Our investigations have shown that Goa’s treasury has beenused an open pit for departments and ministers to pick from in the previousgovernment. The rot moves from PWD to the Water Resources department, but theshadow of Churchill Alemao looms large here too. This is a story of howgovernment contracts are manipulated and the size of the contracts areincreased after the agreement/work order, by making handwritten changes in pen,with no signatures confirming the alterations. These were contracts issued at abreakneck speed in the fortnight before the announcement of assemblyelections
This investigation also exposes how departments were notsacrosanct. In a despicable show of crony camaraderie, Alemao issuedinstructions for works to be carried out in the water resources department whenit was not his department, with the WRD minister Filipe Neri merely asking hisofficers to do as the PWD minister instructed. Two such contracts worth of overRs 7 crores were awarded on December 23, a day before the code of conduct forthe assembly elections kicked in. They were a) improvement to nallah atMedkeawaddo (VP Dicarpali-Davorlim) and b) Improvement of nullah of Saipem lake
Both these contracts of the Water Resources Department wereconceived by the PWD minister. In Churchill Alemao, the PWD minister sent a “note” in his own handwriting to theexecutive engineer Div II of the Water Resources department on January 26, 2011“directing”him to take up the development of the nullah at ‘Ghantamorod”(same area asMedkewaddo. Ten months later, on November 2, 2011, Alemao sent another “note”,this time a typed one, “requesting: to tender both works which included the onefor which he wrote a handwritten note for.
On November 3, the very next day, the Water Resourcesminister, without any verification or survey of the need to sanction thoseworks wrote on Churchill’s note that the works may be tendered as requested byMin (PWD).
Tender notices for both were issued on the same day “November 11. In both contracts, all other participants were rejected barring PR Nayak Associates of Hubli and Aditya construction pvt ltd. And both contractswent to PR Nayak Associates, on the very same day December 23, 2011. Filemovements studied by The Goan revealed and both files moved simultaneously andwere cleared on the same dates without the Administrative approval andexpenditure sanction. The sanctions for both were received on November 18 andNovember 22. In both cases the amount sanctioned was more than the amount thatwas finally tendered. We ask, Fillipe Neri Rodrigues, the then Water Resourcesminister where did this money go?
Clearly these files tell you a story that is bizarre andunbelievable. A story of how public money has been scooped out. Your newspaperdid not rest here. When our team went to inspect both sites, it found that nowork, yes not a single brick has been laid or a machine moved to clear any siltor debris. So now here’s the tale of the two tenders:
Project 1 : Improvement to Nallah from Medkeawado(Dicarpalli-Davorlim) to Jackniband
The money trail:
November 11, 2011 - Amount put to tender Rs 3.52 crores)
November 16, 2011 - File submitted to tender acceptance committee recommending the contractto PR Nayak and associates at Rs 3.70 crores) which is 4.96% above estimatedprice. (Note: The Executive Engineer has the power to sanction tenders upto 5%more than the estimated price so this is a routine clever ploy used to increasetender amounts).
December 23, 2011 - Agreement/Work Order issued to PR Nayak for the tendered amount with the date of commencement as January 7,2012 and date of completion as October 4, 2012.
Now Explain this: On (December 22, 2011) “ 22.12.11 (thedate 22 is clearly written in pen while the other numbers in the date 12 and 11are typed indicating that the date was entered later) the Expenditure Sanctionaccorded to the project by the Chief Engineer WRD of Rs 3,94,49,600 (Rs 3.94crores) ie Rs 24 lakhs more than the tendered amount. Shockingly this amount iseven more than the amount quoted by the second contractor Aditya Constructionswho lost the bid. His quote was 3.93 crores.
The Goan asks straight questions
Why is the amount higher and where did the money go?
Since the date is in ink, was the expenditure sanctionedpost facto and too at a higher rate and back-dated? (See accompanying story onpage 4: How public money was siphoned off by altering tender amounts by pen
Project 2 Improvement if Nallah of Salpem Lake
November 11, 2011 Amount put to tender Rs 3.51 crores
November 16, 2012 - File sent to tender acceptance authority, without Administrative orexpenditure sanction approval, recommending the tender to PR Nayak andassociates at Rs 3.69 crores as opposed to the next bidder Aditya Constructionsat Rs 3.80 crores
December 23, 2011 - Agreement/Work Order issued to PR Nayak and Associates for Rs 3.69crores.
Now explain this: On (November 18, 2011) “ 18.11.2011 (thedate 18 is clearly written in pen while the other numbers in the date 12 and 11are typed indicating that the date was entered later) the Expenditure Sanctionaccorded to the project by the Chief Engineer WRD is Rs 3,93,20,000 (Rs 3.93crores) ie, again Rs 24 lakhs more than the tendered amount as in the previousproject. The shocking similarity continues. This amount is even more than theamount quoted by the second contractor Aditya Constructions who lost the bid.His quote was 3.80 crores!!!
Is there no explanation for this? Does the water resourcesminister have no accountability? And why has this money not been traced andrecovered. As The Goan digs deeper, it realises that this cross departmentaltender scam has taken more out of Goa’s coffers than anything else has. Thepoint is that even this government doesn’t seem keen to get this money back.
