TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Former Canacona Municipality Chief Officers Pradip Naik and Prashant Shirodkar, who are already facing criminal charges over the fatal collapse of Ruby Residency at Chawdi, will now be investigated for allowing continuation of beach shacks at Palolem in violation of High Court directions.
The First Information Report has been filed against them under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC and section 13(1) (d)(ii) read with 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and against unidentified licensees of beach huts and riverside decks in the CMC jurisdiction. The Anti Corruption Branch took cognisance of the complaint filed by Department of Urban Development Additional Director Satish Dessai.
The two officers, who are presently under suspension for their alleged involvement in the Caancona building collapse, have been accused of not demolishing the beach shacks despite high court directions and providing false information that the structures were razed, which was not done.
“… Pradeep Naik made a contradictory claim during course of an enquiry upon the complaint of Salee Eden from Palolem, that the structures were demolished when in fact they were still existing and thereafter accused Prashant Shirodkar in his capacity as Chief Officer of Canacona Municipal Council issued a licence dated November 14, 2013 to erect 45 temporary structures and riverside deck without ensuring that structures erected in the previous years were removed by the licensees and without obtaining NOC/permission from the Competent Authority, the Directorate of Tourism to erect such structures, thereby resulting in pecuniary gain to the licensees/ owners of the temporary wooden beach huts/ shacks,” Superintendent of Police ACB Bosco George said in as press statement.
