Notice to Goa government on e-tablet 'scam'

The Bombay High Court's Panaji bench, which is hearing a petition alleging a multi-crore rupee scam in the distribution of 47,000 e-tablets to students, Tuesday issued notice to the chief secretary, a state government-run IT corporation's head as well as several computer dealers in the state.

The bench of Justice Z.A. Haq and Justice F.M. Reis has asked the respondents to respond to its notice and provide the relevant information and documents to the court by April 7.

The petition filed by Samir Kelekar had alleged a scam running into several crores engineered by a cartel of local computer dealers, which he alleges, sold the tablets to the government at an inflated price.

In December last year, on Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's birthday, the first of the 47,000 branded tablets were distributed to students as part of a new scheme announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.

The tablets, pre-loaded with educational software and other add-ons, have been acquired by the Info-Tech Corporation of Goa (ITCG) for Rs.9,950 and distributed to the students.

A group of computers dealers, other than those who have been made respondents in the case have claimed that the price of the tablets have been inflated by as much as Rs.2,200 per unit.

ITCG chairman Subhash Phaldeai however rejected the allegation.

"If anyone can provide an undertaking that they could provide a tablet with the same specification for Rs.7,200 as alleged, we are willing to give them the remaining order," he asserted.