Team Herald
PANJIM: Continuing its protest against the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), the Panjim Hotels and Traders Association (PHATA) has uncovered a major scam involving corporators of the city corporation, who are exploiting these food-cart operators by charging extra fees for issuance of licence plates.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, the PHATA General Secretary Ricardo Rebelo alleged that more fraud has been uncovered by PHATA in issuing gadda licence and allotments and the alleged cover-up by the seasoned corporators, former and present, who are controlling the illegal wrongdoings in the affairs of CCP.
“PHATA had publicly informed that it has all the information on gaddas and would expose the malpractices adopted by the dalal corporators in connivance with certain CCP officials,” he said.
PHATA has alleged that some corporators charged the gadda owners nearly Rs 3000 each for the licence plate for every gadda which was collected in advance and Rs 500 as fixing charges without any official receipt from CCP.
“The licence plates are printed in Mumbai as per information of PHATA and each plate roughly costs Rs 500, thus giving a net profit of Rs 2,500 per licence plate to the group of conspirators, which works out to be roughly about Rs 3 lakh,” PHATA alleged.
PHATA has demanded police inquiry into the entire scam. “PHATA has information of other scams which will be revealed in due course of time,” Rebelo said.
