TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: “The whole thing is a scam,” the Opposition charged, after the tourism minister tabled his reply to questions justifying expenditure of Rs 14 crore on foreign trips nee junkets by Tourism Minister and his band of officials.
“I have 100% proof. This is a clear cut scam. I can prove it,” Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardessai charged as Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar sounded an unrepentant “I challenge you.”
The heated argument ended with Sardesai alleging that this is a major scam and threatened to send the ‘evidence’ to the Central Vigilance Commission.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar too tried to intervene in the altercation saying that this could be discussed as part of demands on tourism –a plea that was not heeded by the Opposition which wanted a half an hour discussion on the issue. The discussion emanated from a starred questioned tabled by Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco.
The heated discussion proceeded on these lines:
Reginaldo: Let us have a discussion.
Vijai: Yes let us have a discussion. We will put all the evidence forward.
Speaker: Keep the proof on the table. I do not want any explanation. Keep the proof here.
CM: Discuss it in demands.
No discussion was allowed and in the melee Vijai was heard saying that he would send all the evidence to the CVC.
Earlier going through the reply, Reginald asked the minister: Is Rs 14 crore fixed? Anything else to be added?
Parulekar: It is right. If any clarification, I will give it.
Reginaldo then pointed out some discrepancies in the answers which the minister attributed to typos.
“So many discrepancies,” Reginaldo pointed out, “Even the PM is on record saying that he is against jaunts.”
Reginaldo and Vijai were repeatedly heard asking the Speaker to allow half an hour’s discussion.
The minister tried to counter attack asking whether he should read out the figures from the Congress led government’s tenure.
“Rs 14 crore not spent, but wasted,” Vijai argued, pointing out that at the events including the World Travel Market at London the amounts had doubled compared to the amount spent by the previous government to which Parulekar said that this was due to an increase in dollar rate and increased size of stall put up by tourism department.
Vijai also wanted to know about the empanelled agencies and how the RFD functions and how many reports come back.
Here again there was heated discussion with the minister saying that the various roadshows and events were done by the empanelled agencies themselves with many times the lowest bidder not given the tender.
This led to more arguments with the Opposition calling the whole issue a scam.
