PANAJI
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hit as it is with a raging row over alleged irregularities and manipulation in ongoing recruitment in multiple government departments, said on Monday it will deliberate the issue with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.The comment came from BJP State President Sadanand Tanavade, who said he will speak with Sawant about the recruitment scam allegations.
“I have not yet spoken to CM Sawant in this regard; I will try and speak to him. CM Sawant is on a 3-day visit to Varanasi. Also, I will speak to the concerned minister and MLA in this regard,” Tanavade told reporters.
Alleged irregularities in the ongoing government recruitment in multiple departments has hogged space in the media over the last few days ever since The Goan exposed that nearly 85 per-cent of the 105 LDC posts had gone to candidates hailing from Sattari's Poriem and Valpoi constituencies.
Ruling party MLAs led by Panaji MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate, themselves raised a hue and cry over the matter and also alleged corruption in recruitment of junior engineers in the Public Works Department (PWD).
Even as Tanavade expressed concern, he nonetheless said that the party had little say in the matter and that it was the lookout of the government.
Meanwhile, stepping up pressure against the State government following allegations of Panaji MLA Babush Monserrate of a job scam, the AAP has sought a judicial probe while the Congress has sought the governor’s intervention in the matter.
In a news conference, the AAP demanded that the government should suo moto order an inquiry under a retired judge, else they would approach the high court to seek justice.
“Appointments in the PWD and health department are fraudulent and officials of the polytechnic department, Goa Medical College are involved in the scam,” alleged AAP leader Amit Palyekar.
"Why have recruitments not been conducted through the GPSC. The Staff Selection Commission is also dysfunctional.”
He demanded that the government should immediately conduct a raid and seize all answer papers.
Alleging that 90 percent of appointments are manipulated, Palyekar said call letters from December 1 to 13 have been manipulated.
“The government is using ACB against the opposition members but in this case, they are not probing such scams,” said Palyekar.
On the other hand, the Congress urged Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai to direct the government to scrap all posts advertised after October 15, 2019 and also to direct an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the recruitment and selection of posts since October 15, 2019 in various government departments, autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies.
A delegation led by GPCC President Girish Chodankar along with Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco called Pillai and submitted a memorandum urging his intervention in the job scam.
“Eligible youth of Goa are feeling completely let down by recent reports of irregularities, favouritism and corruption in recruitment of staff in various government departments,” the memorandum states.
“It is shocking that the kith and kin of ministers of departments concerned have scored 100 out of 100 marks superseding qualified and intelligent candidates. The names of the co-terminus staff members of ministers appear in the selected list of the candidates.”
“One of the Legislative Assembly members has made a public statement that the job scam in the Public Works Department is to the tune of almost Rs 70 crore,” the memorandum added.
