COST OF CAR REPAIRS YET TO BE RECOVERED FROM EX-IGP: HOME MINISTRY TRYING TO GRILL THE POLICE DRIVER ON DUTY

PANJIM: The cost of repairs of the government vehicle is yet to be recovered from former IGP K D Singh, whose son drove the car and met with a road accident on December 4, 2009.  Meanwhile, the home department has asked DGP Bhimsen Bassi to clarify if the driver was on official duty when the IGP's son took the car and if so, why had he not observed that the vehicle had been taken out.

The home department has also sought to know that if the driver had observed that the IGP's son had taken the vehicle, then why didn't he intimate the IGP and if he had intimated the IGP, then what action had been taken.

In addition to this, the home department has also sought to know from the DGP whether responsibility or accountability in the matter had been fixed for initiating disciplinary proceedings and recovery of the amount from the defaulter. This was revealed by the home minister Ravi Naik in the assembly to an unstarred query raised by leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar. It must be recalled that TOI had reported that a file noting of the state's home department has accused the Goa police of 'not coming clean' in the case dating back to December 4, 2009.

The noting, dated January 1, 2011, stated, "The Goa police is not coming clean. They may be directed to respond and intimate what action they have taken towards fixing accountability and consequential recovery through formal disciplinary proceedings."

As per the file noting, it was construed that the Goa police wasn't coming clean on the issue as it had failed to explain how the car was in the possession of the IGP's son, Siddharth Singh, when it was actually supposed to be in the custody of the official driver.

"The Goa police said that the vehicle was parked at the (IGP's) official residence and kept as back-up during the night with a driver on duty, and that the IGP's son took the vehicle without the driver's knowledge," the noting has revealed.