PANAJI
Speaking to media persons after the end of the Question Hour on Monday, opposition MLAs Vijay Sardesai and Babush Monserrate pointed to a land acquisition case in Tiswadi as being a scam and demanded the government investigate the case. The members alleged that the Goa Housing Board acquired land measuring 2,06,900 square meters at Neura-O-Pequeno village in Tiswadi but was instead given to another person. Based on replies, Monserrate said when he was minister in 2006 he had put up proposals to acquire land for the government in the village. But the intention to acquire land through Section 4 (A) was promulgated only in 2012. In one year, a report was submitted under Section 5 (A). But as a Christmas present, the land was given to someone else as the acquired land had lapsed. “The government filed a case against Nilkanth and Elvis Gomes with the ACB, this is an even serious case and we want the FIR to be registered. Goa Forward has already filed a complaint,” said Sardesai. MLAs including Sardesai, Monseratte, Alexio Reginaldo, Pratapsingh Rane, Naresh Sawal and Rohan Khaunte questioned Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar over tourism projects in the Sanguem constituency. Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai had raised the question of status of projects proposed and estimated costs of tourism projects in his constituency that went on for over half-an-hour. Furious with discussions on the same topic for over half an hour, Sardessai walked out of the legislative hall, later calling it a tactic to waste time. Sardesai pointed to pending starred questions of which the tourism beach cleaning scam was meant to come up for discussion. Upon insistence, Phaldessai had continued questioning other aspects of the tourism project which later caused a war of words as Sardesai questioned whether the House was unable to answer at least five questions during the Question Hour.
