Team Herald
PANJIM: Social activist Adv Aires Rodrigues has now given President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi details of Rs 5.59 crore expenses made for the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and his eight Cabinet ministers on March 28.
In a letter jointly addressed to the President of India and Prime Minister, Adv Rodrigues has drawn their attention that the swearing-in ceremony has cost the taxpayers a whopping Rs 5,59,25,805 and that this amount does not include the rental charges of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, where the function was held and the expenditure incurred on the advertisements released in the print, electronic media, radio channels besides the large fleet of cars hired for the VVIPs security and buses to ferry the people from across Goa to the venue.
He stated that after including all these costs the total expenditure incurred on that swearing- in ceremony is expected to total up to Rs 7 crore.
Rodrigues also stated that it was so distraughting that Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai as custodian of the State did not prevail upon the government not to incur such a huge expenditure on this function especially in view that the State coffers are in dire straits with the government borrowing every month to make ends meet.
He further stated that as an austerity measure that swearing-in ceremony could have been held in a modest way at the newly constructed Darbar Hall, at Raj Bhavan.
Drawing the President and Prime Minister’s attention that there was no transparency and accountability whatsoever in the selection of the event management company to hold that event, Rodrigues has stated that the whole process was apparently stage-managed and a mere eye-wash while the event management company has exorbitantly overbilled for the event.
Pointing out that poor beneficiaries of social welfare schemes have not received their monthly doles for the last five months on account of the State coffers being empty, Rodrigues has in his letter stated that given this sad and grim scenario, crores of rupees were recklessly and needlessly drained on that swearing-in ceremony which was an unpardonable criminal waste of public funds.
Rodrigues has urged the President of India and Prime Minister to seek an explanation from the State government over this huge expenditure unnecessarily incurred and the dubious procedure followed in holding that gala swearing-in ceremony.
He has also sought that those responsible for this colossal waste of public funds be brought to book.
