Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa government on Friday suspended Administrative Director of Water Resources Department, Umeshchandra Joshi, on charges of misappropriating funds while posted at Sanjivani Sugar Factory.
The suspension order was issued by Vigilance Department on Friday, following an inquiry that revealed fund misappropriation.
“When he was posted at Sanjivani, the government had released funds of Rs 10 crore to the factory. Joshi released advanced payment of Rs 5.10 crore to a private party, outside Goa, for supply of labour and sugarcane. The supply of any of the two resources was not done. The matter came to light when the factory asked for more funds from the government. The matter was then sent to Vigilance Department and an inquiry revealed misappropriation of funds,” an official said.
Joshi, then administrator of the State’s lone cooperative sugar factory, was transferred in December 2017 following allegations of mismanagement. Congress MLA Aleixo Reginald Lourenco had alleged Joshi’s involvement in corruption after which farmers demanded that the government recover sugarcane harvesting amount of Rs 5.1 crore from Joshi.
