PANJIM: For exactly three years the file, for granting of consultancy contract for drawing the Tourism Master Plan, made the rounds of the Finance Department but could not get through.
Sources in the secretariat, speaking to Herald on condition of anonymity, stated the main reason for returning the file was there being no clarity of the work to be carried out by the consultants.
In the first phase the consultants will draw up a Tourism Master Plan and Tourism Policy for the state of Goa while in the second phase KPMG will provide programme management assistance for a period of five years.
For this a payment of Rs 4.99 cr as per submission of deliverables which may be spread over two years – current year and next fiscal year. The government would also pay them Rs 8 lakh per month for the preparation of the Tourism Master Plan and Tourism Policy.
The file began its journey on December 1, 2012 and was finally cleared by the cabinet in 2015.
Sources say that while the cabinet cleared the file last Friday, the contract was already awarded in June 2015, even before the Finance department approved it.
“How can the contract be awarded when the file is still to be approved,” said an official in the secretariat adding, “it is a question of payment of government money to the tune of Rs 10 cr. It cannot be cleared just as per whims of fancies of anyone.”
According to the officials, what bothered them was a clause of delayed payment charges in case the government fails to make the payment in time to the consultants.
Hence, officials said, the Finance department put a remark and returned the file saying, “Since it is fait accompli approval of the work of the preparation of the Tourism Master Plan is already allotted to KPMG without the consent of Finance Dept; Tourism Dept may obtain the approval of the cabinet to regularise the award of consultancy of KPMG by incorporating the views of the Finance Dept and the mode of payment”.
