the goan I network
PANAJI
In a shocking case of gross government negligence, a private firm operating a maritime training facility has overshot its lease of a sizeable chunk of the Fire and Emergency Services ground adjoining its headquarters in Panjim where it is operating a maritime academy on a commercial basis.
The act of omission would have gone unnoticed if not for a whistleblower following whose complaint the State government has now reportedly issued an eviction notice to the party.
Sea Scan Maritime Services Pvt Ltd has been occupying a large part of the ground adjoining the Fire and Emergency Services headquarters ostensibly on the basis of a lease agreement with the State government, since February 2000.
The company operates an academy which trains aspiring merchant navy and cruise ship employees and also provides certification and is currently quoting a fee of Rs 24,220 per trainee. The last time the government renewed the lease for a five-year period was in February 2012.
The State government, however, woke up to the situation only after the issue was raised by RTI activist Kashinath Shetye, who in a complaint to the chief secretary flagged several irregularities in the deal between the firm and the government.
Sources said, the government has issued the company an eviction-cum-cancellation of lease notice recently.
Based on documents he
