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This month's Goanet operations sponsored by an Anonymous Donor ------------------------------------------------------------------------ <In the six or seven years that I have been acquainted with Panjim and its vicinity the main roads, after being surfaced, have been dug up for whatseems like every conceivable reason.>[Self, 29/3] 1. On March 31, there was a front page report in HERALD titled "Road digging: CCP-Govt at cross roads". It said that CCP had decided to refuse the govt's request for permission to dig Panjim roads for a broadband connectivity project. They unanimously took the stand that it could be looked into only after the monsoon, i.e. Sept. Meanwhile the last date for road digging was notified as April 25. The mayor added that restoration of roads would be completed by May 15. Some hopeful signs, on the surface of things. But, clearly the hurriedly resurfaced roads are unlikely to get through unscathed during the monsoon. And the whole digging business will start again pre-IFFI as envisaged by CCP and go on and on and on. 2. On April 1 there was a column titled "God of mall things" by Bevinda Collaco in HERALD. It was a sort of whistle blowing piece about the plan to convert the recently (circa 2004) and successfully restored Old GMC building in the INOX compound into a shopping mall. Apparently, the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) is not shifting into the building as originally envisaged. (May have thought discretion is the better part of valour after seeing the utter chaos over passes during IFFI, right?) Anyway, according to Bevinda, the 30 year lease given to the new occupants seems to allow wholesale remodelling of the building which is outwardly very beautiful at present and a worthy heritage site. She has also quoted a clause in the agreement which binds the government to secrecy about the goings on. She concludes by saying that the building is part of GOA's heritage, not just Panjim's, and hence its future should be in "Goa's hands". Be that as it may, as a substantial traffic generating node, any mall will only add to the strains and stresses on Panjim's roads. Incidentally, the mall/multiplex combination seems to mirror to a significant extent the situation I saw in Bangalore at the Garuda Mall where there is an INOX (built at the same time as Panjim's INOX) on the top floor.