GOACOM NEWS CLIPPINGS
31 May 2002
GOA ASSEMBLY POLLS POST 67% TURN-OUT: Heavy turn-out of voters recording
67.48 per cent cast their votes for the 40-member State legislative
assembly elections, which by and large went off peacefully yesterday.
Barring stray incidents of group clashes, the elections passed of
peacefully. Voters turned out in large numbers despite sweltering heat and
high humidity. (NT)
DELETION OF NAMES DISAPPOINTS VOTERS: Some voters seeking to exercise their
franchise in the polls were shocked to find their names missing from the
electoral rolls, in spite of them casting their votes in the previous
elections, and possessing the mandatory election photo identity cards. (NT)
TENSE MOMENTS IN MAPUSA: A scuffle between Congress and BJP workers soon
after the election process ended, led to some tense moment in Mapusa, as
BJP activists in large numbers gathered in front of the Mapusa police
station demanding the arrest of the recently appointed Goa Pradesh Congress
Committee General Secretary, Subhash Narvekar. Around 200 BJP activists
held the Mapusa Police Station at ransom. (H)
WOMEN CAST VOTES: Rural folks in North Goa district in spite of having
pre-monsoon work awaiting them in their fields took patience to stand in
queues outside polling booths for casting their votes. The women folk, whom
this reporter spoke at various place in rural areas, had a common grievance
over getting descent jobs for their children. (NT)
VOTING MACHINES CONFUSE VOTERS: Though EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines)
are considered convenient and the Chief Electoral Office had assured of a
smooth process, its failure to hold pre-poll demonstrations for the voters
on the use of the machines resulted in some amount of difficulty,
particularly for those using the machine for the first time and the elders.
(GT)
VOTER ID CARD FAILS: The South Goa Public Interest Action Group, a
Margao-based NGO, were inundated by complaints made on their Helpline
715269 from voters in the Mormugao Parliamentary Constituencies condemning
the election authorities for unauthorized deletion of names on the voters
list thus rendering them unable to case their votes, says a press release. (GT)
CONGRESS, BJP CLAIM FOR MAJORITY: The Bharatiya Janata Party and the
Congress Party claimed that they would wrest majority seats in the
40-member assembly immediately after the elections ended at 5 pm. The Chief
Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar, referring to heavy voter turn-out said the
voters' mood indicated that they had voted in favour of the BJP and claimed
to post a comfortable majority. Mr Shantaram Naik (Congress Party), claimed
that his party would win 30 seats and accused the BJP of using the police
force against the Congress workers. (NT)
ELECTION SIDELIGHTS: Polling officials at many booths complained of not
being provided with food by the authorities though they were promised. Many
of them said that they had to discharge their duties on empty stomach. Even
water was not provided to them…In some polling stations absence of fans
made life miserable for the polling officials. (NT)
D-DAY GLIMPSES: It was unfortunate, that one still has to glide across the
waters of the Chapora river to meet sitting Mandrem MLA Ramakant Khalap and
not riding over the yet-to-be-delivered Siolim-Chopdem bridge. After
perennial delays by the successive State governments over the last decade,
even the BJP's latest promise to open the bridge to the public on May 30
has not materialized. (H)
CHILDREN'S PARK CANTEEN: Bertha Fernandes of Campal has approached the
Panjim Bench of the Bombay High Court challenging the alleged handing over
of the management of the canteen at Bhagwan Mahaveer Bal Vihar Children's
Park at Campal to another party. (H)
FIVE-YEAR LAW COURSE AT KARE COLLEGE: The Govind Ramnath Kare College of
Law, Margao, is introducing the five-year Law degree course from the coming
academic year. (H)
ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL: "The Election Commission in its wisdom provided for a
gap of a day before taking up the counting of the votes. Whether to prolong
the suspense or to let inflamed tempers to cool, we do not know…BJP was the
only technology savvy party with or without the connivance of Goa telecom.
They got a list of email addresses and bombarded them with propaganda. On
the eve of the polling day, the BJP managed another coup. They managed to
manipulate some public figures like Mario Miranda and Wendell Rodricks to
endorse the saffron agenda." (Edit in Herald)
GOAN ELECTORATE: "Goans have again proved that they are totally democratic
and that is how it was a peaceful but enthusiastic polling for the tenth
legislative assembly in the State on Thursday. Credit goes to the
electorate for displaying tremendous awareness towards their fundamental
right to vote despite the harsh summer." (Edit in GT)
KONKANI SEMINAR AT QUEPEM: The Konkani Bhasha Mandal in collaboration with
Goa Kala Academy organised a day-long literary seminar at Quepem as part of
the series "Sahitya Prakash". In this programme, papers were read and
elaborate discussions held on "Athang", a collection of short stories by Ms
Jayanti Naik. (NT)
JANSHATABDI EXPRESS GREAT! "A request to the GM of KRC: please add a stop
for the convenience of North Goa commuters, at Tivim or Karmali. The taxi
fares quoted to us from Madgaon to Porvorim and Calangute were Rs.540 and
640 respectively." (Henry A D'Souza, Alto Porvorim, in Letters to the
Editor of GT)
DAMODAR HSS GETS EXCELLENT PERCENTAGE: The Damodar Higher Secondary School
of Science, Margao, has achieved a pass percentage of 98.2 per cent in the
HSSC examination. Of the 110 students that appeared for the exams, 38
passed with distinction, 53 in first class, 17 in second class. There was
no student in the pass class. Cinderella Menezes stood first with 549
marks. (H)
PMC TO AID SELF-EMPLOYMENT UNITS: Mr Ashok Naik, President of Panaji
Municipal Council, has offered all possible assistance to set up
self-employment units. (NT)
AMBULANCE SERVICE FOR SIOLIM: A round-the-clock ambulance service was
extended to Sodiem-Siolim village, in Bardez taluka, by World Revival
Ministries Society, under its welfare programme. Fr Francis Silveira,
director Childline, inaugurated the service on May 25. For ambulance,
contact Tel: 272513 or 270369. (NT)
MONSOON IN KERALA: The South-West monsoon has set in over entire Kerala and
Lakshadweep yesterday. (GT) Very cloudy weather in Goa. We could experience
rain showers too.
S P O R T S
GOA VELHA SC WALK OUT OF NERUL SOCCER: Close on the heels of the
referee-bashing incident at the inter-village tournament at Calangute, Goa
Velha Sorts Club president Agnelo Fernandes yesterday blamed the referees
for their inefficiency, which lead to assault on the men in black.
G O A W E A T H E R
Temp: 28.9 deg C (84.0 deg F) at 7.30 am at Assagao
Max temp: 33.9 deg C; Humidity: 79 per cent. (Panjim yesterday)
Courtesy: H=Herald, NT=The Navhind Times, GT= Gomantak Times
Daily Goacom News Clippings also at: http://www.goacom.com/news
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