Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Lokayukta has asked the State government to consider handing over the multi-crore beach cleaning scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation and has also said that Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) should reopen the investigation, in view of the possibility of conspiracy and any kickbacks.
“The ACB should reopen the investigation particularly keeping in view the possibility of conspiracy and any kickback. The question of referring the matter to CBI for investigation may be considered by the government,” Goa Lokaykta P K Mishra said in a recent order.
Advocate Aires Rodrigues, in his complaint before Vigilance Department and the Lokayukta, had urged the registration of a FIR against then Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, Manish Mohata owner of Ram Engineering and Construction Company and Bhumika Clean Tech Pvt Ltd, Tourism department officials and Avdhoot Parrikar brother of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar amongst others, in connection with the alleged multi-crore scam in the tender of Comprehensive Management of Cleanliness of Goa beaches.
The complaint was substantiated with the documents obtained under the Right to Information Act which revealed that the then government in September 2014 had awarded the beach cleaning contract of the North Goa beaches to Bhumika Cleantech Services Pvt Ltd at a annual cost of Rs 7.51 crore and the cleaning of South Goa beaches to Ram Cleansers & Developers Pvt Ltd at a cost of Rs 7.4 crore with both companies being owned by Manish Mohata.
Rodrigues has alleged that both tenders were issued at very exorbitant rate of Rs.14.56 crore annually, while for the earlier years the cleaning of Goa beaches had cost the State an average of a Rs 2 crore annually.
In its finding, the Lokayukta observed that the contractor had not deployed the minimum labour required and had not supplied the required number of dustbins as per the methodology. The Lokayukta has also said that there was no justification from the Tourism Department as to why deduction had not been made from the bills of particular months.
The Lokayukta said that the then Tourism Minister had shown indulgence and favouritism as the state level monitoring committee was headed by him and the contractor was allowed to continue work beyond first 15 months in spite of unsatisfactory nature of work.
“Tourism Minister had shown indulgence and favouritism by not acting upon the recommendation made by Director and Pr Secretary (Touirsm). The various fact and circumstance apparent from the records produced clearly indicate that the Tourism Minister is guilty of favouritism, was actuated in discharging his function by improper motive and abused and misused his position to obtain any gain for the contractors and to favour the contractors,” the order states.
