Goa News Updates...

14% hike in Goa’s petrol consumption

2011-04-09T15:28:00.001+05:30

Goa has witnessed a 14% increase in petrol consumption and a 6-7% jump in diesel consumption over the last year, Union secretary for petroleum and natural gas S Sundareshan said Saturday.

“LPG consumption is growing at 10% per annum. For a population of 14 lakh, 4 lakh gas connections is very good. If you consider that each family comprises 3-4 persons, we have covered the entire population,” he said.

When pointed out that the capital city does not have a single petrol pump providing 24-hour service, Sundareshan said he would inquire into it and directed BPCL officials to provide such a facility at the earliest.

City of Joy erupts once again

2011-04-09T15:27:00.000+05:30

The city's reputation as the Mecca of Indian soccer is on the decline, but Kolkata is soaking in the WAKA WAKA fever!

As Planet Earth soaks up the biggest sporting spectacle in the world, the FIFA World Cup, the excitement level is also reaching fever pitch in India. Ever since this game was introduced to India by the British in the late 1800s, the 'beautiful game' has always had a special place in the heart of people from Bengal, Goa and Kerala.

While the performance of Bengal teams have nosedived rapidly over the last five years in the domestic soccer season, the enthusiasm and love for the biggest football event of the world continues unabated in the City of Joy.

India's absence from this event has never affected the spirit of this soccer-mad city. The entire city has turned into a special football zone. Different parts of this mega-polis have 'adopted' a particular nation and cheer them on during this one-month football festival.

Brazil and Argentina are the two perennial favourite teams in Kolkata. In fact one would even find special prayers being offered at temples for an individual team's success. Huge groups of people would be assembling in front of a television-set to cheer their 'adopted' nation.

One can also find street walls painted with different country colours. Cheap team jersey replicas can be found in every nook and corner of the city, especially at the Maidan Market in central Kolkata. Needless to say, the price of a particular jersey depends on the team's progress in the tournament.

The victory celebrations have to be seen to be believed. Hordes of people normally come out on the streets to celebrate the result of a particular game by spraying each other with the team colour.

Chapora, Cabo da Rama in Goa may get new lease of life

2011-04-09T15:18:00.001+05:30

The state government is perusing a proposal for adaptive reuse of two well-known forts in Goa—Chapora in Badez and Cabo da Rama in Canacona. INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & Culural Heritage) has already submitted detailed project reports in this regard, said development commisioner and secretary (archives) Narendra Kumar. Adaptive re-use is a process by which ancient buildings are adapted for new uses while retaining their historic features.

Allaying fears that hotels or any such venture may come up in the forts, Kumar said, “We are not going in for any change that would affect the basic character of the place… the restoration will be done without affecting the archaeological, historical and heritage value.”

The government may initially organize ‘light and sound’ programmes, as is done in places like the Red Fort, or host cultural programmes. Although other states have restored monuments for adaptive re-use, this will be the first such instance in Goa. However, given the problems government officials faced during the renovation of the Reis Magos fort, the government wants to put in place a proper law before going ahead with the project.

It intends to amend the Goa, Daman and Diu Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1978 to facilitate the government to undertake restoration, renovation, re-erection and reconstruction of ancient monuments and to put them to adaptive re-use “without affecting their basic character, archaelogical, historical and heritage value”.

The government also wants to make sure that works approved by the authorities concerned do not get stalled midway. Besides, Kumar said, there’s a strong need to protect government officials and professionals involved with such projects from legal proceedings.

During the restoration of the Reis Magos fort, based on complaints filed by some organisations cases were slapped on government officials, including a police inspector. Officials need protection and the law will be amended, Kumar said. The amendment will come up in the next assembly session after which the government plans to go ahead with the project.

The pre-Potuguese picturesque Chapora fort has changed hands many times, falling to the Mughals and the Marathas besides the Portuguese. The Portuguese fortified it in 1717.

Cabo de Rama fort also has a picturesque view and attracts a large number of tourists. However, like the Chapora fort, it is also in a dilapidated condition. A witness to fierce battles in the past, it has a tunnel built by the Portuguse. The British had used the fort as a prison.

As part of its efforts to restore the state’s historical monuments to their former glory, the Goa government has spent around Rs 20 crore under the XII finance commission on places like Santana Church, the holy pond of Mahalsa temple in Verna, the Reis Magos church and the St Estevam fort.

Pacheco to move HC for bail in Nadia death case

2011-04-09T15:11:00.000+05:30

Former Goa Tourism Minister Fransisco Mickey Pacheco will be moving for anticipatory bail in High Court on Monday.

Goa bench of Bombay High Court will also hear the anticipatory bail petition filed by Pacheco’s aide, Lyndon Monteiro tomorrow.

Both were denied relief by session court in Margao, last week.

The former minister in his earlier bail petition had claimed that he was being framed in the entire case.

Pacheco is on the run after he was questioned by Crime Branch in connection with the death of his 28-year-old friend Nadia Torrado.

Monteiro, his close aide and officer on special duty, is also missing since June 6 after he was charged for destroying evidence in this case.

Nadia had died on May 30 while being treated in a private hospital at Chennai.

Crime Branch on Saturday had questioned Pacheco’s live-in partner Viola Fernandes, who had given clean chit for him.

She had said that Pacheco is innocent and she herself was present in Mumbai when Nadia was shifted to a hospital there.

Goa woman’s death case: police raid Pacheco’s house

2011-04-09T14:41:00.000+05:30

Police today conducted raids at the residence of former Goa minister Fransisco Pacheco in Betalbhatim village near here and also issued a look-out notice against his aide and co-accused Lyndon Monteiro in connection with the death of a woman friend.

“Seven computers have been confiscated after a team led by inspector Tushar Vernekar conducted extensive search of Pacheco’s residence in Betalbhatim village (40 km from here),” a top official said.

Pacheco had to step down as tourism minister and is on the run after his name was involved in the death of 28-year-old Nadia Torrado. Crime branch has already named Pacheco, along with his aide Monteiro, as accused in the case.

Police also a issued look-out notice against Monteiro, who is missing since June 6.

A sessions court in Margao has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Monteiro and Pacheco.

Setting up of a new Greenfield International Airport at Mopa in Goa and Continuation of commercial operations at Dabolim Civil Enclave

2011-04-09T14:20:00.001+05:30

The Union Cabinet today gave its approval for setting up of a new Greenfield International Airport at Mopa of international standards in Goa. The new airport at Mopa will be constructed on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, for which, a private entity will be selected through a global tendering process. The Cabinet also decided to grant status of International Airport to the new airport.

The Cabinet also approved the continuation of commercial operations at the existing Dabolim Civil Enclave Airport by reviewing its earlier decision to close down the airport once the commercial operations start from Mopa in Goa. Continuation of Dabolim airport at Goa will facilitate the State to meet the requirement of increased inflow of air traffic more efficiently as well as for the balanced development of all parts of the State.

Police register case against ex-Goa minister

2011-04-09T14:19:00.000+05:30

In more trouble for absconding former Goa minister Fransisco Pacheco, police on Thursday registered a case accusing him of culpable homicide and destroying evidence in the death of his close friend Nadia Torrado even as his anticipatory bail plea was rejected.

“A case has been filed against Pacheco under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of IPC,” police said.

A session court earlier rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Pacheco, who is on the run fearing arrest in connection with the death of 28-year-old Nadia, who allegedly consuming poison.

The former minister is now likely to approach the high court with the anticipatory bail plea.

Public Prosecutor Sarojini Sardinha appearing on behalf of the State told the sessions court that the poison could not have been consumed by mistake by Nadia.

Considering the marks of injuries on her body, there is a possibility that she must have been given poison, police said.

Crime branch, which had earlier named 46-year-old Pacheco as a main accused in the case, said there is enough evidence on record to accuse him of being involved in the crime.

“From the statements of the witness, post mortem reports, circumstantial and scientific evidence, it is clear that Pacheco has been involved in this crime and is evading his arrest,” the crime branch submitted in the court.

Presenting the post-mortem report conducted on Nadia’s body at Chennai, where she died during treatment, before the court, police said that her death was due to poisoning and complications, with multiple contusions.

Police said they wanted to record weapon of assault for which custodial interrogation of Pacheco was a must.

“There is a strong possibility that the applicant accused may tamper with the evidence,” the crime branch said.

Alleging that Nadia’s family members had destroyed vital evidence in this case, police quoted the statement of a maid servant who told the investigating officer that she burnt three plastic polythene bags on June 2, just before the funeral procession of the deceased as told by her mother.

According to the Crime Branch, Nadia’s brother had conceded in his statement that huge money was spent on her treatment by Pacheco and an unknown person. Police have said Pacheco knew Nadia even before her marriage.

Nadia married Wilson Barretto in 2007 and thereafter their relation ran into rough weather.

NCP’s Halarnkar inducted in Goa Cabinet in place of Pacheco

2011-04-05T21:23:00.000+05:30

Halarnkar was administered oath of office and secrecy by Governor S S Sidhu at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan this evening. Chief Minister Digamber Kamat and his Cabinet colleagues were present for the function.

Halarnkar’s portfolio will be announced later.

Pacheco, who held three portfolios, including tourism, put in his papers on June 5. The 46-year-old is on the run after being questioned by Crime Branch over the death of Nadia Torrado (28).

Halarnkar, MLA from Thivim, currently heads the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA). He was earlier inducted as Parliamentary Secretary, but had to step down after the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court ruled against having such a post.

The first-time lawmaker is among the three-MLA strong NCP that is supporting the Congress-led Government. The Sharad Pawar-led party has been given two Ministerial berths as part of its pact with the Congress.

In 40-member House, Congress has 18 MLAs followed by BJP (14), NCP (3), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independents (2 each) and United Goans Democratic Party (1).

NIT Reservation for Goan students should continue for three more years

2011-04-05T21:22:00.002+05:30

Mr. Shantaram Naik M.P. has, in a letter faxed by him to the HRD Minister Shri Kapil Sibal has demanded that the quota of seats allotted for the students from Goa for B-Tech Engineering should be retained at least for three more years till the NIT Goa,infrastructure takes shape.

Mr. Naik in his letter written to Mr. Sibal says that the Ministry of Human Resource Development vide order dated 30/10/2009 has decided to set up a new NIT at Goa to be monitored by National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangalore. The Government of Goa and National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal were entrusted the joint responsibility of taking all necessary steps for the establishment of NIT Goa so as to start the academic activities from the year 2010-11.

Mr. Naik says that NIT Goa is starting its activities from the present academic year but it will take some years for the institution to establish itself.

National Institute of Technology has been providing more than 50 seats every years to the students from Goa, since the state had no NIT institution.

Mr. Naik says that the strength of the NIT Goa is 90 out of which 50% seats are reserved for Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra, Nagar Haweli and Lakshadweep Islands.

Mr. Naik says that the NIT, Goa, is starting its activities from the present academic year, in the premises of Goa Engineering College, however, it will take some years for the institution to establish itself.

The Government of Goa has identified a few sites for the establishment of NIT Goa , and that, it is the endevour of the Government to see that the institute takes a good shape in near future, Mr. Naik says.

National Institute of Technology has been providing more than 50 seats every year to the students from Goa, the state being one which had no NIT institution, however, since, NIT, Goa, has to develop its infrastructure, and that, it may take some years, Mr Naik has requested requested the HRD Minister, to maintain a status quo as regards the seats allotted to Goa by way of super-numeris.

Mr. Naik has referred his earlier letter to the government, in which he had requested the government, that the State of Goa should be given all the 50% of the total seats by adjusting the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haweli in the NIT institute in the State of Gujarat and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in the NIT Institute of Kerala. There has been no response to this demand,despite a simultaneous request having made by the Chief Minister of Goa too.

Till date, it is not known that out of 45 seats, which is 50% of the total allotted seats of 90, how many seats the State of Goa is likely to get, Mr. Naik adds.

Nadia Torrado case: Did Goa ex-Minister Pacheco bribe her family?

2011-04-05T21:22:00.001+05:30

A Goa court will decide on Thursday whether to grant bail to Mickey Pacheco, the state’s former Tourism Minister, who is missing, and has been named the main suspect in the mysterious death of his girlfriend, Nadia Torrado. (Read: Pacheco files for anticipatory bail, says he is innocent)

The police have suggested that Pacheco attacked Nadia with a blunt weapon before she died, and that he then tried to destroy evidence. It also alleges that Pacheco may have given Nadia’s family close to 35 lakhs to ensure they protect him. Nadia’s brother has allegedly admitted to receiving this money in installments. He has not, however, implicated Pacheco.

Nadia died on May 30 in a Chennai hospital where she had been moved after she allegedly drank rat poison. Her family has offered the baffling explanation, one backed by Pacheco, that Nadia died because she mistakenly used rat poison instead of toothpaste. (Read: 11 injury marks found on body of Goa woman: Police)

While opposing Pacheco’s bail in court on Wednesday, the prosecution said that Pacheco and Nadia’s family had given contradictory statements, pointing to a possible collusion.
Sources tell NDTV that Nadia’s mother, Sonia Torrado, is likely to be arrested soon for destroying evidence. Nadia’s mobile phone, passport, laptop and the crucial tube of rat poison that she is alleged to have consumed have disappeared.

Pacheco’s Officer on Special Duty, Lyndon Monteiro, is also being investigated for playing a role in Nadia’s death. (Read: Pacheco named main suspect in Nadia Torredo’s death)

Women activists in Goa have been arguing that Nadia’s death is not a case of simple suicide. The police now agrees - it believes that her suicide could have been forced. In court, the prosecution said that Pacheco was with Nadia on the night of May 14, hours before she consumed the rat poison that killed her. Phone records show that the then minister was in regular touch with the 27-year-old on May 14.

Pacheco was interrogated for nine hours on Friday. He resigned on Saturday and did not show up for a second round of questioning scheduled by the police. Since then, he has been missing, with the Goa police insisting it has no information on where he might be. That surprises many who point out that Pacheco, a man of local prominence, is easily identifiable.

Eleven injury marks on Nadia’s body: Goa police

2011-04-05T19:48:00.002+05:30

The body of Nadia Torrado bore 11 injury marks as per her autopsy report, officials said Monday even as the ex-Tourism Minister of Goa remained untraced following his questioning in connection with his close friend’s death allegedly after consuming poison.

There were 11 injury marks on the body of the girl which were reported during a post-mortem in Chennai. “The bruises were also visible in the second autopsy conducted in Goa,” a senior police officer said.

Torrado, 28, died on May 30 at Chennai after allegedly consuming rat poison and thereafter a post-mortem was conducted on her body. The second autopsy was conducted when the body was brought to Goa next day.

Torrado’s alleged suicide triggered trouble for former minister Fransisco Micky Pacheco, who was her close friend. After facing intense questioning by Crime Branch on Friday, Pacheco went underground since Saturday and has been untraceable.

Police spokesman Atmaram Deshpande said look-out circulars has been issued against the minister, especially at international airports. “There are no arrests executed in this case, but Nadia’s family was quizzed even today,” he added.

NCP legislator, who quit the post, termed his resignation as a move to allow free and fair investigation.

Pacheco’s officer on special duty, Lyndon Monteiro, on the other hand, moved his own anticipatory bail petition in district court at Margao after being summoned by Crime Branch.

Monteiro, 37, who is also vice president of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), has distanced himself from Pacheco claiming that his relations with minister were purely professional.

“I am not concerned with his other personal aspects and life,” Monteiro had said in his anticipatory bail plea.

Divine hand guiding me: Goa CM

2011-04-05T19:48:00.001+05:30

Goa chief minister Digamber Kamat has said that a divine hand was guiding him in the governance which is helping him overcome the obstacles.

Kamat, in a booklet released by the state government on the completion of three years, said, “I am conscious of the fact that the divine hand is guiding me to fulfill my life mission of service to fellowmen and helping me overcome obstacles in my path.”

The chief minister has faced two major revolts during last three years of governance when its coalition ally - NCP, along with supporting legislators raised banner of discontent against him. The revolt was calmed down by intervention of Congress and NCP high commands.

“There is a feeling that much more could have been accomplished had there been a totally favourable ambience,” Kamat said in the booklet ‘Golden Glow,’ released yesterday.

When questioned on what was the non-favourable ambience, Kamat avoided a direct answer.

“I mean I could have done better. I feel, I could have done better which I am trying to do in future,” he said.

Kamat said some areas of concern and challenges are decline in agrarian economy and making agriculture an economically viable proposition.

“Existence of unemployment and underemployment, rising migration, slums and related social issues, solid waste management, disposal issues, coverage of sewerage and sanitation facilities, sustainable development with environmental protection and adequate availability of financial resources are the challenges faced by government,” he said

Ex-Goa minister Pacheco seeks bail

2011-04-05T19:43:00.000+05:30

Mickky Pacheco, former Goa tourism minister who was questioned in connection with the suspicious death of his alleged paramour, Tuesday applied for anticipatory bail at a local court. Preparations are also on to induct a new minister in the 12-member cabinet to replace him.

Pacheco, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator who already faces charges of bigamy, extortion and assault, went ‘missing’ after Crime Branch officials grilled him for nearly nine hours Friday.

He applied for anticipatory bail at the Margao district and sessions court.

Pacheco has been caught in the whirlwind after his 28-year-old alleged lover Nadia Torrado died May 30 at a Chennai hospital after consuming rat poison.

Women activists and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or judicial enquiry into the woman’s death.

Pacheco himself demanded a judicial probe into Torrado’s death, calling the police investigation a “witch-hunt” against him.

Meanwhile, preparations are being made to swear-in a new minister.

Sources said a meeting of the respective high commands of the NCP and the Congress had finalised the name of Nilkanth Halarnkar, an NCP legislator from Thivim to replace Pacheco in the Congress-led coalition government.

The present ruling dispensation includes the Congress, the NCP, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), one Independent legislator and one unattached legislator.

“Since an NCP minister was dropped, we insisted that an NCP legislator should be inducted. Two cabinet berths for the NCP is part and parcel of the alliance agreement with the Congress,” an NCP functionary said.

While Halarnkar’s name has not been formally announced, Raj Bhavan grounds have been readied for the swearing-in ceremony to be held Tuesday afternoon.

Goa legislative assembly has 18 Congress legislators, 14 BJP, 3 NCP, 2 MGP, two Independents and one unattached legislator belonging to the United Goans Democratic party (UGDP).

In hiding, Goa blast accused says can’t run on, will give up

2011-04-05T19:29:00.001+05:30

Speaking to The Indian Express, one of the absconding accused in the Goa blast case has said he can't be constantly on the run and would be surrendering before the court at the earliest.

Prashant Ashtekar, 23, also admitted to have played a role in removing the hard disk of the computer being used by his brother Dhananjay, which the police claim had vital information about the circuits being prepared for engineering last October's Goa blast. Dhananjay was arrested in the case six months ago.

"I learnt about the charges slapped against me from newspapers. I can't be evading the police for a long time. I would be surrendering before the court soon and am hopeful of getting discharged," said Prashant.

On October 16, a bomb had gone off in a scooter in the commercial town of Margao in Goa, killing two Sanatan Sanstha activists Malgounda Patil and Yogesh Naik. Later, Vinayak Taklekar, an MBA who worked as an assistant HR manager with a seven-star hotel in Goa, Vinayak Patil, Dhananjay and Dilip Mangoankar were arrested. Prashant Ashtekar, Prashant Juvekar, Sarang Akolkar and Jaiprakash Putturu were declared wanted. Police believed the motive behind the blast was to spark communal violence in the state.

Pacheco resigned on moral grounds: NCP

2011-04-04T23:23:00.001+05:30

NCP today said its minister Fransisco Mickey Pacheco resigned from the cabinet on moral grounds after his name was embroiled in the controversy surrounding the death of a 28-year-old woman friend.

The 46-year-old Goa Tourism minister and NCP legislator from Benaulim constituency faxed his resignation letter to Chief Minister’s Office this afternoon, a day after he was quizzed by the Crime Branch in connection with the death of Nadia Torrado.

“Our legislator resigned to protect moral platform. NCP has always wanted that people should know the truth in this case,” NCP national secretary Jitendra Deshprabhu told PTI.

Deshprabhu said Pacheco resigned to give a free hand to the investigating authorities to probe the case.

Nadia, a close friend of the NCP minister, had died on Sunday at Chennai allegedly after consuming rat poison.

Navy rescues sick Jordanian from ship off Goa

2011-04-04T23:22:00.002+05:30

A Indian Navy helicopter responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel Al Hamra on Saturday morning and evacuated a sick Jordanian man on board before taking him for treatment to the Salgaocar Medical Research Centre (SMRC), Vasco.

The patient Mohamad Abdallah Ayyad was suffering from severe appendicitis on the ship which was about 80km from the Goa coast. The Indian Naval authorities swung into action immediately and a Chetak helicopter was launched from INS Hansa at 9.40am.

The crew comprised Cdr A Barkataky, Sub Lt Vinoth, LAD GS Sen and LAD Bhupinder. Since there was no place to land, the helicopter had to be manoeuvred by the pilot so as to winch up the patient. The evacuation was executed promptly and in a professional manner, despite strong winds.

The patient was brought back to INS Hansa, the naval air base, Goa, at 11.30am. He was then handed over to the shipping agents and transferred for further treatment to SMRC, informed Cmdr Mahesh Joshi, naval PRO.

Goa police looking for missing ex-tourism minister

2011-04-04T23:22:00.001+05:30

The Goa police say former tourism minister Fransisco Pacheco has not yet been traced. Pacheco resigned on Saturday, a day after the police interrogated him in connection with the death of his friend Nadia Torrado, a 28-year-old woman. He has since been missing. All police stations in Goa have been informed.

Police say it’s too early to say if he is involved, and that they need to investigate more. But they believe he is connected in some way to the case.

Pacheco, 46, quit from his post stating that he wanted the police to conduct free and fair inquiry into the incident.

Nadia had died in a Chennai hospital last Sunday after she allegedly consumed poison. Trouble started for the NCP minister when women organisations accused him of being responsible for her death.

However, Nadia’s family members, including her estranged husband Wilson Barretto, have stood by Pacheco saying his wife accidentally used a tube of rat poison mistaking it for toothpaste.

Director making waves in Goa

2011-04-04T23:21:00.001+05:30

In this darkly brooding setting, rarely associated with Goa, Laxmikant Shetgaonkar unspools a touching, authentic film that has earned him international acclaim.

After taking the International Federation of Film Critic’s award at the Toronto Film Festival in October last year, Paltadacho Munis (’The Man Beyond the Bridge’) was given the grand jury prize at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles recently. The film has also had a highly successful run at over a dozen film festivals abroad.

Based on a story by Konkani writer Mahableshwar Sail, the film looks at the concept of loneliness and how a man living deep in the forest handles himself in a rather unique situation. Vinayak (Chittaranjan Giri) is a forest guard tormented by the memory of his dead wife. He grieves her deeply and rejects his aunt’s pleadings to remarry. When his supervisor bluntly turns down his persistent applications for a transfer, Vinayak seems resigned to a solitary existence in a decrepit little house in a fast dwindling forest. He is required to carry out his duties though his uniform carries little power, even as the village is caught up in the shifting political dynamics.

One day a deranged woman, an outcast in the village, suddenly turns up at his door. Put off at first, the forest guard gives the woman food and shelter, and a bond slowly grows between the two, leading to a relationship. The arrangement becomes the gossip in the village and the couple is soon targeted. The village, meanwhile, is driven by the ambitions of the powerful local sarpanch who is set on building a temple on the forest land.

Shetgaonkar’s handling of the difficult subject in a multilayered narrative is admirable. He was “gripped”, he says, by the story. “I knew when I read it, I just had to tell it,” he says. .

With no filmmaking culture to speak of in Goa, Shetgaonkar worked with a small band of Goan theatre actors. The only professional actors in the film are Giri and Veena Jomkar who plays the mad woman. The Hindi-Telugu actor Giri, picked up for the lead part because of the “soulful look in his eyes”, had to take a crash course in Konkani.
Shetgaonkar has shown the way for independent filmmakers.

My language, my pride

2011-04-04T22:23:00.001+05:30

May 30, 1987, a day engraved in the history as the day Goa received statehood and went on to become the 25th State of India. The demand for statehood was first brought to fore by the supporters of Konkani language in order to preserve the Goan identity.

But, even after Konkani receiving the official language status it has not yet received the popularity and respect it deserves in Goa itself. 'The Navhind Times' tried to find out through the youth of Goa the population's perception towards the mother tongue of the state and realised that they do have respect for Konkani but the language needs to have a greater platform and uniformity to promote it.
"I did my primary education in Konkani medium. I consider that as one of the best decisions my parents made. It helped me think critically in my mother tongue itself, without any conversion / translation (in terms of processing information in mind) and thus, I believe, I got a better analytical thought development that further helped me in my life. Yes, Goans do respect Konkani but due to people moving in from different places, speaking Konkani is not always feasible but, in my friend circle, we all speak in Konkani and respect it very much."

Gautam Parab, Graduate Student, State University of New York at Buffalo

"I guess the medium of instruction being English in most places it has given a further boost to that language. Maybe if we had some good Konkani songs / books available people would feel proud of the language. In a small place like Goa there are numerous dialects of Konkani and this is the reason why people prefer to speak English. But I am definitely proud of Konkani. Whenever I travel to any part of the world, and the moment I find a Konkani speaking person, it makes me feel at home."

Pooja Lawande, lecturer, Calangute
I still don't know whether there is standardised Konkani for Goa. If by Konkani you mean the one which has been described in the book 'Karabaree Konkani', than I am not proud of it because it is out of my reach to decipher and understand it. Since I did my primary schooling in Marathi, I am comfortable expressing myself in Marathi. And the Konkani-Marathi issue is much beyond than defining a linguistic identity to Goa. It's a game of dirty politics of one community trying to prove their supremacy using this issue as a channel.

Kaustubh Naik, Computer Science student, Ponda
"I do speak Konkani at home, with friends and at work and I am really proud of it. I feel sad when people who know Konkani very well, speak in English or any other language. They feel inferior as all their friends speak English. If we don't support our mother tongue Konkani in Goa…who will? If we have to see Konkani rise up, every Goan has to endorse it, speak and write it. It is sad to see that Konkani applications are not entertained in many government offices."

Journalists were also on the payrolls of the Israeli drug mafia.

2011-04-04T22:18:00.000+05:30

In a development which will shock most readers (not the journalist fraternity however), the Goa police has said that several journalist, including a senior crime reporter working for Marathi daily are a part of the police-politician-drug mafia nexus.

The report also states that several journalists were also on the payrolls of the Israeli drug mafia.

The custodial interrogation report (CIR) of notorious Israeli drug dealer David Driham alias Dudu which was submitted to the Panaji bench of the Bombay High court states: "In the years 2005-2006, some journalists of news papers started writing against me. At that time I sought help of Sandeep Parab @ Kamin (a policeman already arrested for links to the drugs mafia). He got in touch with a news reporter by name Vilas. They contacted some journalists and told me that they had taken care of the matter and no more news item would appear in the news papers about me".

The report also states that several Goa-based journalists were on Dudu's payrolls.

"I had paid a large sum of money to Kamin and his friend Vilas. Later the media reports about me reduced appearing in the news papers. From that time onwards I maintained good relations with some journalists by paying them protection money regularly," the report authored by police sub inspector Sunil Gudlar of the ANC states quoting Dudu.

Dudu in the report has also said that Vilas would also come directly to his house to collect the protection money.
In a clear indictment of disgraced police inspector Ashish Shirodkar, who was suspended and arrested (now released on bail) for his links to the narcotics mafia, Dudu has said that he had appointed Dudu to pay hafta or protection money to journalists.

"Ashish Shirodkar also used to pay money on my behalf to some news paper reporters. He had promised me that he would take care about the news reporters and keep them quiet about me," Dudu has said according to the report.

Finding maths tough? Now you can opt out in Goa

2011-04-04T22:17:00.002+05:30

For many students, mathematics or social science has always been 'two' much to handle. For them the coming academic year has an option. They have been provided with the luxury of leaving one of the subjects out, and instead, choosing vocational training.

The directorate of education (DoE) issued circulars to all schools under its ambit last month informing them that they could choose to opt for a scheme under which they can provide students of standards IX and X the option of a vocational subject as replacement for either mathematics or social science.

According to education officials, the scheme—jointly funded by the state and Centre—has been framed based on the guidelines for vocational education by the central government and is expected to arrest the dropout rate in higher classes.

"Students mostly drop out in standards VIII, IX and X. Providing them the option of vocational education at this level as replacement for tougher subjects, will ensure that the students are retained in school. It will also act as a base for pursuing vocational education at the higher secondary level," said deputy director of education G P Bhat, who is also officer on special duty to the education minister.

From standard IX onwards, students will be able to choose from a string of vocational subjects if they find mathematics or social science syllabi tough. Household wiring, repairs of electrical appliances, electronics, tailoring, horticulture, floriculture, vegetable gardening, mushroom farming are some of the subjects students can choose as replacement.

Bhat said schools have already been issued detailed guidelines along with the circular on how the vocational courses should be implemented. The necessary equipment for the courses will be provided by DoE while teachers will be appointed by the state on contract basis.

In case of schools where the necessary infrastructure is not avail-able, two to three schools could be clubbed together and share the available infrastructure. For subjects like horticulture, for example, "on-field" training will be provided.

Officials said that if more than one school in the vicinity has opted for a single vocational subject, one contract teacher will be shared by a maximum of three such schools.

However, it is not clear by when the teachers will be appointed.

The curriculum for the vocational courses has been prepared by the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education and approved by the state.

Technical education in schools already exists from standard VIII to X, but for most part it remains limited, imparting education in traditional courses like carpentry and electricals.

According to official sources, 22 schools have written to the DoE thus far, making known their interest in providing their students the choice of a vocational subject as replacement.

DoE is hoping that besides reducing the drop out rate the scheme will also help increase enrolment in vocational courses in higher secondary schools.

The scheme was first mooted when Dayanand Narvekar was finance minister in the Digambar Kamat led government, but the sanctioned funds for vocational education were not utilized.

HC chides Goa police on failure to get model’s statement

2011-04-04T22:17:00.001+05:30

The failure of Goa Police to record the statement of a Swedish model Lucky Farmhouse, a crucial witness in police-drug peddlers nexus case, has drawn criticism from the Bombay High Court.

“The records show that an interview was recorded by PTI of a lady who claimed to be friend of the said Atala but till date her statement has not been recorded (by the police),” the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court said in its June 2 order granting bail to one of the accused, police inspector Ashish Shirodkar

Justice N A Britto granted bail Shirodkar, who is among the seven policemen arrested for their alleged nexus drug peddlers, but not before pointing out the glaring loopholes in the investigation by Crime Branch which is probing the case for more than two months now.

Geet who is in Goa blasts BCCI for Asian Games snub

2011-04-04T22:08:00.001+05:30

Eight-time world billiards champion Geet Sethi today lashed out at the Cricket Board for not sending the Indian teams for this year’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, saying the BCCI is only concerned about commercial benefits and country’s pride comes last for it.

The BCCI yesterday said that due to prior international commitments it will not send either the men’s or the women’steam for the Asian Games, where cricket in the form of Twenty20, will make its debut in the multi-discipline event to be held in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to 27.

India would host New Zealand for a three-Test and five ODI series during the same time when the Asian Games is scheduled and Sethi said BCCI’s decision was influenced by commercial interests.

“It is a wrong decision as it will deprive India of one gold medal,” Sethi told reporters here.

“Those who are running the BCCI should not think commercially but instead should take into consideration the nation’s pride,” he said.

Sethi, who is in Goa to participate in the second national selection tournament for the Asian Games, said he was confident that India would win at least two gold medals each in billiards and snooker.

The former Khel Ratna Awardee said it was the sheer love for the sport that motivated him to continue playing billiards.

“I played snooker also but was not good in it. So, I concentrated in billiards since 1992,” said a modest Sethi, who was the first amateur in the world to compile the maximum 147 break in snooker.

Both districts of Goa in top 20 well-being list

2011-04-04T22:07:00.001+05:30

South Goa got 14th position, north Goa got 18th position in NSSO survay out of over 6oo districts in India.

In what further cements Delhi’s pre-eminent position as the most liveable Indian city, three of the Capital’s districts grabbed the top three slots in a well-being index reflecting the quality of life while one more made it within the top 20.

Central Delhi topped the index, based on the NSSO survey, followed by north Delhi and New Delhi districts while south Delhi was at 20th position. The lowly rank for south Delhi would come as a surprise, given the posh tag attached to it, but taken as a district, it is also home to several urban villages where amenities are not exactly top-notch.

Mumbai and Mumbai suburban were at fourth and fifth positions in the first-ever such index measured on eight criteria — education, hygiene, entertainment, communication, healthcare, transportation, home amenities and kitchen facilities.

Among the metros, Bangalore urban was at ninth followed by Chennai at 10th and Kolkata at 11th.

From Maharastra, Pune made it to the list of districts with better quality of life at seventh position. Two cities from the north-east found places in the top 20 — Dimapur at 6th and Aizawl at 13th position. Three Punjab districts featured in the list — Fatehgarh Sahib (15), Patiala (16) and Jalandhar (19) — while Chandigarh was at 8th.

South Goa was at 14th position, north Goa at 18th. Kerala’s Pathanamthitta was at 12th and Ahmedabad could manage only 17th rank.

Districts from Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand figured prominently in the bottom 20 of the well-being index, reflecting poor quality of life in the region. Seven districts of Orissa, six of Bihar and two of Jharkhand were in the bottom 20 list.

Rayagada and Kandhamal of Orissa ranked first and second in the bottom 20 of the list. Other districts of Orissa which were poor performers were Nuapada (4), Balangir (9), Koraput (10) and Bargarh (19).

Among the Bihar districts in the bottom 20 were Banka at 3rd position, Sheohar (5), Nalanda (12), Kaimur (13), Khagaria (14) and Araria (20). Kawardha (6), Lohardaga (16) and Dumka (17) of Chattisgarh were also on the list.

But when it came to female security index (FSI) — well-being, status and treatment of women — there was a clear divide between north and south India. The worst rating was found in Punjab, MP, western UP, Haryana and Delhi.

While central Delhi topped the bottom 20 list of female security index (FSI), seven of the Capital’s districts — south-west Delhi (5), north-east Delhi (7), east Delhi (9), south Delhi (12), north-west Delhi (15) and north Delhi (18) were in the bottom 20 list.

From Haryana, Panipat figured at number 3 followed by Rohtak at 10 and Gurgaon at 13 in the bottom list. Six districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Gwalior (4), Shivpuri (6) and Vidisha (14), were also on the list.

Action against Goa Minister demanded after woman’s death

2011-04-04T21:02:00.000+05:30

"We will now have to investigate other aspects like what drove her to attempt suicide and other relevant issues," said a senior police official in Margao.

A second post-mortem was conducted at the Government hospital in south Goa on Tuesday as ordered by the south Goa Magistrate since Ms. Torrado’s first autopsy, carried out by forensic experts at a Government hospital in Chennai on Monday, did not reveal much, according to sources.

Asked whether he would sack a south Goa Minister — who was said to be known to Ms. Torrado — as demanded by the Bharatiya Janata Party and women’s organisations, Mr. Kamat said he could not take action till the police report was out.

A campaign by women’s groups led by the Margao-based 'Sabera’ has pointed fingers at the senior non-Congress Minister of being responsible for the death. Mukta Naik, president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, Goa, demanded that the Minister be sacked.

The mother of Ms. Torrado, at a press conference on Tuesday, accused the police of harassing their family and threatened to approach the Human rights Commission. The police have denied the charge.

Launches owners submit memorandum to Goa MP

2011-04-04T21:00:00.000+05:30

Goan Launch Owners will be out of business if the proposed plan of Mormugao Port Trust to ban the presently operating passenger launches which ferry passengers from big ships to the shore and vice versa,becomes a reality.

A delegation of Launch Owners under the leadership of Mr. NitinChopdekar, former Chairperson of Mormugao Municipal Council and ShriCarlos Almeida, Vice President of Mormugao Launch Owners Associationmet Mr. Shantaram Naik M.P. at his residence on Wednesday and stated that the MPT proposes to ban the existing launches in order to introduce modern launches with 12 nautical miles per hour speed.

The delegation told Mr. Naik that for ferrying passengers to and fro from the ships, speedboats with 12 nautical miles are not required,and that, even Mumbai Port Trust does not have such launches.
The delegation told Mr. Naik that journey from shore to the ships hardly takes 1 to 3 hours, and that ships are not anchored at a distance more than 8 nautical miles.

The delegation have contented that there have been no complaints from any quarter whatsoever regarding the service rendered by the present operators, and that , every year, surveys and inspections are held
with respect to their launches.

The delegation also told Mr. Naik that they have no objection forsubmitting personal details of the owners/operators of the launches such as Income Tax Documents, Pan Card Copies, Copies of Partnership Deeds, Certificates of Registration of Firms etc.

They have also no objection for submitting any particulars which are reasonably required in the interest of the security of the state, they told Mr. Naik.

Mr. Naik assured the members of the delegation that he will take up the matter with the Union Minister of Shipping Shri G.K.Vasan as also with the Chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust Shri Praveen Agarwal.

Computers can facilitate exchange of literary works :Goa MP

2011-04-04T20:52:00.000+05:30

Computer systems with internet facilities can be utilized by writersin Indian languages to exchange their literary work with one another and also to propagate their literary work said Mr Shantaram Naik M.P.at Porvorim today. Mr Naik who was speaking at a function organized by the Goa Marathi Academy at which Mr Naik handed over three latest computers to the Academy under MPLAD Scheme said budding writers normally show
their works to experience writers for critical appreciation.Computers with internet facilities can be utilized by such writers to send their work to others both for reading as also for criticalappreciation.

Mr Naik further said that E-libraries with E-books are going tobe common in the country in near future and, Goa will not be anexception Mr Naik said that software for translating Indian languages into
English and vice-versa is being developed by an institution in th country and that this facility will help journalists as also writers to a large extent.

Mr Naik said that 3G service on mobile is on trial in Goa and, i is going to be a revolution in communication system.

At the outset Shri Narendra Azgaonkar while welcoming Mr Naik kappreciated the gesture of Naik who, he said, was personally contacting the academy from time to time. Mr Vasudev Gaunco, Vice President of Marathi Academy proposed a vote of thanks.

Shri Nilesh Bugde compered the proceedings of the meeting.Shri Shambhu Bhau Bandekar, ex-Deputy Speaker and Shri Gurudas Sawal,senior journalist and former President of the Academy were present.

Mr Narendra Azgaonkar, presented Mr Naik a set of marathi books published by the Academy.

BJP meet on ‘good governance’ next week

2011-04-04T20:50:00.000+05:30

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi will give the keynote address at a BJP stock-taking meeting to be held near Mumbai next week.

“Named `Suraj-Sankalp’ (commitment to good governance), the conference will focus on review of some very noteworthy and innovative welfare or development initiatives (taken in the BJP-ruled states),” former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar said here on Monday.

Asked why Modi was chosen for delivering the keynote address, Parrikar said the decision was taken keeping his “good” track-record of governance in mind as well as the fact that he is the “senior most” BJP chief minister.

Parikkar has been made in-charge of the conclave which will be inaugurated by BJP chief Nitin Gadkari.

“This is a conference and not a workshop. The good deeds of everyone will be discussed there… Slips will be discussed too but weaknesses will not be made public,” Parikkar said, when asked how the convention was planned.

A report card on good governance of the BJP chief ministers and accountability in their states will be prepared at the convention.

Parrikar argued that if performance in any aspect was bad, it did not mean the party should not aspire for good governance. BJP is in power in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. The party is a junior partner in Bihar and Punjab.

“Issues like meeting the millennium development goals in education, employment, health, agriculture, rural development, panchayats and urban infrastructure will also be discussed,” Parrikar said.

Other issues to be discussed include implementation of the party manifesto, coordination between party organisation and government as well as keeping alive the link with party’s support base.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha will present a `charter on good governance’. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj will speak on relationship between the ruling party and the opposition while her counterpart in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will dwell on administration and management issues.

BJP Parliamentary Party chairman L K Advani will deliver the valedictory address.

Cypress and BITS, Pilani - K.K. Birla Goa Campus Team Up on New PSoCÂ® 3 Lab

2011-04-03T12:16:00.002+05:30

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq: CY) and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani - K.K. Birla Goa Campus (BPKKBGC) signed a memorandum of understanding for collaborative research and funded lab development based on the PSoCÂ® 3 programmable system-on-chip. The MoU was signed by Professor K.E. Raman, Director, BPKKBGC and Patrick Kane, Director of Cypress University Alliance.

Patrick Kane visited the campus where he inaugurated a state-of-the-art PSoC 3 lab-the first of its kind in India. The lab will expose students to the PSoC platform, a flexible family of devices with programmable analog and digital blocks integrated with a microcontroller. With its unique architecture, PSoC provides an unrivaled learning platform for embedded design students and will enable them to create projects and solutions for embedded systems.

“Our focus is to excite students about new technologies and hence grow the pool of budding, talented engineers from India. The PSoC lab will allow students to innovate and work on high-tech projects,” said Patrick Kane. He and his team interacted extensively with both students and faculty at BPKKBGC. They also conducted a workshop for the Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation Group.

“The lab has added an extra dimension to the student learning experience and has resulted in a unique learning platform where students now receive real-world, hands-on experience in developing applications,” said Professor Raman.

Students from BPKKBGC have implemented a number of projects using PSoC 1 technology. Some of these include a BLDC motor driver, a pH meter, an accelerometer based tilt sensor, a PWM driven hexapod etc. These projects are currently being developed using the new PSoC 3 platform, which uses an 8051 core as well a programmable analog and digital modules.

Students have also been involved in research based projects such as study of battery charging algorithms using the PSoC. They have also assisted Cypress in development of the Power Line Communication solution. A PSoC 3 manual by BITS Goa is also in the pipeline.

Goa Congress legislator for CBI probe into drug mafia nexus

2011-04-03T12:16:00.001+05:30

The Goa government Friday ruled out a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the drug mafia nexus but a ruling Congress legislator has said that the federal agency alone can clean up the narcotics mess in the state.

Agnelo Fernandes, who represents the constituency of Calangute, a popular beach village known for easy availability of drugs, told IANS Thursday that incidents of policemen being beaten up by the narcotics mafia were quite common in his area.

‘The local police will not be able to investigate their own officers who are linked to the narcotics mafia. Only the CBI will be able to do justice to the nexus probe,’ Fernandes said, adding that he had asked Chief Minister Digambar Kamat to hand over the probe to the CBI.

On Friday, the Goa government told the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court that it was not willing to hand over the probe into the police-politician-drug mafia nexus to the CBI. The government’s stand is against the recommendations of police and the state home ministry.

Fernandes earlier said on the floor of the house that if the drug dealers in Goa were not reined in, they would not hesitate even to shoot the chief minister.

Referring to Tuesday’s incident in which a police constable attached to the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) was beaten up by suspected drug dealers in Calangute, Fernandes said that drug dealers often beat up policemen in the area.

The legislator said that when constable Mahabaleshwar Sawant was beaten up by drug dealers, he called for help from the Calangute police station but no police officer was forthcoming to help him.

‘One police officer from the Calangute police station was beaten up by a gang of Nigerian drug dealers. But no complaint was filed because these officers have dealings with them,’ Fernandes said.

Court asks Goa if drug probe being given to CBI

2011-04-03T12:03:00.001+05:30

The Bombay High Court Wednesday asked the state government to spell out whether it was handing over the police-drug mafia nexus probe over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Justice N.A. Britto of the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court also asked the state prosecutor to inform the court formally about the government’s intent by May 28.

The bench was hearing the bail application of a senior police inspector, who is one of the seven policemen to have been arrested for their links to the drugs mafia.

The Crime Branch is at present probing the police-politician-drug mafia nexus, which was exposed after Swedish model Lucky Farmhouse uploaded on the internet the spycamera videos of her ex-boyfriend and dreaded Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, boasting of his links to the police and politicians in Goa.

Lucky has also claimed that she has video footage of a leading politician’s son dealing with drug dealers in Goa.

Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar has already demanded that the nexus probe be handed over to the CBI for an impartial enquiry.

First Look at Kareena Kapoor’s ‘Golmaal 3′ in Goa.

2011-04-03T11:45:00.000+05:30

The movie is not slated for release until November 5, but you can already now get a sneak peek of Kareena Kapoor’s upcoming comedy “Golmaal 3.” After starring in the box-office hit “3 Idiots” Kareena Kapoor takes on another ‘3′ and is hard at work shooting her new movie “Golmaal 3″ in Goa and Hyderabad. The Rohit Shetty directed comedy co-stars Ajay Devgan and Arshad Warsi.

Bebo’s role has been described as a ‘tomboy’ and will be far from some of the more glam parts she has taken on in the past: “My look in Golmaal 3 is not glamorous. He’s young and grunge and maintenance of the weather and the appearance of Goa in mind. I play a tomboy, but with a feminine touch. Although to use language Tapori not be too abusive or vulgar. I will agree with my personality,” Kareena told reporters when asked about her role.

This is not the first time the “Kurbaan” star has had to take the glamour level down a notch. For her role in Karan Johar’s remake of the 1998 Julia Roberts movie “Stepmom,” the Bollywood beauty will portray an ordinary working woman, a stepmom. “I walk, talk and dress like an ordinary working girl. I’ll be using no makeup,” she revealed, adding “I’m going for a new hairstyle,” said about this part.

Sounds like everyone wants to take Kareena from glam to gloomy! “The last time I rehearsed for a part it was for Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Omkara.” However, that was a more unconventional film and role where I had to get into a milieu and character I knew nothing about. But Stepmom is urban and very contemporary. I play a very normal metro-centric working girl. It should’ve been easier,” Bebo added.

So take a look at Kareena Kapoor’s look in “Golmaal 3″ and tell us what you think; are you looking forward to seeing the movie? Drop us a line.

Another IHM at Farmagudi

2011-04-03T11:42:00.001+05:30

Land admeasuring around 5 acres has been transferred to a Society set up for the purpose. The IHM Society has already been registered and is headed by Secretary, Tourism, Dr M Modassir.
In the picturesque location of Farmagudi, IHM is expected to come up in less than two years. The building plans are being prepared, Dr Modassir told this paper. The modalities of setting up the institute were discussed at the meeting of the Society recently for which a representative of the central Government was also present.
Goa, apparently, has the distinction of getting sanction from the Centre for a second IHM. Goa's first IHM which is in Porvorim was established many years ago. As there is a high demand from local students for hotel management and catering studies, the Goa Government had requested the Centre for another catering college in the State.
The Farmagudi college is a Rs 12 crore project. Part of the funds has been released to the State Government by the Centre.
Dr Modassir said the IHM Society intends to start the first batch from next academic year (2011-12) before the building is completed.
Meanwhile, the work on the proposed convention centre will kick-start soon. As reported earlier, the project will come up adjacent to Bal Bhavan, Campal, here. The Centre has just disbursed Rs 5 crore to Goa Government for the centre. This will be a small convention centre compared to the mega one which was earlier proposed in Dona Paula and has since been shelved.

Engineering student gave tech know-how for Goa blast

2011-04-03T11:36:00.000+05:30

The National Investigation Agency chargesheet in the Margao serial blasts has alleged that a 20-year-old engineering student was the technical mind behind the incident on Diwali eve last year.

Dhananjay Ashtekar from Konkan belt of Maharashtra provided technical know-how and collected devices for preparing IEDs, which were successfully tested twice in two different states before October 16, 2009 when the blasts took place.

During the probe, the state police and NIA had zeroed in on Ashtekar and had found different electronic items required for assembling IEDs from his rented room.

Ashtekar is a student of DKTE Engineering College at Ichalkaranji and had downloaded the circuit diagram and later gave it for printing at a shop in Kolhapur.

The chargesheet, filed on May 17, mentions that Ashtekar, during July to September 2009, had contacted the owner of the shop, Rajesh Sonar, for preparation of printed circuit boards as per the diagram provided to him.

84 foreign cars and bikes registered in Goa

2011-04-03T10:54:00.000+05:30

PANAJI: There are 84 foreign (imported) vehicles registered in Goa. The most expensive car that has been imported to Goa is Ferrari Spaitalia costing 3,53,89,362 and the most expensive bike to be imported to the state is Hammer BVcosting 1,03,47,666.

Maximum number of imported vehicles are registered in Quepem-36 and all of them are light motor vehicles. In Panaji, 17 imported vehicles are registered, of which 15 are LMVs and 2 are motorcycles with gears. In Mapusa, 7 are registered, of which 5 are motorcycles and two are LMVs. There are two LMVs registered in Ponda. There are 7 LMVs and 14 imported motorcycles registered in Margao and in Vasco 1 LMV is registered.

This was informed by the minister for transport, Ramkrishna Dhavlikar, to an unstarred question tabled by Mapusa MLA Francis D'Souza.

For registration, the owner of the vehicle has to provide, along with other documents of the vehicle, the customs clearance certificate along with the license and bond if any.

The importer has to pay prescribed customs duty and entry tax as is applicable.

The fees for registration of imported motor vehicles are 800 and 200, which the authorities state is higher than the fees prescribed for vehicles manufactured in India.

Promised marine jobs, lost money & passports

2011-02-23T19:17:00.000+05:30

Over 40 marine job aspirants from Goa have filed a police complaint against a Kandivli-based man who promised them jobs aboard cruise line and allegedly made away with their money and passports. The accused had charged some where between Rs 30,000 and Rs 60,000 from each job applicant to process their visas and tickets.

According to the police, a complaint has been registered against Pankaj Mistry of Arpita Tradelink Private Ltd.

On April 11, Goa resident Yoginder Naithani (22) came across an advertisement in a local newspaper which mentioned urgent requirement of candidates to fill several posts aboard Singaporean supply and cruise vessels.

"The advertisement stated that interested candidates should mail their CVs to info@ arpitatradelink.com and I had accordingly mailed mine. I immediately received an SMS for an interview and went to Mumbai on April 13 to meet Mistry. He asked me for photocopies of my educational certificates, passport and my CDC and then sent me for a medical check-up. Mistry then asked me to go back to Goa assuring me that he will keep in touch and summon me when my contract is ready," said Naithani, one of the complainants.

Nakabandis staged across Goa

2011-02-23T19:01:00.000+05:30

In a bid to check the preparedness of its force, Goa police on Saturday staged widespread nakabandis and checking of vehicles all over the state.

Police sources said that the nakabandis were organized in an effort to test police alertness. All the entry and exit points of major cities and tourist spots were sealed and extensive vehicular checking was done.

Since Goa continues to feature on the hit list of terror organizations, this security drill was undertaken, said police sources.

“We checked the vehicles as part of a state of preparedness,” sources said. Unaware of the exercise, motorists were taken aback, but the police reassured them that everything was alright and the checks were part of a mock drill.

It was a casual remark of Goa CM

2011-02-23T19:00:00.000+05:30

A women organisation has expressed shock over the Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat’s statement asking fairer sex to stay away from politics and not fall for the proposed quota for them in Parliament and state Assemblies.

“I did not expect this statement from the head of this state (Goa), especially because he is representing a political party (Congress) which is headed by a woman, who is trying to push this bill,” Sabina Martins, President Bailancho Saad, told PTI today.

Kamat had told a women’s convention here yesterday that “If womenfolk start running after politics then it will have a negative impact on the society.

“Don’t fall for 33 per cent reservation. Politics makes you mad. Women play an important role in transforming the society. We should look after our next generation,” he had said.

Martins said she was present among the audience when Kamat made the controversial statement. “One of the obstacles in the bill is the mindset of men because it decreases their power.”

She said it was because of many elected representatives that the Women Reservation Bill was stuck.

“Politics is most important decision making body. Right now, there is no proper representation of women in Goa Assembly. There is one woman legislator against 39 male legislators,” she said.

Congress women leaders, however, stood by their leader, terming it a ‘casual’ remark.

“We were taken aback with his remarks, but later we realised that he said it casually,” president of Mapusa Congress Block Pramod Salgaonkar said.

Salgaonkar, a former president of state women’s commission, said it was off the cuff remark. “He just meant that women should work hard and their involvement will help the society transform.

2,000 Poles visited Goa: TTAG

2011-02-18T20:05:00.000+05:30

As the tourist season draws to a close, industry professionals claim that there was nothing much to cheer about, save the tapping of a new market – Poland. “We received around 2,000 new guests from Poland,” said outgoing president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa Ralph de Sousa at a press conference Thursday evening.

The effects of the global recession were felt during this tourism season as the bookings were done at the start of 2009 when most of western Europe was in the midst of the meltdown, he said. The volcanic ash that spread over the skies of Europe also brought an abrupt end to the tourism season, said the TTAG president. De Sousa said that there was a 30% drop in charters from the United Kingdom, which once enjoyed the status of number one tourist market for Goa.

“However, there was an increase in Russian tourists, and we expect a further rise of 25-30% of Russian visitors,” he said. Meanwhile, hotels across the state are continuing adding security features to keep terror at bay, said the TTAG. “Hotels are putting in place systems to check details of guests, luggage scanners and CCTV cameras.

However, more importance has been given to staff sensitization through training sessions. We cannot expect the police to be everywhere and this will lift up some of their burden,” de Sousa said.

The TTAG also thanked the World Travel and Tourism Council for providing logistical support to Goa’s soon-to-be-commissioned Tourist Security Force (TSF). The TSF has been given a fleet of 15 four-wheelers and seven two-wheelers which are equipped with state-ofart tracking and monitoring devices as well as transmission services. They will be used for the purpose of patrolling the coastal belt by the TSF from the next tourism season onwards.

South Maharashtra beaches no threat to Goa yet

2011-02-18T20:02:00.000+05:30

The relatively virgin beaches of southern coastal Maharashtra are no threat to beach tourism in Goa, at least not in the immediate future, a top tourism trade official said Friday.

Beaches like Malvan and Tarkarli in south Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district have a long way to go before they can be seen as a threat to Goa’s tourism pie, said Ralph de Souza, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa.

“Good tourism does not mean scenic beauty alone. The place also has to have the right atmosphere and infrastructure, which presently south Maharashtra does not have,” de Souza said.

“They also do not have any major project (hospitality) in the area. Even in terms of infrastructure, the roads are very small in that area,” de Souza said.

South Maharashtra, with its clean, coconut palm-fringed beaches, has been positioning itself as a rival beach destination to Goa.

However, de Souza admits that Goa may feel the competitive heat from its neighbour after a few years.

“After sometime, when Goa gets saturated and people begin to move out… maybe,” he said.

Goa, a major beach tourism destination in the world, attracts nearly 2.4 million tourists annually, nearly 500,000 of them being foreigners. BRIC countries fuel Dell’s growth; posts 52 pc jump in Q1.

Rechristening of Goa

2011-02-17T07:15:00.001+05:30

The names they are a changin'. In a reflection of the demographic changes the state is undergoing,
new colonies and wards being carved out in Goa's towns and villages are more likely to call themselves some nagar or the other instead of the traditional vaddo.

“Nagar is not a native word. It is a suffix given to the name of a settlement in other parts of India, mostly North India,” says horticulturist Miguel Braganza who is passionate about local history.

Forgive a Saxttikar if he looks askance at hearing of the existence of a Kargil in Sao Jose de Areal, or a Bardezkar of being asked to look for a Shanti Nagar in Socorro. A few years ago, locals in Sao Jose de Areal did wake up to find that a part of their village was named Kargil by migrants living there. The name was even displayed on local buses, serving the migrant population in the area, until the south Goa district administration put an end to it.

In Mapusa, a young student at St Xavier’s college was amused to see the address of his rented house on his electricity bill. Situated behind the college premises, the house address on the bill read Fukat Nagar.

Trust the politicians not to be behind in their quest to leave a legacy. A field in Margao, locally known as Calgonda, was given away for a slum settlement and christened Babu Nagar. Subsequently, the migrants changed it to Azad Nagar.

On Betim's hills north of the River Mandovi exists a Ram Nagar, while every second new colony in Porvorim is being termed as a nagar. Says history lecturer Prajal Sakhardande, “Ram Nagar is a village in Belgaum.”

On Porvorim plateau, the new colonies that have sprung up are Jai Nagar, Vidya Nagar and Shanti Nagar. Recently, a landscape contractor said he was executing a project at a Patel Nagar in Porvorim.

The village of Socorro has been given a Shanti Nagar and a Sai Nagar, courtesy a government scheme to convert comunidade land for housing plots. Another government scheme, ostensibly to give land to Goans from the lower income group, but which was lapped up by migrants, was named Indira Nagar in Chimbel.

There's another Fukat Nagar created in Sancoale and existing for years. “The migrants have constructed illegal huts on comunidade land and are not paying a single paisa for it. Neither are they contributing anything by way of government taxes. Hence, the name Fukat Nagar which has been accepted by those concerned,” says social activist Simon Carvalho.

“After Zuari industries came in and called the land Zuari Nagar, the trend was followed by others. Today, besides our vaddos, we have a Shanti Nagar, a Upas Nagar and a Queeny Nagar,” Carvalho says.

“Travel to Assonora by bus, and you will hear the conductors calling it Alsanwadi,” says Braganza, adding, “The migrant labourers living in the village call it by that name, and the bus conductors have already adapted to it for their customers.”

Shantaram Naik ,MP,Goa inaugurats community hall

2011-02-17T07:00:00.000+05:30

Mr. Shantaram Naik M.P. inaugurating a community hall at Balli, buitat the cost of 47 lakhs, under MPLAD Scheme, said that since the commencement of the scheme in 1993, projects worth 1310 crores have been commissioned through the country, and that, credit goes to the Congress government at the centre which started the scheme.

Mr. Naik said that the land for the project was gifted by Shri Shantadurga Ballikaran Saunsthan to the V.P. Balli-Adnem, so that the people of Balli, Adnem and surrounding areas could take benefit of the hall.

Mr. Naik said peoples' participation in democracy is not now restricted to sending their representatives but people expect that the be consulted by their elected representatives from time to time.

Mr. Naik said that at Panchayat level, this is possible through the institutions of Gram Sabha but at Parliament and Assembly level,elected representatives can undertake the exercise of consultation
only to a limited extent.

MLA of Quepem Shri Babu Kavlekar praised Mr. Naik for giving a huge hall to the Panchayat for which people will remember Mr. Naik for generations together, he said. Shri Govind Phal Desai, Sarpanch of Village Panchayat of Adnem, Balli

welcomed the gathering.Shri Subhash Phal Desai compared the proceedings of the meeting.

Shri Sandeep Phal Desai said that the people of Adnem-Balli, were fortunate that Mr. Shantaram Naik was elected to the Rajya Sabha , as otherwise, he said, they would never have got such a marvelous hall.

Shri Mohandas Phaldesai, President of Shri Shantadurga Ballikaran Saunsthan proposed a vote of thanks.

Goa industry mulls conveyor belts to transport ore

2011-02-17T06:59:00.001+05:30

Mining industries in Goa are mulling the possibility of setting up a network of conveyor belts to transport ore from the mining pits to the port from where it is exported, an industry insider said Wednesday.

Secretary of the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA) Glen Kalavampara said a string of conveyor belts may be the answer to increasing pollution and accidents, which occur as a result of transporting ore by trucks from extraction sites in the hinterland to shipping points along the coast.

“Although a bit expensive, the industry may look at conveyor belts to transport ore in the future,” Kalavampara said in a presentation to senior officials of the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).

“Conveyor belts, especially in congested areas will cut down pollution and ease the traffic scenario,” the GMOEA secretary said.

The GMOEA, which has a representation of nearly all the mining industries on its board, is the spokesperson for the industry on matters related to the Rs.6,000 crore mining industry in Goa, which includes big names such as the Vedanta Resources-owned Sesa Goa Ltd.

An increasing number of fatal vehicular accidents involving mining trucks had led to an impasse in various mining towns spread across Goa’s hinterland.

In March this year, after a local was crushed under the wheels of a mining truck, protesting residents of mining towns of Quepem and Curchorem had barred movement of mining ore-laden trucks, which had in turn forced the state administration to intervene and forge an amicable situation.

Nearly 40 million tonnes of iron ore is exported out of Goa annually.

Govt suspends ‘green nod’ to firm for Goa mining

2011-02-17T06:54:00.000+05:30

Government today suspended the environmental clearance given to the mine of Anil Agarwal Foundation in North Goa, making it the second setback for the company after the construction work of Vedanta University proposed along Konark-Puri coast in Orissa was put on hold last week.

The decision came following the National Environment Appellate Authority’s (NEEA) decision yesterday to stay the ‘green nod’ given to the mine of Sesa Goa located at Pirna village and Nadora in Bardez Taluk in North Goa.

The project was granted environmental clearance by the Environment Ministry on June 9 last year but was challenged before the New Delhi-based NEAA by an NGO called ‘Pirna Naroda Nagrik Kruti Samiti’.

Goa blast case: NIA files chargesheet against 11 accused

2011-02-17T06:50:00.001+05:30

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed charges in a court against 11 activists of a Hindu right wing organisation for the 2009 Diwali-eve blast that killed two people in Goa’s Margao town.

The accused are facing charges of conspiring and collecting arms for waging a war against the state and mischief.
All 11 people named in the chargesheet are members of Hindu right wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha, whose members were also linked to several low-intensity explosions in Maharashtra some years back.

The chargesheet, numbering about 3,000 pages, was filed before Sessions Judge U.V. Bakre. The investigating agency also listed among the accused two Sanatan Sanstha members who were killed in the accidental blast that took place while they were ferrying explosives to a festival gathering in Margao, 35 km from here, Oct 16, 2009.

The two accused who died in the blast were Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik. The charge sheet names 250 witnesses, who are likely to be examined by the local court during the trial. Those named as accused include Vinay Talekar, Vinayak Patil, Dhananjay Ashtekar, all residents of Goa, and Dilip Mangaonkar, a resident of Maharashtra. They all are at present in judicial custody.

Other accused named in the charge sheet are Prashant Juvekar, Sarang Akolkar, Jayaprakash, Rudra Patil and Prashant Ashtekar, all residents of Maharashtra. They all are absconding. Giving details of the sequence of events before the blast, the NIA said that Ashtekar rigged 12 electronic detonator circuits in Pune and out of these he set aside five for the intended explosion in Goa.

The chargesheet said that a dry run was also carried out by the accused a couple of months before the Diwali-eve blast. The investigation into the Margao blast was initially conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) of Goa Police, but was later handed over to the NIA.

Apart from facing charges for waging war against the state, they have also been charged under the Explosive Substance Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Goa battles to preserve its identity

2011-02-17T06:46:00.001+05:30

Goa was liberated on December 19, 1961. Over 450 years of Portuguese domination came to an end, Goa became free and a part and parcel of its motherland—Bharat. Democracy was ushered in. Goans, all of a sudden, found themselves in a completely different situation. They started breathing free air in a democratic atmosphere.

As a teenager I was witness to the happenings taking place in Goa. Some were pleasant, others disastrous. Soon after Liberation Goan society was vertically divided due to two major issues: (a) Goa’s merger into Maharashtra or Goa’s preservation as a separate state and (b) the language issue—Konkani or Marathi as Goa’s Official language.

The ultimate aim of those who supported the Marathi language as Goa’s official language was to merge Goa into Maharashtra. Those who advocated the cause of Konkani as Goa’s official language, dreamt of preserving Goa as a separate state in the Indian Union.

Thus Goans, who had always lived in harmony, without any discrimination of caste, creed and religion, were now pitted against each other to fight a battle and decide whether to preserve Goa and its unique identity by achieving full-fledged statehood or destroy Goa and its unique identity by merging it into Maharashtra.

The first battle among Goans was fought in January 1967 when the only opinion poll in the country was held in Goa by the Indian government. The opinion poll was to decide whether Goa will be merged into Maharashtra or continue as a union territory. Goans overwhelmingly decided against the merger of Goa into Maharashtra and Goa continued as a union territory.

However, to achieve statehood for Goa the official language issue had to be solved first. Another conflict began among Goans to attain official language status to Konkani or Marathi.

The language agitation was the largest ever agitation witnessed in the history of Goa. This battle was not fought completely on democratic principles. It was left to the political will of the then ruling Indian National Congress party. This took place in 1987 after almost 20 years of the opinion poll.

By then much water had flown down the Mandovi river. Goa’s many political leaders who fought tooth and nail for Marathi and to merge Goa into Maharashtra were now controlling the affairs of the Congress party. It is because of these people that the language agitation turned bitter, bloody and complicated. Although the Congress stood for Konkani, some Congressmen, then an effective lobby able to influence any decision in the Congress, succeeded in
granting Marathi language almost the same status.

The only difference being Konkani was placed at the first level and Marathi at the second level in Goa’s Official Language Act. Whatever may be the interpretation of the Act, Konkani became the official language of Goa in February 1987 and immediately thereafter, Goa was declared a separate state on 30th May, 1987.

If we analyze this brief background, the struggle to make Goa a separate state was mainly to preserve Goa and its identity. Development of the state could have taken place even if it was merged into Maharashtra. If the final aim in achieving statehood for Goa was to preserve and promote Goan identity, has that goal been realized?

About 23 years have passed since Goa attained statehood. During these 23 years, what has been the progress record in the preservation of Goa’s unique identity for which the elders sacrificed? Are there any specific efforts made by the government to protect Goa’s identity?

After attaining statehood Goa’s political environment was completely polluted due to the misdeeds of some of Goa’s politicians. Politicians in Goa became power-hungry, greedy and selfish. They mastered the art of toppling governments and projected Goa as a politically notorious state in the country. They concentrated on developmental projects as such projects helped in their personal development too. In the bargain, they completely forgot the most important aim of all the battles that Goans fought—preservation and promotion of Goan identity.

Konkani language, which is the foundation of Goan identity, has not made any progress in any field in Goa.

Educationally it is restricted to very few primary schools compared to Marathi primary schools.

The number of English as well as Kannada primary schools is on the rise. In secondary schools and in all other higher educational institutions it is English, which controls the educational scenario. Konkani is being replaced even in households by English because parents feel that the future of their children depends on the knowledge of English alone. The scene at the markets is more disturbing. Non-Goans control the sale of vegetables, fish, etc.

Instead of doing business by speaking the Konkani language they speak in Hindi and Goans carry on their marketing with the help of Hindi. Konkani language—the most important factor of Goan identity—is slowly and systematically being displaced from the Goan soil.

Look at the rapid increase in the Goan population. The percentage of non-Goans in Goa is almost 40%. If the same influx trend continues, in another decade, Goans will be a minority in their own state.

There has been a serious setback to the promotion of Goan culture.

The 40% non-Goans settled in Goa promote not Goan culture, but their own culture among their children. The children from the original Goan families ape western culture. If this is the reality, in what way is Goan identity protected and promoted for posterity? The most important goal of achieving statehood for Goa was the preservation and promotion of Goan culture and in doing so to strengthen Goan identity. Unfortunately this has not taken place because the political will in Goa has completely failed to extract the benefits of statehood for Goa and its identity.

Katy Perry, Russell Brand’s wedding plans in Goa

2011-02-17T06:45:00.000+05:30

Katy Perry and Russell Brand are planning a small wedding focusing solely on their love for one another rather than having a 'drunk fest'.

They will fly their select guests to a secret location for seven days of celebrations, it has emerged.

Katy's pal Rihanna has suggested they could get hitched in India where Brand proposed on New Year's Eve and it looks like the location could be Goa.

The couple has sent out save-the-date cards to friends and family for their wedding.

The henna-inspired hand-shaped invites, complete with diamond engagement ring, and hints at an exotic location.

Guests have only been told to keep the week of October 18 free for their nuptials – and they'd better bring their passport.

The text reads: "Save the Week, For the Wedding of Katy and Russell. You will be contacted soon with more information."

"The wedding will be small. I always have a ton of people around me and I think the people that are going to share this moment with us are the people we want to integrate into each others' lives," News of the World quoted Katy, 25, as saying.

"We don't want it to be a drunk fest of people, just one night and then forgetting about it. We want it to be about the love," she added.

‘Cop’ nabbed for highway robbery in Goa

2011-02-17T06:42:00.001+05:30

An individual posing as a policeman and robbing motorists of their money on highways by nightfall has been nabbed by the Agassaim police.

Acting on a complaint filed by Kanhaiya Naik of Vasco, the Agassaim police team led by police inspector (PI) Vishwesh Karpe arrested Augustinho Carvalho, 26, an unemployed youth from Majorda. Carvalho was arrested when he came to meet his wife at Agassaim early Friday morning.

Naik, in his complaint, had told the police that he was driving his ice-cream supply vehicle and had gone to Neura to drop his co-worker. While returning, he was stopped opposite Father Agnel’s ashram, Pilar, on Thursday night at 9.45 pm by an unknown motorcyclist under the pretext that the driver of the tempo had almost dashed against his bike.

The motorcyclist said he was a police and demanded documents. While Naik was showing him the documents, he snatched a bag containing Rs 14,000 and rode away with the money.

Upon Naik lodging a complaint, the police swung into action as they suspected that the accused could be Carvalho who, incidentally, has been involved in similar crimes in the past.

“We have arrested Augustinho and he has confessed of the crime”, said DySP Deu Banaulikar. The accused also told the police that he had looted another person in Old Goa recently of Rs 10,000 in a similar manner. “He would rob from innocent people in this fashion and spend the money in casinos. He was unemployed and was used to an easy life,” added police sources.

SIT to probe desecration of religious places in Goa

2011-02-16T17:44:00.002+05:30

Police on Thursday said the SIT, currently assisting the Margao blasts probe, will now investigate the incidence of desecration at religious places in the coastal state.

“Since Margao blast case investigation has reached its fag end and the chargesheet is to be filed on May 17, SIT officers will now work on the idol desecration cases in temples and churches,” a senior Crime branch official told PTI today.

Goa, with almost 30 per cent Catholic population, had witnessed several incidents of Church desecration in recent past. These incidents were besides idol desecrations in temples witnessed during last three years.

State Chief Minister Digamber Kamat had assured to look into these cases when a Guardian Angel Church at Curchorem town was desecrated by vandals last week.

Curchorem police said miscreants had vandalized statues of St Benedict and Our Lady of Lourdes erected outside the Church. These statues were specially brought from Portugal and placed here almost 50 years ago by the parishioners.

In the same premises, statues of Christ the King and Fr Agnelo were also damaged. This was second Church to be targeted within a month.

The vandals, earlier, had desecrated a Church at Chandor, a remote village in south district.

Crime branch’s SIT will be now asked to crack these instances of idol desecration which may flare communal tension in the state.

Interestingly, SIT was formed almost one and half year ago when temple desecration had become order of the day in the state. But the team could not make much headway as it was marred with frequent transfers of the officers.

Crime branch officer said a few officers attached to SIT were transferred. “Whoever is left in the team will begin the probe. If needed, more officers can join them later,” he added.

Kareena on Golman & Diamands in goa

2011-02-16T17:44:00.001+05:30

I've moved bag and baggage to Goa!” claimed Kareena Kapoor in a recent interview. The clearly excited and relaxed actress was also endorsing a diamond brand while she was taking a break from shooting for Golmaal-3. Talking about men, the actress said, “All men know how to woo their women. And one way is to buy them diamonds!” And when she was questioned as to whether beau Saif Ali Khan had bought her any diamonds, she quickly exclaimed, “Of course! But a woman is never satisfied with one diamond…there has to be a number of it!”

Talking about her character in Golmaal-3, she confirmed that this time round she will not be playing a television serial watching wife. “I'm playing one of the heroes this time. She's more like a tom-boy. But she's still feminine because she is the only girl in the film!”

She also spoke about Agent Vinod, her upcoming film with Saif Ali Khan. “What will work for Agent Vinod is the director Shriram Raghavan. His films are slightly edgy.” But her most controversial comment came when she spoke about her recent set of dud films. “Actors don't fail the script; the script fails them. The director is the captain of the ship. The actor just listens to whatever the director says or does.”

Goa Police to Send Seized Drugs to Hyd for Forensic Test

2011-02-16T17:06:00.001+05:30

Goa Police will send the stock of drugs seized in the past one decade for forensic test to Hyderabad within the next couple of days, police sources said today.

The drugs would be sent via road under tight security, a crime branch officer said.

State police have began an exhaustive exercise to probe the pilferage of drugs from its official locker after an Israeli drug dealer Atala alias Yaniv Benaim, claimed that he used to get narcotics from the police safe-house.

A senior police officer said that all the packets would be forensically examined to check whether the drugs were later adulterated with other material, after pilfering them.

In their submission to the court, police had said that around 24 kg charas was missing from its lockers. They also claimed that white ants had feasted on the drugs.

Officials said the drugs stored in the lockers were not disposed off since the last decade, although a designated drug destruction committee was formed.

A senior crime branch officer said that during the investigation they have found that seals of some packets were broken.

“We need to check whether they are open accidentally or purposely. Once drugs are confiscated, it is sealed and resealed during the prosecution,” he said.

Learning lessons from the revelations after police-drug peddler nexus was exposed, the anti-narcotic cell (ANC) has now recommended that the drugs seized during the raids be disposed off immediately after the case was finalised.

Incidentally, ANC, which was formed to curb the drug trade, was not given representation on the destruction committee.

ANC Superintendent of Police, Veenu Bansal has asked his seniors to give proper representation to ANC on this committee.

Key witness in Goa drug nexus contacted after two months

2011-02-16T02:02:00.000+05:30

The Goa police, repeatedly accused of sabotaging investigation into the police-politician-narcotics mafia nexus, has contacted a crucial witness nearly two months after the probe was initiated in March.
IANS has access to documents which reveal that the Goa police contacted Lucky Farmhouse, a 33-year-old Swedish model and former girlfriend of Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim, only Tuesday (May 11) and that too after the whistleblower model complained to the media that the Goa police were "not trying to find me at all".

Lucky's spycam videos of Atala boasting of his links to the police and politicians had exposed the nexus, resulting in the arrest of six policemen, including a police inspector - Ashish Shirodkar, who formerly headed the anti-narcotics operation, and Atala himself.

In their e-mail sent to Lucky dated May 11, the crime branch requested the Swedish model to come to Goa with all the spycam videos shot by her that prove the involvement of police and politicians in Goa's narcotics mafia.

"She is an important witness. We have sent her some questions. When she comes… we have asked her to come with all the evidences (spycam videos) which she has," Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaonkar told IANS Wednesday.

Salgaonkar also said that full security would be provided to Lucky when she comes to Goa with the sensational videos. The model has also said that she has spycam videos of a leading politician's son conducting transactions with drug dealers in Goa.

In his e-mail to Lucky, Salgaonkar has also said that the police were seriously probing the involvement of politicians in the narcotics mafia and asked Lucky to co-operate.

"In her reply to our e-mail today, Lucky said that she would be able to return to India only by August. We have requested her to come early. August might be too late," he said.

The local media and the opposition have repeatedly accused the police of sabotaging and 'going slow' on the investigation.

Leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar has also demanded the arrest of Salgaonkar for allegedly trying to sabotage the probe in order to save a leading politician and asked the state government to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

I’ll not be seen smoking in public again: Arshad Warsi

2011-02-15T23:43:00.000+05:30

Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi has promised that he will not be seen smoking in public places again.

National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), an anti-tobacco organisation had asked the actor to quit smoking for betterment of his health after he was allegedly spotted smoking on a college campus in Margao Goa town, 40 kms away from here, during a shoot recently.

Responding to the letter by NOTE, Warsi said, “henceforth I will ensure that I throw away the cigarette before I make public appearance.”

The 42-year-old actor further said that he was smoking in his vanity van parked far away from the college building, when a group of youngsters knocked on the door.

“As usual I go out of my way for my fans and I came out to sign the autographs, involuntarily holding the cigarette in my hand,” the actor said

Gadkar visited Goa to threaten CBI from prosecuting Parrikar

2011-02-15T23:39:00.000+05:30

Mr Shantaram Naik , Rajya Sabha member from Goa has said that BJP President Shri Mr Nitin Gadkari's Goa visit was to pressurize CBI not to file charge –sheet against Shri Manohar Parrikar Ex-Chief Minister of Goa and the present Leader of Opposition in the matter of crimes allegedly committed by Mr Parrikar during the Goa International Film Festival 2004.

Addressing a press conference in Congress House, Panaji today, Mr Naik said that Shri Gadkari who was on a Goa visit to Goa ,recently, has charged the Government of India of misusing CBI to take revenge against the political opponents of Congress Party.

press-conference

Shri Shantaram Naik M.P. addressing a Press Conference in Congress House Panaji, on Tuesday. Also seen in the photograph are Shri Altinho Gomes General Secretary GPCC and Shri Gurudas Natekar, Secretary, GPCC.

Mr Naik has said that the whole exercise of Mr Gadkari is to protect Shri Narendra Modi , Chief Minister of Gujrath whose role in Gujrath riots is being investigated by a team of Supreme Court and Shri Parrikar whose role in International Film Festival Goa 2004 is being investigated under serious criminal provisions of law.

Mr Naik said that BJP going to the President of India on this issue amounts to seeking pardon before conviction.

Mr Naik said that BJP calling CBI as Congress Bureau of Investigation to shield the crimes of their leaders can very well be understood as BJP is notoriously called as "Bhartiya Jhooti Party"

Mr Naik said that BJP is attempting to murder SECULARISM in the country every now and then without any success, and said that, unfortunately, there is no provision in the law to book such murders except for the offence of waging of war.

Mr Naik states in his statement that as many as 22 allegations are being investigated by the CBI against former chief minister Manohar Parrikar and others in connection with the International Film Festival of
India (IFFI) when Goa hosted it for the first time in 2004.

Mr. Naik said that as per the reply given by Union Minister of State for Personnel Shri Prithviraj Chavan to him (Mr Naik) in a written reply to an unstarred question on 15th April,2010, a case is registered under No.RC15(A)/07-CBI/Mumbai dated 19.04.2007 under sections 409 (creaminal breach of trust) 421 (dishonest or fraudulent removal of or concealment of property to prevent distribution among creditors) 423 (dishonest or fraudulent execution of deed of transfer containing false statement of consideration), 431 (mischief by injury to public road, bridge, river or channel ), 432 (mischief by causing inundation or obstruction to public drainage etc.), 463 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic records) & 120B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and Sec 10 & 12 of the Prevention Corruption Act 1988 against Mr Parrikar.

Mr Naik says that Shri Chavan also said in his reply that "the case involves also recording of statements of the Entertainment Society of Goa, senior officers of the Government of Goa, and members of various committees"

Mr Chavan further stated in his reply that projects undertaken during the
IFFI 2004 are also required to be inspected by various
technical authorities/bodies.

Mr Parrikar was summoned by CBI on 15th April,2010 and was grilled extensively, Mr Naik says in his statement. Mr Naik said BJP has become panicky on seeing its two leaders falling in net of investigating agencies , and therefore , are out to damage control exercise.

Mr Naik said that raising an issue of Government's interference in CBI matters can be understood, if their party feels so, but to organize a nation-wide agitation on the issue indicates that more and more BJP leaders are involved in the commission of crimes in country. And therefore, BJP proposes to insulate them from criminal investigation.

Mr Naik recalled that in 2005 CAG had indicted Mr Parrikar and therefore, the then Congress Government led by Shri Pratapsingh Rane had asked police to investigate into the matter and, subsequently the case was handed over to CBI.

Mr Naik stated that the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee too had constituted a Committee under his (Mr Naik's) Chairmanship to inquire into the matter and had submitted a report to the Goa PCC ,listing out several grave illegalities involved in the Goa International Film Festival 2004.

Replying to a query regarding Chief Minister Digamber Kamat's statement, Mr Naik said that the C.M. has said that he was misquoted in the matter.

He requested the pressmen to ask the question again to CM, in order to get the clarification of his statement.

Regarding the issue of ban on Sanathan Institution, Mr. Naik said that he feels that Government of Goa would make necessary request to the Union Government after the NIA files Charge Sheet against the culprits.

The copy of NIA Charge Sheet and the material already with the government will make a strong case for banning the institution, Mr. Naik said.

Mr Naik said that CM has not expressed his opinion against baning but has simply said that the Home Ministry has not sent any proposal to him.

Giving false information during census is punishable: Goa MP

2011-02-15T22:49:00.000+05:30

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Ajay Maken told Mr Shantaram Naik in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, last week that as per Clause (d) of sub section (1) of Section 11 of the Census Act, 1948 any person who intentionally gives a false answer to, or refuses to answer to the best of his knowledge or belief, any question asked of him by a census-officer which he is legally bound by section 8 to answer, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.

He further told Mr Naik the First Phase of Census of India 2011 i.e. Houselisting and Housing Census has already commenced in 25 States/UTs.

Minister said that in respect of remaining 10 States/UTs, this is to commence between 7th May, 2010 to 15th June, 2010. He further informed that the Second Phase of Census, i.e., Population Enumeration is scheduled to be conducted between 9th February, 2011 to 28th February, 2011 with reference date as 00.00 hours of 1st March, 2011 in the entire country except the snow-bound areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The revisional round will be undertaken during 1-5 March, 2011.

The host of data on housing stock, amenities and assets available with each of the household are being collected in Houselisting Operations. During Second Phase-Population Enumeration data on various socio-economic and demographic parameters like age, sex, literacy, SC/ST status, religion, languages known, economic activity status, migration etc. will be collected in respect of each individual, minister said.

As regards Naik's sub-question regarding the information sought for the first time, Mr Maken one new question on availability of Computer/Laptop with internet or without internet is included.
The exact questions for the second phase of Census-Population Enumeration will be finalized by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprising of eminent Demographers, Social Scientists, Data Users and senior government officers, minister said.

Mac Mohan of Bombay to Goa no more

2011-02-15T22:47:00.000+05:30

Mac Mohan, the lovable salt-and-pepper haired character actor best known for his role as Sambha in the super-hit Sholay, passed away Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer, a family member said.

“He had been suffering for long of a tumour in the right lung and breathed his last at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital this (Monday) evening,” his daughter Manjiri told IANS.

Mac Mohan was 71 and is survived by his wife Mini, another daughter Vinati and son Vikrant.

Mac Mohan was the maternal uncle of wellknown Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon, who was present at his home when his body arrived from the hospital, Manjiri added.

During his career in Bollywood, Mac Mohan worked in about 200 films and mostly played negative roles. Some of his films are Zanjeer, Majboor, Rafoo Chakkar, Don, Shaan and Satte Pe Satta. His last film was Journey Bombay to Goa: Laughter Unlimited.

Swedish model wanted by Goa cops

2011-02-15T21:35:00.000+05:30

Even as Goa police officials continue to hunt for Swedish model Lucky Mangarda, who uploaded a video on YouTube that showed her boyfriend and Israeli drug dealer Yaniv Benaim boasting of his connection with the Goan police, the model was keeping a low profile in Mumbai since the scandal erupted.

Mangarda who had briefly worked in Bollywood as an extra revealed that she shared breathing space with several Bollywood stars, including Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Arjun Rampal. She did not reveal her present location, said she was in Mumbai last week.

She answered our question via email. “I was in Mumbai for 14 days between January and February and I shot at four different locations in the city. I shot for Stepmom in a Bollywood studio, that one on the hill,” she said, presumably referring to Film City.

The model said she also shot for Devgn-starrer ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbai’ at Tulip Star Hotel, Juhu, and at Nitin Desai’s studio. She also mentioned Vama Apparels at Peddar Road, where she reportedly shot for Mani Shankar’s film ‘Knock Out’.

In one picture, where Mangarda is dressed in a steel blue ghaghra choli, she is apparently on the sets of ‘Stepmom’, Karan Johar’s remake of the Hollywood movie of the same name. “I was in a wedding scene. Kareena Kapoor was in the same scene and maybe Arjun Rampal too, but he had a false beard on, so I don’t know,” she said.

Mangarda has fond memories from the sets of ‘Once Upon a Time’. “I especially liked Ajay Devgn; everything he did was so professional,” said Mangarda, who added that Benaim never left Goa to join her in Mumbai.

The model now has plans to return to Mumbai in August and learn Hindi. “I have got a better agent and this week’s audition here went very well,” she said.

Crime Branch officials in Goa had told local reporters that they had not gotten in touch with Mangarda yet. “We have been trying to trace her,” said Crime Branch deputy superintendent Chandrakant Salgaokar.

HC flays Goa govt for giving land sans agreement

2011-02-15T21:34:00.002+05:30

In a case involving a claim of over Rs 24 lakh towards license fees for the premises of Club Paradiso in Anjuna, the high court of Bombay at Goa has denounced the government for not entering into an agreement while entrusting the public premises to a private party in 2001.

The court observations came in the wake of a petition filed by one Nandgopal Kudchadkar, who is also facing eviction from the club premises following an order of the estate officer in February 2010.

Kudchadkar approached the high court as the district court in March 2010, directed him to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs 24 lakh in the matter while staying the execution of the eviction order of the estate officer.

Before the high court, the petitioner contended that that he was not liable to pay more than Rs six lakh. According to Kudchadkar, the district court could not have directed him to give a bank guarantee for the sum of Rs 24 lakh without finding out what the dues payable by him were.

While dismissing the petition, Justice N A Britto observed, “The petitioner was put in possession of the suit premises from November 7, 2001 and since then has been continuing in possession without any agreement and without paying the licence fees regularly. One fails to understand how public property was entrusted to the petitioner without entering into an agreement.”

Upholding the order of the district court for asking the petitioner to give the bank guarantee to secure the amount, the high court further held that the petitioner, who did not have any agreement executed with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd nor was regular in making payments, cannot be shown any further indulgence. The high court has granted the petitioner, at his request, two week’s time to furnish the bank guarantee before the district court.

Goa blast: NIA to file chargesheet by May 17

2011-02-15T21:34:00.001+05:30

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) would file the chargesheet in the Goa blast case by May 17, a senior officer said.

“We will file the chargesheet in two different courts at Margao and Vasco,” the officer said.

The agency has arrested four persons — Dhananjay Ashtekar, Dilip Mangaonar, Vinayak Patil and Vinay Talekar — for allegedly conspiring to execute serial bomb blasts in the state on October 16, on the eve of Diwali last year.

Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Vasco had last week granted bail to Vinayak Patil and Vinay Talekar as NIA had failed to file a chargesheet despite having the duo in custody for 180 days.

Two persons had died in a bomb explosion at Margao town while police had defused two IEDs at Sancoale, 30 kms away from Margao.

Indian ,Goa-origin MP Keith Vaz wins in British Elections

2011-02-15T21:27:00.001+05:30

Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz held the Leicester East constituency for the Labour party in the British general election.

He defeated Conservative candidate Jane Hunt and Liberal Democrat candidate Ali Asghar.

Indian filmstar Sanjay Dutt had campaigned for Vaz in his constituency, that has a large population of South Asians, where he secured 53.8 percent of the vote. Vaz's parents were from Goa and the family migrated to Britain from Yemen in 1965.

Keith has been a member of parliament for Leicester East since 1987. On July 26, 2007, Vaz was elected chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee.

Goa police asked to check if naxals using state as a shelter

2011-02-15T21:26:00.001+05:30

On the wake of recent arrests of some naxal leaders here, the Goa government has asked the police to check whether naxals are using the state as a shelter to bide their time.

Chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava told PTI that home ministry has asked the police to submit a report verifying whether some of the ultras were using the state as a shelter.

The government’s action came in the wake of recent arrest of Sambu Beck, a Maoiwadi Trushul Manch leader from Orissa, who was taking shelter in the state.

One of his accomplice was also arrested by Goa police from Mapusa town and handed over to Orissa police.

Srivastava said that home ministry “wants to know whether there are other similar groups working here and what action the police are taking to identify them.”

Superintendent of police Veenu Bansal, who headed the operation to nab Beck this week, said yesterday that the naxal leader was in the state as ‘he wanted to lie low’.

Bansal said that Beck was also working in one of the industrial units in Goa and was hiding here for last one and half month before state police zeroed in on him.

State chief minister Digamber Kamat told PTI today that steps are being taken by police to verify antecedents of all those people who migrate here from other states.

“I don’t think that naxalites are trying to spread their roots in Goa. Their agitations are on various issues,” he said.

Goa drug peddler in jail may be innocent: BJP

2011-02-15T21:09:00.000+05:30

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Nitin Gadkari Thursday said an alleged Goan drug peddler currently lodged in a Mumbai prison for suspected links to an Israeli drug dealer may be innocent.

Speaking to reporters here, Gadkari also tried to justify BJP legislator Dayanand Mandrekar’s recent plea to Goa home minister Ravi Naik to “help” alleged drug peddler Savlo Salgaonkar, arrested by Mumbai Police for possessing drugs.

“The person arrested may be innocent. That is why he (Mandrekar) must have demanded his release. I will personally cross-check the issue,” Gadkari said, adding that the party was seriously concerned about the narcotics scenario in the state.

State BJP president Laxmikant Parsenkar Tuesday (May 4) dismissed Mandrekar’s plea to help the alleged drug peddler as a sarcastic joke. “Mandrekar must have joked. He might have passed a sarcastic comment,” Parsenkar said.

Mandrekar, a former minister, said in the state assembly in March: “The drugs were given to him (Salgaonkar) by Israeli drug peddler David Griham alias Dudu. He (Salgaonkar) fell into the trap for a few rupees.”

“The home minister should approach the Maharashtra government and help him get out of trouble,” he said during a discussion in the state assembly.

“If you can help this boy, please do it,” said Mandrekar, a legislator from Goa’s narcotics-infested Siolim constituency.

Goa has no threat from Naxalism, says tate Home Minister Naik

2011-02-15T21:07:00.001+05:30

Home Minister Ravi Naik on Friday said the coastal state has no threat from Naxalism.

“We do not have any threat from the Naxalism. It would also not be proper to say that Naxalites were taking shelter in the state,” Naik told reporters on the sidelines of annual passing out parade of police training school at Valpoi, 60 kms away from here.

Naik’s statement came in the wake of arrest of Sambu Beck, 25, a top Naxal leader of Maowadi Trishul Manch (MTM) wanted by Orissa Police in several cases of kidnapping, dacoity and armed robberies from Mapusa town on Thursday.

Seventeen others were also arrested for harbouring Beck in a joint operation by Goa police crime branch and anti-narcotic cell (ANC) wing.

Naik said police have taken swift action after they received information about Beck from Orissa police. He said Police have been asked to cross check antecedents of all the Orissa people working in unorganized sector in the state.

Goa’s fishing and real estate sector has huge presence of Oriya people.

Instruments worth 12.30 crores are proposed to be installed at Meteorological Centre, Goa

2011-02-15T21:00:00.001+05:30

Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Shri Prithviraj Chavan informed Mr. Shantaram Naik, MP in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that instruments worth 12.30 crores are going to be installed at Meteorological Centre, Goa.

Shri Chavan further told Mr. Naik that a Doppler Weather Radar costing Rs.11 crores, Global Positioning System based Upper Air System costing Rs.84 lakhs, Automatic Weather Systems costing Rs.15 lakhs, Automatic Rain Gauges costing Rs.15 lakhs and Radiation Equipment costing Rs.16 lakhs form part of the equipments.

The Meteorological Centre of Goa was earlier designated as Goa Observatory, Panjim, and it was upgraded to Meteorological Centre, Goa, Mr. Chavan said in his reply.

In another written reply of Mr. Naik whether the Government proposes to enact a separate legislation to govern CBI, Mr. Chavan has stated in his written reply, “The Government has not taken any decision to enact a separate legislation to govern CBI.”

Ajay Devgn likes a suite on Palolem Goa beach

2011-02-15T20:42:00.001+05:30

What Ajay Devgn wants, he gets. In this case, a suite at the Hotel Intercontinental The Lalit on Palolem beach, Goa.

Says a source close to the actor, “Ajay feels comfort is essential for an artiste to perform well. To him, the hotel rooms he stays in, while shooting in India or abroad, have to feel like home - spacious, stylish and comfortable. While shooting in Hyderabad, he stays at a particular suite; when in Goa, he stays at the Presidential Suite at the Palolem beach hotel.”

Mera wala kamraa
The source adds that Ajay’s staff books the suite months in advance and if an earlier booking has been made, it is changed discreetly to suit Ajay’s staying specifications. “It has almost become the ‘Ajay Devgn Suite’. It is very close to the gym and swimming pool. It has two big rooms, a big hall and two seating areas, which includes a dining room. He has also installed his own LCD screen in the room — so he can watch TV with friends and family in comfort.”

“When Ajay’s family comes to Goa, they stay in the suite. It is the biggest suite in the hotel and Ajay always insists on it. He even has the hotel chef coming to him to take his order. Often, the chef whips up some exotic dish as per the actor’s specifications.”

Won’t leave
In fact, Devgn is so fond of his suite that he refuses to leave it despite ‘ghostly’ rumours. “Once Golmaal director Rohit Shetty and the unit tried to play a prank on the actor saying the suite was haunted and created an elaborate tale around it. He didn’t fall for it and refused to leave the room.”

39 new dragonfly species found in Goa

2011-02-15T20:41:00.000+05:30

The whir of tiny dragon flies and damsel flies was not heard much amidst the recent din about turtles and tigers. But a 19-month long study carried out in Goa some time back is likely to bring them into sharper focus as the number of their species has now gone up to 74.

In an extensive study carried out in 2007-08, wildlife enthusiast Parag Rangnekar, associate professor of zoology Manoj Borkar and computer engineering student Omkar Dharwadkar listed 39 new species. “The significant finding is reporting of 34 new species and four families of dragon flies for the first time,” Borkar said.

“In 2007-08, in all 38 surveys were conducted throughout the state to cover varied habitats ranging from mountain streams, inland water bodies, paddy-fields to marshland,” says Rangekar. While, dragon flies are robust, natural flies are delicate.

The study was published by the Journal of Threatened Taxa, a peer reviewed research journal published by Coimbatorebased Zoo Outreach Organization. “The publication took time as it was preceded by aprocess of peer review, which, in this case was done by K A Subramaniam, a reputed odonatologist of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI),” he added.

Dragon flies are considered indicators of the health of wetlands. “Dragon flies lay their eggs only in clean water. As wetlands are being reclaimed, their conservation is at stake,” Borkar said. They also serve to keep a check on a lot of insects and pests as a means of biological control. Biological diversity or biodiversity is variety, variability and number of living organisms. But only two, plants (floral diversity) and animals (faunal), are appreciated as they are more noticeable.

“Very importantly, there is a greater range and diversity of microbes which we hardly appreciate due to lack of optical gadgets,” Borkar said. Odonata is a scientific term to classify dragon flies and damsel flies. In India, documented dragon flies number 499 species. Till the mid 1990s, serious taxonomic work to document them was not conducted in Goa. In 1995, M Prasad, an odonatologist of repute published findings of a sporadic survey of dragon flies in Goa and listed 17 species. In 2006, Borkar along with two of his students, Durga Karnam and G Chandraprabha added 16 more species after some field work in Salcete. “These species were not included by ZSI in its paper published in 2008 under the authorship of P P Kulkarni and S S Talmale”, he added.

Complete land aquisition for NH 4 by May ;Centre tells Goa Government

2011-02-15T20:38:00.000+05:30

Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways informed Mr. Shantaram Naik, MP in the Rajya Sabha today that national highways authority of India has requested Government of Goa to complete the process of land acquisition for NH-4A by May, 2010 and for NH-17 earliest possible before October, 2010.

He further told Mr. Naik that the total area to be acquired is 132 ha for NH-4A and 310 ha for NH-17.

Mr. Singh told Mr. Naik that the construction period of NH-4A is 30 months and for NH-17 is 36 months.

The Minister further said that for NH-4A tender has been awarded under Build, Operate & Transfer (BOT) (Design, Build, Finance, Operate & Transfer pattern) for a total project cost of Rs. 471.00 crore. The total project cost of NH-17 is Rs. 1872 crore for which bidding is in process.

In the reply to another question on State Highways and District Roads Mr. Singh told Mr. Naik that as per provision of the Central Road Fund (CRF) Act, 2000, the cess levied on Petrol and High Speed Diesel is utilized for the development and maintenance of National Highways, development of the rural roads, development and maintenance of other State roads including roads of Inter-State Connectivity and Economic Importance and construction of roads either under or over the railways by means of a bridge and erection of safety works at unmanned rail road crossings.

He further told Mr. Naik that this Ministry is responsible for the allocation of funds to the States for the development and maintenance of State roads including State Highways, Major District roads and other roads of importance excluding rural roads. The allocation made to the States accordingly for such roads is Rs. 13613.05 crores so far.

State Governments implement the projects sanctioned under the CRF by incurring expenditure against the annual allocation made to them and release of funds based on progress of works and actual expenditure. The total amount released to States till date is Rs. 11104.42 crores, he added.

20% mangroves along Goa Galgibaga river destroyed in October flooda

2011-02-15T20:29:00.000+05:30

Around twenty per cent of mangroves along the banks of Mashem-Galgibgaga-Tolpona river were destroyed in October 2009 floods. The floods also damaged twenty five per cent of other plants alongside the river. According to local environmentalists, the main mangrove areas in Canacona are in Maxem, Galgibaga and Tolpona and the maximum damage took place along Maxem-Galgibaga river bank and as such there is an urgent need to initiate steps to carry out the afforestation otherwise soil erosion would take place on a massive scale.

Goa:Mangrooves

Mr Bhanudas Naik Gaonkar and Mr Manoj Naik Gaonkar, both environmentalists and school teachers, said that mangroves saved around ten per cent of the houses in the last October floods and also the lives of several cattle. They further said that mangroves protect shorelines from getting damaged from storms, hurricane winds, and waves. "Mangroves also help prevent soil erosion by stabilizing sediments with their tangled root system. They maintain water quality and clarity, filtering pollutants and trapping sediments originating from land."

Mr Bhanudas Naik Gaonkar pointed out that "mangroves, admittedly, are not only important but crucial for the coastal areas. Since estuarine areas are highly populated areas, the slightest ecological imbalance will take a heavy toll. They play a vital role in stabilizing these areas. No engineering and technological solutions can be sought for stabilizing these areas. Even if we negate all benefits of mangroves as forests, their value as protector of shoreline is enough to convince us for conserving them."

Out of total 15 types of mangroves found in Goa around nine to ten types of mangroves are found in Canacona, he stated adding to preserve them is the need of hour. According to Mr Omu Dhuri, a traditional fisherman and former councillor, mangrove forests and estuaries are the breeding grounds for a number of marine organisms, including the commercially important shrimps, crabs and other fish.

Mangroves are being now looked upon by the scientists as saviours in the today's scenario of global warming. Most of the coastal areas throughout the world are going to be affected by sea level rise due to global warming, the effects of which are already visible. Therefore, when most of the coastal areas will be flooded, mangroves can possibly provide a gene bank for cultivating salt tolerant species of crops which could be our future resource.

In fact, the mangroves in Canacona and Pernem talukas too, and some small patches in Bardez and Tiswadi talukas are worth their weight in gold — they are repositories of an array of biodiversity and nurseries for fishes, a large number of birds including darters, herons, curlews and plovers, etc. The Indian monitor lizard as well as the marsh crocodiles besides other species have been documented in Goa's mangroves, informed Mr Manoj Naik Gaonkar.

Due to the last year's floods, the estuarine rivers of Mashem-Galgibaga and Talpona in Canacona taluka have developed spits at their mouths giving apprehensions that this phenomenon could make the rivers lose their identity and the only solution to keep a check on the phenomenon is desiltation of rivers at the earliest, added the environmentalists.

Squads to check hill cutting, land filling in Goa

2011-02-15T20:28:00.000+05:30

The government has decided to constitute and induct a flying squad for each district to respond to calls on illegal hill cutting and filling of low-lying land. Sources said each flying squad will be headed by a deputy collector and comprise officials from the police, town and country planning and survey departments.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by CM Digambar Kamat and attended by secretary (town and country planning) Raajiv Yaduvanshi, chief town planner Morad Ahmed and others.

The decision to constitute the flying squads comes in the wake of persistent complaints by citizens, and especially the Goa Bachao Abhiyan, that hill cutting and filling of low-lying land is done on Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays when no government authorities can be reached. Sources said the flying squads are the government's way of ensuring quick response to such complaints. The chief minister has already signed the order and it is now up to the district collectors to constitute the flying squads, sources said.

The government has decided to constitute a special committee having legal experts under the chairmanship of commissioner and secretary (TCP) to review the TCP Act, 1974 as amended from time to time.

Sources said the government also decided to release additional funds and appoint technical assistants for expeditious completion of the Regional Plan 2021. It was decided that the government would respond to advertisements that give a wrong picture of projects as and when brought to the notice of the government.

No threat to Goa:CM

2011-02-15T20:24:00.000+05:30

There is no specific terror threat to Goa, but being a touristic state we don’t want to take a chance, said Chief Minister Digambar Kamat while talking to media persons in Panaji on Monday.

Goa police on Sunday in the evening suddenly held Nakabandi on all major roads in the state. Reacting on that CM said that, there is no specific threat to Goa. In these days you have heard what is happening in Delhi and other states. We thought that we should not take a chance.

Goa police atleast created an atmosphere that police are alert. People face hardships during Nakabandi but there is no alternative for that, CM said.

When reporters asked about the growing incidences of desecration of idols and statues, CM said i visited the Guardian Angle church at Curchorem after the incidence of desecration. Police are investigating the case. Let us hope that something will come out.

I am not aware whether any Gang is involved in desecrating these statues, CM clarified when reporters asked few pointed questions.

Excise scam: CBI raids liquor units

2011-02-15T20:20:00.001+05:30

After raids in Daman, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reportedly raided two liquor units in Goa, although the state excise department refutes it.

According to government sources, CBI officials raided two units at the Cuncolim and Canacona industrial estates respectively on Friday.

The alleged involvement of these units in a multicrore excise scam was raised by opposition leader Manohar Parrikar during the last state assembly session.

Sources said that both these units are owned by excise inspectors in benami names.

The CBI, last Wednesday, swooped down on distilleries in the union territory of Daman to carry out searches in connection with excise duty evasion worth over Rs 400 crore.

It was reported that the tentacles of the excise scam are spread over Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.

However, excise commissioner Sandeep Jacques said he was unaware of any CBI raid on liquor units in Goa.

“On reading media reports, I asked my officers to inquire about it. As of now, none of it has been comfirmed,” Jacques told TOI.

He said he has also asked his department for an inquiry on permits issued to import liquor from Daman into Goa.

“As per the preliminary report submitted to me, there has not been a single permit issued for the import of liquor from Daman to Goa since the last five years,” said Jacques.

“In any case, verification will continue and these matters need to be investigated. It could be true, or it could be false. I think all authorities concerned need to step in and investigate into this matter,” he added.

Incidentally, Parrikar had also alleged in the House that large consignments of liquor are being exported to North-Eastern states, but they are lost in transit along the route.

The money in this scam is possibly being used to fund terror outfits in border states, the opposition leader had alleged.

Recall Currency To Weed Out Black Money: Ramdev in Goa

2011-02-15T20:15:00.001+05:30

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today said recalling currency was the only way to weed out black money from the country.

“I have insisted that Central Government recall the currency. If not the small notes but at least notes of high denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000,” Ramdev told a news conference here.

He feels that the currency recall will weed out black money from the country.

“Only genuine money could be exchanged during currency recall and that will cease the menace of black money and corruption,” the Yoga guru, who is planning to launch a political party, said.

Down in Goa, Ramdev will be holding the first yoga camp in the tourist state heralding the series of camps targeting the rural population.

“Raiding people to curb black money will not help. Those who raid and unearth disproportionate money themselves are bribed forcing the authorities to raid houses of the raiding officers,” he quipped.

Ramdev said that currency recall is a way out from the issues of black money, corruption, fake currency and terrorism.

“Terrorism flourishes on black money and fake currency. Once these elements are out, the terrorism will cease to exist immediately,” he suggested.

Fondly talking about his plans to launch a political party, the guru said that if his life gets a threat, ruling party would be responsible for it.

“If there is a threat to my life then ruling party would be responsible for it. I have accepted the challenge to change the world and we will do it,” Ramdev said.

The yoga guru insisted that political outfits knock out corrupt, criminal and characterless activists from their organisations.

Ramdev said that other political parties should not feel threatened with his political plans as he will support all the candidates who are genuine irrespective of their party affiliation.

“We will contest next Lok Sabha polls and will offer clean faces to the voters. If there are existing good candidates of other parties, we will support them,” he said clarifying that his political party, which is yet to be named, is not interested in contesting against good candidates.

‘Feni’ fun time at Ancestral Goa

2011-02-15T20:14:00.001+05:30

The festival of 'Feni' began at Ancestral Goa, The Big Foot, Loutolim on April 24 where stalls displaying varied products of cashew - the nut and the coconut - vied for attention with stalls selling flavoured distil 'Feni'.

Goa: Feni

These were either flavoured with ginger, lemon-grass, herb, lime, coriander, cumin and the 'Dudhshiri' roots. This festival showcased the traditional flavoured alcoholic varieties.

Feni the traditional alcoholic beverage of Goa – both of the cashew and coconut – is still considered to be a poor man's drink. But this crystalline extract has a history that is as colourful as it is colourless.

Coconut feni - is made from the sap of the coconut palm, and cashew feni is made from the fermented juice of cashew fruit, is also called 'caju feni'.

Recently cashew feni got its GI registration as a specialty alcoholic beverage from Goa. There are known to exist around 4,000 such traditional mini-distilleries or stills in Goa that manufacture cashew feni and about 2,200 manufacturing coconut feni. About 75 per cent of stills making cashew fenny are in north Goa while the rest are in south Goa. Of the stills making coconut feni, south Goa has about 65 per cent of them while the rest are in north Goa.

The friars are said to have taught the locals the process of distilling the beverage and down the ages this came to be a process that got improved on and evolved into the variety that we have before us, today. The bright red, gold and pale yellow luscious fruit that is the cashew apple had finally come into its own.

Goa to tie up with Karnataka in tourism sector

2011-02-15T19:42:00.001+05:30

Goa will tie up with Karnataka to provide visitors a mix of beach and hinterland tourism.

Goa Tourism Director Swapnil Naik told reporters here that the state Tourism Development Corporation is in talks with its Karnataka counterpart to develop a circuit which will attract more tourists for both the states.

Naik said that Goa, although attracts tourists from world over, does not have adventure tourism facilities which are offered by neighbouring Karnataka.

“They (Karnataka) offer mind blowing adventure tourism packages, which can be clubbed with the packages offered by Goa to give visitors a chance to enjoy beaches and hinterland together,” Naik said.

All states have realised that tourists want varieties.

Therefore, a circuit has been developed that recommends different visiting spots, he added.

Goa receives around 25 lakh tourists annually and the domestic tourists are on rise in the state.

Goa: Feel fit with Ramdev baba

2011-02-15T19:41:00.000+05:30

Ramdev Baba—a name synonymous with yoga will be in Goa from May 1-4 to conducted yoga camps. This event will kick start the district level yoga camps, for the first time under the Bharat Swabhiman Trust. These camps are held with a mission to make people live a life free from all ailments.

It will be held at the Goa Engineering College ground, Farmagudi from 5 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. Goa's Chief Minister, Mr Digmabar Kamat will be present for the inauguration of the camp.

Goa: Ramdev Baba

Dr Suraj Kanekar, advisor and co-ordinator of the special committee in a press briefing stated that for this yoga camp 36 'vaidyas' are coming down from Haridwar. "These 'vaidyas' will also get along with them medicines and will conduct free medical check up of the people there," stated Dr Kanekar. For four continuous days Ramdev Baba will conduct early morning yoga camps from 5 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. from May 1-4. Dr Kanekar further added that this session is expected to be attended by around 50,000 people. A group of 1500 volunteers are working hard to conduct this camp which will give a chance to people to learn more about yoga and 'pranayam'.

On May 3 at 5.30 p.m. there will be a public meeting at the same camp venue, where Ramdev Baba will address the gathering. During his trip he will make a visit to model villages of Goa. "We have selected Mayem and Ibrampur village as our model villages where yoga has reached out to the people and where we also have our yoga teachers. On May 2 Ramdev Baba will visit these villages and also on May 3 at Sheldem village in Quepem taluka, "informed Dr Kanekar

He explained that these villages are termed as model villages like in Ibrahmpur there are efforts made to make it a plastic free village and also promote organic farming. "We are conducting this drive against plastic for more than two years now. Through this drive we collect plastic and send it for recycling," informed Dr Kanekar.

Elaborating more about the camp, Dr Kanekar mentioned that the second session of this camp will be held in Maharashtra where they will cover around 600 talukas. On the issue of starting yoga classes in schools, Dr Kanekar stated that they have requested the Goa government to implement yoga in various schools of Goa. "We have around 2500 yoga teachers who are teaching 'Pranayam' in schools," he stated.

Goa: Remo to perform at T-10 music show

2011-02-15T19:21:00.001+05:30

The state will see pop star Remo Fernandes perform at the T-10 music show at the Rajendra Prasad Stadium on April 30.

Goa: Remo Fernandes

Remo, saying that his music was quite different while addressing the media at the press conference to announce the show, was a little critical of the music scene in the country. Commenting that the whole country had become Bollywood centric, and that all shows today were based on Bollywood he said that it appeared that the country had gone bankrupt and that we could not give anything to "our children, except Bollywood."

Stating that south Goa was very close to his heart he singer said that he had always wanted to do a show in the South. He also said that in South Goa people were united, and have stood up and managed to fight against bad development.

He came down heavily on the present politicians saying that they should disappear from the scene if Goa was to be saved from further destruction. He also made a strong case for special status but warned that politicians would never allow special status.

Pointing out that politicians are quick to uphold the rights of citizens to settle anywhere in India he argued that they were not bothered about other rights like the right to clean roads, non-corrupt government or clean hospital beds.

Conservation tourism? Goa shows way - with turtles!

2011-02-15T19:20:00.001+05:30

Goa’s unique practice of mixing turtle conservation with tourism has potential for successful replication across the Indian coast, says an expert. Kartik Shanker, president of the International Sea turtle Society (ISTS), praised the Goa model. ”Goa has a unique model. It has managed to mix turtle conservation with tourism, which benefits the local community as well,” Shanker told IANS, adding that turtle conservation could not be viewed in isolation.

Goa: Save Turtles

“We must use turtle conservation as a flagship to protect coastal habitats like coral reefs and conserve the coastline,” he said. He said communities living along the coast, especially those of traditional fishermen, need to be involved and benefit from the process. Shanker is also the host of the International Symposium on Marine Turtles (ISMT) being held in Panaji.

According to him, global warming could prove to be a grave threat for turtles, whose gender at the time of birth is defined by temperature. Elaborating the pattern of turtle presence across India’s winding coastline, Shanker said the eastern coast hogged the lion’s share of India’s turtle population. ”The east coast, especially beaches in Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, are seen as nesting sites where turtles come by the thousands. In the West coast, you see turtles in Gujarat and Goa.”

Shanker said the Indian coastline generally saw Olive Ridley and green turtles. Turtles off the Indian coast faced two major threats: mechanised trawler fishing and haphazard development along the coastline. ”Trawling is a concern because a large number of turtles get caught in fishing nets,” Shanker said.

He said rampant development of the coastal areas, especially construction of sea walls by private entrepreneurs and coastal residents to prevent erosion, had proved in recent times to be a death knell for turtles looking for nesting sites. ”The sea walls along the beaches deflect wave energy from the walled stretch of the beach to other unwalled areas, causing erosion there, which discourages turtles from nesting nearby,” said Shanker, who is also a faculty member at the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science (IIS).

According to him, global warming posed newer challenges for turtle conservation. ”The gender of the turtle depends on the prevalent temperature at the time of hatching. If the temperature is below the pivotal point when the turtle hatches her egg, then the hatchling is a male. A female is born if the temperature is above the pivotal point.”

Global warming could skew the sex ratio of the amphibians. ”If temperatures further soar as a result of global warming, we could see largescale mortality,” he said. “We have embarked on research to study the conservation issue from the global warming perspective.”

Goa should adopt the attitude ‘Show Must Go On’

2011-02-15T18:53:00.001+05:30

In a coalition government problems are bound to be there but the on the principle that ' show must go on', the government's decision- making process should not be halted or delayed , said Mr Shantaram Naik M.P. at Canacona on Saturday. Mr Naik who was laying the foundation stone for the of Mallikarjun High School managed by Centro Promotor Da Instrucao, Canacona said that Goa has several priority matters like National Highway, Sez matter, CRZ issue, Dabolim airport expansion, Mopa airport, establishment of NIT in Goa, issues like Special provision, special category, special cadre, etc. which we have to be pursued vigorously and, without showing any lethargy.

Shantaram Naik: Goa MP

Mr Shantaram Naik M.P. laying the foundation stone for Library and Laborotory Block of Mallikarjun High School, Canacona. Also seen in the photograph are Shri Vijay Pai Khot, MLA, Shri Vikas Desai, Shri Anil Desai and others.

Mr Naik said that draft CRZ 2010 draft notification which has been published by the Central Government has given Goa special consideration and, here again, if the State Government plays the required role meticulously and on a war footing, we stand to gain, otherwise, we will loose the advantages. Mr Naik said that it is the congress government that conceptualized the idea of putting funds in the hands of Member of Parliament, so that, they exercise some authority in the matter of development.

Mr Naik said "Centro Promtor Da Instrucao is one of the oldest educational institutions in Goa and as such, I feel privileged that I have an opportunity to help in its development. Mr Vijay Pai Khot MLA of Canacona appreciated the gesture of Mr Naik to give MPLAD fund for constructing a library and laboratory, much needed by the students.

At the outset , Shri Vikas Desai, President of the institution said that former Portuguese Governor personally took interest in giving financial aid to the institution and he visited the construction site of the project being then built under his assistance , several times before its completion. Shri Amol Pagi compereed the proceedings of the meeting while Shri Anil Desai proposed a vote of thanks.

I was transferred to Goa for removing Indira Gandhi’s car: Bedi

2011-02-15T18:52:00.001+05:30

Kiran Bedi, who was popularly known as ‘Crane Bedi’ said here that she was fully aware that she would be transferred to a distant place if she removes the car of former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.

“I knew that I will be transferred when I decided to lift Indira Gandhi’s car (for wrong parking). I gave a thought to it and decided to do what was right then,” Bedi told a student who asked her about her daring decision to remove the car of none other than Indira Gandhi herself and what happened after that.

Bedi said, “Wahi hua jo sabeke saath hota hai” (same thing happened which happens with all others). I was transferred to Goa the next day but that did not deter me from doing right things because of my strong foundation of knowledge and value system.”
The students cheered her decision with a loud applause. Bedi was here at Bhopal School of Social Science to participate in a programme, ‘Spectrum 2010.

Goa State to host meet on turtle conservation

2011-02-15T18:33:00.000+05:30

Around 800 participants from 50 countries across the world are expected to take part in the 30th annual symposium on ‘Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation‘ to be organized by the International Sea Turtle Society in Goa from April 24 to April 30. While the main event will be held from April 27 till April 29, pre-symposium workshops and meetings will be held on other days. ”For the first time, the symposium is coming to the South Asian region, Kartik Shanker president, International Sea Turtle Society said.

The symposium is being jointly hosted and organized by sea turtle conservation groups, research organizations and institutions that work on marine environment issues across India and South Asia. ”The ISTS Annual Symposium is truly unique, drawing an enormous number and diversity of people interested in these intriguing animals and their habitats,” Shanker said.

Sea turtles live on land and sea, and migrate across the oceans to shores, from cold temperates to warm tropical waters. “They migrate across ocean basins. And through the course of several thousand years, they have connected us ecologically and culturally to the sea,” an activist said.

The symposium will attempt to focus on marine and coastal habitats, fisheries and other livelihood-related issues, environmental impacts, and much more, within the context of sea turtle biology and conservation.

“The presence of Olive Ridleys, greens and leatherbacks have been reported in Goa. Olive Ridleys are common, but sightings of green turtles and leatherbacks are sporadic,” said a turtle conservationist. “Except for some reports of nesting of leatherbacks along the 2km stretch of Beach at Morjim, all other records have been of Olive Ridley sightings,” the source added.

The threats faced by sea turtles everywhere mainly comprise poaching, incidental catches in fishing nets and developmental activity along the coast. ”The killing of adult turtles does not occur very regularly and this has been attributed mainly to religious beliefs. Like in other parts of the country, incidental catches usually occur in trawler nets. Trawl boat owners are either unaware of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) or are disinclined to using them,” one of the participants said.

Goa to host European Union film festival

2011-02-15T18:07:00.000+05:30

The 15th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) of India, an EU spokesperson said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters here, Sole Aizpurua Garzon, co-ordinator of the Spanish EU presidency, said the festival which gets under way Saturday will host 23 films from 22 countries in Europe.

“We have sourced films from Italy, Spain, Ireland, France and Slovenia among others. Ambassadors from several EU countries will be also attending the EUFF,” Garzon said.

She said internationally acclaimed films like “Cristavo Colombo O Enigma” (Portugal), “The Age of Stupid” (Britain), “Rooster’s Breakfast” (Slovenia) and “The Investigator” (Hungary) will also be screened.

“We wanted to show Europe that Goa is not only about beaches. The EUFF will be a great opportunity for us to show other aspects of Goa to Europeans like its heritage, culture, etc,” she said.

Garzon said Goa was one of the earliest regions in India to have a connection with Europe and referred to the discovery of Goa by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama.

The EUFF will also be complimented with several other side shows which include an art exhibition by leading Spanish artist like Matilde La Amor.

Goa’s heritage structures under threat

2011-02-15T17:08:00.001+05:30

In the absence of legal protection, heritage buildings are giving way to multi-storey plazas in Goa, which is known for its Indo-Portuguese architectural marvels. “We have been lobbying hard to save these buildings but many a time we can’t help. Without legal protection bulldozers raze them down in no time,” said Prajal Sakhardande, a historian and member of Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG). ”There are around 1,000 heritage monuments in Goa and these include several buildings in Panaji.”

GHAG has listed these buildings in association with the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP), but in the absence of legal cover to these structures, it is difficult for the civic body to stop the demolitions. ”They have to be notified to be saved from demolition. We are trying our level best to convince people not to raze heritage structures, but legally we can’t stop them if documents are in order,” city Mayor Caroline Po said.

Situated on the banks of Mandovi river, Panaji has some of the best architectural wonders in Goa, a former Portuguese colony. A few quaint corners like Fountainhas have always been a big draw for tourists and film shootings. Some of the buildings in Fountainhas, an old residential area, are over 150-year-old and stand tall as a symbol of a bygone era in Goa’s rich history.

Goa;John D’Silva First Tiatrist to Enter into Limca Book of Records

2011-02-15T17:07:00.000+05:30

John D’ Silva, the well-known writer, director, actor and one of the top most comedian of Konkani stage has entered Limca Book of Records of 2010 for writing, directing and producing 25 Konkani Tiatrs with their titles having a double Alphabet in it.

The tiatrs that brought him the laurels are Vell, Dennem, Kolle, Ekvott, Vatt, Umannem, Sokallim, Menn, Avessor, Bott, Somzonni, Magnnem, Bovall, Kirnnnam, Porddo, Suknnim, Ugddas, Konn?, Vann, Vaitt, Jinn, Dhull, Xidkavnni, Voddem and Nattok. In the history of Konkani Tiatr, John is the first tiatrist to enter into Limca Book of Records and it took him 12 years to create this unique record.

His first drama “VELL” was released in 1996 and the 25th Tiatr “NATTOK” was released in UK and Germany in 2008 and then it was shown throughout Goa. He is the first tiatrist to receive the first “Yuva Srujan Puraskar” Award by Art and Culture, Goa government, for his immense contribution in the tiatr field. Recently, Multidimension AIDS Awareness Social Trust(MAAST) from Margao, presented him award of appreciation for his tiatr “Kuttumb” which conveys a strong message on AIDS and ill effects of Alcohol. He is rated as one of the best writer of the Konkani stage as his dramas are always written with thought provoking script with logical dialogues, powerful message and moral.

In the year 1996 Vell and 1998 Vatt were shown in Gulf countries i.e Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Muscat and Dubai. In 2006 Tiatr Jinn and Vaitt were staged in Dubai. With his Tiatr troupe he has travelled to Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, London (UK), Canada and Germany. To his credit, he is having five super Hit comedy vcd films namely Duddvamkar, Fugddi, Jinn, Lofdde and Gondoll. John D’Silva is a household name among Goans.

Saluting the Real Son of Goa

2011-02-15T16:57:00.000+05:30

The resounding verdict of the Opinion Poll held on 16th Jan 1967 saved Goa and Goans from being gulped by its big neighbor Maharashtra . Though all out attempts were made by the first Chief Minister of Goa late Dayanand Bandodkar and his Maharashtra Gomantak Party ( MGP) ably supported by the politicians from Maharashtra to get Goa assimilated into its northern neighbour . It was under the stewardship of the then charismatic leader Joao Hugo Eduardo de Sequeira or popularly called Dr Jack de Sequeira that Goans from all walks of life defeated the nefarious designs of pro merger forces . So passionate and strong were the anti merger views of this first time MLA from Panjim and later three times MLA from neighboring Santa Cruz that this pro Goa group soon became abode to both commoners and Goan luminaries of that era like V.M. Salgaokar, Ulhar Buyao, Uday Bhembre, Chandrakant Keni etc..

If Goa had become a part of Maharashtra it would have lost its unique identity. It's rich heritage of art and culture would have got completely deluged in the waters of "Marathi Asmita" . An elegy on Konkani language would have become a reality. Goans would have become minority in their own land . And worse Goa would have become one of the secluded districts of Maharashtra like Sawantwadi or Ratnagiri .

The way Goa is being turned into a concrete jungle, construction of high storied buildings, pristine land being sold to the highest bidder i.e. the real estate agents , cutting of hills , hacking of trees , mushrooming of both legal and illegal mining etc etc All these ecologically unsound activities would all have made Dr Sequeira feel sad and despondent. The founder president of United Goan Party (UGP) wanted Goa to be developed as the numero uno eco friendly tourism place of India.

A worthy point to ponder is that during the time of Dr Sequeira flora and fauna was given paramount importance . For instance unlike the present concrete state existing in the left hand side stretch from Campal to Miramar, there existed green fields. People connected with the anti merger group nostalgically remember that Dr Sequeira joined politics to save Goa. He was immensely proud of his Goan roots . Dr Sequeira did not look at politics as a avenue to embezzle public money which is the trend with most of the present day State's politicians.

Out of Dr Sequeira's nine children only his eldest son late Erasmo Jesus de Sequeira entered politics . The two time MP from Marmagoa parliamentary constituency apart from being a top leader of UGP also worked whole heartedly for creating favourable opinion in the 16th January 1967 referendum. Today none of his five surviving children are in the murky world of Goan Politics.

Yes, the need of the hour is that Goa needs more and more politicians who have a character like Dr Sequeira who was a businessman by profession and often used to contribute to run the affairs of UGP from his own pocket . Being a God fearing person he would ensure that he did not miss the evening rosary with his family at home.

We need to constantly work to fulfill the dreams of Dr Sequeira for a better and safe Goa. All right thinking Goans whether they are Hindus, Catholics or Muslims need to work vigorously to fight the evils engulfing Goa like desecration of the places of worship, environmental degradation caused through mining and mega projects, very long delay in the incorporation of Roman script in the official language Act, garbage strewn all over the state, narrow roads, prostitution dens masquerading as massage parlors, politicization of police, removal of river princess- - a ship half sunk from Candolim beach and so forth.

NGOs and groups like GBA who really feel for Goa should come forward and unite to save this lovely state from the clutches of haphazard development which one day would destroy the real essence of Goa . GBA would really do a stupendous service to Goa if it contests the next assembly elections by nominating candidates with right credentials. Dr Sequeira had honesty inborn in him.

It is sad that most of us in Goa today have forgotten the breathtaking role played by Dr Sequeira in keeping Goa as a separate unit of the Indian Union. Most of our children hardly know who Dr Sequeira was because not a single chapter is devoted in Goa's school on the father of the Opinion Poll. To keep the legacy of this greatest of the great Goan leader alive , a permanent chair should also be established at Goa University to study the life and times of Dr Jack de Sequeira.

It is a big shame that our State government did not have funds to get his statue erected. Incidentally, the cost of the statue at Donna Paula circle was borne by Dr Sequeira's family. Why have we forgotten our hero so soon ? Will our State government celebrate the centenary celebrations in the next four years with the same vigor and dynamism for Dr Jack Sequeira the real Goenkar as it is currently doing for Dayanand Bandodkar who was no doubt an efficient administrator but who always had his heart for Marathi and Maharashtra.

Goan drug dealer’s assets worth Rs 2 crore frozen

2011-02-15T16:53:00.000+05:30

Goa police has frozen all the assets, including cash, properties and investments, of a notorious drug peddler, a senior police officer said. It is the first time that such action has been taken against a drug peddler.

Cash, several properties and assets worth Rs.2 crore belonging to Sadanand Chimulkar were frozen under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA) because they were bought from proceeds of narcotics sale, Superintendent of Police Veenu Bansal said on Tuesday.

“The assets were obtained as proceeds from the narcotics trade. This is the first time ever that we have taken steps to freeze assets of drug peddlers,” Bansal said, adding that the move would serve as a deterrent to drug peddlers at large in the state.

“The aim is to send a message to anyone linked to the drugs trade that on arrest, money amassed from the drug trade over the years can be frozen. On conviction, the frozen assets are automatically seized by the government,” Bansal said.

Sadanand Chimulkar alias Bhui, a notorious drug dealer from Anjuna, was arrested in January this year with drugs worth Rs.4 lakh. According to police records Bhui had more than 21 known bank accounts, over a dozen life insurance policies and properties in several parts of Goa and Maharashtra. Bhui and his wife also owned more than a kilogram of gold, all of which has been frozen under SAFEMA, a finance ministry legislation. ”Bhui’s wife had withdrawn Rs.20 lakh after her husband’s arrest. That has been frozen too,” Bansal said.

Goa, infamously known as a narcotics haven, has of late seen the arrest of two other foreign drug dealers named David Driham alias Dudu and Yaniv Benaim alias Atala. The arrests by the Goa Police followed categorical statements by home minister Ravi Naik that there were no drugs being sold in Goa.

Goa: PWD Ordered to Replant Mangroves Destroyed for National Highway Project

2011-02-15T16:39:00.001+05:30

Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has ordered the Public Works Department (PWD) to replant a large stretch of mangroves which they will destroy as a part of proposed national highway project. The department will have to replant almost three times the mangroves that they will be butchering to make way for national highway.

GCZMA member Dr Arvind Gajanan Untawale said that nearly three hectares mangroves would be sacrificed for the highway project that will be pre-habilitated. The department will plant ten hectares of mangroves to compensate for the ecological loss. "This is not a rehabilitation but pre-habilitation as they will have to plant the mangroves before starting the national highway project," Dr Untawale, said former scientist from National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).

He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of seminar on mangroves ecosystem organized by Mangrove Society of India at NIO. As PWD has no expertise to grow mangroves, they will seek paid assistant from forest department for it. "They will have to pay around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per acre to the forest department," Dr Untawale said. Forest department will identify the area for them to pre-habilitate the plantation, he added.

The stretch of mangroves from near Banastarim bridge and Chimbel will be cut down for the highway. Untawale said that Goa is on a much better footing as far as mangroves conservation is concerned. "Forest department is taking additional efforts to make sure that wherever mangroves are destroyed, they are replanted elsewhere," he added.

35 Companies and 65 directors are prosecuted by the Registrar of Companies

2011-02-15T16:37:00.000+05:30

Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Shri Salman Khurshid informed Mr. Shantaram Naik, in the Rajya Sabha today in a written reply that Registrar of Companies, Goa has filed prosecution against 35 companies and its 69 Directors of non-filing of Balance Sheets and Annual Returns under Section 220 and 162 of the Companies Act, 1956.

The Minister further informed Mr. Naik that violation of mandatory legal provisions by Directors of such Companies have come to the notice of the Registrar of Companies. In case of 129 companies, it is found that they have failed to file Balance Sheets and Annual Returns with the Office of Registrar of Companies, Goa. Daman and Diu.

He further informed Mr. Naik that in case of one public company it is found that it has failed to comply with the provisions of section 165 of the Companies Act, 1956 and has not submitted Statutory Report with the office of Registrar of Companies, Goa.

Mr. Khurshid further informed Mr. Naik that in all 484 companies were registered in Goa in the 2007-2008, 344 in the year 2008-2009 and 286 in the year 2009-2010.

Explaining the procedure for incorporation companies by foreign nationals/NRIs, minister said that promoters have to apply for name of the company by way of filing form 1A furnishing the names of addresses of promoters/directors. After getting the name approved from the Registrar of Companies, promoters are required to prepare registration documents like Form 1 Form 18, Form 32, Memorandum of Association (MOA), Articles of Association (AOA)

If the foreigner promoters intend to incorporate the company without visiting India, then they have to sign the MOA, AOA before the Notary in the country of their origin and subsequently to be apostatised by the Indian Embassy situated in that country of the origin as per the Hague Apostille Convention 1961, he said.

The Minister further informed Mr. Naik that if the foreigner directors are visiting Indian, they have to write the foreign address and Indian address, description and occupation in the MOA, AOA in presence of witness in terms of Section 15 and 30 of the Companies Act, 1956 and also to submit copies of the passport and visa and also, if required, in original for verification

Goa wildlife census: Tiger-like pug marks found

2011-02-15T16:27:00.002+05:30

The findings of pug marks similar to that of tiger has added vigour to state forest department's wildlife census scheduled to begin at the end of this month.

“We found certain pugmarks in the wildlife which can be that of tiger, leopard, panther or even wild cat,” Dr Gautam Talukdar, an expert from wildlife Institute of India (WII), told this morning. He said that the pugmarks samples are subjective as detailed analyzing of the sample would yield proper assessment of about the animal.

WII official was part of the two member team that trained Goa forest department officers for the census for three days. Talukdar has said that qualitative analysis of these pug marks needs to be done before confirming any animal. The state is readying to host wildlife animal census in all its six wildlife sanctuaries and government owned forest areas. The survey will begin on April 26 and conclude on May 4, 2010.

A team of 330 people including forest department staff will search every inch of forest for the clues or signs to know the movement or existence of animals. A forest department officer said that spread over three phases, the survey will also have a camera trapping method in its third leg.

Goa: Witness the Shirgaon jatra

2011-02-15T16:27:00.001+05:30

In Goa almost in every village jatrotsav is held, but all the jatras are not famous all over Goa. Most of them are known in the surrounding areas, but few like the Ajobachi jatra of Keri- Pernem, Bodgeshwar jatra of Mapusa and Lairaidevi jatra of Shirgaon are famous all over the state.

Goa: Shirgaon jatra

The Shirgaon jatra which will be celebrated on April 19 is also famous as Dhonanchi jatra or Homkhanachi jatra. The jatra celebrations begin with the invocation of Lord Ganesh on Chaitra Shudha Amavashay. On the eve of jatra in the afternoon koul (blessing) is taken from the Goddess Lairai, after that the people proceed to a place called Muddi on the boundary of Shirgao village and clean that place.

On the day of 'jatra' (Vaisha Shudha Panchami) in the morning the main 'pujari' Joshi takes out the 'kalash' (sacred pot) early in the morning at around 7.30 a.m. and distribute the 'tirth' (holy water) to the villagers. The golden idol of Goddess Lairai which is kept in the Joshi's house is taken in a 'peth' (box) by the 22 Chowgules (people in the village having important position in the 'jatra' celebrations) to the temple and the idol is removed from the 'peth' and placed in the 'patlo' (basket made from bamboo) and the idol is covered with cloth.

After praying to the goddess the idol is taken to Muddi by the Joshi 'pujari'. The musicians, Chowgules and the Dhonds (devotees of the goddess) accompany him. At Muddi the new Dhonds take blessing from the Goddess and this programme of taking blessing goes from around 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Once the blessing programme is over the idol is taken back to the main temple and the Chowgules along with 'pujari' go to the Sateri temple to offer raw food stuff to Aaba Brahman (it is believed he is the first Brahman) so that he does not bring any obstruction during the 'jatra' celebrations.

Once they are back to the temple other rituals are performed and then the 'kalash' is decorated with 'patkoli' and 'kudo' flowers and the Chowgules bring it to the 'mandap' (courtyard) and the pujari takes it on his head to 'Vadakade' and lights the 'homkhand'. The devi (goddess) proceeds from there to 'Dhonachi Tali' (tank) and pours water three times using 'kalash' cap into the tank and then takes rest at Moddi. During the resting period that is around 2 a.m. to 5.30 a.m. the Dhonds numbering thousands have bath in the 'Dhonachi Tali' and seek blessing from the Goddess and walk through the sacred fire barefoot, which is the main attraction of the 'jatra'. Thousands of people throng to Shirgao to witness the walking of Dhonds through the fire.

If a Dhond is hurt while going through the fire, he has to take blessing from the Goddess and it is believed that he will be cured within few days. The Devi is the last to go through the fire. The preparations of the 'jatra' begin several days before the 'jatra' day. The 'koul' is given to the villagers by the Goddess in the next four days of the 'jatra'. The raw food stuff which was given to the Aaba Brahman is cooked and eaten on the fourth day of the 'koul' and the 'kalash' is kept back in the temple. With this the 'jatra' which is celebrated with traditional fervour comes to an end.

I-T raids on Goa politician, businessmen

2011-02-15T16:19:00.000+05:30

Income Tax (I-T) sleuths on Friday conducted raids on offices and business premises of some businessmen and a top politician in the State.
I-T officials at Patto here declined to comment on the raids saying they had been conducted by a team from Bangalore Circle.
Since Friday morning, there were rumours that two top politicians who were part of G7 had been raided by I-T sleuths. One of them denied having any knowledge of the raids on his business concerns while the other was not available for comments. The latter's office was learnt to have been searched by the sleuths. It is not known in what connection the searches were carried out.
Sources confirmed that 2-3 businessmen having business interest with the two politicians had I-T sleuths visiting their offices and business establishments on Friday.
One of them is into real estate and resides in Dona Paula though he hails from South India. The other has liquor business. The family is long into manufacture of liquor and runs a restaurant. The I-T sleuths searched their distillery units, two in North Goa and one is South Goa, the sources said.
Another person who is closely linked to a politician was also brought under the scanner by I-T. It is not known whether incriminating material was found during the searches.
The police who normally provide escort to the sleuths, interestingly, said they had no knowledge of any raid conducted by I-T officials in the capital city and its outskirts.
Less than two months ago, I-T sleuths had conducted raids on at least three businessmen from Bardez. One, riding on sympathy wave, got himself elected in a fiercely fought Zilla Panchayat election from Saligao constituency. In January this year, it was a former minister of the 90s who faced I-T sleuths.

Slain British teenager Scarlet’s mother cancels Goa trip

2011-02-15T16:13:00.001+05:30

Fiona Mackeown, mother of slain British teenager Scarlet Eden Keeling, has cancelled her trip to Goa, where she is to depose in a court, due to disruption in flight services in the UK, her lawyer said.

The volcano eruption in Iceland has hit aviation services in the UK.

“She had booked her ticket and went to the airport to board the flight for India. But since all the flights for the day were cancelled, she could not come to India,” Fiona’s lawyer Vikram Varma told PTI.

Some UK airports had been shut because of volcano ash drifting south from the erupting volcano in Iceland.

Fiona was expected to arrive tomorrow and depose before Goa Children’s Court, which is hearing the case related to her daughter’s death two years ago.

Scarlet was found dead on Anjuna beach on February 18, 2008. Police suspect she was raped and killed.

The CBI, which took over the probe from Goa police, has chargesheeted two locals - Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho.

The court, hearing the case three times a week, has recorded testimony of six witnesses, including five policemen.

CBI counsel S R Rivonkar was supposed to move an application to get Fiona testify on Friday.

Parrikar quizzed by CBI in IFFI scam

2011-02-15T16:12:00.000+05:30

Goa’s former chief minister Manohar Parrikar was Thursday questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about an alleged scam related to expenditure on infrastructure development for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2004.

CBI officials also said that Chief Minister Digambar Kamat would also be examined as a witness in course of the investigation.

Speaking to IANS after a two-hour session with CBI officials, Parrikar said that he was asked nearly 60 questions relating to creation of infrastructure for the event.

“Their questions were based on the observations made in a 2005 report of the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG), which was a fraudulent exercise, not in conformation with procedure itself,” he said.

“I also told them that along with Kamat, several other cabinet ministers, including those in the present government were a part of the decision making process and that they should be questioned too,” Parrikar said.

Parrikar, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, alleged that the Congress party was manipulating the CBI to run down opposition leaders.

“The case was filed in 2005 and this is the third time the CBI has initiated the process. Every time there is a crisis in the Congress, they resort to using the CBI to pressurise,” Parrikar said.

Parrikar also alleged that the CBI’s move to summon him could be a direct consequence of his unearthing multi-crore scams in the excise, mining, power departments and real estate sector in which senior Congress leaders, including the chief minister and top ranking bureaucrats were involved.

Speaking to reporters, CBI superintendent S.S. Gavali said that Kamat would also be examined in connection with the IFFI scam.

“We will be examining Kamat too. We have already recorded the statements of 35 people, which includes 12 members of the IFFI core committee,” he said.

The CBI complaint follows a first information report (FIR) filed by Congress activist Mauvin Godinho accusing Parrikar, chief minister of a BJP-led coalition in 2004, of financial misappropriation while creating the infrastructure, which includes a multiplex complex where the IFFI is hosted.

How Goa got its talukas

2011-02-15T15:58:00.000+05:30

Though the Portuguese conquered Old Goa on November 25, 1510, their rule was confined to Tiswadi, Bardez and Salcete for over 200 years. They could annex only seven more talukas in the 18th century.

“It was only in 1543 that they took over Bardez and Salcete through an agreement with Muslim rulers, after extending their jurisdiction to other parts of Tiswadi and adjoining islands,” says Percival Noronha of the Indian Heritage Society. At that time, Mormugao was part of Salcete. “In 1917, the Portuguese separated Mormugao,” he adds.

The conquest of the other seven talukas started with the tide turning in favour of the Portuguese. They got Ponda on May 31, 1763; a month later, on June 1, 1763, they bagged Canacona, and in the same year they got the remaining two talukas of Sanguem and Quepem from the King of Sunda.

Bicholim was added on August 25, 1781, and a month later, Sattari, with due guarantee to the people of protecting their rights and religion. Two years later, on May 15, 1783, Pernem was added to what was then called Portuguese Estado da India, following an agreement with the King of Sawantwadi who held sway over these three talukas.

The Sonda king signed a treaty with the Portuguese in 1764, compelled by Hyder Ali's attacks, which helped the Portuguese confirm their annexure of the four talukas of Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem and Canacona in lieu of payment of an annual stipend to the Sondekars.

Interestingly, what may be talukas today, were earlier designated as provinces. The province of Ponda or Antruj had 28 villages when the Portuguese took over and Queula, a village on the south-eastern end of the taluka, was its capital.

The only district under the Sondekars was Zambaulim or Panchmal, as it had five provinces. The first province, Astraghar, comprised of 18 villages, including most areas of the present Sanguem (51 villages) with Rivona as the capital. The other province, Embarbarcem, comprised 38 villages, including Surla, Oxel and Sancorda. The province had nine torofos. Balli, with 27 villages and divided into four torofos, was the third province, while Cacora was considered an incomplete province as it was small. Chandravadi province was part of Quepem.

The province of Canacona, with a same-name capital, had seven villages. Cabo de Rama village was called a jurisdiction, with Cola or Khola as its capital.

Goa: Reliving the Maratha period

2011-02-15T15:55:00.001+05:30

The Dinanath Mangueshkar Kala Mandir at the Kala Academy will witness performance of the 2,100th show of the popular Marathi historical drama, 'Raigadala Jevha Jaag Yete' (When Raigad Awakes) on April 19; an impressive achievement for a drama written in the early 1960s and on the verge of completing its golden jubilee.

shivaji

The noted actor/ producer/ director, Avinash Deshmukh who revived the drama in the mid-1980s has been playing the central character of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj since then, though the rest of the cast including eminent actor, Mohan Joshi has undergone change.

Addressing a press conference in the city along with his daughter, Rujuta Deshmukh who enacts the role of Yesubai (wife of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj), Mr Deshmukh said that after he revived the drama some two-and-a-half decades ago, it went on to complete 1,200 shows. "Then the play started faltering, and we had to approach the playwright, Prof Vasant Kanetkar to rearrange the script and convert the three acts of the play into two acts, and restrict the same to 130 minutes duration," he added.

"The play is an intelligent piece of work; it is less of a historical drama and more of a social comment on the relationship between one of the most famous father and son pairs," Mr Deshmukh observed, noting that 'Raigadala Jevha Jaag Yete' is a humane tale, with no place for weapons like swords or spears. He also informed that presently the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is enacted by his own son, Chaitanya Deshmukh, while his daughter, Rujuta is playing the character of Yesubai.

The play has music by Anand Modak, while Ravindra Sathe has sung a song for the stage production. Stating that he presently holds the rights for two of Prof Kanetkar's plays - 'Raigadala Jevha Jaag Yete' and 'Ethe Oshalala Mrityu', Mr Deshmukh said that he has already lodged a complaint with the Goa police, to stop future shows of these two plays by any other person or company in Goa.

Rujuta, who shot to fame due to actor Sachin's reality dance show – 'Ekapeksha Ek', followed by the popular Marathi soap opera, 'Kalat Naklat', was in the past linked to 'Raigadala Jevha Jaag Yete', when she enacted the role of Rajaram as a child actress.

Interacting with the media, Rujuta said that after the end of the tele-serial, 'Kalat Naklat', she decided to act in the play as she had no interesting offers, either in television serials or films. "However, I am also involved in a dance reality show – 'Maharashtrache Nach Baliye' with Madhura Velankar, Bhargavi Chirmule, Sharvari Jeminis and others, and also participate in dance performances," she added. The petite actress, who is also a singer, further observed that the advantage of drama over tele-serials is that the former receives instant reaction from the audiences, while a performer has to wait for two to three weeks to get reactions for his or her performance in the latter, when the episodes of the serial get telecast.

Goa gears up to hire consultant, begins land acquisition

2011-02-15T15:54:00.000+05:30

Civil aviation ministry is seeking cabinet nod to allow an existing airport to co-exist with the new facility.

Goa's government is preparing to hire a consultant to advise it on a proposed new airport for the state even as the civil aviation ministry drafts a note for the Union cabinet to allow the Dabolim airport to coexist with the new facility. A senior Goa government official said it would speed up the project, for which nearly 30,000 sq. m of land is already in the process of being acquired. The government plans to acquire 50,000 sq. m more by June.

"By first week of May, we will float a tender to appoint a consultant for conducting a detailed project report," said the official, who asked not to be named. "After this, we will get a sense of the feel of the market, who all are interested?"

Some $10 billion (around Rs44,500 crore today) has been spent in the last five years on airport modernization in India, according to the Centre For Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa), and a further $20 billion of investment is expected in the following 10 years. "The Greenfield airport projects most likely to progress to the tender stage in the near future are Navi Mumbai and Mopa in Goa, with Request for Proposal documents expected to be issued in the first half of 2010," Capa said in its outlook report for the current year.

The Dabolim airport is in southern Goa, close to the state capital Panaji and run by the Indian Navy. The proposed new airport, sanctioned by the Union cabinet in March 2000, is to come up in the extreme north of the state.

The civil aviation ministry's suggestion to keep the Dabolim airport running, if approved by the cabinet, will reverse a decision mandating that an old airport be closed once a new one becomes operational—a practice followed in Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Because of local opposition to the closure of the old airport, said a civil aviation ministry official who did not want to be named, the ministry is now seeking a review of the decision by the Union cabinet so that the two airports can coexist.

The move may, however, require an understanding between rival airport operators to ensure that new projects are viable. The civil aviation ministry has also approved an airport project in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, which is further north of Goa.

Keeping the Dabolim airport open after the new facility is constructed in Goa would mean that three airports would be operating in a 130km stretch and competing for passenger and freight traffic

The Goa government hopes to reach an agreement on traffic distribution between the Dabolim airport and the new facility, said the state government official cited earlier. The Sindhudurg project is a different matter because it is located in another state, the official added.

Goa to use social networking sites to woo tourists

2011-02-15T15:49:00.001+05:30

Goa is looking at social networking websites to salvage its sagging international tourist inflow which has taken a severe beating since last couple of years. Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), the State government run agency, will now bank on Twitter and Facebook for its image building initiative, officials said.

“This will help us to reach to new clients and also keep in touch with existing guests, who have Goa on their annual holiday calender,” GTDC's spokesman Deepak Narvekar, said. Narvekar added that GTDC would be the first state-run corporation to have its presence on Twitter, a social networking website, which is a buzzword in the cyberspace.

The state, known for its sandy beaches, has been facing a challenge to maintain its foreign tourist inflow after it earned bad repute due to sporadic crimes against the foreigners.

The conservative estimates reveal that the inflow of tourists from UK plummeted all time high last couple of years. The Russian visitors saved the industry from being doomed as their numbers touched 40,000 mark, an industry expert said.

Narvekar said that the social networking websites will compliment the State Tourism Department's initiative to promote the state as a safe destination. GTDC, having a chain of 13 resorts of its own in the state, has decided to disseminate all the possible positive information about the state through these websites.

“We are trying to project the real, positive, image of the state,” Narvekar said. Goa attracts around 24 lakh tourists, of which around three-odd lakh are foreigners who arrive here to soak in the sun.

Goa NGO warns govt against misusing land acquisition powers

2011-02-15T15:41:00.001+05:30

Goa Bachao Abhiyaan (GBA), a leading green NGO has warned the government against misusing its powers to acquire land for public purpose. ”Goa government should define what exactly is the purpose when they acquire the land for projects. Even if it’s for public purpose, the government should specify who will benefit from it,” GBA convenor Sabina Martins said.

The NGO today held a meeting here ahead of their talks with chief minister Digamber Kamat on April 15 when all the issues related to land use would be discussed. ”Right from Cricket stadium at Thivim to Football stadium at Verna or hospital project at Margao, the state government should define the public use,” Martins said. ”Even if there is acquisition for the government project, the land owner should be paid as per market rates,” she added.

Briefing media after the meeting, Martins said that the GBA along with village groups will meet chief minister on April 15 to bring to his notice gross violations in various villages across the state. The meeting also decided to ask the government to notify National Agricultural Policy, which disallows conversion of cultivable lands.

“We have received letter from the Prime Minister’s Office which clearly speaks about agricultural policy. We met the local bureaucrats asking them to notify this policy but they seem to be not interested,” Siddharth Karapurkar, a local activist, said.

Goa Univ. to host unique software development conference

2011-02-15T15:39:00.001+05:30

Goa university’s (GU) computer science and technology department will host a unique XP Day 2010 on April 16 with focus on software development methods that enable last minute alterations in softwares.

The day will witness a series of such seminars organized across the country by the Computer Society of India. The department of the Goa University has organized XP Day 2010, a one day introductory Conference on Agile Software Development Approach, as part of silver jubilee celebrations of the university.

The conference will be held at the Arts Faculty Block seminar hall of the university. This event has been organized in association with Goa chapter of the Agile Software Community of India and Industrial Logic Inc., Bangalore.

Professor Ramrao Wagh of the Goa university said that this conference has been mainly organized for the benefit of students, faculty and professionals in the field of computer science and IT. And the one day conference will be followed by a two day seminar at Hotel Silver Sands at Colva where nearly 40 experts will further discuss nuances.

He explained, “The conference will mainly focus on XP which is one of the methods that enables accommodating last minute changes in softwares. We chose XP because it is gaining popularity.”

The purpose of the conference is to address the interest and provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art, as well as state-of-the-practice of eXtreme programming values, principles and practices.

Participants will have to register themselves on Agile Software Community of India website by April 14, 2010. A participation fee will have to be paid at the venue of Rs 300 for participants from industry, Rs 200 for faculty members and Rs 100 for students.

The sessions for the conference will be conducted by three experts from various parts of India - Naresh Jain of Industrial Logic, Bangalore; V Narayan Raman, Bangalore, and Saurabh Arora, Directi, Bangalore.

The topics will cover a critical look at software development methodologies and the road ahead; improving the design of exiting code using safe methods; role of functional testing on an XP project and traits of highly effective software rockstars.

Goans to get unique ID number by November

2011-02-13T09:30:00.000+05:30

Every resident of Goa will receive a 16-digit unique identification number (UID) by November this year, based on the data gathered during the ongoing census operations, which will be completed in Goa by May 15, 2010.

The first phase envisages house listing and housing census during the 45-day operation. "It may be possible to issue UID to citizens in six months after the first phase census is completed," North Goa collector Mihir Vardan said.

Information gathered in the preliminary survey will not only help in forming a valuable database, but also the country's first ever national popular register (NPR). "The census data will be made available to Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) after the first phase process in India is completed by September this year," a source in census operation department told TOI on Friday.

UIDAI, which will issue the UID to citizens and Registrar General and Census Commissioner have reached an understanding over sharing of the database.

In other states, the first phase operations are yet to start and will be completed by September. "The second phase from February 9 to February 28, 2011 envisages individual listing," a source in census operation said.

"Every individual will not only be identified by a separate number, but also his personal details will be filed in the NPR," sources said, adding that UIDAI has taken it up as a challenge to issue the UID to all citizens.

"The census may happen once in ten years, but the UID will be a continuous process and the information may go on changing," sources added.

Explaining further, sources said that the database will include photographs and ten finger biometry of any person above 15 years of age. Expectedly, all personal details of an individual, including his age, educational qualifications,
address, present and permanent, place and date of birth, and other information will also be included therein.

The UID will facilitate implementation of government schemes and programmes and also from the country's security point of view.

After the first phase census, the details of local register of usual residents (LRUR) will be displayed in each village for the purpose of correction or rectification in case of any errors.

Those who miss the census can also get their details included later as special centres would be set up, sources said.

Kaalamba Sangrahaalai- The first private temple museum in Goa

2011-02-13T09:22:00.002+05:30

Many times rare antiques or vestiges of the ancient period are found around temples in Goa. These include sculptures, images, parts of carved wooden beams, old lamps, bells etc. Such objects which are not in use are mostly discarded off by the temple committees. As nobody knows what should be done with these rare antiquities normally they are seen lying around the temple carelessly. The historic importance of these objects is known only to historians and heritage lovers.

The temple authorities also do not know how to deal with such objects. Some temple authorities feel that these artifacts may not impress the government museum authorities so handing over these objects to government museum may not be fruitful. However the temple of Shri Kalika at Kasarpal in Bicholim taluka has made a turning point in Goa's history of museum. It is the first temple in Goa to have a private museum on its own, titled as Kaalamba Sangrahaalai.

Goa Museum

This historic step and decision was taken by the temple committee members. Mr Paresh Raikar (President), along with Mr Digambar Raikar (Vice- President), Mr Gajanan Salkar, Mr Chetan Bandodkar, Mr Rajendra Verlekar, Mr Avdhut Tanksali, Mr Anand Bandodkar and Mr Dilip Vernekar.

The Museum was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Mr Digambar Kamat, on the day of Gudi Padwa on March 16, 2010. What does this museum house? Since it's a museum of a temple on can see almost all the objects associated with a temple and its ritual. It has objects of ancient, medieval and the modern period.

The museum has around 10 small galleries housing rare antiquities including stone sculptures, brass lamps, wooden and silver artifacts etc. The huge standing brass lamps, traditionally called Divaleo or Samai with peacock crowning its top, at the entrance catch one's eyes. In addition to this, the museum also has massive hanging bronze lamps called 'Laaman Dive'. These lamps were hung from the roof with thick brass chains in the olden days. Now a days very few make use of such lamps. The hanging lamps present in the museum also have a traditional interlocking system which would help them to be dismantled.

The second gallery has a wooden 'Kirtimukh', bronze 'aartis' and also a brass plate dating to Shhake 1810 or 1888 AD, with 'Shri Kalika Prasann' written on it. Stone sculptures of Virgals and the deity Ravalnath are also on display. They may perhaps date to 14th–15th century AD. One gallery displays the traditional musical instruments which were once played in the temple and now have become extinct. Instruments like the 'Surt', 'Taaso', 'Tutaari' or the 'Shing' are preserved here. The museum also has two big bronze bells. One of them was probably donated in 1898 AD by a particular Gopal Shet Nagvekar from Ribandar. No details are seen on the second bell.

This museum has created a great awareness in the minds of people as visitors coming here express to donate the various artifacts lying in their houses to this museum. Mr Paresh Raikar of the temple committee appeals that if any person has such rare and ancient artifacts related to temples they could be handed over to this museum for preservation. This museum is a role model to other such institutions who strive to preserve our cultural heritage.