PANAJI
Cracks within the State cabinet, and in particular between Deputy Chief Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar and Ports Minister Michael Lobo, came to the fore on Wednesday forcing the postponement of a decision by which the historic Aguada fort and its precincts were to be handed over to Drishti, the company providing beach safety services in the State.
The cabinet meeting held on Wednesday witnessed heated arguments when the decision to hand over the port for maintenance to Dhristi, came up for discussion with Lobo vociferously objecting to the proposal mooted by Ajgaonkar who holds the tourism portfolio.
Lobo also represents the Calangute constituency where the historic fort is located.
Ajgaokar's proposal involved the operation and maintenance of the fort by Drishti for a fee of Rs 1.2 crore annually. He defended the deal arguing that all the legal requirements and technicalities were followed prior to finalising it.
Cabinet decisions, according to rules of business, require to be unanimous and with objections voiced at Wednesday's meeting, the decision was postponed until the next meet.
Lobo, who spoke to the media after the meeting claimed that the decision to postpone the approval to the deal was taken because Sawant and the other Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar were convinced with his objection to the deal.
“I smell a rat in the proposal which could eventually lead to the historic monument going into private hands," Lobo alleged, adding that the Rs 1.2 crore annual fee was extremely low in comparison to the potential of the fort.
He recalled that the fort was recently restored and refurbished at a whopping expense of Rs 35-crore through Central funding.
Ajgaonkar, meanwhile, denied any wrongdoing or irregularity, adding that the contract will be struck down if any fraud was discovered.
