Six Goa MLAs to foot own bill for trip to World Cup 2014 in Brazil

PANAJI: The six Goa legislators, including three ministers, whose proposed trip to watch the football World Cup in Brazil on state funds had kicked off a row, today said that they have decided to themselves foot the bill for the visit without taxing the state exchequer.

The Brazil visit of the six MLAs, including ministers Ramesh Tawadkar (Sports), Avertano Furtado (Fisheries) and Milind Naik (Power), sparked a controversy after the state sports department sanctioned Rs 89 lakh for the tour.

That prompted the opposition Congress to yesterday term the trip a "wasteful expenditure" while seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to "stop the junket".

"The six (of us) legislators met last evening. We decided to go to Brazil on our own without taking money from the state government. We don't want to spend money from the state treasury. We don't want to be a burden on the state coffers," Furtado told PTI today.

He said that the decision was unanimously taken by the six of them, including also the legislators Benjamin Silva (Independent), Glen Ticlo and Carlose Almeida (both BJP), after the media created a "hype" over the tour.

"It was a big hype created that we are going at the cost of the state exchequer. All six of us decided that we will pay from our own pockets and visit Brazil," said Furtado, a former goalkeeper of Salgaocar Football Club.

All six MLAs are expected to meet Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar later in the day to convey their decision.