Panaji: Health, Town and Country Planning, and Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane on Saturday instructed all the Heads of Departments (HoDs) under his portfolios to file formal police complaints after forged documents surfaced during a press conference.
Goa Congress President Amit Patkar, on Saturday morning, held a press conference alleging that appointment and offer letters were given to unsuspecting candidates in the Urban Development, TCP, and Health Departments to extort money from them.
Patkar presented a stack of letters during the press conference, which were reportedly signed by the HoDs of the departments overseen by Rane.
Within minutes of the press conference, Rane directed the heads of the relevant departments to take immediate and stringent action against the circulation of fake work orders.
“The Minister has highlighted that the forgery of government officials’ signatures is a criminal offence and has instructed all department heads to file FIRs against those involved in producing and distributing these fraudulent documents,” a spokesman from Rane’s office said in a media statement.
It was revealed that one of the fake documents contained a forged stamp from the Forest Department and falsely implicated Jyoti Sardessai, the former Director of the FDA. “This incident underscores the lengths to which individuals are going to misrepresent government authorities and mislead the public,” the spokesman added.
The Minister also emphasized the importance of taking strict action against defamatory activities, including the circulation of a call recording by an individual allegedly offering to sell government jobs.
“This recording is intended to damage the reputation of the Minister and the departments involved. Steps must be taken to ensure that the police investigate and address this misconduct,” the spokesman said.
