PANJIM: The Opposition Congress on Friday alleged that ‘extortionists’ were also active in the Captain of Ports (CoP) Department, demanding money to release canoes which were confiscated.
A delegation of Congress members led by former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes marched to the CoP office and found that the CoP, two deputy CoP and three marine inspectors were absent. Gomes alleged that parallel administration of extortionists was active in the CoP departmentElaborating on the incident, Gomes said that a few days ago, the CoP department had seized about 50 canoes on various grounds of alleged violations. But now some agents were sitting in the building and demanding a bribe of Rs one lakh to release the canoes. He alleged that nine canoes have been released after collecting bribe money and those who cannot afford to pay the sum have been threatened that their canoes will be confiscated. Gomes further alleged that 19 canoes used for sand extraction have also been seized and kept at Amona without any documentation.
Meanwhile, members of Goa Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (GPYCC) led by its president and CCP councillor Joel Andrade on Friday staged a protest at Azad Maidan, Panjim over haphazard work being carried out under the Smart City Mission and the dusty, dug up roads in the capital city.
