Churchill made 15% of the total budgetary provision of PWD, a minimum of Rs 400+ crores
The Goan: What has happened to the 48 hours, 60 crore tenderscam vigilance probe that you promised? The Goan has already exposed so manyscams systematically yet there is no visible effort to book the culprits.
Sudin Dhavlikar: The interim department investigation isalready complete. We found that there were discrepancies in 18 Divisions of thePWD. We have handed 25 cases to the State’s Vigilance Department as such a bigmatter cannot be handled by PWD on its own. PWD Division VI Executive EngineerRingane has been transferred to non-sensitive place in Circle IV in Margao.Even in Ponda, we found that there wereirregularities, but we have put an endto that.
TG: What is the expanse of this corruption now that you havebeen in the power for almost six months?
SD: The list keeps on increasing and we are surprised at howbig the corruption was. We now have P T Parker, Executive Engineer of DivisionXXV (who was suspended for Short Tender Scam). In his statement he has written,attaching proof of how PWD Minister Churchill Alemao had made remarks such as“you issue tenders without publication” and even “issue work orders to such andsuch contractors”. We were shocked to see even MLAs such as Shyam Satardekar(Curchorem), Babu Kavlekar (Quepem) even Vijai Pai Khot giving directinstructions to the Executive Engineeer to allot specific work orders to chosencontractors.
TG: Your government was sworn on the backdrop of zerotolerance to corruption. Why has there not been a single FIR filed six monthssince you have taken over and known everything about your predecessors scams?
SD: We have plenty of evidence. These are clinchingevidences that have to be proven. Engineers have to come forward and dispose.They started cooperating only after a few were suspended. It will take sometime before all of them come clear.
TG: If you have so much of evidence, why are you not takingaction? Why are you not filing an FIR or even arresting Churchill Alemao forsuch blatant corruption?
SD: Churchill will definitely be prosecuted. It is very easybased on the enough clinching evidences that we have to prosecute him. But itis not so easy. Vigilance follows a process where enquiries are done, chargesframed and then only FIR lodged. On October 15, Parker made his finaldeposition before Vigilance. We will soon have charges framed.
TG: How much did Churchill benefit from these scams as PWDMinister?
SD: He used to get 15% of the total budgetary provision.At least Rs 400 crores, if not more.
TG: Your engineers were under Churchill and yet you areshielding them. How many such Parkers do you have in PWD and why should theynot be prosecuted?
SD: There will be many Parkers. We have at least 12-13Executive Engineers who obtained such letters from then PWD Minister and seniorofficers sanctioning such fraudulent works. Our problem is that the same peopleunder orders from the previous government who are implicated have to carry onthe development works for this government. We either chose to prosecute themwhich will hold back payments of the contractors and cause budgetary overruns,litigation and further delay important works.
TG: What were Churchill Alemao’s errors of commissions andomissions as a minister as per PWD’s own intra-departmental investigation?
SD: Churchill went beyond business rules. He would allotcontracts that went beyond PWD budgets. He would not route budget overrunsthrough Cabinet as is mandatory. He violated his powers as a Minister. Theseissues will be considered when we consider his prosecution. Churchill neverstudied system of budgetary provisions in case of planned or unplanned works.He took up planned works and recommended cost escalation by ten times when CPWDdoes not allow tender more than two times. In non-planned works, he wouldtender works at almost twenty times the propose cost. He also did notunderstand what money to be spent where.
