PANJIM: The Goa Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed a “vote on account” amounting to approximately Rs 6122 crore for the first five months of the financial year 2016-17.
With Goa heading for elections, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told the House that the government intends to expedite implementing development projects and schemes announced in the Budget.
“Since the election year is approaching, we intend to complete the developmental works in the next 4-5 months,” he said after members discussed The Goa Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill, 2016.
Before passing the Bill, Parsekar reeled off a list of issues for which the government was criticised. “There have been attempts to blame the government on many decisions be it on Defence Exposition, allowing SUMUL’s operations, amendment to Trees Preservation Act (declassification of coconut tree) or vermin,” he said, claiming to have tackled these controversies successfully.
In his brief remark on the allegations of corruption levelled by Congress’ Mauvin Godinho against PWD Minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, the CM denied any remark made by the PWD asking to hold back the file of Finance Department that sought reducing bitumen prices.
Godinho had accused the minister of deliberately failing to take cognizance of drop in bitumen price that resulted into a loss of over Rs 100 crore to the State exchequer.
During discussions on the Budget, the opposition pulled up the government over rise in fish prices, declassification of coconut tree, sidelining tourism industry, discouraging Goa Dairy despite its good performance, policing and various other issues.
