Cong demands probe in Margao IFFI progs
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
The Margao Block Congress Committee has demanded that the government order a Vigilance probe into the expenditure incurred on IFFI from 2012 to 2015.
Saying that gross irregularities have come to light with regards to the cultural programmes organized during IFFI-2013 through the information provided in the recently concluded Assembly, Margao Block Congress Committee president Gopal Naik has demanded that Sharmad Raiturkar, who was given full powers to organize the programmes at Margao should come clean on the financial expenditure pertaining to the cultural programmes at Ravindra Bhavan.
“The written reply given by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has revealed that an expenditure of Rs 1.74 crore was made on cultural programmes, venue contracts and decoration of IFFI 2013. The Assembly reply given to Margao MLA Digambar Kamat during the session also makes it clear that Sharmad Raiturkar was responsible for organizing all the cultural programmes at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao,” he said.
He demanded that Sharmad should clarify what was the criteria adopted to select the cultural programmes, alleging that the programmes were allotted to the kith and kin of the BJP cadre with alleged highly inflated rates. “The organisers had totally sidelined the local Goan artists and had majority of non-Goan performers,” he said, adding that the reply to the Assembly question also reveals that there were no advertisements issue to invite applications from local Goan artists for performances during IFFI 2013.
