How can anyone take the word of the tourism minister? He has no clue what he talks about and says …this is just another of his big proclamations. The Lokayukta verdict is awaited .
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Stance-of-tourism-dept-vindicated-says-Parulekar/articleshow/53309303.cms
Tourism minister Dilip Parulekar has claimed that his department’s stand on the beach cleaning contract being devoid of any irregularities, whatsoever, has been vindicated by the latest report of the director of vigilance.
“All the procedures were abided for the tender and there were no irregularities. The allegations were levelled without any base and have been proved to be false,” said Parulekar, in a written statement to the media along with the copy of the vigilance director’s status report.
Director of vigilance had called for a status report in response to a letter from the registrar, Goa Lokayukta, on the complaint filed by Aires Rodrigues, an advocate, alleging a multi-crore scam in the tender of comprehensive management of Goa’s beaches, raising the number of issues and demanded to register a first information report against many persons. The status report says that the complaint was without any supportive evidence vis-a-vis charges of corruption.
Also, the allegations of failure to supervise beach cleaning activity, be it on the part of the tourism department or the beach cleaning agency, were sans any concrete proof and do not fall within the purview of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
As regards to accusations of quantum of payment for beach cleaning now as compared to the past and the release of payments by the tourism department, the report states that those are technical aspects that have to be probed into by the technical wing.
