PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has questioned the Panchayats Department over missing original records linked to the Rs 12.76 lakh Rachol Material Recovery Facility (MRF) project, while also asking why the department continues to rely on physical files for NOC-related procedures.
The issue came up before a Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation concerning the Rachol MRF.
The Court is examining how the project was sanctioned and how the Rs 12.76 lakh grant was approved and utilised. The Bench has sought the original documents to establish the sequence of approvals and financial decisions.
Officials told the Court that the file containing the grant sanction had been located, but another file containing project-related documents, reportedly dating back around four years, was still being traced.
The difficulty in locating the records prompted the Bench to question the department’s continued dependence on physical documentation. The judges pointed out that departments such as Health and Electricity have moved their NOC procedures online and asked why the Panchayats Department had not adopted a similar system.
The Bench observed that digitisation could make government records easier to access and track, particularly when documents are required years after decisions are taken.
Court Questions Approval Process
After examining the available file, the Bench also raised questions about how the financial approval was processed when the documents appeared to lack basic project details, including the dimensions and other particulars of the proposed facility, apart from the sanctioned amount.
The department’s counsel was directed to examine the available material and place before the Court a clear chronology of how the sanction was processed.
The Court also sought clarification about the original project file after being informed that it had been sent to the Block Development Office (BDO). The concerned BDO was directed to produce the original records before the Bench.
Petition Challenges Rachol MRF Expenditure
The proceedings stem from a petition filed by Querobino Gomes and four other petitioners, challenging expenditure incurred by the Rachol Panchayat on a waste-processing shed.
The petitioners have raised questions over an alleged mismatch between the area for which funding was sanctioned and the actual size of the structure, as well as the expenditure of more than Rs 12 lakh.
They have also questioned the documentation relating to the land identified for the project and whether the Panchayat records adequately establish the basis for the approval and release of funds.
The High Court had earlier directed the Director of Panchayats to produce the original documents concerning the sanction, approval and expenditure of the Rachol MRF before the Bench.
