Goa Vigilance Officers issued notices in land scam

Panaji : A local court on Wednesday issued notices to Goa Vigilance Officers for not filing a First Information Report (FIR) in a land scam involving Goa Housing Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar.

Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Panjim has asked Superintendent of Police Bosco George and Police Inspector Nilesh Rane to appear before it on Nov. 30 for a reply failing which the Court will decide the matter in their absence.

Social activist Kashinath Shetye had moved to JMFC accusing that the Vigilance Department did not register his complaint over the alleged scam in conversion of Goa Housing Board (GHB) land at Colvale.

In a letter to Directorate of Vigilance, Shetye said that GHB Chairman acquired the land at the instance of GHB for the purpose of housing projects but it was instead allotted to ?Nilkanth Halarnkar Trust,? an entity owned by the minister himself.

?Chairman of the GHB apparently in an effort to channel lands acquired for the projects of the GHB, to his own use, has chosen to abuse his position in power as Minister for Housing and Chairman of the GHB has made a show of allotting Trust which he heads?,? the letter reads.

The complainant said that this has resulted a loss to the exchequer of more than about Rs 57 lakh. The letter also included unnamed politicians and bureaucrats of corruption, misappropriation and loss
to exchequer.

?He (Halarnkar) allotted 23,000 m2 at a throwaway price of Rs 1000 per m2 which land is worth about Rs 4,200 per m2, to an institute of hotel management and the ownership is not known. They have estimated a loss of Rs 7.36 crores to the exchequer through the alleged illegalities,? he said referring to another piece of land at Colvale.

Reacting to allegations put forth, GHB Managing Director Melvyn Vaz stated that the detailed lay out plan embarks areas for residential, commercial and institutional plots besides other Government projects.

?We strongly deny the irregularities whatsoever and there is no loss to the exchequer whatsoever,? he said adding that the plots were allotted at rate fixed and finalized by the Board and approved by the
Government.