Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: In a scathing attack, South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes on Wednesday evening demanded the immediate suspension of Chief Secretary Puneet Goel, in connection with an alleged land deal in Aldona involving crores of rupees.
Fernandes said he would also raise this issue with the Centre in Delhi.
Speaking to reporters in Vasco, Fernandes expressed outrage over the alleged involvement of a top bureaucrat in a land deal which has sparked off controversy.
“It is very sad that a top bureaucrat is involved in a land deal, where a field has been allegedly converted to a settlement plot, and a house was built in the area,” alleged Fernandes.
Fernandes also highlighted the systematic abuse of legal provisions that enabled land conversions.
“In the last few years, Section 39A was used to convert land. When that section was challenged in court, the government introduced clause, 17(2), and under the guise of corrections and showing a road, all these things have been done.”
“With the involvement of a top bureaucrat in a land deal, Goa is going to be doomed,” he warned.
“Our Congress party had staged a protest, and we chose not to meet the chief minister because it is of no use at all. Our party will now be meeting the governor instead on this issue,” Fernandes stated.
Fernandes firmly demanded that the chief secretary should not only be suspended but also barred from leaving the State.
“My demand is that the chief secretary of Goa should be immediately placed under suspension and not allowed to leave Goa because he is planning to go on a transfer to Delhi. I will also raise this issue at the Centre in Delhi,” said Fernandes.
The South Goa MP also demanded a full-fledged investigation by a serving or retired judge into the land deal at Aldona involving crores of rupees.
“This should be a signal to all bureaucrats and government officials that everyone will be dealt with in the same way. The government officers and bureaucrats must also face action,” Fernandes added.
