PANAJI
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee has demanded an immediate, independent and time-bound investigation into allegations of an informal food business and cash economy allegedly operating inside the Colvale Central Jail.
GPCC Media and Communication Chairman Amarnath Panjikar said the allegations could not be dismissed as a routine administrative lapse.
The Goan, in its Sunday edition, had exposed allegations about the food business operating inside the jail, bringing the reported activities and alleged cash transactions to light. It had exposed how Rs 7,000 tandoori meals, Rs 1,000 fried rice and Rs 500 fish and coriander being allegedly sold inside the prison, besides pointing out diversion of government-supplied food items and payments for bringing unauthorised articles, including televisions, into the jail,
“These are extremely serious allegations involving a government prison. If even a fraction of these allegations is true, it raises fundamental questions about prison security, supervision and accountability under the Home Department,” Panjikar said. He demanded that Chief Minister and Home Minister Pramod Sawant immediately order an impartial inquiry and ensure that CCTV footage, prison gate-entry records, visitor registers, mess and kitchen records, ration-stock registers and procurement documents are preserved and examined. Panjikar also sought a complete audit of government-supplied food provisions and an investigation into who allegedly prepared and sold the food, who collected the money, whether government supplies were diverted and whether any officials or outsiders facilitated the entry of unauthorised articles into the prison.
“CM cannot remain silent when allegations of an alleged parallel cash economy are being reported from an institution under his Home Department. If the allegations are false, establish the truth. If they are true, fix responsibility and take action irrespective of rank or position,” he said.
“The government must investigate the allegations, not investigate the messenger. Goans deserve transparency, accountability and a prison administration governed by law not an alleged marketplace behind prison walls,” Panjikar added.
