The Goan: Our investigations have revealed that 214 tenderswere issued in 48 hours, worth sixty cores in one division with many contractsgoing to the same contractors. Are you denying the facts of our story?
CA: I am a straight person. Can you issue a Work Orderwithout a financial approval? No. Tenders are handled by Engineers and withoutFinance Department’s approval even they can’t do it.
The Goan: So you as the PWD minister had nothing to do withissuing tenders?
CA: If a wrong has happened, the Engineer concerned isresponsible. But you have to understand that the circumstances in which thiswork orders happened at one time is because the finance dept approvals came atthat time. Work Orders were held up by Finance Department for such a long timeafter tender process and released together at one time. Why blame me? You know who is to be blamed then.
The Goan: Not really. Who is to be blamed then for thisscam?
CA: This is not a scam. You have to ask Digambar Kamat whyhe took so much of time to grant so many administrative approvals and that tooat one time because of which PWD had to issue these orders together. Also askhim if he did not tell me to give work to certain contractors in Margao
The Goan: So the Chief minister gave all his approvals rightbefore the code of conduct was imposed before the assembly elections?
Churchill Alemao: Some work orders were also issued (TheGoans interpretation: presumably for tenders issued earlier) after the Code.Everything was under Chief Minister Digambar Kamat. All orders from deputationof Police to work orders everything was given by Digambar.
The Goan: But you do understand we are talking of tendersissued before the code of conduct and tenders issued under different names forthe same stretch of roads. And you were the PWD minister?
CA: The orders were not wrong. The works were all plannedworks long ago, only administrative approval was pending. The work order cannotbe issued till money for these are sanctioned. That portfolio was with ChiefMinister Digambar Kamat.
The Goan: Anil Ringane, Executive Engineer, Division VI hassaid that he was under instructions from you to hurry up the issuance of workorders and that you were aware of the work orders.
CA: I am not blaming anybody. PWD knows who has issued thework orders. Any Minister can give orders only with Finance Minister’sapproval. The whole Government was ruled by Finance Minister Digambar Kamat.All approvals were help up by him.
The Goan viewpoint and more questions:
Tenders are“handled” by engineers but even a novice knows that no engineer processes anyrender without the Ministers approval and ther local MLA’s push. ALmao was botha minister and MLA from Navelim which fell under the controversial Division 6jurisdiction of the PWD
Churchill “ “Allfinance dept approvals came at that time”. This itself should be the basis of afurther investigation. When approvals of such large sums came at once and thattoo as the code of conduct was nearing, is that a ground for further inquiry.
Moreover, The Goan has learnt that funds marked for ruralroads were used to fund tenders for city roads that should be looked after bythe municipalities. This happened due to intense pressure from MLA’s. Sincethis was an absolutely irregular policy decision, the minister could not havebeen unaware.
