Goa government to probe appointment of consultant for Lusofonia Games

PANAJI: Goa government has asked the vigilance department to investigate into the appointment of a consultant for Lusofonia Games, who was blacklisted for fiasco in the Commonwealth Games held in Delhi.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the state Legislative Assembly that he has asked the vigilance department to inquire into appointment of a consultant for Lusofonia Games, the Portuguese common wealth games, scheduled to be held in Goa in January next year.

Parrikar was responding to the issue raised by Independent legislator Vijay Sardesai during zero hour on the floor of the House.

The legislator had pointed out that the consultant appointed for Lusofonia Games was tainted and blacklisted by the Comptroller Auditor General ( CAG) post-Common Wealth Games.

State sports minister Ramesh Tawadkar told the House that the consultant was appointed in 2010 when the Congress-led government was in power.

He said the state government records has no reference which mentions that the consultant was blacklisted.

The minister said that the Congress-led government dilly-dallied over the construction of infrastructure for Lusofonia Games for three years and finally it was started after the BJP-led government took over.

"We have completed the infrastructure within eight months," Tawadkar said.