Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Working President Sunil Kawthankar has accused the BJP government of pushing Goa into a financial crisis, questioning fresh borrowings of ₹700 crore allegedly undertaken soon after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the Assembly that no loans had been taken during the current period.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Kawthankar claimed that the government borrowed ₹500 crore in September and another ₹200 crore within 10 days in October, taking Goa’s total public debt to approximately ₹38,000 crore. He said the borrowings raised serious questions about the government’s financial management and transparency.
Kawthankar demanded that Sawant, who also holds the Finance portfolio, issue a white paper detailing the state’s borrowings, annual debt-servicing costs estimated at around ₹4,000 crore, and liabilities incurred through state corporations, including the Economic Development Corporation (EDC).
Questioning the government’s claim of a ₹1,000 crore budget surplus, Kawthankar alleged that the figures were misleading. Citing the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG) 2025 audit report, he claimed that the state’s borrowings were in violation of Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) guidelines.
Congress leader Rahul Mhambre also criticised the government’s financial management, alleging large-scale corruption in tenders and commissions. Kawthankar claimed that the government had spent ₹700 crore on event management over the past five years, averaging ₹140 crore annually.
He alleged that several events, including those organised for visits by the Prime Minister, Yoga Day and Prerna Din, were conducted without competitive tendering, with post-facto approvals allegedly being used to award contracts to favoured vendors. He also cited a two-day event involving the Lok Sabha Speaker, which he claimed had cost ₹8 crore.
The Congress leaders argued that borrowing could be justified if the funds were used for public infrastructure and essential services. However, they alleged that facilities at the South District Hospital remained inadequate and primary health centres continued to be neglected.
Kawthankar further claimed that around ₹3,000 crore in green cess remained uncollected from major coal importers, including JSW and Adani. He also alleged that the Electricity Department had outstanding dues of around ₹500 crore from commercial and industrial consumers, while households were facing steep increases in electricity bills.
The Congress leader also accused the government of failing to address the alleged cash-for-jobs scam. He claimed that an unauthorised operator had functioned from the Old Secretariat and managed unofficial collection networks involving police personnel. Kawthankar held Sawant accountable in his capacity as Home Minister.
Raising concerns over alleged illegal constructions and land-use conversions under Section 39A of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, Kawthankar accused the department of favouring influential outsiders over local residents. He referred to an alleged construction linked to a West Bengal BJP leader in a heritage or Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) area.
“The TCP Department has become ‘Country Selling’ instead of Country Planning,” Kawthankar said, adding that Congress leaders in Canacona would pursue the alleged illegal conversions and constructions through legal channels.
