concerned, the ACB is reportedly waiting for the Cuncolim Police to come out with its findings in respect of the “unknown person” who started work on the project on the eve of the Assembly polls.
Sources said the Cuncolim police have till date not capped its investigations into the complaint lodged by then CMC Chief Officer Shivaji Desai, who had stated that the work on the proposed health club was carried out by unknown persons. The health club was proposed by the civic body and was to be built utilizing funds sanctioned by the government to take up signature projects coinciding with the golden jubilee celebration of Goa’s Liberation. The project ran into rough weather after work commenced on the site without the mandatory work order, with the election authorities directing an immediate stop to the work on the eve of the Assembly polls.
When contacted, CMC Chairperson Devendra Desai said the civic body had engaged a chartered accountant to put the accounts in order following queries raised by the audit. “The government had set May 15 as the deadline to comply with the directives of putting the accounts in order,” he said, adding that he does not suspect anything hanky panky with the civic accounts.
