Team Herald
PANJIM: The shunting out of Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director Sanjit Rodrigues to Ladakh and filing of FIR against former CEO Swayandipta Pal Chaudhuri by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for illegal expenditure of Rs 82.87 lakh, is a deadly combination of inefficiency and loot of the State exchequer, said politicians and common people.
According to them, the loot had already happened while the government sat on the inquiry against Chaudhuri for last two to three years, despite siphoning of funds.
The protagonists of the chaos have been shunted out and the capital city is left in a complete mess. State exchequer was drained and the public money was wasted and the city is now in its worst possible shape.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao said, “FIR against former IPSCDL CEO is an eyewash. We demand CBI or independent probe in Smart City scam. Role of all former IPSCDL chairpersons and other members of IPSCDL Board needs to be probed for financial irregularities. Innocent lives were lost besides Panjimites and Ribandar residents suffering due to the haphazard works.”
Former Panjim MLA Sidharth Kuncalienker said, “Swayandipta Pal Chaudhuri was the CEO during my tenure, but the investigation is for the period after I resigned in March 2019. He was with me but I strongly believe that nothing happened during my tenure.”
“I did not control him, but there was vigilance and I used to attend all the meetings. However, I am surprised how he can withdraw public money. As far as I know there were two signatories. This all happened after my tenure. It (embezzling) started somewhere in June 2019.”
CCP councillor Uday Madkaikar said, “More than five years I continuously demanded inquiry against former IPSCIDL CEO Swayandipta Pal Chaudhuri. He withdrew money by using debit card. At last ACB registered a case against him. Government should order a complete inquiry on all Smart City projects, especially on Smart cameras which was a big scam. If arrested, Chaudhuri will spill the beans.”
Former government employee John Nazareth said, “There was no proper planning when the work was started. The Imagine Panaji Smart City should have taken all the agencies into confidence and told them about the utilities which were supposed to be put in place and accordingly the work should have been started.”
“The work is sub-standard. The heavy rains have exposed it. But they continued with the work which was not required. They should have completed the stretch they had started and then proceeded for another stretch. The work should have been taken up in phases,” Nazerath said.
According to him, the entire Smart City work is a failure.
“Former Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) chief executive officer (CEO) Swayandipta Pal Chaudhuri being booked for allegedly misappropriating funds to the tune of Rs 82.87 lakh is an eyewash. I don’t think any action will be taken. They should have chargesheeted him. Even Sanjit Rodrigues failed to execute the work successfully. He made big announcements, issued show cause notices to contractors but nothing happened,” he said.
Advocate Rui Ferreira said, “No officer is indispensable. Sanjit Rodrigues assured quality work but he could not succeed. It means he is inefficient. He thought he is not accountable as he is connected to the mighty. He had been very arrogant to the people. I welcome and hope that the change will be better.”
“Government should immediately relieve Sanjit. As far as Chaudhuri is concerned, what is the point of booking him now when he is out. From day one we have been saying he was committing massive fraud,” Adv Ferreira said.
But the question is who gave him the job? Who brought him when he was not from Goa nor an IAS officer?
“It was the then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar and Sidharth Kuncalienker, who was the city MLA. Parrikar even kept CCP Mayor out of IPSCDL Board. It takes two hands to clap,” Adv Ferreira said.
Panjim resident, Sanjay Sarmalkar said, “The government should not have appointed Chaudhuri and Sanjit Rodrigues in the first place. They were incompetent. In the name of Smart City Mission, they brought the United Kingdom (UK) concept which failed. Chaudhuri should have been chargesheeted by now.”
Sarmalkar said that it was former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar who was responsible for appointing Chaudhuri. “Due to him citizens of Panjim were put to hardships.”
“As far as Sanjit Rodrigues is concerned, he has always been incompetent. Government should not make a mistake of bringing Sanjit back to the post. He should be immediately relieved,” Sarmalkar said.
Dr Odette Lobo, a resident of Panjim, said, “Main reason for flooding in the city is that the drains have been put in without proper application of mind. This government cannot go scot-free. The government should be blamed as it appointed people, and paid consultants crores of rupees and they put Panjim in a mess.”
Dr Lobo said that Sanjit was brought as an upright officer, but he failed.
“There was waste of tax-payers money. It was a racket where all looted the State exchequer. We have many smart people in the PWD and the work could have been given to them,” he said.
Konkani writer Damodar Ghanekar said, “The capital city has been destroyed completely and the people at the helm are responsible for it. The financial irregularities cannot be tolerated and those committing them must be brought to book. Not only they, even those who appointed them should also be held responsible. Corruption is not what we see. There are various facets to it. Higher echelons of power are also responsible.”
“I am breaking my back as I ride my bicycle on city roads which are filled up with concrete. The roads are uneven and you do not know where the potholes are. Panjim is already been a Smart City as it is one of the oldest cities in Asia. It is the most beautiful city, which has been destroyed,” Ghanekar said.
Wilson D’Souza of Ribandar said, “The amount for which Chaudhuri has been booked is a small amount. In reality he would have made corruption of crores of rupees. The projects is of more than Rs 1,000 crore.”
“As far as Sanjit Rodrigues is concerned, I think the government has done a good job by removing him as he has been incapable of completing the projects. There was nobody to supervise his work, nor was he anywhere to be seen. He was seen on the road only when the High Court judges came for inspection,” D'Souza said.