PANAJI
The seriousness of Opposition legislators in monitoring the Goa government’s overall functioning -- despite their tall claims of being a vigilant Opposition -- comes into question.
While a handful of legislators are vocal in the House, the focus remains on the Congress party whose members, being on various committees established by the Speaker, do not seem to have fulfilled their duties.
Information obtained from the Legislature Department reveals that the reports of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Public Undertaking Committee (PUC) have not been tabled in the House since 2014. The PAC report was last presented in August 2014. Surprisingly, no PUC reports have been submitted so far.
The PAC is responsible for scrutinizing the State’s Appropriation Accounts and the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), while the PUC is tasked with examining any CAG reports related to Public Undertakings.
This revelation holds significant importance, especially considering that the CAG exposed internal control failures in the Excise Department and a shortfall of Rs 7.59 crore approx in five talukas including Bardez and Tiswadi, which are most frequented by global tourists.
The Goan was the only daily to report the irregularities pointed out by the CAG, in its edition on July 3, after publishing a series of reports exposing massive misappropriation of funds and forgery by some officials in the Pernem excise station. Two inspectors and one upper division clerk are already suspended and part amount is recovered from the latter.
Meanwhile, sources further revealed that the Speaker appointed Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa as the Chairman of PAC for a two-year term from 2022-24, and Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao as Chairman of PUC for the same period.
Just this year in January 2023, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was appointed as Chairman of the Estimates Committee, and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco was appointed as Chairman of the Committee on Government Assurances. These committees consist of MLAs from all political parties. However, sources indicate that none of these committees have held a single meeting in the last six months.
Even the newly appointed members of the PAC, led by D’Costa, and the PUC, led by Alemao, have not yet met with the CAG.
