Congmen face FIRs as BJP minister gets a boot from HC
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 23 June 2016 20:46 IST
Two days; three cases of corruption. Two filed by the BJP government and one court directive faced by a BJP minister.
The Anti-Corruption Branch of Goa police has filed two FIRs.
One is against former PWD minister Churchill Alemao while another is against former Housing minister Nilkanth Halarnkar.
Halarnkar has presently joined the Congress while Churchill is planning a comeback.
The Bombay high court at Goa has however once again directed Tourism minister Dilip Parulekar to restore the land of Serula Communidade, which he allegedly grabbed illegally and converted into a shopping complex.
There is also Elvis Gomes, presently Director General of Prisons, who has been indicted in the Housing Board land scam.
The civil officer is planning to resign and join the Aam Aadmi Party.
As Assembly election is approaching, the ACB has filed FIR against Alemao and five officers.
The charge against political heavyweight is that he ordered purchase of 6511 water tanks @ Rs 1.45 crore even before a government policy in this regard was formulated.
The Comptroller General of India had pointed out the irregularity during Alemao’s regime between 2008 and 2011.
The second FIR against Halarnkar and Gomes relates to the purchase of an orchard land for housing purpose in Margao, converting it to commercial and handing it back to the owner, based on a complaint filed by one person, claiming to be a cultivator.
Former NCP leader Halarnkar has recently joined the Congress and is likely to contest from his Tivim constituency.
Civil officer Gomes, on the other hand, has clarified that he was not holding charge of housing board managing director when this transaction took place.
AAP leader Dr Oscar Rebello has alleged it as harassment, while admitting the fact that they were in talks with Gomes to join the AAP.
He is reportedly tipped to contest from Cuncolim.
The third case is where tourism minister Dilip Parulekar faced a directive from the high court once again to restore the Serula Communidade land and give it back.
Trajano D’Mello, who was defeated by Parulekar in Saligao in 2012 election, had filed a case in this regard.
Even after the high court had upheld D’Mello’s contention on 8th May, a review petition was filed by Ashok Sirsat and two others.
The HC dismissed it today.
Why no case against babu in GIDC land scam?