Raia P’yat under scrutiny for alleged irregularities in purchase of goods

MARGAO: The Raia village panchayat is facing trouble as the Directorate of Panchayats has directed the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Salcete to investigate allegations made by a group of panchayat members regarding the purchase of materials worth Rs. 85 lakh, from the grants of the 14th Finance Commission, allegedly done without following procedure.

The directive was issued on June 1, after the issue was brought to the attention of the Directorate of Panchayats and the Minister of Panchayats. The BDO has been instructed to submit a detailed report with supporting documents by June 9, for further action to be taken.

Five panchayat members, including Antonio Xavier Fernandes, Queeny D’Cunha, Minguelina D’Souza, and Manuel Rodrigues, raised serious concerns about materials being purchased without following proper procedure. 

 As per the complaint, an amount of over Rs. 85 lakh received by the panchayat under the 14th Finance Commission remained unspent as of October 2022. The Secretary and Sarpanch created a narrative that the unspent money would be taken back by the government at the end of the financial year, leading them to spend the money on materials. 

The Village Development Committee’s (VDC) approval and criteria were also not adhered to during the distribution of the materials.

It is further alleged that the Secretary manipulated the VDC minutes and proceeded with the procedure despite objections raised regarding certain items, including ACs. “While the type of items to be purchased was mentioned, technical specifications, make, model number, and quality were omitted for most of the items, leaving room for manipulation of the comparative statement,” added the plaint.

The comparative statement was not presented in any of the body meetings for the approval or rejection of competitive suppliers’ quotations. Instead, only the Secretary and Sarpanch approved the suppliers, raising concerns about transparency. After the materials were supplied, no VDC meeting was called to determine how and where the materials would be distributed. 

However, Sarpanch Judas Quadros stated that all the required formalities were followed, and approval from the BDO was obtained  before purchasing the materials. The panchayat has also responded to the memorandum issued based on the complaint, refuting any wrongdoing.