PANAJI
The high profile swearing-in ceremony of the Pramod Sawant-led Cabinet on March 28 which had Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other BJP bigwigs attending has cost the State exchequer a whopping Rs 5.59 crore.
The lavish ceremony was handled by Vinsan Graphics one of the ruling BJP government’s favourite event management agencies who have billed the government Rs 5.59 crore not including the stadium rent (since it is a government owned stadium) and advertisements in local dailies and hoardings.
As per the documents obtained under RTI M/s Vinsan Graphics on April 13 sent their invoice for an amount of Rs 4,79,11,245 which was received by the government on the same day. M/s Vinsan graphics later sent a revised invoice for an amount of Rs 5,59,25,805 which invoice though dated April 13, 2022 was received by the government only on April 22, 2022.
As per that invoice amongst the 32 items billed for, the Stage decoration cost Rs 1.87 crore, the 500 chairs for special VIPs Rs 3 lakh while 3500 chairs for other VIPs Rs 8.75 lakh. Lunch for 10,000 persons cost Rs 57.50 lakh while special lunch for 500 VIPs was Rs 4.80 lakh. A special buffet for 75 VVIPs cost Rs 5.66-lakh, two arch erected at the venue Rs 16 lakh sound system Rs 14 lakh, three red carpets Rs 8.25 lakh, erection of pandal for public Rs 19 lakh and 2400 cut-outs placed on poles Rs 68.40 lakh.
As per the reply, a note was released by the General Administration Department. As per file notings a note was moved on March 22, 2022 by the General Administration department that the swearing in ceremony is scheduled on March 28 at 11 am at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium at Bambolim and outlining 12 logistic arrangements to be made. That note was approved by all the officials including the Chief Minister and Governor on the same day.
On March 23, Shripad Arlekar the Under Secretary of General Administration wrote a confidential letter to the Director of Information and Publicity to identify and allot the management of the swearing-in-ceremony to an appropriate event management agency empanelled under his department.
In his reply on March 24, 2022, the Director of Information Dipak Bandekar informed that considering the short time left for the swearing in ceremony it would not be possible to follow the requisite Codal formalities and was so forwarding a list of seven empanelled advertising agencies while suggesting that Vasco based M/s Vinsan Graphics that was earlier appointed as Event Management Agency for opening and closing ceremony of Diamond Jubilee Year of Goa’s Liberation and National Parliament conclaves by following necessary codal formalities.
The same day i.e. March 24, a note was moved by the General Administration department whether M/s Vinsan Graphics be appointed or whether to go for prescribed requisite Codal formalities. Chief Minister on March 25 approved that the management of the swearing in ceremony event be given to M/s Vinsan Graphics and accordingly on March 26 citing paucity of time the work order was issued entrusting the event management of the function to M/s Vinsan Graphics.
Commenting on the expenditure, Adv Aires Rodrigues who filed the RTI application said that the “taxpayers' money recklessly drained on that function was a criminal waste of public funds while poor people have not received their monthly dole for the last five months on account of the State coffers being empty.”
