By IANS,
Panaji : Election authorities in poll-bound Goa have sought paramilitary forces to guard the state’s borders against the inflow of unaccounted and fake currency, a senior official said Friday.
“In the wake of elections, there is every possibility that fake notes might be smuggled in the state. The central forces have been directed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to keep a vigil,” joint chief electoral officer Narayan Navti said.
Navti further said that the election authorities had sought Border Security Force (BSF) personnel to man Goa’s road borders which are shared with Karnataka and Maharashtra to block the flow of fake and illicit money.
Earlier Friday, civil society group Pilerne Citizens Forum (PCF) said that the real estate and mining mafia operating in Goa were pumping in money to back their favoured candidates in the March 3 poll.
“Such money which is being used to influence voters with elections nearly two months away can only come from the real estate lobbies and the mining mafia in Goa,” said Yatish Naik of the PCF.
The outcome of the polls is expected to affect the real estate and the mining lobbies, with two major government policies involving a controversial futuristic land use document and a mining policy, near completion.