Goa vigilance department suspends chief town planner

Panaji, Apr 30 (PTI) The Directorate of Vigilance on Wednesday suspended chief town planner Rajesh Naik, accused of undervaluing an assessment order and causing a loss to the exchequer, after submission of a confidential report to the High Court.
    A senior official from the Vigilance Department said disciplinary proceedings would be initiated against Naik.
    The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court is hearing a petition filed by activists who accused Naik of "undervaluing the assessment order for calculating fees for correction of the zone under section 17 (2) of Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act thereby causing a loss of Rs 7.16 crore to the public exchequer".
    Akshay Potekar, Director of Vigilance, ruled that Rajesh Naik, who heads the state Town and Country Planning Department, is suspended immediately. He has been asked to report to the Department of Personnel till further orders.
    Naik has been directed not to leave the headquarters without obtaining previous permission from the competent authority.
    Three activists recently filed a writ petition seeking an inquiry against Naik for allegedly causing Rs 7.16 crore to the public exchequer by deliberately undervaluing the assessment order in violation of a government notification published in the state gazette on March 28, 2024.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)