Goa chief secretary summoned by Lokayukta in land deal, says

Goa Lokayukta Wednesday directed state Chief Secretary Dharmendra Sharma to appear in person on November 23 in connection with a complaint alleging a "suspicious land deal" worth Rs 70 crore involving a former Congress MLA who recently joined the ruling BJP.

Social activist and lawyer Aires Rodrigues has filed a complaint before Goa Lokayukta P K Misra alleging the state government had signed a "suspicious land deal" worth Rs 70 crore with former Congress MLA Subhash Shirodkar.

Shirodkar has denied the allegations.

Lokayukta officials were not available for comments.

Shirodkar and his Congress colleague Dayanand Sopte who represent Shiroda and Mandrem assembly constituencies, respectively, recently switched over to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

 

"Acting on my complaint, the Lokayukta has directed the chief secretary to remain present on November 23 and to bring all the records pertaining to the controversial land acquisition," the activist said.

Rodrigues said, "the Lokayukta had issued summons to the chief secretary, as he had failed to file his report and to produce all the official records pertaining to the Shiroda land acquisition as directed by the Lokayukta on October 22, 2018".

He claimed Shirodkar hasallegedly benefitted from a "massive land scam in collusion with the state government's gross act of maladministration".

He has also named Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and the state chief secretary as the Respondents.

Rodrigues claimed the state government has acquired 1,83,524 sq mts of orchard land in Shiroda from Shirodkar for a whopping Rs 70 crore while its original purchase cost was mere Rs 45 per square metre.

"The real estate firm owned by Subhash Shirodkar and his three brothers had purchased the said land on October 19, 2006 at the rate of Rs 45 per square metre, which the government has now acquired for a very hefty price of Rs 3,500 per sq meter," Rodrigues stated in his complaint.

Chief Secretary Sharma was not available for comment.

When contacted, Shirodkar said, "the allegations against me are absolutely baseless. I would provide all the explanation to the concerned authority as and when asked for it".