Goa's ex- Mines Director, collector under vigilance scanner

Former Director of Mines and Geology and a former Collector are among the officers against whom the Vigilance Department has launched investigations for various illegalities, the Goa Assembly was told today.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said that in all there were 28 cases referred to the Vigilance over the last one year of which two related to mining.
The then Director of Mines and Geology, Arvind Lolyekar, is accused of irregularities and failure to control illegal extraction and transportation of ore while former South District collectorate, G P Naik is accused of illegally allotting government land on long lease in Curchorem village for mining activities.

In case of other officers being investigated by the Vigilance Department, the charges include foreign travels without permission, sexual harassment at workplace, carelessness resulting in death of a person, illegal allotment of land for setting up Special Economic Zones, according to the reply given in the assembly.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Shamba Sawant was being investigated for alleged sexual harassment of a lady police constable.
Three officers from Public Works Department who were suspended for widening a road without acquiring the land were also being probed, it was stated.
A case was also filed against unidentified officers of state-run Goa Industrial Development Corporation for illegal allotment of land in Special Economic Zone in Goa to various companies during 2006-07.

As per the information furnished in the House, a former minister (who is not named in the complaint) has been accused along with three officers for causing loss to the state exchequer in case of a land deal.