Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: PWD Principal Chief Engineer Uttam Parsekar has come under renewed legal scrutiny after a new petition was filed before the Bombay High Court at Goa alleging irregularities in the award of public works tenders, resulting in a massive loss to the State exchequer.
The petition, filed on Thursday by a group of citizens, accuses Parsekar of showing undue favour to his relatives and a select group of contractors while awarding both tendered and non-tendered PWD works. It further alleges that payments were cleared despite serious procedural lapses, causing an estimated loss of around ₹1,350 crore to the State.
Parsekar, along with the Vigilance Department and other concerned authorities, has been named as a respondent in the case. The petitioners have also criticised the Vigilance Department for failing to act on a detailed complaint submitted in January 2025. According to the plea, no comprehensive investigation was initiated, with authorities merely issuing a memo to Parsekar seeking an explanation before allowing the matter to fade away.
Seeking urgent relief, the petition urges the High Court to order an independent and impartial inquiry by the Vigilance Department into the allegations. The matter is expected to be mentioned before the High Court on Monday.
This development follows closely on the heels of another petition filed by nearly 16 PWD engineers, who have challenged the government’s decision to grant Parsekar three consecutive service extensions, enabling him to continue in office for nearly three years beyond his retirement.
The engineers have alleged misuse of discretion by the government, pointing out that the latest extension—valid till January 31, 2026—lacked any exceptional justification. They have also argued that the extensions run contrary to a High Court ruling dated October 14, 2025, which advised the State to refrain from extending the tenure of retiring officers and instead induct younger officers by suitably amending recruitment rules or eligibility criteria.
Parsekar is scheduled to retire on January 31, while the hearing in the first petition is slated for next week.
