[Goanet] "Goa's Mining Problems"
http://www.GOANET.org This month's Goanet operations sponsored by an Anonymous Donor "Goa's mining problems" 05 Apr 2007 Source: Down to Earth - Science and Environment Online By Sunita Narain We were standing between a massive mine and a stunning water reservoir. Local activists were explaining to me that this iron ore mine was located in the catchment of the Salaulim water reservoir, the only water source for south Goa. Suddenly, as I started clicking with my camera, we were surrounded by a jeepload of men. They said they were from the mine management and wanted us off the property. We explained that we had come on a public path and that there were no signs to indicate that we were trespassing. But they were not in a mood to listen. They snatched the keys of our jeep, picked up stones to hit us and got abusive. Before things got totally out of hand, we decided to leave. They followed us till they saw that we left the area and most importantly, could not stop and take more photographs. I was completely baffled at these developments. After all, this was Goa, known for its sandy beaches, lush green mountains and, most of all, its peace and calm. This was also the place where industrialiststhe Dempos, the Salgaocars, the Timblos with mineral interestsplay key roles in education, in culture and in promoting the ethics of good corporate governance. Why would they allow mining to take place next to what is clearly the most important water source for the state? Why were there no signboards with names of owners, near or around the mine? Why would state regulators allow this to happen? What was happening in this paradise to unleash this violence and simmering tension? I got my answers soon. In the next village, Colomba, I was surrounded once again: not by goons of mining company, but by women of the village. We were standing on top of the hill, overlooking the village nestled between coconut and cashewnut trees. But where we were, bulldozers, mechanised shovels and trucks were hard at work. They were breaking the hill, shovelling its mud, dumping the rejects and then taking away the ore. The mine had just started operations, said the agitated women, but their streams were already drying up. The sight of the red waste on the green lands presented a stark contrast. They dragged me down into the village, where they showed me their wasted fields. They then showed me how the mining wasteand there are tonnes of this red mudwas being dumped into their streams. They walked me to a home where the walls had been badly damaged, they said, because of the blasting in the mines. The house owner, Devki Katu Velip, told me that when she complained to the miners, the supervisor told her they would destroy her house completely if she dared protest again. Understandably, the villagers had just one demand: close down the mines. I asked how permission had been given without their consent. Who were these companies and whose land were they mining? I learnt that in this literate state these mining operations were shrouded in secrecy. It was assumed that conditional environmental clearance had been taken to operate the mine located mostly on comunidade landoriginally under local community control and only to be leased out for agriculture. But as the concessions had been granted by the Portuguese government and later converted into leases by the Indian government, these restrictions did not seem to apply. Or, at least, did not matter. The ownership status was also unclear, explained the villagers. One Hiralal Khodidas had the lease, but the mine was operated by Sociedade Formento (one of Goas biggest mining companies) through an agent, Raisu Naik, who had in turn sub-contracted it to Gurudas Naik, the ex- sarpanch of the village. This is why, I guess, the mines did not have company signboards. It did not suit them to reveal their identity. In the next village, Quinamol, the scene was more or less the same. The miners were rowdy; the villagers angry. The only difference was that the mine was olderfirst mined for manganese and now being excavated for iron ore. It generated more mining waste, covering open fields and filling water bodies. The tension was palpable. In this case, the mine was leased to politician Chandrakant Naik but was being operated by one Bhandari. Nobody could give me more details about him. The women told me that they had complained but nobody was listening. I learnt laterthe day after my visitthat villagers had stopped a truck loading the material and beaten the driver. A case has now been registered against them. But is it only their fault? This was the scene in all the villages we pass
Re: [Goanet] Brave Goan killed in Iraq
Here is a more detailed article about the life of Nicholas Madaras as well as a few photographs: http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/article_8979.shtml For those not able to access the above link, I've taken the time to post the article below. Sincerely, Politico Rodrigues A 'beloved son of Wilton' dies Sep 7, 2006 Nicholas Madaras killed in action by roadside bomb Shalini Madaras remembers her son Nicholas as a young man, swimming deep out into the ocean on summer vacations, urging his mother to follow him ever further out. He was never afraid... he kept saying Cmon, Mom, lets keep going, she said during an interview at her Signal Hill Road home on Wednesday. Surrounded by friends for the past several days, the Madaras family is groping with the loss of Mr. Madaras, age 19 and a member of the Wilton High School class of 2005, who died in Iraq on Sunday, Sept. 3, when his Army dismounted patrol was hit with an improvised explosive device in the town of Baqubah. Along with his mother, Mr. Madaras leaves behind his father William, a sister Marie, 17, a senior at Wilton High School, and a young brother Christopher, 10, a fourth grader. When he was home on leave early last month, Mr. Madaras told friends and family he was looking forward to going to college and pursuing a medical career when he got out of the Army. After not being so successful in high school, I think he felt it was what he needed to get his life on track quickly and definitely, said his father on Wednesday about why his son chose to enlist. And he did. After a year in the Army he knew who he was and what he was and what he wanted to do with his life and he was very enthusiastic to get on with it. Mr. Madaras had been given a target date to leave Iraq for the last time on Oct. 24, days before his 20th birthday. Mr. Madaras said his son was looking into several programs and educational opportunities in which he could shorten his active duty time and enroll in either a nursing of physicians assistant program, returning to the Army after getting an education. On Sunday, however, those dreams were tragically cut short and later that night his family was notified by military personnel, escorted by Wilton Police, of the death of Private First Class Nicholas Madaras, a member of the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo. Mr. Madaras had enlisted in the Army shortly after graduation, and was sent to Iraq in February. He was home on leave in late July before returning to Iraq on Aug. 3. Intense young man Everyone who has spoken about Mr. Madaras in the days following his death have described him as a quiet, yet intense young man who was dedicated to his friends, family and soccer teammates. Theres no way to properly describe him, said Tom Thresher of Heather Lane, a close friend and former teammate of Mr. Madaras. As cliché as it may be, Ive been around a lot of good people, good soldiers... he literally was among the best. He was going to be a great lieutenant one day, he was going to be a great father one day... he was one of the best people this town has known. A fierce competitor on the field, teammates and coaches described Nicholas Madaras, pictured above in 2003, as one of the driving motivational forces behind his team. Mr. Madaras played varsity soccer at Wilton High School in his sophomore through senior years. He was killed Sunday in Iraq by an improvised explosive device set off while his Army unit was completing a patrol.J.B. Cozens photo As the town joins in mourning the loss of Mr. Madaras First Selectman William Brennan ordered all town flags lowered to half-staff, and a dedication in Mr. Madaras honor is planned for Friday at 4 p.m. at Lilly Field, the mens soccer teams first home game close friends have joined the Madaras family in their home, stopping by to offer comfort and to share remembrances of the young man. He tried to get the best out of everybody and if he didnt, he saw it as his failure, said Jim Lewicki, the mens soccer coach who knew Nick first as a player and then as a team manager. He was the type of person who felt if he failed, everything was wrong. Jim Cook, who coached Mr. Madaras in his sophomore through senior years, said as a player Mr. Madaras was always intense and ready to play. You never had to worry about getting him up for a game, he said. The biggest fact was that he was a great kid who wanted to do his part and more. Coach Lewicki remembers one game in Mr. Madaras sophomore year when he showed up to the game wearing cosmetic contact lenses, lenses that made his eyes look a very light shade of blue with only a small dot in the center where the pupil would normally be. He said, Coach, its intimidating. Were going to dedicate the season to Nick and were going to try to d
Re: [Goanet] In Praise of Albert - Hindutva
* G * O * A * N * E * T C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * Enjoy your holiday in Goa. Stay at THE GARCA BRANCA from November to May There is no better, value for money, guest house. Confirm your bookings early or miss-out Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation. Nasci Caldeira wrote the following on 2006-09-06 02:56:28 GMT (49 minutes ago): >Nasci queries? >Hey Politico (if that's your name) Why do you, not share your personal >opinion of the above, in the >first place. I would request you to start the >debate. Politico shy of politics? Are you 'shy'? or afraid >of >consequences? Or is it your plan to have others instigate and flame bait? >so U can then just >criticise, without end? > >Sincerely speaking, >Nasci Caldeira (not shy of political!) >Melbourne, Down Under. Politico responds: Hey Nasci, (if that's your name) your request is declined. It is not my intent to instigate nor criticize any member for having a particular opinion. Only the most immature personalities among us would hatch out a "nascent" plan such as this. As I mentioned before, it would be interesting to hear Fred Noronha's position. He has broached the topic twice (if not thrice before) but has never elaborated further. It was one of the reasons why I directed the question to him in the first place. He is free to respond or ignore my request. No harm done. Now Nacsi, if you're not shy of political dialogue, then I encourage you to contribute to the discussion. Sincerely, Politico Rodrigues (bathing in politics) _ Got something to buy, sell or swap? Try Windows Live Expo ttp://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwex001001msn/direct/01/?href=http://expo.live.com/ ___ Goanet mailing list Goanet@lists.goanet.org http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
Re: [Goanet] In Praise of Albert - Hindutva
* G * O * A * N * E * T C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * Enjoy your holiday in Goa. Stay at THE GARCA BRANCA from November to May There is no better, value for money, guest house. Confirm your bookings early or miss-out Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation. >Frederick "FN" Noronha wrote the following on 2006-09-04 10:08:10 GMT (17 >hours and 34 minutes ago): >"I do hold that Hindutva (the politicisation of religion, not religion or >Hinduism itself) is a major threat to India and its diversity and unity." Fred, I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments. My question to you is why you believe the Hindutva agenda poses a threat to India? Could you please elaborate? I would also humbly request for your opinion regarding the forms it appears in? (i.e. political outfits and the like) It would be interesting to hear your personal opinion on the matter. I'm sure it will generate a new political debate. _ Check the weather nationwide with MSN Search: Try it now! http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=weather&FORM=WLMTAG ___ Goanet mailing list Goanet@lists.goanet.org http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
[Goanet] Why SEZ could work for Goa but inevitably will not.
Goanetters visiting Viva Goa 2006 in Toronto, Canada on July 29, can use the BMX booth as a meeting point. Please list your name on the message board that will be provided, courtesy of BMX. http://bmxgoa.com I believe all parties have a valid point. Sunith Velho is correct when he asserts that micro-economic issues as it relates to Goa should be decided by Goans themselves. However, one cannot deny the fact that this does not prevent the non-resident Goan from offering suggestions to his brethren. After all, I believe the non-resident Goan should be afforded the forum. Especially when you consider that the Goan government, banking institutions, and big business are trying to attract NRI (or NRG) investment into Goa via bill boards and news ads. At the end of the day, both the non-resident Goan and his resident counterpart are seeking the same thing: the betterment of Goan society. If you really care about what transpires in the state, you'll offer an opinion. Politico Rodrigues _ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ ___ Goanet mailing list Goanet@lists.goanet.org http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
