PANAJI: Following the allegations against some of the councillors of being involved in ‘underhand dealings’ with M/s Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd, city Mayor Surendra Furtado, on Tuesday, wrote to Commissioner of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Dipak Desai as regards submitting the action taken report (ATR) pertaining to the resolution passed by the CCP councillors on issuing demand notices to the particular company, for the recovery of balance amount for laying of underground cables in the city.
The Mayor told this daily that an estimated amount of Rs 1.25 crore was to be paid to the Corporation by the particular company, at the rate of Rs 550 per metre, however, the cost was reduced to Rs 50 per metre.
“A committee was also formed to probe into this payment scam, while the CCP Commissioner approached the government for investigation into the same,” Furtado informed, adding that he has now written to the CCP Commissioner to share the details about his action against the company.
“I want all the related transactions to come out,” he noted.
“As per the resolution number 3 of the Corporation held on August 25, 2016, it was decided to seek legal advice as to the recovery of the balance amount for laying of underground cables at the rate of Rs 550 per metre (total Rs 1.20 crore), by M/s Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd, and until the total money is recovered, no further digging should be allowed, and if the CCP does not get the due money within specific time limit, a police complaint should be filed against the company and the officers involved,” the communication maintained.
“This issue was raised again in the Corporation meeting held on October 18, 2016 under item number 1, and the councillors may raise this matter in the next meeting of the Corporation,” it added,
It may be recalled that the CCP suffered misappropriation of an amount of Rs 66.65 lakh linked to the digging of city roads for laying 4G cables by the company, when a highly placed official of the CCP deposited Rs 42 lakh in the bank account of the Corporation on July 15, last year, without intimating the city Mayor, the CCP Commissioner, the accounts and taxation officer of the city civic body and its accountant.
As per the City Mayor as there were many complaints about digging of roads in the CCP area on account of laying of cables by M/s Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd and non-restoration of the trenches by them, he convened the officers of the said company.
During the course of discussion, it transpired that although permission had been given to the said company for cutting of the road as early as on April 12, 2016, the charges for the said road cutting as calculated by the technical section were not paid to the CCP treasury.
“Although as per the noting in the file dated April 6, 2016, it is stated that two demand drafts for Rs 37,40,000 and Rs 5,00,000 were submitted by the company in the technical section, the said demand drafts do not appear to have been deposited or transferred to the accounts section, except Rs 10.75 lakh, and the remaining amount of Rs 66.65 lakh not deposited in the CCP treasury,” the city Mayor had pointed out.
