Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Forward Party (GFP) on Thursday charged the State government with multi-crore “quarantine-gate” scam alleging that the stranded Goans, who were repatriated from aboard in view of COVID-19 outbreak globally, were forced to pay huge amount related to their travel and quarantine facility.
Addressing media persons, GFP vice president Durgadas Kamat said he is exploring possibility of moving Lokayukta seeking investigation into the alleged scam. He said that all the required documents are in his possession to justify his allegations.
Kamat said the Government turned a humanitarian Repatriation Operation into an inhuman and immoral Money-Spinning Operation, when it tried to rake in money through everything connected with the repatriation of the stranded Goans, beginning with the mode of travel and its cost to the health-related measures adopted once they entered the State such as COVID-Testing Charges, Transportation Charges, Hotel Quarantine Charges, etc.
“When seafarers and chartered flights started coming into the State, Goa government saw it as a golden opportunity to feed on the misery of the stranded Goans like vultures,” he said.
Kamat said the returnees are forced to stay in hotels charging them triple the price as compared to normal accommodation. “This is happening with the blessings from the top,” he said.
Kamat said as per information in the public domain and the orders passed by the Collectors, every person was charged not less than Rs 2,500 per day.
“We have reliable information that of these Rs 2500, a person in the name of the Goa Government came to collect Rs 700 per person per day from the hotels wherever the repatriated Goenkars were kept in quarantine,” he charged.
