Salcete BDO requests police to file FIR suspecting house number scam lSarpanch Herculano Niasso says no illegality exists.
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Suspecting an alleged scam in the allotment of house numbers, the Salcete Block Development Officer, M S Mardolkar has requested the police to register an FIR against the entire Davorlim Panchayat headed by Sarpanch Herculano Niasso and the Panchayat Secretary Angelico Gracias on Friday.
Confirming that the police have received a complaint from the Salcete BDO, Maina-Curtorim PI Gurudas Kadam told Herald on late Friday evening that the police have started a preliminary inquiry into the BDO’s complaint. He said the BDO would be called to the police station to record his statement and to furnish further details, including the Vigilance inquiry report, in respect of the case.
When contacted, Davorlim Sarpanch Herculano Niasso told Herald that though the panchayat had initially taken the decision to allot the house numbers, the decision was later scrapped after the panchayat received a complaint. ‘There’s no illegality persisting now in respect of the house numbers as the panchayat has scrapped the decision,” Niasso added.
The BDO personally visited the Margao police headquarters on Friday morning to lodge the FIR as per the directives contained in a memorandum issued by the Director of Panchayats. BDO Mardolkar has requested the Police to register the FIR, conduct an investigation and prosecute the accused persons as per law.
Besides Sarpanch Herculano Niasso and the Panchayat secretary, the BDO has lodged the FIR against deputy Sarpanch Magdalina Rocha, and Panchayat members Paulo Colaco, Leela D Mangalam, Abel Colaco, Tulshidas Desai, Hemant Kambli, Imran Kacchi, Terezina Raicar, Manelina Fernandes e Carvalho, Rajani Raicar and Jaganath Kambli.
In the brief facts, the BDO stated that he has been directed to file the FIR against the panchayat members and the secretary for having allegedly illegally allotted six house numbers to Nagesh Sagappa Kamlesh, Anand Dhagappa Angadi, Mohammed Sabin Shaikh, Mohammed Salim Shaik, Gawas Shaikh and Shaikh Bhanu Khan by showing them to be residing in a part/portion of a house to which the numbers were issued, despite the fact that none of them were residents of the house.
