As anticipated, a special meeting of the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) turned stormy with both ruling and opposition councillors demanding suspension and arrest of the concerned staff allegedly involved in three major scams — ‘sopo collection,’ ‘pay parking’ and digging of roads by M/s Reliance Infocom Limited sans no objection certificate. The corporation has termed the scams as ‘major nexus.’
To begin with, the meeting discussed at length about the sopo collection pointing out that the contractor owes CCP around Rs 42 lakh since 2013. The discussion took a dramatic turn when all the 30 councillors, backed by Mayor Surendra Furtado, demanded that Commissioner Deepak Desai immediately suspend the dealing clerk. They also demanded that Desai file a police or Lokayukta complaint accusing him of nexus in this scam.
The council revealed that in the year 2013-14, the outstanding amount stood at Rs 3.50 lakh that increased to Rs 7.37 lakh approx in the subsequent financial year and a whopping Rs 32 lakh in 2015-16.
“The tender for the last fiscal was Rs 60 lakh approximately of which of Rs 30 lakh has come into the CCP treasury. Why has the balance amount not been collected? Moreover, in the last three years, the sopo contractor owes us nearly Rs 42 lakh,” Furtado told the council.
The council refused to heed to commissioner’s assurance that strictest action would be taken as Deputy Commissioner Kapil Fadte is already conducting an inquiry. “One clerk cannot do it all alone. There is blessing from the top,” Furtado alleged, supported by councilors Shekhar Digvekar, Dinesh Salgaonkar, Uday Madkaikar, Vaidehi Naik and others.
The commissioner had ordered for an inquiry on July 8 with 15-day deadline. “We have to conduct a preliminary inquiry to take further action against any person involved in a scam. If we take action in haste, the accused will go scot free,” Desai shot back asking the council not to force him to go against the law. “We will take strictest action.”
On the demand for recovery of the lost amount from the government employee, the commissioner stated that he would seek legal advice.
The role of the same clerk was once again linked in the alleged pay parking scam, with the council now arguing about why he should be spared from immediate suspension. The Mayor alleged that the contractor not only failed to pay monthly security deposit since the project’s launch on May 1, 2016 but also did hand over the collection fees to the CCP.
Further, councilors created ruckus over Reliance Infocom Limited being assigned the work of digging of roads in the CCP area for laying of cables without NOC and payment.
“No money was deposited but NOC was granted for digging of the roads. There was only Rs 10 lakh security deposit in the year 2014. CCP gets zero income….” Furtado alleged. The issue was highlighted in the past two meetings also.
“There were two demand drafts of Rs 37.40 lakh and another Rs 5 lakh submitted by Reliance in the technical section in March but the deposit was done only last Friday during the late evening hours. Who gave permission to the cashier to do so when there was no approval from either the Mayor, Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner,” he asked further accusing of a nexus between the cashier, unknown staff of CCP and the company.
Madkaikar sought to know on whose instructions was the money deposited even as Commissioner clarified that depositing money was not a crime.
“There should be a police case against the person who granted permission for the digging of the roads without NOC and the cashier for depositing money suspiciously,” he demanded with the CCP moving a resolution on the same. Furtado stated that he would officially write to the commissioner on the resolution. “The lapse and error is very serious and amounts to misappropriation of funds by issuing the NOC without payment of the required dues to the CCP. The matter requires to be investigated on urgent basis,” he said. The Mayor cited various accident instances owing to the alleged abrupt work in the CCP jurisdiction.
The situation further worsened when the corporators refused to end the meeting until the concerned cashier was summoned to give a clarification. However, the Commissioner assured an inquiry while also stating the he would not hesitate to file a case against the company if the repair works are not carried out.
Mayor also announced a committee of four corporators to inquire into the payment made by the company. The CCP has thus called for another special meeting on July 27 when the report on the alleged scams in the first two issues will be tabled.
