Cong govt spent on unrelated activities at IT Park: CAG (Herald)

October 12, 2013 Says govt spent Rs 10.65 crore despite HC staying land acquisition for the project TEAM HERALD PANJIM: The former Digamber Kamat-led Congress government has come under scanner of the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG), who has pointed out that government spent Rs 10.65 crore on unrelated activities at the Information Technology park, proposed at Socorro, despite High Court staying the land acquisition for this project in 2007. The CAG 2012 report tabled in the House has said that state-owned Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited went ahead and executed various community development works since October 2006 onwards which were not at all connected with the proposed IT Park. “The works costing Rs 7.69 crore were completed by March 2008 on unrelated activities like development of gardens, cricket grounds, widening of road, paving of Church steps and others,” the report has observed adding ‘the Corporation in their reply has stated that these works were necessary to attract investment at the proposed IT park’. The Corporation continued to incur expenditure on these works till May 2009 which amounted to Rs 10.65 crore, CAG added. In May 2012, the state government communicated its decision to withdraw the proposal to set up the IT Park. “Thus, expenditure of Rs 10.65 crore on community development works, without vacation of Court’s stay order, was not in the best interest of the ITCGL and was avoidable,” the CAG has observed. Government in 2005 had approved setting up of IT park at Socorro, for which a land admeasuring 8.73 lakh sq mtrs was to be acquired. The notification for acquiring the land was issued in June 2006. Goa Foundation in October 2006 had filed a Writ Petition in the High Court stating that a part of the proposed land was under forest area and accordingly a stay was issued in April 2007. Hence the land acquisition process could not be completed. http://www.heraldgoa.in/News/Local%20News/Cong-govt-spent-on-unrelated-activities-at-IT-Park-CAG/80565.html