PANAJI
More than two years after its appointment, the technical committee constituted to study the allegations pertaining to “corruption”, “irregularities”, and “illegalities into the Kala Academy renovation work has finally submitted its report to the Vigilance Department for action.
The report, which is currently under examination of the Vigilance Department, will be submitted to the State government shortly.
The committee was constituted in January 2023 and was initially granted 60 days’ time to complete the inquiry and submit a report to the Vigilance Department with necessary recommendations.
The committee, under its new chairman WRD Chief Engineer Pramod Badami last month submitted the report to the Vigilance Department with its findings.
“The report is submitted to the Vigilance with our findings and recommendations. Now it is for the Vigilance Department to act,” Badami told The Goan.
The committee met almost 15 times, recorded statements of various officials from the departments of PWD, Art and Culture and the contractors, to whom the works were awarded before drafting its report.
Badami, took charge in March, last year, after its former chairman – Principal of Goa Architectural College Dr Ashish Rege, retired in February, without conducting a single meeting.
When contacted, Director Vigilance Amarsen Rane said that the report is highly confidential and technical in nature. “Since the report is too technical, we are undertaking thorough examination before placing it to the government. If we find any further lapses, the same would be highlighted and put forth,” he said.
Rane said that the committee has gone through the technical aspect of the renovation work. “Our duty is to fix the responsibility on those who failed to deliver. The report is still being examined,” he said.
Sources confirmed that the report was drafted after scrutinising all the documents obtained from the Public Works Department (PWD) pertaining to the estimates and payments related to various renovation works of Kala Academy. The committee also went through the papers where work orders were issued on nomination without tendering process and the total expenditure involved in those works.
The submission was made following the Task Force Committee report to the Chief Minister. The Task Force has identified almost 20 faults in the renovation work, following which the Government has roped in consultants to undertake further refurbishment.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) as well as the Vigilance Department in their inquiry, conducted in 2022, had indicated prima facie scam in the entire work.
The Kala Academy building was renovated at a cost of Rs 56 crore and the allegation was of Rs 49 crore scam. In September 2022, the Vigilance Department had recommended the constitution of the technical team to examine the project. Before that, ACB submitted a similar report.
