Panaji: Goa Congress legislators Monday
expressed doubts over credibility of the report prepared by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which probed instances of illegal mining in the coastal state, even as the party members
on the committee "admitted" that they often remained absent in
its meetings.
Congress legislator Fransic Silveira told reporters
today he had not attended even a single out of 20 meetings of
PAC held to discuss illegal iron ore mining which presumed to
have caused a major loss to the state exchequer.
"I did not attend a single meeting. I used to get
invitations," Silveira said.
When asked why he did not attend them, the MLA replied "he was too busy to attend these meetings".
Meanwhile, All India Congress Committee (AICC)secretary Sudhakar Reddy, during a recent press briefing, said
the Congress members were not "invited" to attend the PAC
meetings.
He had also claimed that the members had submitted a
dissident note to the PAC chairman Manohar Parrikar.
His contention was, however, denied by two out of
three party legislators who were among 7 members of PAC.
"No...I have not submitted any dissident note,"
Silveira said when pointed out to the statement of his leader.
Another Congress MLA Agnelo Fernandes admitted that he
was irregular in the meetings.
"I will decide whether to sign the report or not only
after reading it," Fernandes said, adding he used to receive
all invites for the meetings.
The third legislator Victoria Fernandes was not
available for comment.
Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLA Pandurang
Dhavalikar, a coalition partner in the Congress-led Digambar
Kamat Government, said his party would sign the PAC report.
PTI
