PANJIM: Goa Forward Party President and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Saturday alleged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the then Civil Supplies Minister Govind Gaude of being allegedly involved in toor dal rotting scam and that then Director of Civil Supplies Siddhivinayak Naik has been made a scapegoat by suspending him.
Vijai said that he had also written to the Prime Minister demanding an investigation by a Central agency into the alleged criminal waste of toor dal by the State government.
He said that the Chief Minister and Gaude cannot absolve themselves of complicity by making then Director of Civil Supplies a scapegoat.
Vijai demanded to know why the balance of 241 metric tonnes of tool dal was not disposed of last year when it was auctioned to a short-listed tenderer from Belgaum for Rs 5.06 lakh.
“Was Shah Jehan insisting on giving it to a favourite courtier? He asked indirectly pointing to Gaude.
Meanwhile, former director of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Siddhivinayak Naik has been placed under suspension in the matter related to damaging of toor dal and spoiling of sugar worth crores of rupees in the Civil Supplies godowns.
The order suspending Naik was issued by the Vigilance Department on Saturday after the State government referred the matter to the Vigilance Department for in-depth inquiry and to fix responsibility.
The government in April 2020 had procured 400 MT of toor dal at the cost of Rs 3.32 crore and only 159 MT of toor dal was distributed to fair price shops and in the containment zone during the lockdown.
