[Goanet]Garbage disposal raises a storm in villages in Goa

[GOACAN]

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Garbage disposal raises a storm in villages
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Residents of Uguem have strongly objected to the selection of Uguem
as the site for the garbage of nearby village panchayats. At a recent
gram sabha meeting, Uguem sarpanch Anil Zangale informed residents
that Uguem village had been chosen as one of the sites for dumping
garbage under the rural garbage disposal scheme by the government.
The gram sabha members strongly objected to the scheme and urged
the sarpanch to immediately bring to the notice of authorities of the
objections being raised by villagers. They brought it to the notice of the
sarpanch that the Uguem village generates little waste as most of the
garbage presently being collected by individual household is disposed
off systematically in their own compounds or yards.
Villagers at the gramsabha pointed out that presently there exists
no vacant place in Uguem village away from the residential places
that could be used as dumping ground for garbage
Later, a resolution strongly opposing the garbage disposal scheme
in the village was passed unanimously. Speaking to Herald, Uguem
Sarpanch Anil Zangale informed that the panchayat has already
forwarded the copy of the resolution to the authorities concerned
Zangale, however, informed that the report from the concerned
authorities over the opposition being raised by the villagers is
still awaited..
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HERALD 12/03/05 page 4
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[Goanet]Problems faced by BSNL Subscribers of Nadora and Revora

[GOACAN]

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Problems faced by BSNL Telephone Subscribers
of Nadora and part of Revora

The Telephone Subscribers of Nadora and part of Revora,
that were earlier under the Colvale Telephone Exchange,
are now under the Nadora Telephone Exchange since its
inaugurations in July 04.
Since day one of the functioning of the Nadora Telephone Exchange
we are facing numerous problems.  Verbal and sometimes written
complaints to the linesman at Nadora, the JTO at Colvale and the
authorities in Mapuca have not been of any use.
We are disturbed umpteen times a day with the ringing of the telephone,
announcing yet another wrong call or at times it is a cross connection.
 We receive inflated bills because the calls may go to a wrong number
or get cut off in the middle of a conversation,or the line is very noisy etc.
Very often calls made to us are diverted  to wrong numbers.
We also find the line dead or without dial tone more often than not.
Those having internet facilities have even more headaches, because
very often we are unable to access the net or it is too slow to
down load matter etc.
We were given to understand that the new exchange was opened to
give us better service since we are quite far from the Colvale Telephone
Exchange; but reality is quite different, in fact it is a nightmare with the
phones ringing even at midnight.
We are now at the end of our patience and hope the powers
that be take notice of our problems.
Maria Lobo
Convenor
Revora Nadora Consumer Cell.
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[Goanet]Goa Police now has Public Grievances Officers

[GOACAN]

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DGP appoints public grievances officers

The Director General of Police, Mr Umesh Kumar Katna has designated
public grievances officers in North and South Goa besides one at police
headquarters, Panaji.
Mr Sharad Agarwal (SP, North) will take care of aggrieved citizens in
North Goa, Mr D P Verma (SP South) in South Goa and Mr A K Gawas
(SP) at police headquarters, Panaji.
In a press note issued here stated that any member of the public who
had approached any police station or unit of the Goa police department,
and is aggrieved by the response or affected by the action or inaction in
delivering of services, has been asked to approach these officers on
every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The members of general public are also urged to use complaint boxes
installed at the police headquarters, offices of SP, North (Porvorim),
SP, South (Margao), sub-divisional police officers at Panaji, Porvorim,
Mapusa, Bicholim, Ponda, Margao, Vasco and Quepem.
Mr Agarwal will attend to public grievances at Porvorim between
10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on every Tuesday. Public may even contact
the SP on phone number — 2416100.
Mr D P Verma will attend to public grievances on every Tuesday
between 10 a.m and 1 p.m. The SP can be contacted on phone
number — 2732218.
Mr A K Gawas will attend to public grievances in Panaji at the
Goa Police Headquarters between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. every Tuesday.
He may even be contacted on phone number — 2428124.
--
The Navhind Times 31/03/05 page 3
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[Goanet]Drive against modified vehicles to continue for two weeks

[GOACAN]

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Drive against modified vehicles begins today

The drive to check and challan vehicles bearing fancy,
improper number plates and modified two-wheelers and
four wheelers in Goa by the Goa traffic police will begin
from tomorrow.
The superintendent of police (traffic), Panaji, Mr Atmaram V Deshpande
in a press release issued on April 6 has stated that many vehicles in
Goa are found moving with fancy number plates or improper number
plates and added that such vehicles whenever used for committing
any offence or involved in hit-and-run cases, the other motorists involved
or any eye witnesses available, find it difficult to note the number of
such modified vehicles.
The press note further stated that such fancy number plates or improper
number plates are in violation of motor vehicles rules and are liable for 
penalty.

Similarly, vehicles are modified by the owners using dog horns, focus lights,
silencers besides huge or miniature number plates are rendered unsafe
and totally different from the description given on registration certificate.
The press note has quoted the SP (traffic) as saying that such modifications
are in violation of registration condition and liable for penalty as per the
Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
The drive to curb such menace will continue for two weeks commencing
from April 11, during the course of which the vehicles will also be seized
and forwarded to the transport department for cancellation of registration
and penal action.
The SP (traffic) has urged all the vehicle owners to co-operate and
correct the number plates and remove unauthorised modifications.
--
The Navhind Times 11/04/05 page 3
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[Goanet]Garbage disposal causes friction between Calangute and Saligao

[GOACAN]

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Garbage disposal raises a stink in Calangute
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The prolonged failure of state governments to satisfactorily address
the garbage disposal problem in Goa is now reflecting in the busy
tourism belt of Calangute.
Recently, a section of villagers from Saligao prevented garbage trucks
from passing through Saligao on their way to the Calangute hill where
the Calangute panchayat has been dumping its garbage since 1994.
The problem reached a flashpoint on April 17 when a group of Saligao
villagers, led by Saligao panch member, Mr Roland D'souza, waylaid
one of the garbage trucks and allegedly assaulted the truck driver
and helpers.
Following another similar altercation, yesterday evening, Calangute police
registered offences against Mr D'souza and others for unlawful assembly,
wrongful restraint, assault and for threatening.
The Calangute police inspector, Mr Nolasco Raposo said these are
cognisable offences and investigations are in progress. Yesterday evening's
fracas almost turned ugly as angry crowds from both villages gathered
at the disputed site at Saligao. It took the police top brass to calm things
down.
The Bardez sub-divisional magistrate, Mr Rajendra Satardekar negotiated
a settlement between Calangute sarpanch, Mr Joseph Sequeira and the
Saligao panch, Mr D'souza along with their two associates at the Calangute
police station.
So why the sudden blockade now? Mr Sequeira alleged that Mr D'souza
wants to divert the Saligao public's attention from the recent issue of the
construction near the Salmona spring, which he supports and the Saligao
public is opposing.
When approached for his comment, Mr D'souza denied the above allegation.
He said that the garbage is not transported properly resulting in some of it
falling on the roadside in Saligao causing a foul smell in the area.He denied
he and his group had beat up the garbage truck driver and added that he has
no problem with the garbage trucks passing through Saligao provided that
all conditions stipulated in the High Court order are met.
The High Court order was issued in July 2003 when the Saligao Civic and
Consumer Cell and an NGO filed a writ petition regarding garbage disposal
in the state. But the Calangute Sarpanch said that the village panchayats
of Calangute and Saligao were both respondents in that petition and that
Mr Dsouza should not take the law in his own hands.
Talking to The Navhind Times, the Calangute Sarpanch Mr Joseph Sequeira
expressed surprise and indignation over the events. "If we are not given the
right to pass through Saligao, why should we allow them to take up
employment in Calangute?" he asked, pointing to the number of Saligao
persons running restaurants, taxis, laundries and other businesses in
Calangute. "We are dumping our garbage in our village, not theirs.
There is a growing feeling among Calangutkars that we should not allow
them to enter Calangute," said Mr Sequeira.
Interestingly, Mr Sequeira today lodged a police complaint against one
Saligao restaurateur, who runs a Chinese eatery along the CHOGM road
for dumping his garbage near the Calangute church last night. "He regularly
throws his garbage in the drain (vall) on the Boa Viagem road. We were
patrolling our streets last night and almost caught him. People like these
from the neighbouring villages are dumping their garbage in Calangute
because they know we collect and dispose it," he alleged.
The Calangute panchayat will now employ private security staff to man
all the main garbage collection points in Calangute to check which
vehicles dump their garbage there in the nights. Two security persons
will also be placed at the present dumping site on the Calangute hill,
which Mr Sequeira said the panchayat has been using since 1994.
-
The Navhind Times 24/04/05
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[Goanet]Goa Governor calls for control on iron ore dust pollution in villages

[GOACAN]

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Governor inaugurates dust suppression system

The Governor, Mr S C Jamir today inaugurated the dust suppression
system at berth no 5A and 6A of the South West Port Ltd, Mormugao
harbour. Among those present included the chief secretary,
Ms Kiran Dhingra, the chairman Mormugao Port Trust,
Mr C Venkatachalam, the chairman of the Goa State Pollution
Control Board, Mr L U Joshi and the joint managing director
of South West Port Ltd, Capt Sharma.
Speaking at the inaugural function, Mr Jamir said the pollution has
become a global problem and can be controlled in global dimensions.
He further stated that pollution threatens the life of people and it can
be stopped by undertaking various measures. He urged industrialists
to install automation devices such as dust suppression system to
control iron ore dust pollution in villages where mining operations
are in progress.
The Governor said India is on the threshold of industrialisation and
striving to become one of the big powers of the world and that it
must do everything possible to become a leading industrialised country.
Our country, he said, had to learn from the failures and unresolved
problems of industrialised countries in matters of pollution."We will
have to take all measures to strike a balance between industrialisation
and control of pollution," he said.
The Governor complimented the Mormugao Port Trust, the South West
Port and the Goa State Pollution Control Board for making efforts in
installing the device at Vasco which he said will enable citizens of
Vasco to have clean air. He hoped that Vasco will be free of coal dust
pollution before ensuing monsoon season.
Stating that we cannot deprive human beings of providing basic amenities
such as power supply in the name of environment, the Governor said
there is need to strike an optimum balance between the development
activity and environmental conservation to have a sustainable development.
No doubt, flora and fauna are important, but the welfare of the masses
is more important, the Governor said.
The Governor said Goa is abundantly bestowed with natural beauty and
wealth. "The land is rich in minerals, the waters abundant with marine life,
the forests teeming with rich biodiversity, the rivers wide and deep enough
for navigation.
There is a huge potential to further expand the already flourishing tourist
industry in the whole of Goa, whether it be holiday tourism, eco-tourism,
adventure tourism or even medical tourism," the Governor said adding the
people of the state are highly sensitised to the importance of
environmental conservation and preservation of cultural heritage.
Mr Jamir stressed upon necessary steps to control dust pollution in rural
areas. The MPT chairman, Mr C Venkatachalam said that with the
operationalisation of mechanised handling plant at berth no 5A and 6A
of South West Port Ltd, at the end of May, the berth no 10 of MPT
will be utilized as crew shipping.
Mr U L Joshi and Capt Sharma also spoke on the occasion.
A slide show of dust suppression system was presented to the
dignitaries. Mr Jamir also visited the dust control monitoring system
at Mormugao Port Trust fire station. The programme was concluded
with the singing of national anthem.

The Navhind Times 27/4/05 page 5

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[Goanet]CORRUPTION IN GOA:Mamlatdar caught accepting bribe

[GOACAN]

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Ponda mamlatdar caught red-handed while accepting bribe
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The anti-corruption cell of the vigilance department today
caught red-handed the Ponda mamlatdar, Mr Prashant Anand Mandrekar
while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a prawn farm owner.The
superintendent of police of the vigilance department, Mr Bosco George
informed the reporters late today evening that Mr Thomas Menezes,
the managing director of Oceanic Aqua-Culture Private Ltd, Madkai,
lodged a complaint with the vigilance department today morning alleging
that Mr Mandrekar had been demanding money to settle a case
related to ownership of a farm owned by him (Mr Menezes).
Acting upon Mr Menezes's complaint, sleuths of the anti-graft cell of the
department laid a trap and caught Mr Mandrekar red-handed while
accepting Rs 10,000.
Giving details about the Ponda mamlatdar's entrapment, Mr George
informed that the prawn farm owner hailed from Madkai. A neighbour
of Mr Menezes found fault with the legality of the farm. The neighbour
complained to the Ponda mamlatdar and alleged that the farm was illegal.
In the meantime, the legality matter of the farm reached court of law.
During the course of court proceedings, an inquiry was instituted by the
mamlatdar. All the required documents were placed before the court,
and it was realised that the mamlatdar did not have the right to conduct
an inquiry into the matter. In spite of this he kept the matter pending.
During this period, the farm owner made a profit of Rs 12 lakh. Seeing
this, the mamlatdar demanded Rs 1 lakh from Mr Menezes to "settle the
case".
Mr Menezes told the Ponda mamlatdar that he did not have Rs 1 lakh
to give him as bribe. So, Mr Mandrekar climbed down to Rs 50,000,
then to Rs 30,000 and finally settled for Rs 20,000.
Yesterday, the farm owner and the Ponda mamlatdar settled the "deal"
- Mr Menezes would pay Mr Mandrekar Rs 10,000 as part of the first
installment and the remaining amount would be paid in the next installment.
However, the shrewd farm owner wisely recorded the whole conversation
that took place between him and the Ponda mamlatdar.
Mr Menezes telephoned the vigilance department and informed it
about the case and submitted a cassette of the conversation.
Today morning, the mamlatdar accepted the money and put it into
his shirt pocket. In a jiff, vigilance department sleuths caught him
red-handed. They found Rs 7,000 on his person and from a drawer
of his desk.
The SP revealed that Mr Mandrekar almost fainted on being caught
red-handed.
Mr George informed that everything was video-taped and along with two
government servants, who stood as panchas, a panchanama conducted.
The entrapment was conducted under the supervision of Mr George;
the deputy superintendent of police, Mr Omprakash Kurtarkar;
police inspector, Mr Gundu Naik and others.
-
The Navhind Times 29/04/05 page 1
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[Goanet]Goa has a big garbage problem at hand

[GOACAN]

 to flush the waste, we use
coconut coir. This reduces water waste, and the composted
waste can be used on land areas. There is no smell and no flies,
as we add effective microbes to the mixture.
How do you plan to deal with hazardous waste or biomedical waste ?
Biomedical waste has to be segregated and then incinerated
at a high temperature because if there is no high temperature
then you produce carcinogens which in turn are harmful to health.
Does Goa need to emphasise on recycling ?
Recycling has be a priority. We need to put in more on recycling
efforts. At the moment it is done in an unorganised way by the
lamanis, but if there was more state help and better organisation
then obviously a greater amount could be recycled.
Do you think the people of Goa should rely on the
government for solutions or should they solve their own
problems ?
A combination of the two. Besides government intervention,
people too will have to do their own bit be it in homes, factories
or markets.
Do you think the people of Goa know they have a big
problem at hand or are they 'susegad' about it ?
People of Goa do have a big problem at hand. Of course being
'susegad' is a nice feeling but it won't provide a clean green future
for their children and it is high time they realise this fact. I guess
they are either walking around with their eyes open or with their
eyes closed in which case they are lost!
What is the most difficult item to dispose off ?
Given the right amount of effort everything can be disposed off
safely in its own manner. Of course I could talk about radioactive
waste in this regard, but that's a whole different ball game.
What is the solution to plastics ? Right now, in villages the
major way of disposing garbage is burning. Can you list out
the repercussions of this practice.
The simple answer is Don't Use Plastics. Refuse a plastic bag and
carry a cloth or a paper bag for shopping. The problem with burning
is that you burn no only paper and leaves but you burn plastic which
leaves a lot of carcinogens in the atmosphere, which as I stated
earlier is harmful to health.
If anyone's interested how could they contact you ?
Simply by phoning on 9326131935 or  emailing me at:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
Herald 25/4/05  page 4
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[Goanet]PWD water used in contaminated ice-candy

[GOACAN]

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Contaminated ice-candy affects six
---
Around six persons including five children attending 'Balwadis'
have been admitted to hospital for jaundice after consuming a
local ice-fruit commonly known as 'pepsy'. Residents of
Ameywada-Khandola are facing a tense situation after the
outbreak of jaundice was first detected by doctors at a PHC
at Betki, where the children were admitted after complaining
of stomach pain over the past few days.
Accordingly, samples of the ice-fruit were sent for an analysis
and it was revealed that the ice-fruit contained 'Coliform'
a harmful substance known for causing jaundice. The matter
was reported to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA)
and on April 30 FDA officials raided two establishments
manufacturing ice-fruits, Vishal Ice Fruit and Bombay Ice Fruit
and stopped their production process. Incidentally, both these
establishments did not possess licences from the FDA.
Locals have alleged that the ice-fruit manufacturers were using
water received from the PWD reservoir situated at Ameywada-
Khandola, which is in a terrible condition. This tank was last
cleaned in 2003 and being on the ground level it faces a threat
of rain water seepage. Water pipelines to the tank are also in
close proximity of toilets and garbage sites. Some of these
pipelines have also developed leaks.
Sources at the PHC in Betki informed that five children and
an adult are being treated for jaundice, with a few even admitted
to Goa Medical College Hospital, Bambolim, as their condition
was critical.
Meanwhile, locals claim that the number of jaundice cases in
Ameywada-Khandola maybe even higher as many are being
treated either in private hospitals or with local ayurvedic treatment.
The locals have requested the authorities to take serious note
of this outbreak and take action accordingly, after past
experiences of outbreak of the disease in the major cities. .

HERALD 4/05/05 page 1

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* G * O * A * N * E * T *** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
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Make your mother in Goa happy on Mothers' Day.
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[Goanet]All road digging activities must end by May 15 says North Goa Collector

[GOACAN]

--
|   3rd Annual Konkan Fruit Fest, Goa - May 6-8, 2005|
||
|   Today's Events include Fruit Carving - Decor - Watermelon eating |
|Fancy Dress.Check out http://konkanfruit.swiki.net  | 
--  
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All road digging activities must end by May 15: North Collector
 

The North Goa Collector Nikhil Kumar on Tuesday who chaired
a meeting on pre-monsoonal preparedness, has issued strict
instructions that all road digging activity should end by May 15
and that all departments would have to gear up to face any
monsoon-related emergency.
Control rooms will be set up not only at the district level but also
at taluka level, it was decided. Forest department has been
asked to expedite its licensing process for pruning of trees which
are posing a danger to pedestrians and motorists
The collector has also asked the authorities that road digging
should end by May 15 and that the debris should be cleared by
May 21.
Civic bodies have also been asked to undertake desilting of
nullahs.
Electricity Department has been asked to put in place special
teams to attend to breakdowns in monsoons. Besides, every
department has been instructed to appoint a nodal officer at
taluka and district level in case of any emergency.
Fire Services have been on the receiving end since the squall
that hit Goa last week. They not only have been attending to calls
of uprooting of trees but firemen have had to lift and remove the
tree debris. In view of this, Kumar who has recently taken over as
the district collector has asked the PWD to provide 5-7 persons
to assist the fire services.
Even the telecom authorities have been requested to ensure that
the phone lines of nodal officers are repaired.
--
HERALD 27/4/05 page 3
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[Goanet]NBFC's & Internet scams bleed investors in Goa

[GOACAN]

-
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-
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Salient Online sinks with several crores
--
Barely months after the State was rocked by several financial
companies closing shops and leaving thousands of investors
in the lurch, Goa woke up on Friday to the horrendous news
that Salient Online Solutions Pvt Ltd, the Chennai-based company
had suddenly closed operations in Goa.
Today, when investors went to the company’s office at Unitech City
Centre, Panjim they were in for the shock of their lives. The company’s
offices were closed, the website was not functioning and there was
no news of its chief executive officer, M Rajesh Sunder. However,
according to DIG Muktesh Chander, “the CEO who is from Chennai
is absconding and we feel that he has fled the state. We have sent
a police team, to Chennai to arrest him”.
According to people associated with the company, Rajesh Sunder
had duped his ‘employees’ of an approximate Rs 70 to Rs 90 crores.
For the 500 individuals who had gathered outside the closed office
of the firm at Panjim and the tens of thousands of Goans who had
invested in the company the future appears extremely bleak as they
will not be able to get their money back.
The fury of the crowd was so great that the office, which was closed,
was broken into by the angry mob which damaged the five computers
and scattered files in search of the cash that was to be repaid to them.
The police, who reached the scene at around 1 pm found an amount
of Rs 3,000 lying on the floor and the office in a mess with files and
papers lying all about the place. A police team of five constables
headed by PSI A Vaigankar was assigned to guard the premises.
The police were acting on a compliant filed by Ashley Afonso,
of Quepem, who filed a case of cheating against the company and
the directors ­ Ravi Shankar and Shyam Sunder who many claim is
the brother of the CEO Rajesh Sunder. The police have sealed the
office premises and have so far managed to recover some receipt
books, a rubber stamp, membership forms, phone bills and other
documents that would prove a clue to the magnanimity of the scam,
according to PI (Crime) C L Patil. In a bid to recover the money,
the police as part of their investigation will be seizing the accused
property and vehicles.
What has shocked the people is the fact that Salient Online
Solutions Pvt Ltd was a registered company with the Registrar of
Companies and was filing its income tax, sales tax and other returns,
besides the CEO of the firm is also known to have a Personal
Account Number (PAN). What triggered off the police to investigate
this company was an advertisement that appeared in the media
which commended Salient Online as a business outsourcing firm
and which generated tremendous goodwill among the investors.
According to the DIG, “there was some suspicion about this firm
and we suspected that something fishy was going on and we decided
to check the antecedents of it because we felt that it was too good
to be true as money was being made quickly.’’ According to people
who worked with the company, the modus operandi was simple.
Salient Online, which started operations in June 2004, invited anyone
with a computer to fill in data of fifty names and numbers per day.
The investors had to log onto a website www.salientonline.net and
put these entries into that site. The investors were asked to deposit
a certain amount of money and were promised one third of that
amount by the end of the month. As it was easy money, more
and more investors kept pumping money into the site, either in
their own name, names of their family members or in fictitious names.
The investors had to invest Rs 3000 for an account. After which a
message would appear on the screen informing the investor that he
had completed the quota for the day. For every investment of
Rs 3000, Salient Online would return Rs 2000 after a month after
deducting Rs 100 TDS.
Says Sidesh Pednekar, Siolim. “I saw my friend invest Rs 1.2 lakh
and recover Rs 70,000 and that interested me and I decided to invest
Rs 30,000 on May 3. I have lost a lot of money.’’ The rush was so
much that many investors, in Goa, purchased extra computers and
converted homes into offices in the desperate bid to make fast money.
Says Wernen D’Costa

[Goanet]Doordarshan and All-India Radio (AIR) told to shun social cause, make money

[GOACAN]

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DD, AIR told to shun social cause, make money
-
Doordarshan and All-India Radio (AIR) have been told
to cut down on social causes and make money. A
parliamentary panel has advised national broadcaster
Prasar Bharati to reduce air time to programmes with
social messages on Doordarshan and AIR because they
bring no revenue. This was in response to submissions by
Doordarshan and AIR that they were obligated to devote
thousands of hours to programmes no private channel
would touch.
AIR complained that its 215 stations were bogged down
by the weight of completely unprofitable programmes. In a
year, these included over 3,000 hours for Republic Day,
2,000 hours for Independence Day, 3,000 hours for Lok Sabha
proceedings, 5,600 for parliamentary broadcast, more than
2,000 hours for environment campaigns, 4,000 hours dedicated
to consumer protection and some 2,300 hours for petroleum
conservation. Programmes for industrial workers take up over
4,000 hours. Those for eradication of untouchability eat up
3,800 hours, and programmes on economic policies, over
6,000 hours.
"Nobody will come forward to fund because we are doing
programmes for industrial workers and eradication of
untouchability" AIR Director General Brajeshwar Singh says.
Responding to the hourly break-up for social broadcast, an
official of a private radio broadcaster exclaims: "For us, it
would be suicidal!"
The panel was told that the revenue earned by Doordarshan
was mainly through commercial activities such as sport events
and latest Hindi feature films. The panel concluded that the
number of hours allotted to government and social broadcasting
be limited, so that Prasar Bharati can maintain a "meaningful
balance between social obligations and financial consideration".
In fact, the panel has favoured a redefining of Prasar Bharati's
role and possible restructuring, so that it plays a role in informing,
educating and entertaining the public without ignoring the financial
and social obligations.
It has also recommended that AIR seek approval for restricting
the number of hours for social broadcasting.
"AIR should encourage corporate entities and multinationals to
spend a part of their social welfare budget on sponsoring such
programmes" it said.
Prasar Bharati points out that private channels, with no
obligations to burden them, are earning huge amounts of
revenue on the strength of television sets made available by
the government across the country.
Its CEO K S Sharma suggests a universal obligation fund to
be paid by private channels from their revenue, since they are
gaining from the '90 million sets being made available through
the public broadcaster".

Gomantak Times - 25/4/05  page 5

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[Goanet]ALERT:Tax on drugs and medicines is 4% under the Goa VAT Act.

[GOACAN]

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-
Tax on drugs and medicines is 4% under the Goa VAT Act.
-
Commercial Taxes Advertisement
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF
COMMERCIAL TAXES
GOVERNMENT OF GOA, PANAJI
ATTENTION CONSUMERS !!
ATTENTION DEALERS !!
It is brought to the notice of the public that on consumer goods,
Value Added Tax (VAT) is not payable over and above the
Maximum Retail Price (MRP) marked on the packaged commodities.
The MRP marked on the packaged commodities is inclusive of all
taxes and as such no VAT can be charged by a dealer over and
above MRP, as MRP includes VAT.
However in respect of drugs and medicines where the packages
are marked with MRP with local tax extra, VAT is chargeable on
MRP. The rate of tax on drugs and medicines is 4% under the
Goa Value Added Tax Act.
The goods which were purchased on payment of sales tax by
the dealer during the year 2004-2005 and which were in stock
as on 31/3/05 for these goods the dealer is eligible to claim input
tax credit in respect of sales tax already paid. Hence the dealer
while selling these goods after 1/4/2005 should charge VAT
only on the net price excluding sales tax, paid. As the sales
tax paid is being set off for the these goods under VAT regime.
Issued by:
The Commissioner of Commercial Taxes
Government of Goa
--
HERALD 27/4/05 page 11
-
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[Goanet]ALERT:Panjim dog died of suspected rabies

[GOACAN]

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ALERT: Panjim dog died of suspected rabies
--
CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF PANAJI
Panaji-Goa
PUBLIC NOTICE

The Corporation of the City of Panaji informs the public
that the dog seized by the Panjim Animal Welfare Society
(PAWS) opp.Skylark Apts. Panjim on 23rd May, 2005
died thereafter of suspected rabies.

Those who had come in contact with said dog
are requested to contact Ms. Patricia Pinto, Hon. Councillor,
on Mobile No. 9822122235.

Panjim, Goa 27th May 2005

Sd/-
(N.Suryanarayana)
Commissioner

Advert. in Herald 29/05/05 page 3


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[Goanet]GUJ Debate:Goa Political Party leaders say voters are basically dishonest

[GOACAN]

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Leaders emphasise on need to overhaul electoral system

Leaders of the political parties participating at the seminar
'Assembly by-elections: boon or bane' organised by the
Goa Union of Journalists came out with the observation
that the voters are basically dishonest and lacked ethics
while electing the candidates.

The leaders also emphasised on the need for changing the mindset
of the society as well as overhauling the electoral system to do away
with the ill-practice adopted by some of the sitting MLAs, of resigning
from the House and facing fresh by-elections for their own profit.

The president of the state unit of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP),
Dr Wilfred de Sousa, speaking on the occasion said that no Act,
even the Anti-Defection Act is perfect and it is the voters who make
the Acts work perfectly, further appealing to the voters to elect
good people who would enact good laws.

The Poinguinim by-election conducted last year was the beginning
of a new series of events, Dr de Sousa said, pointing out that when
hunger for power becomes the root of by-elections, the people,
the constituencies as well as the state suffer. He also suggested
that the parliamentarians should put their heads together to come out
with a solution for the trend of misusing the by-elections.

The spokesperson of the Congress party, Mr Shantaram Naik,
alleged that the sitting Poinguinim MLA, Mr Isidore Fernandes
was lured by the Bharatiya Janata Party, last year, by offering
him huge amount of money, which led to the by-election at Poinguinim,
setting a wrong precedence. "Such cases need to be inquired into
by the authorities," he demanded.

He also lamented that the voters have to face the forces who do not
respect the process of democratic elections and who want to say
good-bye to the polling exercise. Mr Naik however limited his
observations to a certain point as his party was fielding four candidates
for the June 2 by-polls, who had recently defected to Congress
by resigning from the membership of the House.

The working president of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party,
Dr Kashinath Jalmi suggested that certain amendments should be
made to the Constitution wherein the voters are provided with an
option to reject one, more than one or all candidates at the polls,
who would then face a ban to contest elections for the next decade.

"Another amendment which would prevent the elected independent
candidate from being a minister or the chairperson of a corporation,
for quite some time from his election, should be adopted by the
Parliament," he stated.

Dr Jalmi further said that a new democratic system can be evolved
by wiping out the provision for territorial representatives, dissolving
all constituencies. "The voters should be allowed to vote for the
political parties, instead of the candidates, based on the party
manifestoes, and then the parties could be given the representation
in the House based on the percentage of votes gained by them,"
he remarked.

The vice-president of the United Goan Democratic Party (UGDP),
Mr Radharao Gracias, speaking on the occasion said that in Goa,
there is no equality amongst the voters as envisaged by the
Constitution and every candidate asks for votes on the grounds
of the caste and the community.

"The good laws are pre-requisite for good government," he stressed,
alleging that the voters are basically dishonest and the entire
society needs to be changed.

No representative of the BJP was present for the interactive session
held at Surendrababu Timblo Hall, Panaji today.

The editor of the Konkani daily Sunaprant, Mr Sandesh Prabhudessai,
who moderated the event said that a new trend of by-elections has
replaced the existing practice of defections, in Goa. Mr Prabhudessai
also reviewed various governments that were formed in Goa during
the past two decades, pushing the state into an abyss of instability.

The GUJ president, Mr Ashely do Rosario delivered the introductory
speech, while the Union's general secretary, Mr Umesh Mahambrey
welcomed. Later, the members of the audience interacted with the
leaders of the political parties.

The Navhind Times 29/05/05 page 5
 

[Goanet]Goa’s ready with plan for world-class airport

[GOACAN]

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---
Goa's ready with plan for world-class airport
---
PRANAB DHAL SAMANTA
-
IN 9 YEARS: Check-in under 3 minutes, immigration in one,
runway for A-380
---
The prospect of brand new greenfield airports at Bangalore
and Hyderabad in three years has prompted states like Punjab
and Maharashtra to push for similar ventures but leading the pack
is Goa which has drawn up the contours of a state-of-the-art
airport at Mopa by 2014.

The plan, which has been prepared with the help of experts from
the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the Airports
Authority of India (AAI), identifies Airbus 380the largest passenger
plane as the model aircraft for the airport's master planning. This
would mean that the runway width would be more than any of the
existing airports in the country.

Currently, the existing Goa airport is one of the few AAI sites
registering a profit. Close to 2 million passengers fly in to the place
every year and officials point out that there is a beeline of charter
operators for permission but the limited number of slots is a huge
constraint. At present, there is parking place for just six aircraft at
any given time.

Experts have found the location of Mopa suitable for the kind of
large-scale project Goa wishes to launch. The report, which is now
under the consideration of the Civil Aviation Ministry, states that
Mopa will provide service to Sangli, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and
Kolhapur apart from Goa. It will be a convenient access point for
Mumbai and places like Belgaum and Dharwad in Karnataka.

Though the projection is that Goa will get around 6.5 million
passengers over the next two decades, the plan proposes to
design an airport for 10 million passengers so as to avoid
congestion in the future. The suggested time line marks 2014
as the completion for the first phase with a single runway but
proposes rapid exit taxiways to reduce runway occupancy.

While a detailed study of various aspects of the airport will be
carried out over the next few years, the initial plan states that
the airport will ensure fixed aero bridges to cater to all aircraft.

Significantly, the airport terminal at Mopa will be designed on the
basis of international check-in process time which is about
two-and-a-half minutes, then one minute for immigration clearance
and 15 seconds for security. That means sufficient space for
counters and access gates will have to be set aside to meet this
benchmark.

The plan proposes to have nearly 20,000 sq metres allocated for
parking 40 different types of aircraft. Unlike any other airport in
the country, a separate helicopter area has been suggested to
ensure that their movements don't interrupt with regular air traffic.
Hangars for four choppers have been recommended.

Besides this, the Mopa airport will have an exclusive business area
of 15,000 sq. metres. This would be given out to duty free shops,
malls and such facilities. In fact, the suggestion is to develop an
airport city with a hotel, business centre, golf course,
accommodation for employees and an elaborate road network.

Civil Aviation officials pointed out that contours for this airport have
been prepared by the ICAO, Goa Government and AAI. Once this is
approved by the ministry, a detailed study to look into different
elements of the project will have to be commissioned and a funding
pattern be agreed upon.

The greenfield airport policy works on the principle that 74 per cent
stake will be held by a private consortium which will build and
operate the facility. The state will provide the land, air navigation
services and other related concessions. It will have 26 per cent
stake with Centre holding 13 per cent through the AAI.

INDIAN EXPRESS 28/05/05 page 1


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Documentation + Education + Solidarity
11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
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[Goanet]Tobacco is top killer in Goa according to NOTE survey

[GOACAN]

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WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY - 31st May 2005
---
Tobacco is top killer in Goa, reveals survey
--
Every year, 40 to 50 per cent deaths in the State are caused
by tobacco related diseases, reveals a survey conducted by
the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE).

According to NOTE, approximately 27.4 per cent men over the
age of 18 use smoke as well as chew tobacco; 22.8 per cent
are smokers and 13.2 per cent use smokeless tobacco products.
Around 13.6 per cent of women in Goa found to be using tobacco;
 6.4 per cent smoke cigarettes and 10.4 per cent use other
tobacco products.

However, the survey has also revealed a positive aspect.
Research officer of NOTE Dr Umesh Naik said that the overall smoking
instance among people of all age groups has come down by five
per cent over the last ten years.

Dr Shekhar Salkar, general secretary of NOTE attributed this decline
in tobacco use to the 'No Tobacco' campaign launched by the
World Health Organisation (WHO). According to Dr Salkar, another
reason for the decline in smoking is the ban on the advertisement
of tobacco products in Goa and the Goa Prohibition of Smoking and
Spitting Act of 1999.

However, other tobacco habits such as chewing of tobacco has
remained unchanged, said Dr Umesh Naik, adding that although
the sale of gutka is banned, the product is sold clandestinely and
the chewing tobacco habit is observed among the younger age group.

According to Dr Salkar the reason for persistence of chewing habits
is that gutka and other type of products are available at a much
lower rate as compared to cigarettes.

Another finding of NOTE according to Dr Salkar is that education levels
have had an impact on smoking habits in the case of women in the State.
He informed that the instances of smoking among females educated up
to primary level are approximately 55-60 per cent. In the case of women
educated up to standard eighth, the instances of smoking is about
10 per cent and in the case of females educated up to HSSC the
instance of smoking levels is as low as 0.4 per cent informed Dr Salkar.
--
HERALD 31/05/05 page 1
--

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[Goanet]Road accidents kill near Dabolim Airport and in Vasco

[GOACAN]

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-
Vasco’s vicious circle continues to kill

by Neena Dayal

Accidents in the last 2 months in Vasco
April - May
11 - minor
10 - serious
05 - fatal
07 - deaths
--
Accidents in the last 2 months in Mormugao
April - May
01 - minor
02 - serious
01 - fatal
01 - dead
---
The statistics speak for themselves and unless someone
wakes up in the Vasco administration the statistics will
keep on increasing. While road accidents are frequent and
on the rise in Goa because of the lack of control by drivers
and no police patrolling, there is one spot in Goa – near
Dabolim Airport which has been witnessing an increasing
number of fatalities during the last one year.

Yes, Dabolim Airport is the first impression of Goa for many
who arrive daily in the hope of having a great holiday and
some quality time here. The cross roads in front of the airport
form one of the most important traffic junctions of Goa. Yet
the glaring reality of the traffic confusion at this intersection,
resulting in accidents on a daily basis has not stirred any
administrative action so far. Many-a-lives have been lost,
but no concrete plan to regulate the traffic on this junction,
which also is a part of the ambitious four lane highway
project, has emerged.

According to Namrata Kashyap, town planner and successful
landscape architect, “the reason for the increasing number
of fatalities is that this graded intersection (near Dabolim circle)
is presently being manned by a US-based system of traffic
regulation called the Stop-Sign system. This arrangement is
evidently wrong according to the book on Traffic Engineering
and Transport Planning by L R Kadiyali, which is considered
a bible among all town planners and transport engineers.

It clearly says that “Stop signs should not be used on
roadways or expressways, for speed control or at signalized
intersections.” (Chapter 13 Traffic signs. Section 13.8
Mandatory signs).

Investigations by Herald showed that many of these signs
put up at Dabolim Circle are extremely confusing to the driver.
This reporter spoke to Sandip Surlekar, deputy Town Planner,
Vasco, who could not decipher the exact connotation of the
signs (a red bordered triangular sign with six red dots on
white background) placed at this important junction.

What is causing this confusion is that Indians have been
instinctively following primarily British system of traffic-
roundabouts or traffic-islands for traffic regulation at
intersections for a long time now. And it is this confusion
of a new system that is defectively implemented which is
causing considerable confusion among poorly literate transport
drivers and drivers of private vehicles.

An examination of the spot showed that many signs were
improperly placed, not easily understood and of a different
signage which was causing confusion among drives. Agrees
Mr Afonso, assistant director transport, Vasco, “signs should
be placed much ahead of the junction. New fellows are always
speeding”, clearly revealing complete apathy and disinterest
on the part of administration to deal with the problem. ’’

Says SP Traffic Mr. Deshpande, “There is a dearth of qualified
Transport Planners in Goa. The road under question has been
constructed by Border Road Organization (BRO), under the
guidance of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). There
are no doubts about their quality of construction. But they
build such important intersections with local guidance and
according to the local requirements, as they are ill-equipped
in local information. They are used to building the roads in
inhabitable terrains for military and civilian purposes.”

Further investigations by this reporter with the Pune NHAI,
which is responsible for overseeing highways and signs on
highways proved that the nodal authority responsible for
overseeing such constructions was completely ignorant of
these incidents and rise in frequency of accidents

Adds Deshpande, “we have forwarded letters emphasizing
the need for immediate action to the Collector’s office and
Chief Engineer PWD, highlighting the gruesome accidents
due to traffic regulation problem and various punctures
existing in the

[Goanet]Two-wheeler firm pulled up for manufacturing defects

[GOACAN]

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Two-wheeler firm pulled up for manufacturing defects
-
The Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum (North Goa), Porvorim,
has directed a two-wheeler manufacturer to refund to the complainant
a sum of Rs 23,877 towards cost of vehicle.

The company has also been directed to re-imburse the complainant
for the expenses incurred. They include, Rs 1, 530 as cost of vehicle
registration with RTO authorities, Rs 436 as cost of one year insurance
of the vehicle, Rs 110 as cost of incidental expenses incurred for vehicle
registration (xerox, notary attestation, etc), Rs 400 as cost of taxi
expenses met due to two incidents when the vehicle ran out of fuel due
to faulty fuel gauge, Rs 500 as cost of two days remuneration lost due
to forced absence from service due to vehicle problem, Rs 12,500 as
cost of hired taxi conveyance from January 14, 1999 upto March 12, 1999,
Rs 300 as expenses towards paperwork for seeking legal justice,
Rs 250 as cost of communication with dealer on telephone and
personal visits to enquire about status of vehicle repairs from time to
time and Rs 500 as cost of inconvenience caused to the complainant
due to non-availability of own vehicle despite paying for it.

The complainant, Mrinalini Sahastrabhojane from Porvorim, had bought
a scooter from the dealer in Panjim on December 4, 1998, and its
warranty period was one year. On December 24, 1998, the said dealer
issued a letter to the complainant informing that the company wants to
incorporate some change in main prop stand and for that purpose the
scooter should be handed over them on January 14, 1999.

While handing over the vehicle to the dealer on January 14, 1999,
the complainant also pointed out that the vehicle's fuel gauge
indicator was malfunctioning and speedometer reading dial has
stopped and hence needed to be checked. The dealer informed the
complainant that the crank casing has been cracked and hence
needed replacement.

On January 26 1999, the dealer sent a letter to the complainant
informing that they had asked the manufacturer to dispatch the
relevant part.

Since the vehicle was not repaired even after lapse of 30 days, the
complainant finally served a notice on February 24, 1999, to the
manufacturers requesting them to take back the vehicle.

On March 12, 1999, the dealer issued a letter to the complainant
requesting her to take the vehicle, as it was repaired and ready
for collection. However, the complainant declined to collect the
vehicle stating that she had lost the confidence in the vehicle
which had developed the problems within the warranty period.

Since the complainant's claim for the refund of the cost of the
vehicle and incidental expenses was not settled as per her last
letter dated June 16, 1999, she approached the Consumer Forum.

The dealer admitted before the Consumer Forum that there was
a defect in the crank casing. They further admitted that the
improvement done in the design of prop stand were to avoid
complaints from the customers.

The manufacturer of the vehicle in defence stated that the delay
in the repair of the vehicle from January 14, 1999 to March 12, 1999,
was due to non-availability of crank casing in stock and the same
required to be manufactured in their factory at Ghaziabad.

However, the manufacturer in defence argued that the complainant
while purchasing the vehicle has verified and inspected the same
and after being satisfied, had purchased the same.

They further stated that the maximum the complainant could had
sought for an additional period of warranty to the extent of period
for which the vehicle remained for repairs.

On going through the facts of the case, the Consumer Forum
observed that the consumer should not suffer for the neglect of the
manufacturer in manufacturing the vehicle. Further, when the
manufacturer introduces his vehicle in the market it should have
all the facilities utmost to the satisfaction of the consumer and
it is the duty and responsibility of manufacturer to take maximum
care of the consumer.

The Consumer Forum therefore ruled that the manufacturer was
solely responsible for the manufacturing defects developed in the
vehicle during the warra

[Goanet]Goa Rajya Sabha member to be elected on July 14

[GOACAN]

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---
Goa Rajya Sabha member to be elected on July 14
---
The polls to elect a member to the council of states (Rajya Sabha)
by the elected members of the Goa legislative assembly has been
fixed for July 14.

As per the schedule, the nomination papers will be accepted by the
secretary legislature, Mr S A Narvekar, who has been designated
as the returning officer for the polls or by Mr J N Braganza,
under-secretary legislature and assistant returning officer in the
chamber of the secretary, legislative secretariat, Porvorim.

The nominations can be delivered by the candidate or his proposer
in the office of the returning officer between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on
any day (other than public holiday) but not later than July 4, 2005.
Nominations forms can be obtained from the office of the secretary
legislature.

The nomination papers will be scrutinised at 11 a.m. on July 5,
in the chamber of the secretary, legislature secretariat. The
withdrawal of candidature will be permitted till 3 p.m. on July 7.

The election, if necessary, will be held on July 14 between
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the committee room 'A' VIP block,
Goa assembly complex, Porvorim.
--
The Navhind Times 28/06/05 page 5
--

===
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
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[Goanet]State of Health Infrastructure in Goa - Part 1

[GOACAN]

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---
Govt. yet to decide on conversion of TB sanatorium
to district hospital
---
As the century-old T B Sanatorium atop Monte Hill is crumbling
for want of maintenance, the government appears confused whether
to utilise the hospital's area for the proposed district hospital or continue
housing the T B inmates in the sanatorium after due repairs.

"I would fix up a meeting with the Chief Minister, Pratapsing Rane
to decide on the matter", disclosed Power Minister, Digambar Kamat,
indicating the present dispensation is open for review of the decision
taken by the previous BJP regime to set up a district hospital at the
city outskirts.

Kamat, who along with the Director of Health Services, Dr Arvind Salelkar,
inspected the collapsed portion of the T B sanatorium on Tuesday morning,
said the PWD has prepared Rs 18 lakh estimate for repairs of the hospital
roofing. He, however, hastened that the repairs would take place only
after the government takes a final decision on the very future of the
building.

Replying to a question, Kamat said the BJP government had decided in
principle to set up the district hospital at the northern entrance to the
city following resistance from certain quarters. "Some groups had
expressed reservations on the idea of housing the district hospital at
Monte Hill on grounds that it would result in traffic congestion, besides
causing hardships to the public to travel on the hillock", he said.

Kamat said the government can review the earlier decision, taking
into account that land at the T B hospital is freely available, while
acquisition of the huge chunk of land would consume considerable time.

When his attention was drawn to the fact that the Sanatorium is collapsing,
Kamat said "the problem is indeed massive. There's leakage of water;
the rafters are crumbling", adding "the entire structure requires wholesome
repairs".

Director of Health Services, Dr Salelkar attributed the sorry state of
affairs of the Sanatorium building to delay in preparing the estimates.

Meanwhile, a visit to the hospital revealed that there's water seepage
in the male ward, housing around three patients. Outside, the false ceiling
appeared weak, even as hospital employees informed that a portion of the
roof collapsed just two days ago. Given the situation, the Power Minister
has issued instructions to the hospital to immediately shift the 46 inmates
to a ward having RCC structure.

HERALD 29/06/05 page 5


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[Goanet]State of Municipal Councils in Goa - 1

[GOACAN]

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Mapusa civic chief voted out

Pushing to the background the festering garbage problem at Mapusa
and executing the fourth change of the chairperson's post in this
five-year term, seven councillors out of 13, today voted out
Mr Sandip Falari from the post of chairperson of the Mapusa Municipal
Council (MMC).

Five councillors, including Mr Falari, voted against the motion. One
councillor, Mr Prabakar Vernekar was absent as he is away in Mumbai
due to personal reasons.

Mr Falari had taken over as MMC chairperson on February 1, 2005.
Since the next municipal council elections in Goa are scheduled in
October 2005, the next and fifth MMC chairperson will have only a
three-month term.

The motion of no-confidence against Mr Falari was filed on June 22
by seven councillors. They had cited three reasons why the council
had lost confidence in him. They accused him of misusing the
Municipalities Act, misusing municipal funds and of showing bias
towards ruling councillors.

Today's meeting that commenced at 11.05 a.m was presided over
by the deputy collector of Bardez, Mr Mahesh Khorjuvenkar. Before
the vote through a show of hands, he allowed members from both sides
to briefly express their views. Speaking for the motion and against the
chairperson, Mr Armindo Braganza and former chairperson, Mr Michael
Carrasco, cited examples to prove how Mr Falari had erred.

They said he had failed to constitute the standing committee within
seven days of being elected as chairperson and that he had resorted
to irregularities in spending council funds. Accusing the chairperson
of bias in desilting works, Mr Carrasco said Mr Falari had allowed
municipal labourers to work much longer in the wards of ruling
councilors and neglected the wards of opposition councillors.

He also blamed the chairperson for failing to address the garbage
problem of Mapusa, saying Mr Falari had sought to solve it alone
instead of taking the full council into confidence. Mr Carrasco also
accused the Chairperson of a "long list of injustices".

In his defence, Mr Falari claimed he had distributed municipal funds
and resources equitably to all 13 wards. He said he had no support
from the state government because he took over on February 1 and
the government fell on February 2, pushing the Mapusa MLA,
Mr Francisco D'Souza to the opposition. During the ensuing three
and half months of President's Rule, he had no support from the
government but had done his best for the town, he said.

Among other things, he cited the utilisation of Rs 21-lakh in unused
funds, to which the council had added a matching amount and
distributed equally to all 13 wards. He also claimed to have obtained
grant of Rs 26-lakh from the department of science and technology
and distributed equally.

Mr Sudhir Kandolkar and Ms Shubangi Vaigankar also spoke against
the motion.The date to elect a new chairperson is yet to be set. But
sources indicated that Mr Armindo Braganza is most likely to file
his nomination for the post.

The Navhind Times 30/06/05 page 1


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[Goanet]8th July FRIDAY BALCAO:Should Goa have a Special Economic Zone (SEZ)

[GOACAN]

--
Welcome to the FRIDAY BALCAO
Read the Balcao Synopsis on the website
http://www.goadesc.org/balcao/
--

Dear Cybergaokars on GoaNet,

Friday Balcao the fortnightly discussion event
to be held on 8th July will focus on the
Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Goa.

The recent statement of the Union Finance Minister
that Goa should consider having a Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
has sparked of a debate. Central to the discussion is what
are the different kinds of SEZ's and what are the benefits for
Goa and Goans.

Also of great importance is the social, cultural, environmental and
economic impacts of a SEZ. Goa could develop as a major
exports hub and possibly create lot of direct and indirect employment
opportunities for the local youth. The SEZ  would be a specifically
delineated duty-free enclave and be deemed to be a foreign territory
for the purposes of trade operations, duties and tariffs. The SEZ
could improve infrastructure like roads and bridges.

Since land is the most important requirement for setting up a SEZ
the availability of around 1,000 hectares would be crucial in Goa.

What are the guarantees that the jobs generated in a SEZ will go
to the local youth ? Will the labour laws be different ? Will the
SEZ turn Goa into a predominantly industrial area and thereby lose its
charm as a tourist destination ? Will the SEZ attract high spending
business tourists and therefore require projects like golf courses,
casinos and more five star luxury hotels ?

What has been the performance of the existing ten odd industrial
estates including that of Verna ? Can the Goa Govt.ensure that they
are in a position to supply basic inputs like water and electricity to
the SEZ without causing inconvenience to the local residents ?

How will the proposed SEZ impact Goa, its population, culture and
environment as projects like the proposed Mopa International Airport
in the North, the Naval Sea Bird project in the South and proposed
Cruise liner Terminal on the West ?

The Balcao discussion will cover these questions and
also evolve an agenda for action by citizens on the issue.

Friday Balcao will be from 4pm to 6pm
at the Goa Desc Resource Centre
No.11 Liberty Apartments Feira Alta,
Mapusa and is open to  members of the public.

We invite you to express your viewpoint
by attending the Friday Balcao event
but if you cannot attend, then please send your
views and action plan suggestions by post to
FRIDAY BALCAO Post Box 78, Mapusa 403 507
or by email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Those of you who would like to receive
the regular invitation to Friday Balcao and a one page synopsis
of the fortnightly session can subscribe for the same
by sending Rs.100/- to cover printing and mailing costs.

best wishes,

Roland Martins
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[Goanet]Goa's Voluntary Testing Centres help to prevent AIDS

[GOACAN]

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-
Voluntary testing centres helping to prevent AIDS

Voluntary confidential counseling and testing centers are
now seen as key entry point for a range of interventions
in HIV/AIDS prevention.

The main objective of VCCTs are to make testing services
available to those persons who wish to know their HIV/Status
due to some high risk behaviour and to counsel them or who
have been referred by consulting doctors. These centers help
clients to make decisions related to disclosure, treatment and
risk reduction. These centers enable people to cope up with
their HIV positive status and plan for the future, says a
press note issued by the Goa State AIDS Control Society.

These centers provide psychological support to the infected
and the affected individuals thus strengthening HIV infected
persons and those associated with them. VCCTs also motivate
those tested negative to remain so.

Increased availability and use of voluntary counseling and
testing is an important step in risk reduction and psychological
support to infected and affected persons.

Three VCCTs have been established in the state, one at GMC,
Hospicio and Asilo. One is likely to be started soon at Cottage
Hospital, Vasco. The number of persons approaching the VCCT
and getting tested is increasing.These centers represent a
public private mix since they are located largely in government
hospitals and have trained counsellors.

The success of voluntary counseling and testing depends on
effective counselling and on the availability of cheap testing
facilities which give results in the shortest possible time. This
makes the rapid test an attractive option where the client
can undergo a pre-test counseling, get results and post-test
counselling in one session.

The in-charges and lab technicians of VCCTs are trained on
regular bases by Goa State AIDS Control Society and NACO
(National AIDS Control Organisation), adds the press note.
-
HERALD 7/07/05 page 4
---
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11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
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[Goanet]State of Road Safety in Goa - 1

[GOACAN]

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Two women killed as tipper tips
-
Two women labourers died on the spot, while three labourers
were seriously injured and 10 others sustained minor injuries
after the tipper truck in which they were travelling in skidded
on slippery road conditions and fell on its side at Panchawadi
on Sunday evening.

Ponda police informed that the injured labourers identified one
of the deceased as Jyoti (17). However, the other deceased
woman was still unidentified.

On Sunday at around 4 pm, around 15 labourers were travelling
by the truck to Shiroda, while returning from Sanvordem after
doing some shopping. The labourers were carrying rice, oil,
a TV set and other household material, which they had
purchased from Curchorem.

The truck driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle, under
slippery road conditions and the truck skidded before turning
over. Besides the two deceased, three persons, Nagappa (40),
Reshma Nadaf (3) and Roshan Nadaf (4) were in a critical
condition, while 10 others were injured and were admitted to
the Goa Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Bambolim by a
GATES vehicle.

The truck driver fled after the incident and no contractor came
forward to assist the Ponda police in identifying the deceased.
DySP Mohan Naik, PI Prabodh Shirvoikar and other staff had
rushed to the scene.
--
HERALD 11/07/05 page 1
--

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[Goanet]State of Economic Offences in Goa - 1

[GOACAN]

-
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
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Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
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---
Sanchayani investors crying for relief
--
The Sanchayani Certificate Holders and Field Workers Association,
Goa has questioned the seriousness of the administration in settling
the claims of the over 40,000 investors. They further claim that the
Economic Offences Cell (EOC) at the Panjim Police Headquarters
has failed to arrest the principal accused, Suraj Naik, the divisional
manager of M/s Sanchayani Savings and Investment (India) Ltd who
is the personal assistant of the North Goa BJP MP Sripad Naik.

Says Jawaharlal T Shetye, the president of the SCHFWA,
"Unfortunately, it has been a long and hard battle with the EOC
refusing to co-operate with the association, the government turning
a deaf ear to our complaints despite representations made to the
former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who assured us that he
would look into the matter, but failed to do so. In fact, the EOC
has failed to arrest the divisional manager of M/s Sanchayani
Savings and Investment (India) Ltd in Goa, Suraj Naik, who is the
personal assistant of the North Goa BJP MP Sripad Naik,"

He said that Suraj kept the company offices in Goa open as late
as September 2002 and collected several lakhs of rupees which
was used to distribute the salaries of the company's employees
when all the company's offices all over India including the head
office at Kolkata were shut down by the police much before
September 2002. "The EOC then headed by PI Fintan D'Souza
and PSI Suresh Gaonkar had informed us that Suraj along with
other senior field staff had availed advances from the company
amounting to several lakhs of rupees but that the EOC was
helpless as the amount belonged to the company and no
complaint had been filed," Shetye mentioned.

SCHFWA with a membership of 699 members had registered
its complaint with the EOC on July 7, 2003 along with a
representation to the chief minister and chief secretary on the
same day urging them to initiate action against the directors
under the GPID Act 1999.

The Finance department of the government of Goa in its letter
dated July 29, 2003 informed the SCHFWA that since the
Supreme Court had appointed a special officer N C Banerjee to
take charge of the assets of the company, the government could
not take any action under the GPID Act 1999 and that the
SCHFWA should approach the EOC for taking further necessary
action.

Accordingly SCHFWA who failed to receive any help from the EOC
approached the then chief minister Manohar Parrikar pointing out
that there were about 40,000 investors of the Sanchayani company
in Goa and that the RBI in its letter dated May 10, 1997 had advised
the company not to accept any deposits from the public and to stop
forewith the said business and to conform to RBI orders.

And that the Goa divisional manager Suraj Naik, who was heading
five branches under the Goa division collected deposit money without
any authority. The SCHFWA had appealed to the then chief minister
to initiate action against Suraj Naik and the Finance department of
the government of Goa wrote a letter to the EOC dated May 27, 2004
urging them to initiate action against Suraj Naik under the GPID Act
1999 and intimate them of the action taken, but nothing happened.

"Another notice was sent to the chief secretary through advocate
Mahesh Sonak on March 6, 2004, but there was no response from
the government. It was only when the former DGP Amod Kant took
charge, that the EOC started co-operating with the SCHFWA and
providing us with all the requisite information but unfortunately he
too was transferred," Shetye remarked.

The special officer appointed by the Supreme Court, N C Banerjee
(in a telephonic conversation with the Herald), revealed that his office
in Kolkata has received around eight lakh claim papers from the
various investors all over the country and no sooner they complete
the processing of the forms, he would forward a proposal to the
Supreme Court to repay the investors.

"This entire process should take another five to six months to complete,
following which the payments will be made to the investors," Banerjee
disclosed. "Our only request is that the EOC should follow up w

[Goanet]How a speeding mini-bus killed a school boy in Vasco

[GOACAN]

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Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
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family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
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---
Schoolboy killed in Vasco road accident
---
In a tragic accident, a nine-year-old schoolboy was knocked
down to death today by an overspeeding mini-bus at the entrance
of the Kadamba Transport Corporation bus stand in the city. The
accident triggered protest from the public who broke the rear
glasses of the mini-bus.

Vasco police sources informed that the boy Subhash Yeshwant
Korgaonkar, a III Standard student of the St. Andrew's Institute,
was walking home by side of the road. His house is located at
the Goa Shipyard. The overspeeding mini-bus, which was entering
the KTC bus stand, knocked down the boy and dragged him for at
least 14 metres.

The boy was found in the pool of blood, with grievous injuries to
his head and thighs. He was rushed to the Cottage Hospital,
Chicalim, in an unconsciousness state. Considering the critical
condition of the boy, he was referred to the Goa Medical College
and Hospital, Bambolim. However, he breathed his last on the way,
the sources said.

After knocking down the boy, the mini-bus driver, Sumant Sudhir
Kulkarni (32), a resident of Zuarinagar Colony, fled from the bus
stand leaving behind the mini-bus. However, later in the evening,
the Vasco police arrested the driver under sections 279 and 304(A)
of the Indian Penal Code.

Some people, who witnessed the accident, were infuriated by the
ghastly fleeing of the driver. They gathered near the mini-bus and
broke its rear glasses.

An eyewitness stated that the accident occurred due to negligence
of the assistant sub-inspector and the constable attached to the traffic
police cell, who were posted near the entrance of the KTC bus stand.

"One of them was smoking, while the other had gone to drink tea
during the peak hour," he informed.

The Vasco sub-divisional police officer, Mr Subhash Goltekar along
with other policemen rushed to the spot and conducted panchanama,
They have taken custody of the bus.

The body of the boy was handed over to his parents for final rites,
which were held at the Khariwada Hindu crematorium late in the evening.
The boy was the only son of Mr Yeshwant Korgaonkar. The boy left
behind four-month-old sister.

The former revenue minister and state Nationalist Congress Party
vice-president, Mr Jose Phillip D'Souza visited the accident site.
He along with the agitated crowd impressed upon the sub-divisional
magistrate and deputy collector,Mormugao, Ms Meena Goltekar to
erect two speed-breakers near the Narayan Auto Works and Hotel
Rebello, on the exit and entrance of the KTC bus stand.
--
The Navhind Times 4/08/05 page 1
--

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---
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[Goanet]Dept.of Civil Supplies confiscates LPG cylinders

[GOACAN]

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Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
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Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
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--
Civil supplies dept confiscates LPG cylinders from agent
---
In what could be deemed as the first round of surprise inspections
and raids, the Department of Civil Supplies on Tuesday confiscated
LPG cylinders, for unauthorised stacking by an agent in Vasco.

According to information furnished, the agent, Goa Gas Service of
Bharat Petroleum Company was found in possession of 34 cylinders
in excess of the prescribed quantum.Officials disclosed that an
agent can store not more than 100 kgs of LPG in their stock rooms.

On information received by the department, the said erring agent
was found in possession of eight cylinders for commercial purpose
and 26 were for domestic use. Further, seven from the commercial
lot were filled while 19 from the domestic lot were filled cylinders.

According to the Director of Civil Supplies, Ashok Dessai, a cylinder
for commercial purpose contains 19 kgs of LPG while a cylinder for
domestic purpose contains 14 kgs of LPG thereby indicating very
clearly that the Goa Gas Service at Vasco has violated the prescribed
norms.

Mr Desai speaking to Herald on Wednesday said, “The surprise
inspection conducted on Tuesday is the beginning of a series of similar
such inspections and action will be taken against all erring parties.”

Mr Dessai also disclosed that the department is contemplating on
commencing inspections and raids on the illegal use of domestic
cylinders for commercial purpose.He said that the illegal activities,
if unchecked, could cause a shortage of domestic LPG cylinders.

Tuesday’s inspection and confiscations were conducted by Assistant
Director of Civil Supplies Siddhi Halarnakar, Ravi Shankar Nipanikar -
inspector from the DCS posted at Mormugao, Agnel Soares -
Sub-Inspector at the DCS flying squad. Vishnu Ray ­ Senior Officer
of Bharat Petroleum Company and Sanjay Karve - Executive Sales
Officer of Hindustan Petroleum.

HERALD 4/08/05 page 2


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GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
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an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
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[Goanet]Saturday 6th August Legal literacy camp at Merces

[GOACAN]

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Legal literacy camp at Merces

A legal literacy camp is being organized at Patriachal Hall
Our Lady of Merces Church Merces in the Tiswadi taluka on
August 6 at 3 p.m. with a view to spread consciousness about
the legal rights and duties of the citizens specially tribal/rural
population, women/children disabled or handicapped and weaker
section of the society.

The session will be presided over by K Thaly, IInd additional district
and sessions Judge, Panaji & Tiswadi taluka legal services
committee Panjim and will be addressed by advocate Arun Naik
on the subject Benefit of provisions of GDD Mundkars
(Protection from Eviction) Act 1975 and by Adovocate Prashant
Vengurlekar on the subject 'Motor Accident claims
(including collection of documents, launching claims, practices
and procedure etc.

All the citizens of Tiswadi Taluka in general, advocates, social workers,
women, citizens and litigants are requested to attend the camp
-
HERALD 4/08/05 page 4
-

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an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
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-------
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Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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[Goanet]Captain of Ports proposal on free transportation of public vehicles

[GOACAN]

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Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
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Port authorities give proposal on free transportation of public vehicles
--
The Captain of Ports has given a detail proposal to the state
government regarding free transport of public vehicles in the
ferryboats plying between various points, around the state.
The ferry transport has already been made free for the passengers.

Capt A P Mascarenhas of the Captain of Ports, today told the
pressmen that the state government had decided to probe into
such possibility and called for a detailed report about the same.
"All the necessary information has been provided in our proposal,"
he added.

Mr Mascarenhas also informed that for the year 2004-2005,
a revenue amounting to Rs 1.40 crore was generated through the
state ferry service, while the operative cost for the ferryboats was
Rs 9.54 crore, during the same year.

Presently there are 40 public transport ferryboats operational in the
state on 21 river routes, the major routes being Ribandar-Chorao,
Old Goa- Divar, St Pedro-Divar, Tonca-Sarmanas, Rasai-Durbhat,
Rai-Shiroda, Volvoi-Maina/ Surla and Madkai-Cortalim, the last
being the longest route. There are also 8 to 9 ferry routes which
are privatised.

Speaking further, Mr Mascarenhas said that the government is
also planning to introduce ferries with faster speed, on all 21 river
routes. "The present single engine ferryboats will be replaced with
the twin-engine ferries, for which various firms have been asked to
give the estimates," he mentioned.The same would be put up for
approval before the government, he pointed out.

It was also informed that no untoward incident had taken place
during last year, on the ferry routes.

Replying to a question regarding washing away of the tar balls
on the Goan shores, Mr Mascarenhas said that it is a normal
phenomenon and was witnessed on the Siridao and Miramar
beaches, in the past. "However, this time around the quantity
of tar balls has increased," he added.
---
The Navhind Times 5/08/05 page 3


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-------
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[Goanet]ALERT:Illegal liquor unit busted at Dabal in South Goa

[GOACAN]

-- 


Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
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Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-
-
‘Illegal’ liquor unit busted at Bandoli
-
In a major raid, Quepem police on Wednesday busted a liquor unit,
which was illegally being operated at Bandoli in Dabal-Sanvordem.
Five persons have been arrested in this connection, with the value
of the seized alcohol and liquor filling equipment valued at about
Rs 5 lakh, informed Quepem PI Siddhant Shirodkar.

According to reports, Quepem police, during its routine check on
vehicles in the morning, stopped a vehicle (GA-01-W-5182) carrying
liquor and some alcohol, driven by one Patrick Regino Dias of Paroda.
The other occupant in the vehicle was the salesman, Antonio Diogo
Fernandes, also from Paroda.

When the driver and salesman failed to furnish the vehicle documents,
police asked the occupants to furnish excise documents for
transporting the liquor and alcohol, or any bills to the effect.
When they could not furnish these documents as well, police
arrested both persons under suspicion (Section 41 CrPC).
They were arrested and taken to Quepem police station,
where they informed police that they were employed by
Paroda Sarpanch Gabriel Fernandes, who is a distributor
for liquor and alcohol.

Police then summoned the sarpanch, who informed police
that he works for one P J Joseph, a native of Kerala and
presently residing at Deao-Quepem.

Police went to Deao-Quepem and later arrested Joseph
along with his assistant, Rohit Joseph Paul. Police also
attached three vehicles ­ a Fort Escort, Maruti van and a
Maruti 800 ­ as Joseph failed to provide documents of the
three vehicles. Besides, police also seized five barrels
of alcohol at his residence.

Joseph then confessed to police that he has been illegally
manufacturing liquor in his property, measuring 50,000 sq metres,
at Bandoli in Dabal-Sanvordem.

Police went to the property and found an underground room,
which housed empty bottles, cartons and bottle caps of
branded liquor. Police also seized 620 litres of alcohol from
the premises, besides seizing a Matador tempo.

In a related move, Curchorem police arrested one Mathew Regino
Fernandes (60), who allegedly confessed that he was also
employed by the Paroda sarpanch in the illegal filling of liquor.

Quepem DySP Tony Fernandes was also present along with
Quepem police during the raid. According to sources, excise officials
were planning to raid the premises on Monday and had even sent
a guard to Bandoli to identify the location of the illegal bottling plant.

All the five accused will be produced before the Quepem JMFC
for remand, as investigations in the case are in progress.
-
HERALD 4/08/05 page 3
-

===
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Documentation + Education + Solidarity
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===

[Goanet]Consumer Rights Festival at St.Xavier's College Mapusa

[GOACAN]

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The time is come for the people of Goa
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Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
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--
--
Consumer Rights Festival at St.Xavier's College Mapusa
--
Have you purchased a commodity or any goods or hired
any services, or used a commodity or service by virtue of
accepting it as a gift? All of us whether professionals,
businessmen, students, housewives, etc. are Consumers.

However, not many are aware of this. The Consumer Protection
Act and the rights provided by the Act are totally unknown to
many consumers. The Consumer Welfare Cell at
St. Xavier's College, Mapusa, is organising a year long
"Consumer Rights Festival" under the Scheme introduced
by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India.

The scheme is meant to promote involvement of Research
Institutions / Universities and colleges in Consumer Protection
and Consumer Welfare.

The Department of Consumer Affairs, New Delhi, had received
more than 151 proposals from various institutions. All these
proposals were transferred to the Indian Institute of Public
Administration, New Delhi for further action.

St. Xavier's College, Mapusa was selected by the Evaluation
Committee and was awarded a grant of Rs. 1 lakh for organising
the festival.

The festival will comprise of various activities. A consumer rights
awareness drive for the entire staff and all the students of the
college will be held from 8 August to 12 September 2005,
wherein persons actively involved in the Consumer Rights
Movement will be invited to address the students and provide
guidance and help in tackling consumer related grievances.
College students in turn will be visiting neighbouring schools in
order to spread consumer rights awareness among school students.

Inter-collegiate poster / elocution / one-act play competitions
on consumer issues will be held in September 2005, which are
open to all the colleges in Goa. The one-act play competition is
open to other organisations and associations as well. Besides
this, a state level seminar for teachers and others interested will
be held in November 2005. Street plays will be put up for the
general public.

The topic for poster competition is Consumer Rights - Myth
or Reality in India and the topic for elocution Competition Is
"Is the Indian Consumer a King? The registration and more
details may be obtained from the college office or on
Tel: 2262356 or at 
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED]

--
Gomantak Times   9/8/05  page 4
---

---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
to promote civic and consumer rights in Goa
---
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  website: www.goacan.org
---

[Goanet]ALERT:After Farmers, Fishermen may be forced to suicide

[GOACAN]

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family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
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-- 


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Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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--
--
After Farmers, Fishermen may be forced to suicide
--
by Gasper  D'Souza

Several fishermen ventured out at the start of the fishing season
this year in their quest for the 'Holy Grail' of the sea - the solar
prawns, ignoring rough weather warnings. But the greed and
ignorance mixed with political apathy saw the loss of life and a
trawler. The early start of the mechanized fishing season this year
may be good for people's palates but it could be doing irreparable
harm to our fish resource.

The boats docking at the fishing jetties unloaded their "prized catch"
- fish laden with eggs. "The size of the fish, including solar prawns
has greatly diminished," said Mr Pascaol, a traditional fisherman
from Salcette. "Earlier, especially after the strict implementation
of the ban last year, the prawn count was about 90 per kg. This
year it is about 120 to 140 per kg."

Is the poor catch worth the risk? The Marine Mercantile Department
considers June 10 to August 15 as 'fowl weather period' with
insurance available only with additional premiums.

The monsoon season also coincides with the peak breeding season
for most fish on the West Coast of India. A cursory examination of
the prawns offloaded at the Panaji jetty revealed that most of the
female prawns were laden with eggs.

In October 2000 at a conference of scientists on sustainable fishery
management organized by the NIO, it was agreed that a uniform ban
is needed from May end to mid August recognizing that "the south
-west monsoon is the spawning season of pelagic species like
Indian Oil sardine and Mackerel along with a majority of demersal
fish and shrimps."

Further, a two-day National Seminar in October 2004 on
"Conservation and Sustainable Growth of Fisheries" organized
by the MES College and attended by several scientists and academics
also corroborated the need for a uniform ban throughout the West
Coast from May 15 to August 15 along with implementation of nets
of a minimum mesh size of 35 mm to prevent catching of baby fish.

But even today the ban is not in place and as for mesh size, according
to one researcher, some boats even use nets of mesh sizes of 15mm.
But the issue is today so highly politicized that few are willing to
go on record for fear of the repercussions.

Based on scientific observations, in its September 2002 judgment,
the High Court had, in its Order stated: "During the ban period,
namely from 10th June to 15th August, or Narali Poornima,
whichever is earlier, the State Government of Goa should strictly
implement the above fishing ban against all kinds of mechanized
vessels."

The Court Order further notes: "For a proper conservation of fish
on a sustainable basis, there has to be uniform dates with regard
to fishing ban in all the States on the Western Coast."

In its Order dated March 29 2004, the Central govt had notified
June 10 to August 15 as the ban period across the entire West
Coast of India. Yet ignoring all reason and court orders, the
neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka maintain the
ban only up to July 31. Using this as an excuse, the Goa
government too relaxed the ban to July 31 from the original August 15.

"It takes a woman nine months to deliver a baby. Giving it just
half that time will serve no purpose!" says one fisherman. " How can
the government implement a ban for only a part of the breeding
season? The ban has been reduced playing into the hands of a
few who do not let off their labour even in the off-season. They
can thus go out before all others," says one boat owner.

But some scientists observe that although the monsoons coincide
with the peak breeding season, different types of fish have different
breeding patterns throughout the year. As such, they say a
staggered ban is needed.

"Moreover, compared to the threat from purse seines and traditional
'rampons', the greatest threat is from bottom trawling wherein the
marine life-forms over a thousand years old along the seabed is
destroyed in a single trawl," explained one scientist who was a part
of the MES

[Goanet]State of the Sex Trade in Goa - 1

[GOACAN]

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Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
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- 


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--
---
Demolition of Baina cubicles was a mistake, says DIG
---
by Shaikh Jamaluddin

The sex trade has come to stay. And it is a fact. Even senior police
officials admit it. However, the deputy inspector-general of police,
Mr Ujjwal Mishra feels that the greatest mistake committed by the
state government was demolition of the cubicles at Baina in Vasco.
Before the demolition, the sex trade was confined only upto Baina,
but now it has spread to other parts of the state.

Mr Mishra stated, "The ripples of this mistake are being experienced
in every nook and corner of the state. You see, there are some known
infamous places in Mumbai, Hyderabad and elsewhere. But the
governments of these states have not gone for demolition of these
structures. The governments are not willing to take action as they
are aware of the repercussions and aftereffects of their actions."

Mr Mishra felt that the government should have initiated some health
and civic measures through non-governmental organisations, or
involved other agencies to improve hygiene there. 'Uprooting' the whole
area was not the solution and was not advisable also, Mr Mishra
observed
.
A certain sex racket in the state might not have been exposed
had the police not arrested and rescued a minor girl from Bangladesh
who was brought here on the pretext of providing a job abroad.
She was dragged into the racket by three women involved in the
flesh trade at Porvorim, Mr Mishra informed.

Dwelling upon the sex racket, the DIG said, "We went deep into it
and arrested a number of people, interrogated many others linked
directly or indirectly to the oldest profession, so it was time to
pull the shutters on the chapter. But in case if we get some or
the other clue we will not hesitate to net them."

On college girls turning to the flesh trade in Goa, Mr Mishra stated,
"I heard rumours making rounds that college girls staying in
hostels and as paying guests are also engaged in entertaining
sex hungry tourists visiting Goa from different corners of the nation.

If these girls are selling their bodies for money we cannot do
anything." However, he said, "You know the call girls who were
released earlier after their arrest from Parra had landed up in
the police net once again. You will be astonished to know what
they said  'we are doing it for money, are you providing the
same to us?' What any one can do in this situation."

He said this is a money spinning trade for all those engaged in it.
There are thousands of young and middle-aged persons linked
either directly or indirectly to the sex entertaining groups.
Besides, there are thousands of other people who are thriving
exclusively on the earnings of solicitors of call girls.

"If you see, this is a major social evil which spoils our youth
at a very tender age and as a result there are many HIV cases
spotted amongst Goans. It is very terrible thing happening in Goa
and we see there is no solution in sight," he added.
--
The Navhind Times 17/8/05 page 1
--

---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
to promote civic and consumer rights in Goa
-------
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  website: www.goacan.org
---

[Goanet] There's a BOMB in your Shopping Bag !

[goacan]

-
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-
-
There's a BOMB in your Shopping Bag !
--
The Garbage Problem does not begin in the dumps
It begins in your shopping bag !
Each time you go shopping you are adding to the
city's garbage !!

View the Photo exhibition by Gasper D'Souza
www.gasperdesouza.com
at the GOACAN Waste Management Campaign Stall
at the GREEN MORMUGAO Plant Exhibition
to be held at Parque Infantil/Children's Park,
opposite LaPaz Gardens, Vasco
on 3rd, 4th and 5th March 2006.

Don't miss out, the exhibition is on
for 3 days Friday, Saturday & Sunday
from 9.30am - 8.00pm

-
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
--
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
------
GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.goacan.org
--

[Goanet] 21st April FRIDAY BALCAO:Protection of Goa's built up & natural heritage

[Goacan]

---
* G * O * A * N * E * T *** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
---
 USDA certified Goa Sausages and other Goan foods can now be delivered
   to virtually any part of the world.

http://www.goanfoods.com
---




--Welcome to the 
FRIDAY BALCAORead the Balcao Synopsis on the websitehttp://www.goadesc.org/balcao/-- 
Dear Cybergaonkars on Goanet,We continue with FRIDAY 
BALCAOon 21st April from 4pm. to 6pm.at Goa Desc Resource CentreNo. 
11, Liberty Apartments, Feira Alta, Mapusa Goa.TOPIC:Protection 
of Goa's built up & natural heritage: 
putting it on the Village 
Panchayat & Municipal Council agenda.
SPEAKERS: Open DiscussionWe 
invite you to express your viewpointby attending the Friday Balcao event 
but if you cannot attend, then please send yourviews and action plan 
suggestions by post to FRIDAY BALCAO Post Box 78, Mapusa 403 507or by 
email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please 
note: The Friday Balcao sessions for April 2006 will be held on 7th & 
21st 
April. 
best wishes,Roland 
Martins 
Don't miss out on the discussion. Information is power,Share it 
equitably. Lets make things happen in Goa !! 
---=== 
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTREDocumentation + Education + Solidarity11 
Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]website: www.goadesc.org--Working 
On Issues Of Development & 
Democracy===

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[Goanet] The Meerut Fire Mishap:Lessons for Goa

[Goacan]

---
* G * O * A * N * E * T *** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *
---
 USDA certified Goa Sausages and other Goan foods can now be delivered
   to virtually any part of the world.

http://www.goanfoods.com
---


 
-Do 
GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to yourfamily members, relatives, 
neighbours and friends.Help others be BETTER INFORMED,The time is come 
for the people of Goato ORGANISE not AGONISE 
!!-
---Documented 
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[EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/--- 

-
The Fire Mishaps 
--
It is pitiful to see and read about the ‘inferno’ that charred so many 
lives 
on April 10 at Victoria Park, in Uttar Pradesh. There were be so many 

other people injured by the stampede that followed. As a co-incidence, 
on that very day Mapusa town got a new fire station complex. 
 
Of late, in Goa too we have trade fairs inside similar pandals erected 

for the purpose. This should be an eye-opener to the local authorities 

to enforce stringent safety measures whenever such pandals are erected. 

 
It is often observed that there is one entry point and one exit point for 

such igloo type of pandals. It must be made mandatory to have sufficient 

emergency exit points in order to avert tragedies. 
 
All electrical installations should be secured from chances of short 
circuits 
in order to safeguard precious lives and property. It is observed many a 

times that electrical wires are just joined and left un-insulated in 
pandals, 
not excluding the pandal erected at the Basilica, Old Goa. 
 
Similarly, most of our electrical service connections are left open to 
the 
vagaries of sun, wind and rain. Just imagine the result and the avoidable 

loss, if such a thing happens. It would be an useless exercise to set up 

inquiry committees after the damage is already done. 
 
ANTHONY C MONTEIRO, Bastora 



Letter to 
the Editor in The Navhind Times 14/4/06 page 12


--- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
--- 
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[Goanet] ALERT:Legal metrology dept books 543 cases against traders in Goa

[Goacan]

-Documented 
by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC)Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings 
on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/-
---
Legal metrology dept books 543 cases 
against traders 

During the financial year from April 
2005 to March 2006, the enforcement 
officials of the department of legal 
metrology booked 543 cases against 
the traders/industrial establishments 
for the offences committed by them, 
for contravening the provisions of 
Standards of Weights and Measures Act 
1976, Standards of Weights and Measures 
(Enforcement) Act 1985 and 
Standards of Weights and Measures 
(Packaged Commodities) Rules 1977.
 
The officials seized 2,999 faulty weights and measures, 6 petrol pumps 

and 1 vehicle tank carrying petroleum products and packaged commodities 

such as packages of electrical goods, footwears, cement, packages 

containing bottles of drinking water, bottles of Indian-made foreign 
liquor, 
cashew nuts, insect repellent, ice-creams, hardware materials, 

aluminuim foil, thermal paper (fax roll), milk packages, garments, 

flooring tiles and electronic goods.
 
The department also collected from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006 

Rs 71,54,832 as the verificaation and stamping fees of weights, measures, 

weighing and measuring instrument and Rs 6,07,650 as compounding fees 

for the offences committed and six cases have been filed in the different 

JMFC courts in Goa.
 
The important cases booked against the traders/industrial establishments 

include 37 cases against the traders during the transaction of sale of 

packaged commodities such as milk, ice-creams, sweets, footwears, 

for selling the packaged commodities exceeding the maximum retail price 

(MRP) printed on the packages.
 
Seventeen cases have been booked against the offenders for 
smudging
/altering/obliterating the maximum retail price printed on the packaged 

commodities by the manufacturers.
 
Thirty-six cases have been booked against the 
manufacturers/packers
/distributors/retailers of cement, bread, drinking water, Indian-made 

foreign liquor, chips and wafers, insect repellent, cashew nuts, 

aluminium foil, thermal paper for filling up the quantity in the packages 

less than the declared quantity (net 
content).
 
The remaining cases have been booked against the traders/owners 

of bar, grocery shop, general stores, exhibition-cum-sale and industrial 

establisshments for non-declaration on the packages in their possession 

and for having in possession unstamped/unverified and faulty weights 

and measures.
 
All traders are hereby warned by the controller, Legal Metrology, that 

inspite of booking the cases and fining 
them, it is noticed that they 

still continue to sell the packaged commodities without mandatory 

declaration such as name and address of the manufacturer/packer, 

generic name of the commodity packed, net quantity, month and 

year of packing, MRP for which strict action will be taken against 

them and all such packaged commodities 
will be seized.
---
The Navhind 
Times 22/4/06 page 3
---
--- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
--- 
GOACAN Post Box  187 Margao,  Goa 403 601GOACAN Post Box  
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[Goanet] ALERT:Porvorim's Highway of fear

[Goacan]

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[EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/--- 


Porvorim's Highway of fear 


by Ayesha Pereira
 
Consider the statistics. Fifty-one 
deaths in a span of 105 days 
– that is one death in every two days. 
That is the terror and fear 
that residents of Porvorim have to live 
with. The reason — the 
NH 17 bifurcates the village, with 
residences on one side and 
schools, market places on the other 
side of the great divide. 
And it is the terror blaring horns, 
speeding vehicles, buses 
breaking all traffic rules in the 
desperate rush to reach Panjim 
on time, motorcyclists and school kids 
zigzagging their way 
through the maze of traffic and the 
tension of avoiding trucks 
that trundle through Goa on their way 
to either Mumbai or 
Karwar, everyday that grips the 
residents of Porvorim. 
Says Rose Figueiredo, resident of 
Defence Colony, Porvorim, 
“I face an immense difficulty even to 
get to church for daily mass, 
for one is forced to wait for quite a 
while until the road is clear 
enough to cross”.
This fear was heightened on April 
2, 2006 when a truck 
proceeding from Mapusa to Panjim 
entered the wrong side 
of the highway, despite the dividers, 
dashed against Maruti Zen 
proceeding to Mapusa killing the driver 
and the front seat 
passenger with the backseat passengers 
being severely injured.
 It is this lack of discipline 
on the road that is terrorising the 
residents of this once peaceful 
village. Residents lament, that 
drivers generally consider the road to 
be their paradise, 
maneuvering through the traffic 
according to their own whims 
and fancies. They are often spotted 
overtaking even from the left, 
showing total disregard for the safety 
of other travellers.
Concurs PI Braz Menezes, Porvorim, 
“the rampant issuing 
of licenses without a complete test of 
the knowledge and skills 
of a driver augments the number of 
accidents. As a result victims 
of three fatal accidents have been 
pedestrians”. According to 
residents, cancellation of licenses of 
those who violate traffic 
norms is necessary.
The biggest challenge though, is 
the task of changing the mental 
set of the people to observe traffic 
rules and regulations and it is 
this lack of concern that has led to 
rash and reckless driving. Says Menezes, “the key is traffic education, 
which has already 
being implemented in some schools and 
should also be initiated 
in colleges to acquaint students with a 
traffic sense”. 
 But it is the government’s 
apathy with lack of dividers from 
Porvorim to Guirim and the complete 
lack of traffic signals thus 
putting pedestrians in danger. Agrees 
Col. C H T Gomes, 
“dividers do help in channelising the 
flow of traffic and it is 
imperative that the authorities 
complete the road dividers, 
which are absent from O Coqueiro 
restaurant to Guirim”.
According to PWD engineers there 
are no future plans of 
widening the road from O Coqueiro to 
Guirim as the land 
available is not sufficient. Says S L 
Raikar, assistant engineer 
incharge of the construction of the 
bypass road from Porvorim, 
“the proposal has been technically 
sanctioned by the executive 
engineers and it still awaits the 
expenditure and administrative 
approval by the 
government”.
And while the government dillydallies, 
innocent lives continue 
to be lost on Porvorim’s highway of 
fear.
---
HERALD 30/4/06 page 1
---
--- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
--- 
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[Goanet] Dumping Responsibility - Authorities ignore earlier warnings on Garbage

[Goacan]

---Documented 
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on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/--- 

--
Dumping Responsibility - 
- Authorities ignore 
earlier warnings
---
It is the same old story: much like the residents of Curca and Saligao, 

the villagers of Ucassaim have opposed dumping of garbage in their 

village. Though the Serula communidade had given an NOC to the 

Socorro panchayat to dump garbage at the Ucassaim hilltop, the 

villagers did not allow the pick-up trucks to unload the garbage. 

The residents apprehend the garbage will flow down the slope into 

their village.
 
As the villagers of Curca and Saligao had seen in their cases, 

those living on the slope of the Ucassaim hill fear they would 

be badly affected. What has been most unfortunate is that the 

government authorities did not take lessons from the Curca 
and Saligao episodes, where people had revolted after the 
government and civic authorities did not pay attention to their 

justified objections: for example, water accumulated at the 
dumping site seeped in the wells and contaminated them; 
people had to live with the stench of the rotting garbage; and 

were faced with the threat of waterborne diseases.
 
No doubt, the Socorro panchayat needs a place to dump its 
garbage, and for this the Serula communidade has given it 
2500 square metres of land. At the joint meeting of the sarpanchas 

of both panchayats, the sarpanch of Socorro panchayat had come 

out with an offer to construct a compound wall surrounding the 

dumping site. But the point raised by the villagers of Ucassaim 

can also not be ignored. They are apprehensive of a situation 

that the Curca residents found themselves in repeating for them: 

in Curca, the wall of dumping site had caved in resulting in 

the overflow and seeping of water and rotten garbage into the village. 

Certainly no one can find fault with their plea.
 
The dumping problem in Ucassaim is a clear manifestation of the 

fact that the state government, the political executives and the 

civic authorities have failed to take lessons from what happened 

at Curca and other places. It would not be an exaggeration 
to say that they have virtually decided to abandon their responsibilities 

to find one or more suitable dumping sites for garbage. 
Why have the authorities so far not identified a suitable place for 

dumping the Socorro garbage?
 
The manner in which the government and the civic authorities 

have been handling the problem of dumping garbage across the 

state simply strengthens the view that they are insensitive to the 

basic civic amenities for the people of the state. One wonders 

how the authorities, who had promised the villagers of Curca 

not to allow dumping of garbage in the vicinity of the village, 

should have agreed to the proposal of the Socorro panchayat.
 
The problem of garbage disposal is integral to urbanisation. 

And the problem of garbage disposal is becoming more acute 
at a time when the political executives are contemplating to go 

for faster urbanisation of the state. 
 
It is really shocking to note that notwithstanding the passing 

of an ambitious garbage control law in 1996, Goa and its 
government are still unable to cope with the waste. The state 

government at the directive of the High Court had also set up 

a committee on January 7, 2000. But it appears in want of 
political will, the state government and the civic authorities are 

finding it difficult to find a sustainable solution to the 
problem.

Editorial 
in The Navhind Times 8/05/06 page 10
--
--- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
--- 
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[Goanet] A parents protest results in Govt. action at swimming pool

[Goacan]

* 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.
---


-Do 
GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to yourfamily members, relatives, 
neighbours and friends.Help others be BETTER INFORMED,The time is come 
for the people of Goato ORGANISE not AGONISE 
!!-

---Documented 
by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC)Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings 
on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/--- 

SAG orders replacement of broken tiles 
at Fatorda swimming pool 

The Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) has 
ordered the immediate replacement 
of broken tiles in its swimming pool at 
Fatorda after sharp edges of these 
tiles reportedly injured five minors, 
the latest one being a 16-year-old 
Loretto D’Costa who had to put three 
stitches for the same.The incident 
assumed significance after the mother 
of the injured boy, Ms Umbelina D’Costa 
addressed a hurriedly-convened press 
conference and accused the assistant 
swimming pool manager of being 
indifferent towards her injured son despite 
his foot profusely 
bleeding.
 
“He just did not help and the boy had to be moved to the hospital 
by other 
fellow swimmers instead,” she stated. Ms D’ Costa informed that the 

incident occurred at around 9 a.m. on May 10 and that later when she 
tried 
to meet the assistant manager, he was reportedly found to be 
missing.
The parent revealed that during her visit to the swimming pool to demand 

an explanation from the assistant manager, Mr Nitin Gaonkar she met 

the manager, Mr Gilsen Baptista who was apparently on leave and could 

offer her no help.
 
“I will take up the matter with the authorities,” she announced. The 
swimming 
pool which also allows diving in the 
17-ft end of the swimming pool caters 
to children of all ages who are trained in batches both during the 
mornings 
and afternoons. There are 28 personnel working at the Fatorda 
pool.
 
When contacted the SAG executive director, Mr V M Prabhudessai away in 

Pune revealed that he would immediately instruct the stadium manager to 

have the broken tiles replaced at the earliest. “As per Ms D’Costa’s complaint 
against the assistant manager, the SAG will verify the facts and punish 
him, 
if found necessary,” Mr Prabhudessai remarked.
 
The SAG executive director further revealed that all SAG swimming pools 
faced 
complaints from parents. “This is not 
just about broken tiles (the Fatorda 
incidence is the first instance) but also about swimming classes. Their 
interference 
is sometimes a nuisance,” he observed.It is learnt that some chemicals were 
procured for the tile repair work. The pool would also have to be emptied 
for the 
same, it is learnt.
 
The stadium manager, Mr Gurudas Vernekar has stated that the damaged 
tiles 
would be repaired shortly and the SAG will bear the medical expenses of 

Mr D’Costa. “The repairs could not be 
undertaken earlier due to two reasons 
— non-availability of the required 
chemical and secondly due to ongoing 
swimming classes.”

The Navhind 
Times 12/05/06 page  2

--- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
--- 
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78   Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]---
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[Goanet] Consumers of Davorlim in South Goa get organised to tackle issues

[Goacan]

* 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.
---


-Do 
GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to yourfamily members, relatives, 
neighbours and friends.Help others be BETTER INFORMED,The time is come 
for the people of Goato ORGANISE not AGONISE 
!!-
--
Consumers of Davorlim get organised to 
tackle issues
--

The LPG Consumers of Davorlim serviced by Bharat Petroleum 
and Hindustan Petroleum will now benefit from assured Home Delivery, 

Computerised Billing, Mechanical Checks and Safety Camps as per 

the assurance given by the Company Officials to the Davorlim Civic 

and Consumer Forum at a meeting chaired by the Director of Civil 

Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Mr. Ashok N.P. Dessai.
 
The Davorlim Consumer Forum had in a memo highlighted that many 

of the consumers collect their 
cylinders through “Cash N Carry” by 
waiting with empty cylinders by the road side or outside their house to 

get a LPG refill from the tempo vehicle when it passes through the 
village 
and if each Petroleum Company is represented by a single agent in the 

village, provision of proper services can be ensured.
 
The DCCF memo also pointed out that since bills were not provided to 

all consumers the extra charges being taken could not be curbed, while 

the safety of the consumer when using LPG cylinders could not be 

ensured if regular safety checks of the tube, regulator and stove were 

not undertaken by a qualified mechanic of the Company at the residence 

of the consumer. 
 
The memo further pointed out that there were many cases wherein domestic 

LPG cylinders are diverted and supplied for commercial purposes such 
as
in restaurants & welding workshops and even in vehicles as a fuel due 
to 
which there is a short supply for the genuine domestic 
consumers.
 
Mr. Sanjay Karve Executive Sales Officer LPG of HP Gas and Mr. M. 

VishnuRaj Assistant Manager (Sales) Bharat Gas who were present briefed 

the meeting of the steps undertaken by the Petroleum Companies to stop 

the menace of misuse of domestic LPG cylinders.
 
The DCCF delegation consisted of Mrs. Flossy Coutinho, Mr. Conrad 

D’Souza, Mrs. Melinda Powell and Mr. Roland Martins member Goa 

State Consumer Protection Council.
 
The LPG dealers were represented by Mr. Derek Rocha M/s Goa Gas Service, 

Margao, Mr. Umesh R. Naik M/s Aurora Electric Co. Mr. Ajeet Majitha 

M/s Damodar Gas Service, Mr. Blasco Pereira M/s Margao Gas Service 

and Mr. Santosh U. Vagurmalla M/s Gomantak Trading Co.
-- 
Press Release from Davorlim Civic and 
Consumer Forum 
--
--- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
--- 
GOACAN Post Box  187 Margao,  Goa 403 601GOACAN Post Box  
78   Mapusa, Goa 403 507 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]-
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[Goanet] ALERT- Panaji: ill prepared for the monsoon

[Goacan]

* 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.
---


---Documented 
by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC)Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings 
on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/--- 



Panaji: ill prepared for the monsoon 


 
by Nandkumar Kamat 
 
The south-west monsoon would be over Goa within the next 
three weeks. Global weather forecasts have become very chaotic 

due to the climate change. The example of the record 950 mm rainfall 

in Mumbai and the deluge, which followed last year, has taught the 

Indians a fitting lesson about the consequences of mismanaging the 

drainage systems.
 
There is however no comparison of Mumbai’s Mithi river with Panaji’s 
Mandovi. Panaji exists and survives solely because of the priceless 

ecosystem services rendered by the Mandovi estuary. All the land at the 

foot of Altinho belongs to the original flood plain of Mandovi estuary. 

Therefore, when it receives heavy discharges it tries to recapture its 

original flood plain. Combined with the high incoming tides, such a 

situation leads to flooding.
 
There are engineers who dream of taming the Mandovi estuary. 

Let them first prove that they would be able to keep the Kadamba 

bus terminus and the areas around it dry this year. The normal drainage 

of this area has been destroyed. The concrete drains have become silted 

with no clear outlets to the estuary. A few unseasonal showers in March 

provided a curtain raiser for the woes, which may be in store for the 

citizens of Panaji during the coming rainy season.
 
They should promptly gear themselves for periods of unprecedented 

flooding in the areas close to the Mandovi waterfront and in 
Mala-
Fontainhas. The 
work to lay the underground power and the optical 
fibre cables has interfered with the drainage system. Everywhere in the 

city, one can 
see the impact of this excavation. So far, there are no attempts 
to repair and restore the drainage works affected by these trenching 

operations.
 
If the major drains near the Mandovi waterfront are not repaired within 

the next three weeks then it would prove to be a memorable monsoon. 

Every monsoon pours about two to eight million cubic metres of rainwater 

over the city area. On a day of heavy rainfall the quantity could exceed 

half a million cubic metres. A shower of just one centimetre intensity 
per 
hour drops about twenty thousand cubic metres of rainwater. But the 

drainage planners of the city have forgotten the meteorological equations 

and basics of fluid mechanics and hydrodynamics.
 
The storm water drainage system of the city is grossly inadequate to 
deal 
with showers of high intensity. This can be seen on the D B Bandodkar 

Road, between the Campal Childrens’ Park and Bal Bhavan there are 

very few cross drains below the road with extended discharge points 

on the beach. The cross drains below the new seashore road from Miramar 

circle to NIO circle have not been maintained.
 
It was a wrong idea of the previous government to dump the mud excavated 

from the incomplete Mala lake project at the Campal parade grounds. The 

parade ground as it existed below the road level acted as a buffer during 

the rains. After bringing the level of the parade ground to match the 

D B Bandodkar Road, adequate drainage was not provided. The displacement 

of water from the parade ground now causes the flooding of the D B 
Bandodkar 
road. The natural open drain near the indoor stadium has been neglected 
in 
planning the drainage of the Campal-Miramar area. This drain is actually 

an arm of the Santa Inez nullah. But the illegal encroachments have truncated 
its old course and now it has been reduced to an ill-maintained drain. If 
all 
the drainage outlets from Miramar, La Campal Colony, Bal Bhavan and 
Parade 
Ground are connected to this creek then there would not be any stagnation 

of water. This year the newly developed areas between Tonca and 
Caranzalem 
would witness flooding.
 
Old creeks and drainage channels which had been existing in this area, 

as could be verified from the old maps of the Portuguese period, have 
been 
destroyed. A few which have escaped destruction have been truncated 

and reclaimed. Thi

[Goanet] With 31 Chairpersons Goa office of profit Ordinance is an afterthought

[Goacan]

---Documented 
by Goa Desc Resource Centre (GDRC)Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]--
---
Goa office of profit Ordinance, an afterthought 
---
Though chairpersons of 28 state-owned corporations were exempted 
from the definition of the office of profit by enacting a legislation last 
year, 
the latest ordinance on adding four more posts in semi-government 
institutions 
is believed in the political circles to be an afterthought.
 
There is a feeling in the 
political circles that the latest exemptions were 
made to avoid embarrassment 
to some of the prominent figures including 
Mr Jeetendra Deshprabhu and 
the Urban Development Minister, 
Mr Joaquim Alemao. 
Mr Deshprabhu is the vice-chairman of Kala Academy, 

while Mr Alemao is chairman 
of State Urban Development Authority (SUDA).
 
Goa was perhaps the only 
state which had passed the Goa Members of 
Legislative Assembly 
(Removal of Disqualification) Act, 2005, defining 
the offices of profit and 
therefore there was no much of hue cry, when the 
office of profit 
controversy rocked the country.
 
The Ordinance, which will 
be incorporated in the Act through an amendment 
in the budget session has 
made a safe road for the government to appoint more 
MLAs and ministers to 
various positions.
 
The Ordinance listed the 
office of vice-chairman of Kala Academy, the office 
of chairman, vice-chairman 
and members of the Entertainment Society of Goa 
(ESG), and the office of 
chairman of Goa Tillari Irrigation Development Corporation.
With the addition of four 
more positions the total number of the offices exempted 
from the definition of 
office of profit have gone up to 31.
 
The government realised 
that these offices were not exempted from the definition 
of office of profit and 
hence issued an Ordinance, which has been notified 
in extraordinary gazette 
yesterday. Secretariat sources said that there was a 
demand to issue Ordinance 
specifying the offices of the vice-chairman of 
Kala Academy and chairman 
of SUDA, but it was delayed for two months.
 
The government had 
appointed non-political personalities as the vice-chairman 
of Kala Academy and this 
was the tradition. Mr Deshprabhu is the first MLA 
to occupy the office of the 
vice-chairman of Kala Academy.
 
While SUDA, which is 
registered under the Registration of Society’s Act has 
always been headed by a 
minister or a MLA. The Urban Development Minister, 
Mr Joaquim Alemao is its 
chairman.
 
Barring these two offices, 
the other offices are occupied by IAS officers. 
The Chief Minister, Mr 
Pratapsingh Rane, who was the chairman of the ESG 
had resigned and the 
government had issued an order appointing the 
Chief Secretary, Mr J P 
Singh as its chairman. Besides few MLAs who were 
appointed to the ESG have 
also tendered their resignations.
 
In recent past, no elected 
representative was appointed as the chairman of the 
Tillari Irrigation 
Development Corporation and this office was occupied in 
recent years by the IAS 
officers. The former chief secretary, Ms Kiran Dhingra 
was the chairperson of this 
corporation and after her exit, the development 
commissioner, Mr J K Dadoo 
is the chairman. With the exemption of the 

post of chief of Tillari 
Irrigation Development Corporation from office of 
profit definition, the 
government can now appoint either a MLA or a minister 
to this 
position.

The Navhind Times 21/05/06 page 1

===GOA 
DESC RESOURCE CENTREDocumentation + Education + Solidarity11 Liberty 
Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]--Working 
On Issues Of Development & 
Democracy===
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[Goanet] 19th Dec Consumer Rights Awareness Campaign

[goacan]

--
Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
-- 
--
Consumer Rights Awareness Campaign at Navelim
--
The Consumer Rights Awareness Campaign was launched 
at the stall of the Department of Civil Supplies
and Consumer Affairs at the Aparant Maand 2005
being held at the Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes Mantap
at Navelim in South Goa.

The campaign is being conducted in collaboration
with the Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network 
(GOACAN)and has got tremendous response on the 
first & second day of the Handicraft, Art 
& Cultural Expo.

GOACAN volunteers from Consumer Forums of Navelim, 
Assolna,Velim, and Cuncolim have been interacting 
with the visitors to the stall by explaining to them 
the salient features of the Consumer Protection Act 1986 
as well as the Grievance Redressal options available 
at the District, State and National level.

Consumers from various villages of Salcete Taluka 
visited the stall and were guided on various problems 
related to BSNL telephones,PWD Water Supply, 
LPG cylinder home delivery, bus transport,
packaged commodities, weights & measures, 
adulterated petrol & diesel, Electronic energy meters 
& postal services.

The volunteers also talked to teachers from high schools 
and lecturers from Higher Secondary Schools of the 
importance of consumer education to students and 
necessary guidance that they can provide in relation 
to the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act.

GOACAN volunteers will continue the Consumer Rights Awareness 
interaction at the stall on the last day of the Handicraft, Art 
& Cultural Expo at Navelim on Monday 19th December 
from 10am to 10pm.
--
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
--
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
------
GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website:www.goacan.org
--
--
|Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
||
|  Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages   |
|  Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls  |
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[Goanet] Road Safety Week - Calangute Program on 6th January

[goacan]

--
| Wishing all Goanetters |
| a Prosperous   |
|  and   |
| Happy New Year - 2006  |
|Goanet - http://www.goanet.org  |
---
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-
-
Road Safety Week - Calangute Program on 6th January
--
CONSUMER INTERACTION MEETING
on issues of ROAD SAFETY and TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
on 6th January (Friday) at 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm
at Little Flower High School Hall, Calangute

DID YOU KNOW IN 2004 THERE WERE
3,525 accidents in Goa.
306 people were killed.
89 of those killed were pedestrians.
2,564 people were injured.

Over the years the number of accidents reported in Goa
has been increasing. Besides death, a  large number of
these accident victims suffer serious injuries
and permanent disabilities. Untold suffering is caused
not just to the people involved in accidents but to their
families as well.

What is the role of the Consumer as a stakeholder in this
scenario wherein transportation and commuting on a daily
basis needs to be comfortable,  affordable and safe as a
driver, a passenger or as a pedestrian ? What is our view
on Road Safety and Traffic management in a tourist destination
like Calangute ?

In this connection, a consumer interaction meeting to focus on
the vital issues of Road Safety and Traffic Management is being
organized in Calangute.

Officials from the Directorate of Transport, Traffic Police, PWD,
Kadamba Transport Corporation, Department of Tourism,
Directorate of Consumer Affairs and Directorate of Panchayats
will be present for the meeting.

Consumers representing Senior Citizens, School Children, Parents,
Women and the Disabled will share their grievances and suggestions
followed by a response from the officials and a Question & Answer
session for the audience.

Do attend the meeting and share your grievances and suggestions
--
This program is being organized in collaboration with
the Directorate of Transport by
Calangute Residents and Consumer Forum
in co-ordination with
Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network (GOACAN)
Post Box 78, Mapusa 403 507
Email:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Website: www.goacan.org
--

--
|Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
||
|  Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages   |
|  Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls  |
--

[Goanet] No serious efforts made to rectify accident zones in Goa

[goacan]

--
| Wishing all Goanetters |
| a Prosperous   |
|  and   |
| Happy New Year - 2006  |
|Goanet - http://www.goanet.org  |

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
--
--
No serious efforts made to rectify accident zones
--
Every year, Road Safety Week harps on road engineering 
as an important aspect for reducing fatalities on Goan roads. 
However road engineering in the state is being given little or 
no attention and black spots marked for urgent improvements 
seems to be getting redder with increasing accidents, major 
and minor, every year.

The Traffic Division of the Goa Police prepared a report a year 
ago listing 70 spots all over Goa requiring immediate attention 
for improvements in road engineering. A year later only partial 
improvements have been undertaken at 41 spots and 29 
extremely crucial spots remain unattended to.

While many of the recommendations include road  widening, 
re-alignment of junctions,traffic islands, sub-ways etc,even 
simple recommendations of pedestrian crossings, road signages, 
bus bays, road medians, speed breakers, road widening have 
been shelved.

In Porvorim alone, there are about three to four extremely 
dangerous spots near Ashwin garage, Teen Building,  
Teachers’ Training College-Goa Board junction and Porvorim 
Petrol Pump. Nearly 150 accidents and fatal accidents have 
taken place at the said four sites during the  last five years. 
But recommendations for various improvements have fallen 
on deaf ears. 

The Panjim-Margao route also has a couple of black spots  
at Agassaim bazaar,Rumder at Nuvem,Ambaji junction,  
Bambolim Cross and Nuvem junction. These spots have  
witnessed nearly 175 accidents and fatal accidents in the  
last five years.

In North Goa, spots like the Bastora junction, Gandhi Chowk 
in Mapusa and in South Goa Periudok in Curchorem, Gullem 
in Canacona near Bhumipurush temple  and Upper Bazaar 
in Ponda have been marked for urgent improvements in road 
engineering. These spots have  recorded over 80 accidents.
These are only few of the many spots suggested for improvements 
and are yet to see the light of day.

“We submitted a report last year and we are not at all satisfied 
as no improvements have been carried out by the PWD,” says 
Atmaram Deshpande, Superintendent of Police (Traffic). 
 
Deshpande also said that the spots which have been partially 
improved are not achieving the objectives of  reducing road 
accidents as they require improvements in toto.
-
HERALD 05/01/06 page 3
-
--
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
--
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
--
GOACAN Post Box  187 Margao,  Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box  78   Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 9822180182 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.goacan.org
--
--
|Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
||
|  Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages   |
|  Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls  |
--

[Goanet] FRIDAY BALCAO:Experiences in Organic Farming and its future in Goa.

[goacan]

--
| Wishing all Goanetters |
| a Prosperous   |
|  and   |
| Happy New Year - 2006  |
|Goanet - http://www.goanet.org  |

Welcome to the FRIDAY BALCAO
Read the Balcao Synopsis on the website
http://www.goadesc.org/balcao/
--

Dear Cybergaonkars on GoaNet,

Greetings for the New Year 2006,

We continue with FRIDAY BALCAO
on 13th January from 4pm. to 6pm.
at Goa Desc Resource Centre
No. 11, Liberty Apartments,
Feira Alta, Mapusa Goa.

TOPIC: Experiences in Organic Farming and its future in Goa.
SPEAKER: Fr. Inacio Almeida, Pilar Nature Farm
 
We invite you to attend the Friday Balcao event
but if you cannot attend, then please send your
views and action plan suggestions by post to
FRIDAY BALCAO Post Box 78, Mapusa 403 507
or by email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]

best wishes,

Roland Martins
===
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
Documentation + Education + Solidarity
11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
   website: www.goadesc.org
--
Working On Issues Of Development & Democracy
===

--
|Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
||
|  Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages   |
|  Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls  |
--

[Goanet] Goa Dairy to face consumer action on milk price hike

[goacan]

--
| Wishing all Goanetters |
| a Prosperous   |
|  and   |
| Happy New Year - 2006  |
|Goanet - http://www.goanet.org  |

Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
--
--
Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
- 

Chuck out packets with old MRP

Even as Goa Dairy braced up to charge one rupee more 
on milk from Thursday without effecting changes in the 
rates on the milk packets, consumers expressed their 
disdain over the move, saying it will only end up in 
confusion and fights with the retailers.

GOACAN Convener Roland Martins wondered how Goa Dairy 
can effect the price hike when the old milk packets will carry 
the old Maximum Retail Price. “There is no stopping Goa Dairy 
from effecting the rates, but they should do it by first disposing 
off the packets with old rates and then increase the price”, 
he demanded.

Martins and a host of consumer activists tried to contact 
officials of Goa Dairy on Wednesday, but in vain. However, 
the consumers were surprised to find one official justifying 
the decision to sell milk on old MRP packets, on the plea 
that such things are common in neighbouring Belgaum.

“Just because Belgaum dairies are doing it, Goa Dairy 
should not follow suit. Goa Dairy officials ought to remember 
that people in the State are patronising their milk. This 
attitude will not be accepted by Goans”, Martins added.

Martins recalled that a similar move followed by Goa Dairy 
in the past had attracted strong action from the Legal 
Metrology officials in the form of confiscation of milk packets
.
Meanwhile, all eyes are focused on the Legal Metrology 
officials on the action they are contemplating against 
Goa Diary for its decision to supply milk in packets 
containing old MRP rates from Thursday.

HERALD 12/01/06 page 3

--
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
--
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
--
GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website:www.goacan.org

|Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions |
||
|  Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages   |
|  Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls  |
--

[Goanet] O Negative Blood donor required in South Goa

[goacan]

O Negative Blood donor required in South Goa


O Negative Blood donor required for 6 bottles of blood
as patient - Mr. Agenelo Fernandes has to undergo
major operation at Dr. J V. D'Costa's Hospital, Fatorda.

Donors may contact 
Dr. Sujay Das - Mobile 9326100484
Clara Fernandes - Mobile 9850458125
or Sr. Fatima Fernandes at 
Maria Bambina Convent, Cuncolim on Ph: 2763272 

---
message from Cuncolim Civic & Consumer Forum
---
--
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
--
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa 
------
GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 9822180182 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.goacan.org 
--

[Goanet] PWD WATER WOES:Bogmalo residents protest against irregular water supply

[Goacan]

--Documented 
by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings 
on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/--
-
Bogmalo residents protest against irregular water 
supply
--
Agitated over irregular water supply since last one week, around 250
residents of Bogmalo area today blocked the road leading to Bogmalo 
beach causing obstruction to traffic.The villagers 
revealed that they had 
earlier requested the Minister for PWD besides the 
assistant engineer, 
PWD, Vasco, to redress their grievances.The Sancoale zilla panchayat 
member, Mr Vasant Naik and Chicolna-Bogmalo panchayat 
sarpanch, 
Mr Gabriel D’Cruz were among the 
agitators.
 
Speaking to The Navhind 
Times, Mr Naik stated the government have not 
done anything to provide 
regular supply of water.The executive magistrate, 

Mormugao, Ms Sheru 
Shirodkar intervened in the matter and requested 
agitators to solve the 
issue amicably. She called the assistant engineer, 
PWD, Mr Uday Kumar and had 
talks with him. She also asked the 
assistant engineer to 
provide water at least for 2 hours a day.
 
Mr Uday Kumar said the 
problem is due to low supply of water from 
Selaulim. The Vasco needs 
about 65 MLD of water, however, it gets 
only 51 to 52 MLD water per 
day, which is not sufficient to cope up 
with the need of entire 
Vasco city.
 
The Chicolna-Bogmalo 
village panchayat gets water pumped from the 
master-balancing reservoir, 
Verna. It requires regular pumping with 
high pressure of water 
provided from the Selaulim. The problem of the 
Chicolna- Bogmalo panchayat 
villagers can be solved if the 200 mm 
branch pipeline is replaced 
by large pipeline connected to the 900 mm 
pipeline of 
Selaulim.
 
With the assurance of 
providing water minimum for 2 hours a day from 
the assistant engineer, 
PWD, Mr Kumar, the villagers cleared the road 
at around 4.15 p.m. The 
villagers have also threatened to resort to 
rasta roko, if the problem 
persists.

The Navhind Times 3/02/06 page 2


---GOA 
CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK 
---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in 
Goa---GOACAN 
Post Box  187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box  
78   Mapusa, Goa 403 507mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]website: www.goacan.org--- 

[Goanet] Now PWD Water Power:Two water pipelines burst in Mormugao

[Goacan]

--Documented 
by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings 
on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/--
-
Two water pipelines burst in Mormugao
--
 
Two pipelines, supplying water to Vasco town and surrounding areas, 
and Chicolna-Bogmalo in Mormugao taluka, burst today causing hardship 

to people.
 
The 500-mm pipeline, which 
is connected to Opa water facility and supplies 

water to Vasco town and 
surrounding areas, burst at Chicalim at around 
1.30 p.m. While the second 
burst of a sub-pipeline connected to Selaulim 
water facility took place 
at Gallin-Bogmalo at around 6 p.m.
 
The Chicalim pipeline 
started leaking and eventually burst, the assistant 
engineer, public works 
department (water), Mr Uday Kumar told The 
Navhind Times. Mr Kumar informed that the PWD had taken repair works 

of the pipeline on war 
footing, which is expected to be completed by Friday 
evening.
 
Mr Kumar attributed the 
Chicalim pipeline burst to sudden heavy pressure 
which was witnessed when 
the water from the Verna pumping station was released.
The Bogmalo pipeline also 
burst due to heavy pressure of water.Mr Kumar 

further said the PWD would 
replace about six-metre-long pipeline. The Opa 

pipeline burst affected 
residents of the area and vehicular traffic as water 
spouted out.

The Navhind Times  3/02/06 page 1
---

---GOA 
CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK 
---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in 
Goa---GOACAN 
Post Box  187 Margao, Goa 403 601 GOACAN Post Box  
78   Mapusa, Goa 403 507mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]website: www.goacan.org---  

[Goanet] Consumer Forum demands safety measures at Govt. construction site

[Goacan]

--Documented 
by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660Website: www.goadesc.org Email: 
[EMAIL PROTECTED]Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/-
---
Consumer Forum 
demands safety measures at Govt. construction site

---
The Cuncolim Civic and 
Consumer Forum in a representation to 
the Police Inspector Mr. 
Siddhant Shirodkar Cuncolim Police 
Station has requested 
police intervention to enforce all mandatory 
safety procedures at the 
project site of the Water Resources 
Department at Sanvorcotto, 
Cuncolim so as avoid any mishap 
till senior officers of the 
concerned Departments take necessary 
action.
 
On Thursday 2nd February 
Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum 
(CCCF) volunteers were 
alerted about a mechanized digger 
stripping 
the 
foliage, mud and laterite stones along the river front. 
Despite 
being the Cuncolim Feast day CCCF volunteers rushed to 

the spot and found 
it was 
a project of the Water Resources 
Department. They also found 
the 
personnel of the contractor and 
the WRD Junior Engineer 
A.V. 
Prabhu were on the site.
 
What shocked the CCCF 
volunteers was that despite it being a 
Government project the 
mandatory procedures such as safety 
barricades 
along 
the work site, cautionary boards, information boards 
with details 
of 
Department undertaking the project, contractor’s 
details with 
emergency nos. besides commencement & completion 

of work details 
were 
not in place. More so no information board of 
the authorisation to 
the 
project by the Cuncolim Municipal Council 
was in place even 
though 
it is in their jurisdiction.
 
On receiving intimation 
from the Forum, PSI Kavlekar visited the 
project site and after 
verifying the facts requested the Junior Engineer 
Prabhu and the Contractor's 
personnel to stop the work, proceed to 
the police station, give an 
undertaking that all the necessary safety 
procedures will be adhered 
to and only then the project work be 
resumed.
 
The CCCF is demanding that 
the four sides of the river front be 
barricaded with cautionary 
sign boards and night lamps on display 
as local residents 
visit the river and sit along the banks for various 
purposes.  CCCF is 
concerned that children due to curiosity tend to 
visit a project site when 
heavy earth moving machinery is in use and 
could be victims to a 
mishap.
 
It may be recalled 
that the Consumer Forum is already pursuing a 
case of criminal negligence 
case No. 48/04 of Cuncolim Police 
Station against a PWD 
Contractor and officials involved at the 
MPLAD project further ahead 
in the same river wherein a 4 year 
old girl Miss Venisha 
Fernandes, primary school student of Maria 
Bambina School lost her life on April 13th 2004 due to drowning in 
the project site pit which 
was not barricaded and no authorized 
boards were in 
place.
 
Copies of the 
representation to the Cuncolim Police Inspector 
have been sent to the Mr. 
Joaquim Alemao Hon. Minister for 
Urban Development, Mr. 
Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Hon. Minister 
for Water 
Resources., Mr. J.P.Singh Chief Secretary, 

D.A.Hawaldar, Director, 
Directorate of Municipal Administration, 

Chief Engineer, Water 
Resource Dept., South Goa District Collector, 

Dy.SP Mr. Tony M. Fernandes 
SDPO, Margao and Mr. Filonio Vaz, 
Chairperson, Cuncolim 
Municipal Council among others.   

 
CCCF has in the 
representation also stated that day and night 
monitoring will be 
undertaken at this project site by the Forum 
volunteers to see that all 
safety procedures are strictly adhered 
to and will report 
violations and discrepancies which amount to 
criminal negligence that 
may be noted at the project site. 
 
Press Release from the 
Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

 --GOA 
CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK--promoting 
civic and consumer rights in 
Goa------GOACAN 
Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 
507Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]website:www.goacan.org-
 

[Goanet] 10th Feb FRIDAY BALCAO Looking at the other Goa:experiences of a Photo journalist

[Goacan]

--Welcome to the 
FRIDAY BALCAORead the Balcao Synopsis on the websitehttp://www.goadesc.org/balcao/--Dear 
Cybergaokars on GoaNet,
We continue 
with FRIDAY BALCAOon 10th February from 4pm. to 6pm.at Goa Desc 
Resource CentreNo. 11, Liberty Apartments,Feira Alta, Mapusa 
Goa.TOPIC: Looking at the other Goa: experiences of a photo 
journalist
SPEAKERS: 
Gasper D'souza, Calangute
We invite 
you to express your viewpointby attending the Friday Balcao eventbut if 
you cannot attend, then please send yourviews and action plan suggestions by 
post toFRIDAY BALCAO Post Box 78, Mapusa 403 507or by email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]best wishes,Roland 
MartinsDon't 
miss out on the discussion. Information is power,Share it equitably. Lets 
make things happen in Goa 
!!===GOA 
DESC RESOURCE CENTREDocumentation + Education + Solidarity11 Liberty 
Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]website: www.goadesc.org--Working 
On Issues Of Development & 
Democracy=== 

[Goanet] Visit the GOACAN Waste Management Campaign stall in Panjim

[Goacan]

-Do 
GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to yourfamily members, relatives, 
neighbours and friends.Help others be BETTER INFORMED,The time is come 
for the people of Goato ORGANISE not AGONISE 
!!-
---
GOACAN Waste Management Campaign stall in 
Panjim
---
The GOACAN Waste Management Campaign stall has 
been
receiving a steady stream of visitors during the 
first 2 days of
the CCP exhibition at the Panjim Municipal 
Garden.
 
Highlighting the role of Consumer Power in waste 
management
the GOACAN posters focus on the need to 
link environmental protection
and sustainable consumption to the citizens 
involvement in the 
campaign.
 
Posters on medical waste, how to deal with mercury spills at 
home,
low cost methods like Reduce, Reuse and 
Recycle,
Segregation At Source, how to set up waste 
management 
committees in 
village Panchayats and Municipal Councils
are on display.
 
You can make a difference by visiting the GOACAN 
stall and taking
information back home. Don't miss out, the 
exhibition is on for 2 more days
Saturday & Sunday 11 & 12 February - 10am 
to 10pm 
 
I can, You can, We all can 
with GOACAN
-GOA 
CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK--promoting 
civic and consumer rights in 
Goa------GOACAN 
Post Box  187 Margao, Goa 403 601GOACAN Post Box  78   
Mapusa, Goa 403 507mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]website: 
www.goacan.org--

[Goanet] Velim Consumer Forum launches Road Safety program

[GOACAN]

-
Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
--- 


-
Velim Consumer Forum launches Road safety program
-
The Velim Civic and Consumer Forum launched the second
phase of its community based program on Road Safety and
Traffic Management by introducing special "Complaint Books"
on Public Transport for students and teachers in the educational
institutions of Velim. The complaint books were released by
Gurunath Kelekar, Convenor of Movement for the Amity towards
Roads in Goa (MARG) on the occasion of the Road Safety and
Traffic Management Awareness Program held in the Velim
Village Panchayat Hall.

It may be recalled that a year ago a fatal accident by a speeding
bus killed two innocent pedestrians and injured 22 passengers
and a year later another speeding bus rammed into a compound
wall just near the Velim Market Square.

In her welcome address, Ms. Ramona Almeida, the Convenor
of Velim Civic and Consumer Forum reminded the audience of
how the two bus accidents in the village have pulled the villagers
from the comforts of their homes and brought them out on the
streets.

She called upon teachers, students, youth and citizens at large
to take up Road Safety and Traffic Management with a sense
of personal involvement which would bring about a meaningful
new beginning to this movement. She urged the people in the
village not to travel "ticketless", as commuters in a bus are
entitled to tickets by law and this will ensure the consumers
right to comfortable, affordable and safe public transport.

Roland Martins, Co-ordinator of Goa Civic and Consumer
Action Network (GOACAN) spoke on the Sub-Committee
meetings of the South Goa District Consumer Protection
Council wherein Consumer Forums are able to interact with
the Traffic Police and Directorate of Transport to discuss
and understand the workings & shortcomings of the system
and to plan for involvement of citizens in Road Safety & Traffic
Management.

Keeping the community based approach in mind he emphasized
that Consumer Forums will focus on Road Safety and Traffic
Management with involvement of the educational Institutions
and the PTAs to set up the Road Safety Patrol (RSP),
to ensure Traffic Management Plans are drawn up for most
villages covering location of bus stops, zebra crossings,
bus bays, rumbler strips and proper signage.

He also highlighted the need for awareness on the transportation
of hazardous substances on the State and National Highways
and the safety protocol for the same as well as the functioning
of GATES (Goa Accident Trauma Emergency Services), the
trauma unit at GMC (Goa Medical College) and the facilities
available in the 100 odd ambulances in Goa.

Chief Guest of the program Gurunath Kelekar, Convenor (MARG)
in his address reminded the people that on the sad day 20th August
2004, 2 pedestrians lost their lives in Velim whilst 27 years ago
on the same day in1978, 2 prominent Goan freedom fighters
Evagrio George and Mark Fernandes also lost their lives as
pedestrians near the Tourist Hostel in Panjim.

He appreciated the efforts of the Consumer Forum in not letting
the accident be a forgotten issue and continuing the awareness
program around it. He cautioned the audience that after the
freedom struggle Goans have become just voters and not gone
beyond the next step to become conscious citizens.

Mr. Gurudas Zuwarkar, former Dy SP-Traffic enigmatically stated
that the departments of Transport and Traffic Police have to
enforce the law if Goa has to put an end to its roads becoming
"deaths traps". He also stated that Road Safety and Traffic
Management can be best achieved by officials collaborating
with the concerned effected citizens in the various villages. He
expressed concern about the easy availability of driving licences
particularly to the youth and suggested that measures be taken to
dissuade parents from allowing minors to drive. He emphasized
that drivers of all types of vehicles should not exceed the speed
limit of 60kms/h and to keep to the left of the road as the right side
of the road belongs to the oncoming traffic.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Mr. Tony Fernandes speaking
on behalf of the Traffic Cell, South Goa said that the most common
cause of accidents on the highway at night were due to stray cattle
and impressed upon the gathering that the High Court ruling on
stray cattle was not being implemented by the Panchayats and
Municipalities due to lack of interest in public safety. He urged the
people to persuade the Panchayat members and Municipal
Councilors to act on the 

[Goanet] Cuncolim Municipal Election Candidates to speak at Public Meeting

[goacan]

--
|  Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE |
||
|  by visiting this link and following the instructions therein  |
||
|   http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html   |
--
---
Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
---
-
Cuncolim Municipal Election Candidates to speak at Public Meeting
 
The Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) in collaboration 

with Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) is 

organising a public meeting to introduce the Candidates who are 

contesting the Local Municipal Council Elections and provide 

them an opportunity to speak on a common platform.

 

The public meeting to be held on Tuesday, 18th October at 4pm 

at White Hall, Cuncolim will have the participation of candidates 

contesting from the 9 wards of the Cuncolim Municipal Council 

(CMC).

 

The candidates have been invited to speak on their proposed plans 

for their respective wards and Cuncolim at large as well as their 

proposed pro-active participation or intervention to shape policy/ 

legislation for the Municipal Council.

 

The candidates contesting in wards reserved for women have been 

invited to speak on their proposed plans for the women and 

children of their ward and Cuncolim at large.

 

The public meeting is organized as part of the on going voter 

awareness campaign on the Civic and Consumer issues by 

CCCF. 



Cuncolim Civic and Consumer Forum Press Release 

Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]



---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
---
GOACAN Post Box  187 Margao,  Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box  78   Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.goacan.org
---





 

 

 
--
|  1st Young Goans International Essay contest 2005  |
||
|   Theme: WHAT CAN I DO FOR GOA |
| More details at|
|  http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/034190.html|
--

[Goanet] GOACAN Workshop in North Goa on Waste Management

[goacan]

--
|  Add your name to the CLEAN GOA INITIATIVE |
||
|  by visiting this link and following the instructions therein  |
||
|   http://shire.symonds.net/pipermail/goanet/2005-October/033926.html   |
--
---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
Post Box 78 Mapusa 403 507 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
18/11/05

Dear friends,

The Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) is
organizing its second Workshop on Waste Management for
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Consumption.
The first workshop was held in Margao on 6th November
and had participation predominantly from South Goa.

The Workshop seeks to address the management of
Medical, Industrial, Maritime, Tourism, Toxic, Plastic &
Domestic Waste and various low cost solutions which
can be implemented at the Municipal Council and Village
Panchayat level.

The Workshop also seeks to identify suitable practical
strategies to be implemented at the grassroots level
involving the community, educational institutions on
the one hand and the Product Manufacturers,
Distributors, Retailers and Consumers on the other.

DATE: Sunday 27th November 2005
TIME: 9.30am to 5pm
VENUE: DASYA Conference Hall, Near Clergy Home
SBI Varsha Colony Road, Porvorim.

The Registration fee for the Workshop is Rs.75/- to
cover lunch, tea and photocopied materials.

We look forward to you actively participating in the
workshop. Kindly confirm your participation and
inform us of other public spirited citizens who would
be interested in attending the same.

For more information and registration call Lorna
on 9822180182 or email 


Thanking you and looking forward to an early response,

Best wishes,

Roland Martins
(Co-ordinator)
--
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
--
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
------
GOACAN Post Box 187 Margao, Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box 78 Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.goacan.org
--

[Goanet] Abbe de Faria - Father of Hypnotism

[Goacan]

* 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.
---


-Goa Heritage Protection 
Week30th May to 5th June 2006 
--
--Documented by Goa Desc 
Resource Centre (GDRC)Email: --
---
Abbe de Faria - Father of 
Hypnotism 

by Nandkumar Kamat 
 
Sometime during 16th century, the family of Antu Sinai of the scenic 

and historic village of Colvale converted to Christianity. They took the 

name of Faria. A grand house and a chapel existed at Colvale in the 

Faria’s ancestral property. With time, both crumbled to dust. In 1754 

Cajetan Vitorino de Faria, who had taken the vows of priesthood, 

after completing his theological education, left the religious duties, 

married Rosemary, daughter of a landlord in Candolim, and became 

their son-in law.
 
Strange twists and turns took place in the lives of Cajetan and Rosemary. 

They separated after the birth of Jose Custodio on May 30, 1756 just 

a year before the famous battle of Plassy, which gave the British East 

India Company hold over Bengal. At that time, Hyder Ali was gaining 

strength in South India. The Marathas were also in full command. Events 

were happening at lightening speed. Cajetan became a priest again. 

Rosemary became a nun and entered the convent of ‘Santa Monica’. 

Jose Custodio spent 15 years in Goa in the verdant surroundings of 

Colvale village. He never saw his mother again.
 
The father and son left for Portugal on the ship ‘Sao Jose’ on February 
22, 
1771 for Lisbon, 
Portugal, where they arrived on November 23. At that 
time, they would not know what history had reserved for them. For one 

they were destined never to see their motherland again. They had entered 

Europe via Lisbon during one of the most turbulent periods in 
international 
history - the period of the American war of independence and the epochal 

French revolution.
 
Father Faria received the support of the King of Portugal for the 
education 
of his son in Rome. Jose Custodio aimed to become a priest and completed 

his doctorate in theology and philosophy from the college’ Propaganda 
fide’ 
in 1780. The Europeans would know him as Abbe de Faria. He would 
be 
the first Goan to receive both bouquets and brickbats from the local 
press 
during his active and controversial life in France and even after his 
death.
 
His magnificent statue - a remarkable piece of sculpture from the master 

sculptor, Ramchandra Kamat stands on the pedestal near the old 
secretariat 
in Panaji. A small plaque commemorates his birthplace at Candolim. 
However, 
there are no special programmes to celebrate the 250th birth anniversary 
of 
this great son of Goa - Father Jose Custodio alias Abbe de Faria. The 
French 
novelist, Alexander der Duma immortalized him in his novel-‘The Count of 

Monte Cristo’ (1844). Those who have seen the film produced in 2002 

would remember the character of Padre Faria imprisoned in the castle of 

If with Edmond Dantes - the protagonist. Duma has given a different 

background of the imprisoned priest but there is no doubt in anyone’s 
mind 
that the character is based on Abbe de Faria.
 
Until 1792, Abbe de Faria had no introduction to hypnosis (from the Greek 

word Hypnos for sleep). However, when he became curious about the 
claims 
of ‘animal magnetism’ and Mesmer’s mesmerism, he devoted himself to its 

study. This interest continued and transformed his life. Ultimately, he 
was 
successful in rejecting Mesmer’s claims and provided a somewhat 
scientific 
and rational basis for hypnosis. His followers called his technique - 
`Fariaism’, 
but experts later renamed to ‘hypnotism’. Before his death under utterly 

impoverished circumstances in 1819, his first volume explaining the 
principles 
of hypnosis was in the press. To counter his critics he had planned four 
volumes, 
but he could complete only a single tome. The world took notice of this 
work 
but it was only in the 20th century that he was acknowledged as the 

‘father of hypnotism’.
 
Most of the books on his life and work are in French or Portuguese. 
Recently 
a book in English - `Jose Custodio de Faria: Hypnotist, Priest and 
Revolutionary’, 

by Dr Laurent Carrer – translator and practicing hypnotherapist has been 

published. 

[Goanet] Govt should keep control on Cable TV operators

[Goacan]

* 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.
---


-Do 
GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to yourfamily members, relatives, 
neighbours and friends.Help others be BETTER INFORMED,The time is come 
for the people of Goato ORGANISE not AGONISE 
!!-
--
Govt should keep control on Cable TV operators 
--
Cable TV has become a way of life in many Goan homes. However, 

today watching cable has become a costly affair. A reason why 
this 
could possibly have happened is because the cable operators 
function 
without government control.
 
A cable consumer 
from Betalbatim disclosed that initially he paid 
Rs 100 as monthly 
rent, besides paying the installation amount of 
Rs 500. 
“Now suddenly, the monthly rent has been raised to Rs 
280 
which is 
beyond the reach of a middle class family,” said Mr 
John D’Costa 
from Majorda and 
blamed the local cable operator for raising the 
monthly rent to such 
a high degree, adding that no compensation is 
being paid by the 
cable operator when channels are not being broadcast.
 
Another cable 
consumer from Nuvem disclosed that in his area, the 
monthly rent went on 
increasing from Rs 150 to Rs 200 and then to 
Rs 250. Now the 
montly rent has been raised to Rs 280 by the same 
cable operator, this 
gentleman from Nuvem added.
 
A resident from 
Benaulim however said that the cable operator 
from his area 
charges only Rs 150 and displays all the channels. 
“How come then the 
rates differ from one cable operator to another,’’ 
asked a lady from 
Gonsua coastal belt. Miss Mellita D’Sousa a 
BSc degree holder 
felt that the local member of Parliament (MP), 
Mr Churchill Alemao 
should intervene in the matter and raise 
the issue in the 
Parliament as the subject falls within his jurisdiction.
 
Another person from 
Utorda said that it is not only the duty of the 
MP but also of MLA’s 
to come to the rescue of the cable consumers 
by bringing the 
matter to the notice of the government.” They can also 
raise the subject in 
the Assembly when the session is on and then 
accordingly the 
government can take steps to check the activities of 
these 
cable operators”, he said.
 
According to 
somebody else, cable operators have taken their cables 
through private 
properties without taking the permission of the landlord 
and some have tied 
their cables to electricity and telephone poles.
 
Saying that the 
cable operators have been fleecing the public, a gentleman 
from Cansaulim said 
that it has come to his notice that some cable 
operators have cut 
connections for delayed payment. He added that this 
action of 
disconnecting cables is illegal and that the cable operator can be 
sued for the same in 
the court of law.
---
The Navhind Times 1/06/06 page 
2
---
--- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
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[Goanet] Stray dog bite sends lady into tizzy at GMC

[Goacan]

* G * O * A * N * E * T  C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S *

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 There is no better, value for money, guest house.
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GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to yourfamily members, relatives, 
neighbours and friends.Help others be BETTER INFORMED,The time is come 
for the people of Goato ORGANISE not AGONISE 
!!-
-
Stray dog bite sends lady into 
tizzy
-
Yet another case of a dog bite was 
reported in the state today. 
The victim of dog bite was a clerk of 
Goa Medical College who 
was going to the Goa Dental College 
hospital canteen to have her 
lunch.
 
According to sources in the GMC, the victim who was in an advanced 

stage of pregnancy was bitten by a stray dog sitting by the roadside 

near the dental college.
 
The terribly shocked lady, who was in the 36th week of pregnancy, 

was rushed to the casualty department of the GMC and the doctors 

decided to deliver the child she was carrying through Caesarean process 

so that the anti-rabies vaccines, which are injected in the stomach, 
could 
be administered to her.
 
The lady found herself alone in her hour of agony, as the incident 

happened in most unusual circumstances. 
The shocked family of the 
GMC staff member rushed to the hospital later in the day.
 
The Caesarean process on the lady clerk of GMC was performed 

by Dr Anjali Kamat, the head of department of gynaecology, later in the 

evening and a baby boy was delivered, bringing some joy to otherwise 

saddened lady and her family.
 
The nearly tragic incident has shattered the GMC staff, who have been 

facing nuisance from stray dogs for a long time. They have already 

complained to the authorities about presence of large number of stray 

dogs in the 
complex.
 
A senior doctor told ‘The Navhind Times’ that the GMC authorities 

cannot act against the dogs in view of court ban on killing them and 

that the non-government organisations who champion their causes have 

failed to remove them from the complex, despite being told of the 
menace.
 
Another staff member of the GMC said that the dogs roam freely in 

the complex and even in the corridors, at times, after sneaking in 
through 
the doors. Sometimes these dogs pose danger to the people visiting 

the hospital by pouncing on the food items carried by them, especially 
the 
children, he added.
 
Another GMC employee bitterly complained against the illegal kiosks 

outside the GMC complex, which serve as feeding grounds to these 

stray dogs and cattle. He also said that in view of court ban on killing 
the 
stray dogs their numbers have been multi-plying.
 
“It is high time that the government acted against these illegal 
kiosks and 
removed them,” said the employee adding that these kiosks were the 

main causes of many ills which the people have been facing.
 
A lady colleague of the victim of dog bite said that human life has 

become irrelevant for those championing the cause of stray dogs 

as they want to save the dogs more than the human beings. She said 

that the NGOs had indifferent approach towards the sufferings of the 

victims and their families.
 
The cases of dog bites have been increasing in the recent past with 

some deaths also having been reported in the state off-late.
-The Navhind Times 
1/06/06 page 
1- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK---promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
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[Goanet] Navelim subway a focal point for launch of Road Safety campaign

[Goacan]

---Do GOACAN a favour, 
circulate this email to yourfamily members, relatives, neighbours and 
friends.Help others be BETTER INFORMED,The time is come for the people 
of Goato ORGANISE not AGONISE 
!!-- 

---
Navelim subway becomes focal point of 
campaign
---
The incomplete and unused Navelim 
subway -- a major junction 
used by the student community -- became 
a focal point for GOACAN 
to launch its campaign for road safety 
and Traffic Management, coinciding 
with the commencement of the academic 
year.
Armed with placards,forum activists highlighted various issues, 
including 
completion of all subways undertaken under MPLAD scheme at Navelim, 
Nuvem and Verna so that school and college students at these accident
-prone spots could use them.
 
The activists also highlighted the need 
for the PWD to set up a road engineering 
cell to ensure road safety on all 
national highways and State highways of Goa 
which have accident spots; 
identification and provision of bus bays, notified 
bus stops, zebra crossings and proper 
sign boards on all village roads.
The activists also demanded  the early completion of the western 
bypass 
by the PWD to ensure decongestion of the roads in Salcete taluka and  

diversion of heavy vehicles carrying hazardous substance presently passing 

through the villages.
The campaign also urged the government to spend revenue generated from 
fines 
of traffic offences on road safety education and strengthening  the 
traffic police 
cell with necessary and sufficient personnel andequipment such as 
alcometers, 
interceptors, night patrolling vehicles etc.
Other demands highlighted were sustained campaign against ‘rash 
andnegligent’ driving, introduction of road safety patrol in all schools of 
Goa 
and a drive against the distribution and sale of fake helmets in the 
State.
The activists also called for comfortable, affordable and safe public 
transport, 
compulsory issue of tickets in all buses, end to harassment to students 

travelling on 50 per cent bus concession and introduction  of 
complaint books 
at all KTC bus stands .

HERALD 07/06/06 page 4


- 
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION 
NETWORK--promoting 
civic and consumer rights in Goa 
- 
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[Goanet] Prajal Sakhardande to speak on Goa Revolution Day at Cuncolim

[Goacan]

---
Cuncolim Consumer Forum meet on Goa 
Revolution Day
---

The Cuncolim 
Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) will have itsmonthly general meeting of 
consumers on Sunday 18th Juneat 10.30am at the Maria Bambina High School, 
Cuncolim.
On the occasion of Goa Revolution Day, 
Prajal Sakhardande
of the History Department of Dhempe 
College 
& Goa Heritage Action 
Group will speak on the relevance 
of this day for citizens in todays 
context.
 
Among the other issues to be discussed 
are Tree plantation, 
Drive against Bribes, lack of safety 
procedures at road works 
by GSUDA contractors, excess 
billing for PWD Water, 
Kerosene complaints and service 
related problems.
 
Consumers of Cuncolim are invited to 
attend the meeting andparticipate in the 
deliberations.
Cuncolim Civic 
and Consumer Forum (CCCF)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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NETWORK--promoting 
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[Goanet] Vasco Civic & Consumer Forum to act as a facilitator.

[Goacan]

* 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
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 Confirm your bookings early or miss-out

 Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation.
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family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
--
---
Vasco Civic & Consumer Forum launched
---
At long last Vasco citizens have got together to convene a
Consumer Rights and Civic Action Group. This forum was
convened with the active guidance and encouragement of
the GOACAN - Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network.
At its first meeting held on 23rd March at the St. Andrew's
High School classroom, Mr. Roland Martins, Co-ordinator of the
Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN)
and the Goa Desc Resource Centre, elaborated
on the role and relevance of the Forum. He stressed the
need for such a citizen group to ensure the rights of the
consumer and the accountability of the authorities responsible
for providing the various civic infrastructure facilities.

Mr. Martins elaborated on the provisions of the Consumer
Protection Act 1986. He informed that there were various
requirements under the Act that needed to be implemented.

The Vasco Forum has been appropriately launched during
the GOACAN Consumer Rights Awareness Fortnight,
which was observed from the 15th to 30th March 06.

The Forum, which will function like a self-help group, will
aim to discover the consumer and civic facilities and services
available in Vasco and their redressal systems. It will look at
the grey areas and explore the rights and responsibilities of a
citizen as a consumer and a civic individual. It will ascertain
the agency responsible for providing each service.

Further regarding civic issues, the Forum will undertake the exercise
of identifying problems ward wise and map each ward. It will
endeavour to set up Garbage Management Committees at ward
level as per the Garbage Management Act. At the outset it will
undertake the task of getting all Senior Citizens registered with
the Social Welfare Dept. It will also obtain the important
telephone numbers of the various officials of the civic agencies
and copies of their Citizen's Charter. The Forum will encourage
the citizens to register their complaints in writing with the
departments concerned with a copy to the Forum, and provide
guidance and assistance in the follow up and redressal.

The Forum aims to act as a facilitator rather than a complaints cell.
It will also take a positive constructive stance in interacting with the
various authorities and agencies. It will aim to find viable solutions
to the various issues through informed interactions with the depts.
concerned and seek the implementation of the various provisions
of the regulations in the time frames laid down in the Citizen's
Charter.

The Forum will meet monthly on every fourth Thursday at
6pm at the St. Andrew's High School, Vasco. Citizens are welcome
to attend the meetings and actively participate in the endeavors of the
Forum in improving the quality of life of the citizens of Vasco and of
the neighbourhood. All correspondence can be addressed to the
forum at the following address:

Mr. Higino Rebelo
Convenor
Vasco Civic and Consumer Forum
Ground Floor, Villa Rebelo
near KTC Bus Stand, Mundvel
VASCO  403 802
e-mail: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Report adapted from VASCO WATCH Vol.6 No.14 page 1
30 March - 13 April 2006 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

-
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
--
promoting civic and consumer rights in Goa
-----
GOACAN Post Box  187 Margao,  Goa 403 601
GOACAN Post Box  78  Mapusa,  Goa 403 507
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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[Goanet] Flirting with Danger: transporting school children

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
--
--
Flirting with Danger
--
Many working parents are unable to reach their children to school
on their personal vehicles due to their busy schedule. Hence, they
have no other alternative but to rely on hired rickshaws and other
vehicles to transport their wards to school.
In and around Ponda, we watch these vehicles going very fast.
Children are packed into these vehicles. Although traffic police
are stationed at major spots, this does not seem to deter these
vehicle owners who drive their overcrowded vehicles very fast.
The concerned authorities must act before a mishap occurs.
PRAVIN U SARDESSAI, Adpai
In a letter to the Editor
---
The Navhind Times 1/7/03 page 10
---
===
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
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11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
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[Goanet] Disasters Unlimited in Goa

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

Disasters Unlimited

It is only due to the grace and the benediction of Goemcho
Saib and Shantadurga that Goa continues to survive all the
man-made calamities visited on it. Naphtha pipe lines tend
to leak on a regular basis. Vehicles carrying hazardous
chemicals including chlorine and naphtha and God knows what,
other inflammable, dangerous and life-threatening materials
routinely overturn or meet with accidents in the State.
Explosions occur at the petroleum storage facilities of the
public sector oil companies within the Port Trust complex.
Aircraft of the Indian Navy fall out of the sky in civilian areas
killing civilians and causing damage to property. Not because
of acts of God but because of the greed and rapaciousness
of industrialists, bureaucrats and politicians.
Routinely every monsoon the mountains of mining rejects
are washed into river bodies choking them.In our urban areas
just as routinely construction material is piled up high on
the sides of roads of buildings under construction, which
hugs the roads in violation of all setback rules choking the
drains.
Streetlights, of course, never work when they are needed
most during the monsoon when visibility is very poor. Talking
of power we are assured by the junior staff of the electricity
department who have to bear the brunt of all abuse from
consumers that it is sub-standard insulators and conductors
and not the much-maligned crow, which is responsible for
the majority of the power breakdowns.
The Konkan Railway gets away with criminal disregard for
minimal passenger and commuter safety at the single platform
railway station where hapless passengers have no choice but
to endanger their lives by crossing the tracks.
The environmental time bomb, the ugly toad masquerading as
the River Princess continues to tick way at Candolim for four
years now. The only thing that everyone is agreed on is that
if it disintegrates, it will devastate all the lovely beaches of North
Goa.
Tourists and locals drown routinely on Goan beaches because
they ignore warnings and the lifeguards are never there.
The big joke, of course, is that more than a year ago, primarily
due to the persistence and insistence of the then Collector of
Margao P K Krishnamurthy, a disaster management plan was
formulated. A consultant was employed to provide training to
all the concerned agencies. A number of high-level meetings
were chaired by the Chief Secretary and even the Chief Minister.
The only problem is that the plan is gathering dust in some
government morgue.
No machinery was even identified to implement or monitor the
implementation of the disaster management plan. There is nothing
like a quick response team which can attend to emergencies
and contingencies. There is a timetable. But no Station Master
or even linesmen.
In theory the Collector is the nodal authority. But there are frequent
changes in the Collectorate and when the Collector is on leave
the second in command probably cannot even access the elaborate
protocol book where the steps are outlined. Not that going by the
rulebook will be of much use. Because it is not rules but the
presence of mind and the enterprise and the sense of urgency
of the man in charge which is the crucial factor in any disaster.
Apparently, though there is a disaster management plan,
no information exists on what hazardous chemicals are transported
into and through Goa. What routes they take or are supposed
to take. What are the vulnerable points along the route. Which
agency the disaster managers can turn to for the special equipment
they will need. The naphtha tanker disaster at Porvorim dramatically
exposed how totally unprepared we are for disaster.
The tanker over turned close to the Sai Service Center which has
a petrol station and a hundred cars and lubricating oils, all of which
could have blown up if there had been a fire. Though the disaster
occurred around 6 a.m. the crane arrived only four hours later.
And it was not of the right size or capacity and so it took almost
ten hours to get the tanker upright again. The job of transferring
the naphtha from the disabled tanker did not begin even by late
evening. Fortunately there was no loss to life and property.
But this is not thanks either to the Reliance Salgaocar Power
Plant authorities or to the Disaster Management team.
It was entirely due to the benefaction of Shantadurga and
Goemcho Saib. If there is a major disaster all that we the
ordinary humble citizens can do is to light a candle or break
a coconut. But even divine protection has known to fail.
It will be recalled that the steps leading to the Hanuman Temple
at Panjim were c

[Goanet] Grassroots democracy: Glimpses of how it works-I

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
--
Grassroots democracy: Glimpses of how it works-I
-
by Joaquim Fernandes
In Goa's faction-ridden panchayati raj, what happens if the
majority deprives the minority of any development work?
Can the higher authorities - the block development officer,
the director of panchayats or even the Minister for Panchayat,
all guardians of our panchayati raj - help the minority
opposition when they repeatedly plead for redress?
Here is a story of one such opposition member from the
seven-member Pilerne-Marra panchayat in Bardez. In the last
panchayat elections (January 2002), Ms Fatima Fernandes,
a housewife from Pilerne-Marra contested as a younger
candidate against the candidate of the village sarpanch,
Mr Ramakant Malik. And won. Since then, she claims that
all development work has been denied to her ward.
She alleges harassment and ridicule by the sarpanch and
the panchayat secretary.
In despair, she has been writing to the authorities seeking
redressal to her grievances. Since February 6, Ms Fernandes
has written 23 letters to the Bardez Block Development Officer
(BDO), Mapusa, five letters to the Director of Panchayats,
three letters to the Chief Minister, besides letters to the Chief
Secretary and the Minister for Panchayats.
She has also written to her own sarpanch, panchayat secretary,
and works-related letters to the engineers of the Electricity and
Water departments. Interestingly, most of the letters are co-signed
by another panch member, Mr Sandeep Bandodkar, who like
Ms Fernandes, won against the official candidate of the sarpanch,
says Mr Fernandes.
No response has been forthcoming from the authorities, she claims.
Nor has any action been taken to address their grievances. "Despite
repeated requests, no work is being done in my ward. With no one
to check them, the sarpanch and the panchayat secretary continue
to harass me and to flout rules," alleges Ms Fernandes.
One important issue she has raised is the panchayat secretary
issuing incomplete notices of agenda to be transacted at fortnightly
meeting. In a complaint to the chief secretary dated August 8, 2002,
Ms Fernandes and Mr Bandodkar state that the secretary should give
details of business to be transacted so that members can come prepared.
The files are placed in the meetings at the last minute to cause favour
to some. The Extension Officer Village Panchayat (EOVP) attached
to the BDO who is supposed to conduct inspection of records has not
done anything to correct this blatant violation of law, the letter states.
Ms Fernandes has complained against inconvenient timings of meetings,
the secretary not writing the minutes on the same day, not being allowed
to check panchayat files and the sarpanch stopping the linesman from
putting streetlights in her ward.
Ms Fernandes also alleges that at least on two occasions resolutions
she had got passed for works in her ward, were neither typed nor forwarded
to the higher authorities by the panchayat secretary, Mr K V Halarnkar,
despite claiming otherwise."He cannot give me copies even after 24 days
of the resolution being passed. The secretary is misguiding me,"
she writes.
Along with Mr Sandeep Bandodkar, she has also pointed out irregularities
by the sarpanch. They say the sarpanch appointed the working committee
without discussing it in the monthly body meeting. Alleging that the working
committee are all his personal friends, the duo request the BDO to instruct
the sarpanch to re-elect the working committee by putting the matter in the
monthly meeting.
Ms Fernandes also complained of irregularities in the construction of steps
for Ganesh idol immersion at Saulem lake. "In my presence, your engineer
Mr. Asnodkar confessed that somebody had already constructed the steps.
Yet the panchayat floated tender for the construction of steps for Rs 
1,04,250.66.
Please confirm what action you have taken in this matter,"which she describes
as a "big fraud and scam."

On April 29, 2003, Ms Fernandes wrote to the chairperson of the Goa State
Women's Commission complaining that "BDO Bardez claims that he is helpless
and has advised me to meet the Chief Minister. The director of panchayat
gives me other excuses."
-
The Navhind Times 6/7/03 page 1
-
===
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[Goanet] A certificate from this Freedom Fighter in Goa ensures new-comers aberth.

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
---
A certificate from this FF ensures new-comers a berth
--
Welcome to Velim, the home of two-time former Cuncolim MLA
and eminent Freedom Fighter, Rock Santan Fernandes. He is
among the handful of Freedom Fighters (FFs), whose certificate
can bolster or mar the prospects of many a would-be registered
Freedom Fighters.
Indeed, ever since the government re-opened the exercise  probably
for the last time, inviting applications for registration of those who
participated in Goa's struggle for Liberation, many a Freedom Fighter
have been flocking to Velim to the residence of the former MLA.
And, the reason is simple. A certificate from Fernandes confirming
his or her participation in the struggle can bring a left-out Freedom
Fighter closer to being registered with the government.
So far, Fernandes  who underwent imprisonment for a total of nine
years, has sworn affidavits for around 40 applicants since the process
began a fortnight ago. And, the number of total applicants have crossed
the 100-figure mark if one considers the applications received by the
Home Department. Inquiries have revealed that the Home Department
has received around 110 applications till date.
Says Rock Santan Fernandes, "People are coming even from Pernem
and other talukas to get my certificate. I expect more people before
the deadline expires on June 30".
According to Fernandes, the much-sought after certificate is not
automatically issued to the applicants on a mere request as is the
general notion. "I insist that the person gets a letter from a Freedom
Fighter of his area, certifying his participation in the struggle",
he remarked.
His insistence on a letter from other Freedom Fighters has two-fold
objective. Firstly, he has little or no knowledge of the applicant's
contribution in the liberation movement, and, secondly Fernandes
was inside prison for nine-long years.
And, every time Fernandes is approached by an applicant for his
certificate, he had to accompany him to Margao, where an affidavit
is sworn before the Mamlatdar.
Sources said the applications received by the Home Department
will be later scrutinised by a Committee headed by the Chief Secretary.
Incidentally, moves are afoot to get the deadline extended by the
committee re-constituted. Sources informed that the deadline might
be extended given that the exercise did not receive wide publicity.
"So far, nothing has been decided as yet", informed A Mascarenhas,
joint Secretary, Home, adding that any decision on the matter would
be announced in the media.He, however, did not comment when asked
whether there are plans to re-constitute the committee to give
representation to some groups.
When contacted, president of Goa, Daman and Diu Freedom Fighters
Association, Vasant Molio pointed out that registration of Freedom
Fighters was stopped around 1990. "Even a resolution was adopted
to stop further registration, which was later accepted by the Rehabilitation
Board of Freedom Fighters", he said when asked for his comment
on the government's decision to re-open the registration.
According to him, there are around 742 registered FFs drawing local
pension, of which around 150 have passed away, adding that around
650 FFs are also drawing Central pension.
---
HERALD  27/6/03 page 1
--
===
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
Documentation + Education + Solidarity
11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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[Goanet]Grassroots democracy: Glimpses of how it works-II

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
--
Grassroots democracy: Glimpses of how it works-II
-
by Joaquim Fernandes
Undaunted by the lack of response to her complaints,
Ms Fatima Fernandes, the Opposition member from the
Pilerne-Marra Panchayat (Bardez) who has alleged harassment
by the village sarpanch and the secretary, continues to protest
to the authorities.
When contacted, the panchayats director, Mr P M Borkar said
that Ms Fernandes' complaints were not very serious. "These are
minor problems. There is a new block development officer for Bardez
now. Hopefully, he will improve matters." But the previous BDO,
Mr D Morajkar has taken cognisance of Ms Fernandes' complaint
against the secretary and faulted him for not adhering to rules
with regard to issue of incomplete meeting agenda.
Replying to the panchayat directorate's letter, the Bardez BDO
on January 15, 2003, submits that "All VP secretaries of this block
were directed to specify in details the agenda of meeting for the
information of the VP members. However, except the secretaries
of VP Soccoro and Penha-da-Franca, no other secretary are giving
details of the agenda for discussion despite circular issued by your
directorate and also by this office."
Referring specifically to the Pilerne secretary, the BDO states that
"VP secretary is reluctant to comply and obey the direction of this
office and your directorate and he has submitted that it is not possible
to give all details of proposals of agenda items as it will run into pages
and meetings are held fortnightly."
"In view of the above, action is proposed against VP secretary
Pilerne-Marra and other VP secretaries who are reluctant to give
details of proposals of agenda items in spite of written directives from
your office as per provision of Section 113/A of Panchayati Raj Act."
While the panchayats director said that action must be taken by
the BDO himself, the BDO Mr Morajkar refuted that outright. "As the
appointing and disciplinary authority, it is the director who has to
initiate action," said Mr Morajkar.
In the meantime, Ms Fernandes has apparently lost the backing
of her only supporter among the Panch members, Mr Sandip Bandodkar.
"Maybe he is now siding the sarpanch to get his work done," says
Ms Fernandes.
When asked how the interests of a lone Opposition member in the
panchayat can be protected, Mr Borkar states: "We can stop their grants.
But then the village will be the loser. We must remember that the panchayat
is a local body operating by majority vote. So the resolutions of the majority
will be carried. It is within their power, which is given to them under the
73rd amendment. We cannot interfere. We expect them to do all-round
development without any discrimination. But we can step in if there
is a fraud."
But Ms Fernandes and Mr Bandodkar have alleged a fraud. They claim
that the steps for immersion of Ganesh idols were already constructed;
yet the panchayat floated a tender for the construction of the steps.
"She has to substantiate the fraud," Mr Borkar said.
When contacted, the Pilerne-Marra Sarpanch, Mr Ramakant Malik,
claimed everything is official. "All paperwork is there," he said. Regarding
Ms Fernandes' claims of harassment, Mr Malik said that the sarpanch
cannot do anything without the panchayat body decision.
"Even if the panchayat body is wrong, we can be pulled up in the gram
sabha. This has not happened, neither have I received a single memo
from the authorities regarding our functioning," he said. And with such
facile arguments he rubbished all Ms Fernandes' claims as
"false allegations".
So can things be improved? The panchayats director states thus:
"Things can only be improved by education and training.
Panchayat members should not bring petty politics in the development
of the village. In taking revenge against one Panch member, you are
actually taking revenge on the people. I will ask the deputy director
to attend their meetings. Only issuing memo to the secretary will
not help, here the sarpanch is the one responsible."

The Navhind Times 7/7/03 page 1

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#

[Goanet]Grassroots democracy: Glimpses of how it works-III

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
---
Grassroots democracy: Glimpses of how it works-III
---
by Joaquim Fernandes
When Mr Nyaneshwar Naik's six-year-old son started vomiting
blood in the night, he approached Ms Savitri Naik. Now Ms Savitri
is neither a doctor nor a nurse. She is only the sarpanch of his
Casarvarnem village in Pernem taluka of North Goa. Though ferrying
the sick of the village to the hospital in the dead of night is not a
function of a sarpanch, it is not uncommon for people to approach
Ms Savitri for precisely that reason.
She first won the panchayat election from her ward in 1997.
Then, the post of sarpanch was reserved for women and members
proposed her name unanimously. Having served her term, Ms Savitri
was re-elected in November 2002. Though the post of sarpanch was
now not reserved, the four other members still re-nominated her to
the post.
Against the backdrop of acrimonious competitions for the post
of sarpanch in Goa's faction-ridden panchayats, Ms Savitri's
harmonious nomination to the top post seems surprising. But it
was not for her fair, good looks that she won the post. Ms Savitri
was also found to be quietly efficient.
Casarvarnem is a small farming village in the rustic hinterland of
North Goa. It falls in Dhargalim electoral constituency of Pernem taluka,
which is still considered a backward area. Far from the 5-star gloss
of tourism-driven coastal Goa, Casarvarnem was devoid of any
development. It languished in its primitive beauty.
Enthused by the co-operation of her panchayat members, Ms Savitri
infused a burst of development in the hitherto-neglected village. One
important project was the construction of the community hall at
Parabwadda through funds obtained from the Member of Parliament
Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme.
In this five-ward, exclusively Hindu village, Ms Savitri was
instrumental in developing at least four "Ganapathi visarjan"
(immersion of Ganapathi idol) sites. There are other works; the
platform-stage for village dramas at Baradwadda and protection
walls for nullahs at Dewulwadda, Tembwadda and Parabwadda.
Roads, footpaths, gutters and culverts have also been constructed
in the village.
More development works are in the pipeline. The grounds around
the village community hall are to be beautified. A new road near the
"Rashtrolli Ped," a footpath and steps at Bailpur are also planned.
For the first time, the welfare of the small Dhangar community
of the village is being looked at. The Dhangars, falling under the
Other Backward Classes category, live in primitive isolation in the
hills of Casarvarnem. "There are about 10 Dhangar houses most
of which have now been electrified," says Ms Savitri. "We are in
the process of building a small community hall for them at an
estimated cost of Rs 3.30 lakh. Besides, a 'Ganapathi visarjan' tank,
a footpath and steps at Dhangarwadda will also be built." She says
that the work has already been tendered and the Block Development
Officer will release that work order shortly.
The Dhangars sell goat milk and 'kamboll'  a thick waterproof sheet
made of sheepskin and worn by people, especially farmers, as
protection against rain. Using a few natural water sources available,
the Dhangars also do some agriculture. Ms Savitri says the
panchayat plans to approach the government to connect the
Dhangars with government water supply like the rest of the village.
Ms Savitri is modest of her achievements as the village sarpanch.
"We received a lot of help from our Member of the Legislative Assembly,
Mr Manohar Babu Azgaonkar," she says graciously.
She also has the full backing of her colleagues in the panchayat.
Says Deputy Sarpanch, Ms Rajeshri Parab, "All five of us, three
ladies and two gents, are united. The villagers are happy with the
work done so far by the panchayat. And we support our Sarpanch."
She too praises the local MLA, Mr Azgoankar, for supporting their
development proposals.
All through her tenure in the panchayat, Ms Savitri has always been
supported by her husband, Mr Raghoba Naik. He is a small
businessman, owning a laterite stone-cutting machine and a cashew
plantation on the hill. During the May-June period this year, Ms Savitri
spent a considerable amount of time, helping him in the hills, in
gathering the cashews.
She also has to care for her two children. Her son is studying in the
XIIth and daughter is in the Xth. Considering her achievements in the
panchayat, Ms Savitri has played well her triple role of wife, mother
and sarpanch.
But the job of sarpanch is not altogether a bed of roses. For exampl

[Goanet]Mapusa council caught in garbage mess,dumps waste along national highway

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

Mapusa council caught in garbage mess,
dumps waste along national highway

The ticklish garbage issue has reared its ugly head once again
and Mapusa Municipal Council can blame no one but itself for
delay in finding a suitable site of its own.Having no place to do
away with its waste, Mapusa Municipal Council are now dumping
the city garbage on the east side of the national highway
(between Mapusa-Bastora junction and Camarcazan).
The unsegregated garbage which includes rotten vegetable, fish
and medical waste is being dumped on the side of the highway
for the last fortnight. Having had to put up with the nauseating smell,
motorists using the road are now facing another problem cattle
and dogs are slowly making their way towards the area.
At present no residents have complained but a hotel which is
located a few metres off the highway, has to apparently face
the brunt of the stink.Meanwhile, sources disclosed that PWD
Executive Engineer has written to the Mapusa Municipal Council
to stop dumping garbage on the highway.
When contacted Executive Engineer U P Parsekar (Highways)
affirmed that his department had written to MMC requesting them
to stop doing so. Sounding a little unconvincing Chairperson
Sudhir Kandolkar on Sunday told this correspondent that the garbage
will be re-routed to its earlier site, Curca, from Monday onwards.
He also said that he along with the Law Minister and Mapusa MLA,
Francisco D'Souza would meet Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar tonight,
to find early solution to the problem. "The Curca site is overfull and
the authorities there were in the process of shifting the garbage,
to reorganise and make more space," Mr Kandolkar said.
"They had requested us to stop dumping garbage for a few days.
We will resume transporting the garbage back to Curca from
Monday onwards," he added. To control the smell and related
hindrances on the highway dump, the municipality was treating
the garbage with "medicine" and also put mud on the garbage,
Mr Kandolkar said.
The Commissioner of the Corporation of the City of Panaji,
Sanjit Rodrigues said, "We needed sometime to work on the pit.
"The Curca pit is overflowing. We have pressed some bulldozers
into action, to push the garbage further and get the dumping system
a little more organised," he added.
Mr Rodrigues further disclosed that as a special arrangement,
Mapusa Municipal Council was given temporary permission to
dump garbage at Curca, until they found an alternative site of its own.
He further revealed that the Panjim garbage dumped at Curca
was segregated, while the garbage from Mapusa came unsegregated
which also included medical waste.The garbage from both Panjim
and Mapusa was taking a heavy toll on the Curca site, Mr Rodrigues
opined and expressed concern as the site was fast reaching
a saturation point.
With government working on a plan of setting up garbage treatment
plants  one in the North and the other in South  the garbage problem
will hopefully soon be sorted out, Mr Rodrigues averred.
Mapusa produces around 14 trucks of garbage per day according
to the chairperson. Besides garbage from the market and the hotels
in the city, medical waste and garbage from around 200 dust-bins
from 13 wards in the city, add up to a sizeable amount of garbage
in Mapusa.
The chairperson further informed that during the fortnight he made an
unsuccessful attempt to request one Mr Rane from Bicholim to allow
him to dump garbage on temporary basis. "I even visited a stone
quarry at Tivim," he said.Sympathising with his colleagues former
chairperson and councillor, Michael Carrasco said that there was
no point in blaming the council for the mess it is in.
"The only alternative before the Council now is to be self-reliant,"
Mr Carrasco said and added that "MMC should immediately select
a site and build a garbage treatment plant." "Till then, the Council
should find an alternative site to dump the garbage," he added.
He suggested that the Council could select the same site at the
Mapusa Housing Board, where it dumped garbage for years,
and build a treatment plant there.
When pointed out that it was at the instance of the housing board
residents that the garbage dumping site was shifted, Mr Carrasco
argued that he is suggesting building a treatment plant and not
dumping garbage. In any case MMC was dumping garbage near
the housing board site much before the colony came up over there,
Mr Carrasco disclosed.
--
HERALD 14/7/03
-
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[Goanet]Colvale phone subscribers upset over spurt in rentals

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
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---
--
Colvale phone subscribers upset over spurt in rentals
--
The sudden spurt in phone rentals for the month of May has caught
many telephone subscribers unawares, while others are confused
over the department's classification of stations into urban and rural areas.
The Colvale telephone subscribers, in Bardez, have expressed surprise
and dismay over the 'huge increase' in monthly rentals for the month
of May.
In an appeal to the Sub-Divisional Engineer, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited,
Mapusa, the subscribers have stated that Colvale exchange was classified
as a rural area all these years."Accordingly we were paying Rs 50 as rental
charges," said Nilkant Halarnkar sarpanch of Colvale village who is championing
the cause of the aggrieved subscribers.
"The department has charged us Rs 250 as rental for the month of May
which is very high and beyond our capacity to pay," he stated and further
said that there were also allot of discrepancies in the metered calls.
The subscribers have further charged the department of violating a commitment
made in the tariff table sent to the subscribers on May 1, 2003 wherein the
footnote read: "No change in rental. Only free calls reduced".
On classification of places into urban and rural areas the Deputy General
Manager, Telecommunications, Goa, Mr K V Rao said that the department
relied on census figures provided by the State government.
"In fact, according to the census report provided by the State government,
quite a many rural areas have been classified as urban and in some cases
urban areas have been classified as rural," Mr Rao disclosed.
Reacting to the charge of his department violating the commitment on
" no change in rentals", Mr Rao said that he would "look into the matter".
A source in the telephone department told this correspondent that there
was not much that the department could do, as it was a central government
policy decision and accordingly the billing was revised from the month of May.
He further suggested that the aggrieved subscribers could appeal to the
concerned legislator from their area and through the State government seek
relief from the Centre.Meanwhile, the Colvale subscribers in their petition
have requested the authorities to act positively, and correct the error in the
billing as early as possible.
In the event of unsatisfactory answer they have threatened to demonstrate
before the sub-divisional office and further to surrender their telephone 
connections.

Meanwhile subscribers in and around Mapusa city are facing the perennial
problem of faulty lines and dead phones with the arrival of the monsoon season.
Subscribers speaking to this correspondent mostly complained of faults in
the phone lines or phones going "dead" which shoot up during the season.
Only last week the whole of Aldona exchange was under a siege for at least
a day as the phones in the area went "dead" on account of water entering the
lines, subscribers speaking to this correspondent said.
To cap the miseries of the subscribers the department's computerised fault
repair service "198" has been malfunctioning for quite some time now,
a subscriber revealed.

HERALD 23/7/03 page 3
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[Goanet]Awareness on garbage segregation for residents

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
---
Awareness on garbage segregation
---
Residents of Curca village will be taught to segregate garbage
at source, according to Agnelo Cardozo, who is secretary of the
garbage committee under the Curca-Bambolim village panchayat.
Informing this to Herald on Monday evening, Mr Cardozo said the
programme would help residents to avoid mixing litter in a heap
of plastic and other waste into dustbins, for stray animals to
rummage.
"This would help us to maintain cleanliness throughout the village,"
Mr Cardozo opined, adding that they will be soon submitting the
proposal to the village panchayat.According to the Raj Panchayat,
every village panchayat has to work hand-in-hand with the committee
they appoint. The five-member garbage committee of the Curca-
Bambolim panchayat was set-up six months back.
Mr Cardozo informed that the matter becomes worse during the monsoons,
as it sends laterite soil, alongwith garbage particles from its dumping site,
which gushes down into the wells and thereby spoils the water.
"The garbage dumping site is situated on top of the hill and as a result,
rain gushes down so heavily that muddy water gets into our wells,"
he said urging more help from the villagers in this regard.
The committee will meet the panchayat members soon to
discuss the issue, he added.

HERALD 23/7/03 page 4
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[Goanet]Preserving Goa’s greenery needs a massive campaign.

[GOACAN]

-
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
-

Preserving Goa's Greenery

The monsoon is once again laying a green carpet over Goa.
We have to strive hard to preserve this greenery for posterity
as the unscrupulous builder always waits like a hawk in the
wings to replace this greenery with a concrete jungle.
The once green hills of Goa have been cut down to build
concrete jungles which are eyesores. The builders should not
overlook the incidents of landslides occurring in different parts
of Goa.
The green hills are fast turning into ugly patches of brown
thanks to our malicious politicians and builders. The hillocks
of Dona Paula, Betim and Nerul are classic examples of this.
Beautiful old houses of immense heritage value are being demolished
to make way for ugly, atrocious monstrosities jutting out like pyramids
of hell.
Time Goa's environment and heritage is under threat from
vested interests who want to profit from 'development'. I think we
will have to start massive campaigns to save Goa and its environment
and heritage.
We have to fight to save the Mhadei river, to save the Aguada plateau,
our trees, heritage buildings and forts. Goa has been declared as the
best state in India by the poll conducted by India Today. Let us strive
to live up to this status.
PRAJAL SAKHARDANDE, Caranzalem
in a letter to the Editor
---
The Navhind Times 19/7/03 page 9
---
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[Goanet]GOA HEALTH NEWS:CT scan machine breaks down before commissioning

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
-
CT scan machine breaks down before commissioning
-
Even before it could be installed, the CT scan machine at
Hospicio Hospital in Margao went out of order. This equipment
worth Rs 1 crore purchased from a Mumbai-based firm has broken
down further delaying the commissioning of this much awaited
facility at the district hospital.
Hospital sources disclosed that two technicians are working over time
to repair the machine, which ceased to function before installation.
It is learnt that the machine was not getting the main supply and
hence it could not work properly. This technical snag has postponed
the formal inauguration of this facility.
The demand for CT scan machine was long pending as patients
were referred to Goa Medical College, Bambolim, for scanning.
After a long time, the state health authorities purchased this machine.
The Hospicio Hospital authorities who were all set to install the machine
had fixed the date of inauguration last week. But these unavoidable
circumstances have forced the authorities to sit with their fingers
crossed. Confirming the technical snag, Hospicio Hospital's medical
superintendent, Dr Sanjeev Dalvi, today said that the machine would
be inaugurated soon after it is repaired.
The hospital has kept three different rooms for this facility. These
rooms are fully air conditioned and renovated to suit the requirements
of the machine. Though initially, there were plans to construct a
separate structure, the hospital authorities later renovated the rooms
adjacent to the blood bank just at the entrance of the hospital.
There were high expectations from this machine as in absence of this
facility, the South Goa people have to visit the Goa Medical College,
Bambolim for a scan. Hospital figures revealed that at least 3 patients
are referred to GMC every day.
The number is on the rise during monsoons because of road accidents.
Further delay in installation has been contributing to the inconvenience
suffered by the people.
---
The Navhind Times 23/7/03 page 3
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[Goanet]GOA:High Court admits plea on CM Parrikar’sinsinuations against judges

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
---
HC admits plea on Parrikar's insinuations against judges
--
Congress spokesperson, Jeetendra Deshprabhu has approached the
High Court praying that it institute suo moto contempt proceedings
against the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for allegedly making a
statement that judges were corrupt, and that it should direct Parrikar
to disclose the name of the corrupt judge.
When the matter came up before the double Bench comprising
Justice F I Rebello and Justice P V Hardas, the Bench heard the
petitioner and then fixed the matter for Wednesday to hear the Advocate
General on the matter.
The Bench also questioned why the newspapers had not been joined as
parties as the remark was published in the newspapers.Mr Deshprabhu
who is the Pernem MLA, has taken note of a newspaper report in the Herald
dated June 30, 2003 which carried the headline "Judges too can be corrupt:
CM" referring to a statement made by the Chief Minister at a public forum
where the Taleigao parade issue was raised.
The petitioner has also made a reference to a newspaper report of a press
conference held on July 3, 2003 by Parrikar, where he has stated that he
had a complaint against a judge that he had taken a bribe of Rs 5000 from
a multi-national company to pass a favourable bail order. He however did not
disclose the name of the judge concerned at the press conference, nor the
nature of the evidence in his possession.
Deshprabhu has submitted that the general allegation made that judges
are liable to be corrupt has the effect of lowering the authority of the 
courts,
and that the faith of the people in the judiciary would be undermined.

He has also submitted that this statement constitutes criminal contempt
as defined under the Contempt of Court Act. In this regard, he has urged
the court to initiate suo moto contempt proceedings against Parrikar.
Deshprabhu has also stated in his petition that if Parrikar indeed has
evidence against the said judge, then he should have followed the procedure
for reporting the matter and taken appropriate measures in that regard
instead of issuing a public statement, especially in the light of his being
the Chief Minister.
The effect of an allegation of corruption against a judge, without naming him
is likely to result in casting a cloud over practically every judge of the
judiciary of the State, claimed the petitioner.
He has therefore approached the Court praying that the court take notice
of the petition and institute suo moto contempt proceedings against Parrikar
for committing criminal contempt as defined under the Contempt of Court Act.
He has also prayed that the court direct Parrikar to disclose the name
of the judge against whom the allegation of corruption is made.

HERALD 29/7/03 page 1
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[Goanet]Co-operative BANK SCAMS in Goa:Third misappropriation case registered.

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
-
Third misappropriation case registered against Khalap, 13 others
---
The Crime Branch of the state police has registered third
misappropriation and cheating case against the former chairman
of Mapusa Urban Co-operative Bank (Bank of Goa), Mr Ramakant
Khalap and 13 others in connection with the release of Rs 3.5-crore
loan to City Men's Estate Pvt Ltd, a partnership firm, without allegedly
following proper procedure for its project Vasanta Farms.
The complaint has been lodged with the police by the Managing Director
of the bank, alleging that the loans were released by the earlier board
of directors without verifying the documents and thereby led the bank
into financial crunch. The case has been registered under section 420
and 408 of the IPC.
The partners of Vasanta Farms  Anna, Joseph, Shoba, Sajjan, Satish J,
Karimotton of the City Men's Estate Pvt Ltd have been made alleged
accused in the case. The police sources indicated that all these partners
would be brought to Goa for recording their statements.
Senior police officials said that complainant had said that the loan was
sanctioned for the building project 'Vasanta Farms' in Bangalore but till
date the building project had not come. The police are in process of
collecting more details about the case.
The loans were sanctioned during the tenure of board of directors between
1998 to April 1, 1999. The names of the former board of directors listed
in the FIR are: chairman, R D Khalap, directors: Prabhakar Narulkar,
Dharma Chodankar, Milind Kerkar, Motilal Bandekar, Manohar Sawant,
assistant general manager, A P Punege and others.
A senior official said that the inquiries were being made as to how the
bank had extended credit facilities to the people residing outside Goa,
when the clearance from the RBI for extending loans under the Multi-State
Co-operative Act was not obtained.
The police has recovered a letter written by the bank to the RBI, seeking
permission to sanction loans outside Goa in view the bank getting a status
of the multi-state co-operative institutions.
The police inspector (crime), Mr Lavu Mamledar is investigating into the
case under the supervision of the deputy superintendent of police,
Mr Omprakash Kudchadkar.
---
The Navhind Times 23/7/03 page 3
---
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[Goanet]One in five judges has kin practising in same High Court:BCI

[GOACAN]

-
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660

-
One in five judges has kin practising in same High Court:BCI

Nearly a fifth of India's senior judges have relatives practising in courts
over which they preside, a practice frowned upon by the Bar Council
of India (BCI) as a possible source of corruption.Data received at the
council, a statutory body of nearly a million lawyers enrolled nationwide,
indicate that the practice is wider spread than might have been suspected.
As the BCI vice chairman, Mr Adish Aggarwala put it: "It's not a case
or two here and there. It's almost rampant." India's 21 High Courts have
about 500 judges in position, the rest of the sanctioned 647 posts being
vacant.
Reports from Bar groups and members show that more than 100 judges
in 16 High Courts have relatives  some as many as four or five  enrolled
or practising in the same court. They include judges' sons, daughters,
parents, siblings, nephews, nieces, uncles, cousins, in-laws and so on.
Bar groups in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and parts
of Madhya Pradesh have yet to reply, Mr Aggarwala said. The practice
is a definite 'don't' under the BCI rules of standards of professional conduct
and etiquette.
The BCI rule: "An advocate shall not enter appearance, act, plead or
practise in any way before a court, tribunal or authority mentioned in
Section 30 of the Act, if the sole or any member thereof is related to
the advocate as father, grandfather, son, grand-son, uncle, brother,
nephew, first cousin, husband, wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt,
niece, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, brother-in-law,
daughter-in-law, sister-in-law."
The ball was set rolling a few months ago with the BCI asking Bar
associations and state Bar councils to send particulars on members
practising in High Courts presided over by relatives.
A few weeks ago, Bar leaders held a news conference and disclosed
names of 32 judges of Delhi, Mumbai and Rajasthan High Courts who
between them have 44 relatives practising law in their courts.They
explained that such bench-bar kinships were viewed as a possible
source of corruption.
The law fraternity is "anguished and disturbed" at "corruption in the
indian judiciary" and "allegations of unfair means adopted by some
of the near relations of the judges practising in the same court,"
they said in a statement.
They sought the Chief Justice of India, Mr Justice V N Khare's
intervention "to transfer all those judges whose relations are practising
in the same courts to check such unfair practice."
Alternatively, the Bar leaders said the state Bar councils have
"to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the relations of the
judges who are practising in the same courts."They made it clear that
lawyers in such a situation were forbidden to practise in the entire
court not just before a specific bench.
Asked what the BCI will do with the information, Mr Aggarwala said it
was forwarded to the government which had received inquiries from MPs
and was also being transmitted to Mr Justice Khare for action.The Bar
spokesman recalled similar efforts made in 1993-94 during the tenure
of former chief justice, Mr Justice M N Venkatachaliah.
At a BCI workshop at Kollam, Kerala a year and a half ago, India's then
chief justice, Mr Justice Sam Piroj Bharucha indicated that as many as
twenty per cent of judges were corrupt.
"More than 80 per cent of the judges in this country, across the board,
are honest and incorruptible," he said. "It is that smaller percentage that
brings the entire judiciary into disrepute. To make it known that the 
judiciary
does not tolerate corruption in its ranks, it is requisite that corrupt judges
should be investigated and dismissed from service."
--
The Navhind Times 23/7/03 page 7
--

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[Goanet]Rockland Leasing Investors in Goa take note:Delhi High Court ordersclosure

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

HC orders closing of Rockland Leasing
--
The state government has informed the people who have invested
in M/s Rockland Leasing Ltd that the High Court, Delhi, with whom
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had filed a writ petition against the
Rockland Leasing, has passed an order to wind up the company and
have disposed of all the connected companies' petitions and applications
accordingly.
"The officers who have been directed or authorised to look into the affairs
of the Rockland will work out their own procedures and modalities to
carry out their task. They will, no doubt, sympathetically look into any
grievance made to them by any depositor, who is, of course, free to lodge
his or her claim with the official liquidator," it is ordered.
The Economic Cell in the police department, Panaji, has already forwarded
a list of investors whose names are available with them, to the chairman,
Company Law Board, New Delhi.
All the investors in Goa who had invested with Rockland Leasing have been
asked to approach the official liquidator to get back their assets etc.
-
The Navhind Times 31/07/03
-
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[Goanet]Goa poll panel drive for voter ID cards to end by 30th September

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

Goa poll panel launches drive for voter ID cards

The state election authorities have launched a vigorous drive
to attain the target of issuing elector's photo identity cards to
atleast 85 per cent of 9.36 lakh voters, who have been enlisted
on the electoral rolls of the state.
The state chief electoral officer, Mr B S Bhalla told reporters that
the drive comes in wake of a directive from the Election Commission
of India that production of elector's photo identity card would he
compulsory for all future elections and that efforts were being made
to issue cards to cover as many as possible from about 3.6 lakh
voters who have not been issued cards so far.
Addressing a press conference this evening, Mr Bhalla told that the
percentage of voters having EPICs in Goa was only about 61 per cent
at the moment (out of total 9,36,085 voters) and that as per EC directive
a special campaign was being conducted to achieve at least 85 per
cent coverage by September, 30 2003.
Mr Bhalla further said the campaign has already been launched in all
the assembly constituencies of the state through the collectors, deputy
collectors, and mamlatdars. The EPICs were being issued on the spot,
he said adding that the campaign has picked up momentum and in June
a total number of 14,677 cards were issued as compared to 1,711 in May.
He also said that various steps have been to achieve the target.
A complete day-to-day action plan for the campaign right till September 30,
2003, has been drawn up for each assembly constituency. The plan lists
out the day, time and location of the photography and issue of the card
for each constituency till September 30, 2003.
Besides, he said, a house-to-house awareness campaign to cover
residual voters has been launched to inform the voters about the need
for having the EPICs and the schedule of the campaign. To attain the
target directions have been issued by the chief secretary to all departments
to give all assistance to election officers in the special campaign.
Government employees have been asked to obtain EPICs for themselves
and their family members and the campaign was being publicised by each
electoral registration officer, assistant electoral registration officer in 
their
jurisdiction through different methods like loudspeakers, members of
local bodies, pamphlets, etc, said Mr Bhalla.

The chief electoral officer has appealed the electors to contact the offices
of collector, deputy collector or mamlatdar to find out the dates and 
locations
when the campaign would be conducted nearest to their residence.

Besides, the authorities have made arrangement to issue EPICs at any
location (as per the schedule) within the constituency for obtaining the
card and it is not necessary for a voter to know their part number and their
serial number in the electoral roll, for obtaining a card, he said.
Mr Bhalla further said that the process of obtaining the photo identity
card would take only about 30 minutes and the voters should obtain
card during the special campaign.He also said that in case the scheduled
dates of the campaign were not suitable for the voters they could obtain
the card on-the-spot from the two permanent EPIC centres operational
at Panaji and Margao, on any day, including holidays,
till September 30, 2003.

The Navhind Times 22/7/03

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[Goanet]Despite accidental deaths, Goa Govt refrains from helmet compulsion

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
--
--
Despite accidental deaths, Govt refrains from helmet compulsion
-
Despite the rise in death rate on account of road accidents in Goa,
the state government is yet to make helmet compulsory for two-wheeler
riders and pillion riders.
Today, a two-wheeler rider is five times more prone to road accident
and likely to be killed than a traveller in a car or a bus.And although
wearing of helmets will not prevent accidents on most of the pot-holed
roads, it can definitely reduce the intensity of impact in case of mishaps.
The Governor, Mr Kidar Nath Sahani has, meanwhile, urged the
government to look into the human aspect of the accidental deaths
due to head injuries and implement the rule relating to compulsory
use of helmets.
The Director of Transport, Mr Daulat Hawaldar, while speaking to
The Navhind Times informed that "under the Motor Vehicles Act,
wearing of helmets is compulsory not only to the rider but also to
the pillion rider."
"The state government has powers to exempt certain section of the
society from wearing helmets and in that regard it has already
constituted a committee," he added. But he stated that most of the
road accidents are not due to bad condition of roads or poor engines
but mostly on account of the human factor. He added that 80 per cent
of road accidents are due to human factor as each one often goes
by one's own compulsion.
Mr Hawaldar also informed that the research by transport authorities
revealed that two main factors associated to road mishaps included
reckless driving and tendency to over-take. "When it is the question
of one's own life, one need to control one's own speed while driving
rather," he added.
"If all two-wheelers are made aware that they are playing with their
own lives and with the life of others, then that will automatically
solve majority of the problems," stated the Director of Transport.
He further added that "precious lives of people cannot be taken for
granted and notification from the government will not help if factors
within one's own control are not looked into first."
---
The Navhind Times 23/7/03 page 5
--
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[Goanet]Magical Remedies now offered in Goa.

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

Magical Remedies
---
It is common to see advertisements in various newspapers
by a number of itinerants posing as Vaids or doctors,
providing medicines to stop alcoholism.
Since this problem in Goa is quite common given the availability
of cheap liquor and what a number of Goans call our special culture,
the advertisers say the patients need not be told about the
administration of their 'nuskas'.
This automatically leads unsuspecting women and children
who are the usual victims of the consequences of adult alcoholism
to purchase these magical remedies for which there are no
prescriptions, tests or responsibility if anything goes wrong.
Many do not know that modern medicine does have a similar cure,
subject to a number of limitations, cautions and prohibitions.
The formulation is not expensive and is available on the prescription
of a qualified medical practitioner.
The main trouble is in convincing a patient of alcoholism that
he or she needs help. Family members, social service and
religious organisations and our medical fraternity can play
a great role in saving people from becoming victims
to quacks and cheats.
Francis Furtado,Khandola
in Response
---
HERALD 4/8/03 page 6
--
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[Goanet]Citizens in Goa without photo identity cards may not be allowed tovote.

[GOACAN]

--
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-
 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
---
Citizens without EPIC may not be allowed to vote during next elections
--
Citizens who have not obtained their electoral photo identity cards
(EPIC) may not be allowed to vote in the next elections. Sources
in the office of the mamlatdar of Bardez, Mapusa, said that it is
the policy of the Election Commission (EC), to make EPIC
compulsory for future elections.
"It takes only 15 minutes to get the card," said one EPIC official,
showing concern that only 60 per cent voters in Bardez taluka
had taken their cards despite the long campaign of the authorities.
The Bardez taluka covers six electoral constituencies. The voters
have not yet realised the card's importance, officials pointed out
to the inscription on the rear of card which reads, "This card may
be used as an identity card under different government schemes."
The authorities in Bardez (as well as other talukas), have launched
a campaign to attain maximum coverage of voters under EPIC.
A permanent station has been set up at the Government Complex
at Mapusa which is open between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and between
3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on all working days.
Besides, three teams of EPIC officials with EPIC machines daily
cover various panchayats and polling booths in Bardez to make it
easier for voters to obtain their cards.
Sources also said that officials are now going door-to-door to check
whether voters have taken their cards and to verify their card numbers
as per the electoral records available at the Mamlatdar's office.
The campaign will continue till September 30, 2003,
sources said
---
The Navhind Times 8/8/03
---
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[Goanet]Villagers oppose South Goa garbage treatment plant site

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
--
Bedurlem villagers go berserk over garbage plant
---
Mounting opposition against proposed garbage treatment plant
at Bendurlem in Balli panchayat of South Goa, the residents today
snatched away files and blocked the vehicles of the state government
officials during the inspection.
The incident occurred at around 4.30 in the evening when officials
of directorate of municipal administration, land survey and public
works department were making inspection. The locals, who were
piqued over state government's decision to treat garbage in their village,
mobbed and snatched files from the government officials.
They also stopped their vehicles by blocking the roads. Apparently,
this happened sans any police presence. Till late evening no police
complaint about the incident was registered though police officers
confirmed that they had sent their sleuths to 'verify' the event.
The opposition to the proposed garbage dumping site at Bendurlem
is increasing in this village. The formation of action committee led
by local MLA, Mr Babu Kavlekar, has boosted the resistance.
They had recently held a public meeting vehemently opposing the
proposed garbage treatment plant in Bendurlem. The state government,
which had faced similar resistance from Cupwado villagers near Quepem,
had abandoned the site and instead set eyes on Bendurlem village.
The state government had also invoked clause 6 for acquiring this
6,700 sq mts land for the purpose of setting up a plant. During their
initial stage of protest, local MLA, Mr Kavlekar had met Chief Minister,
Mr Manohar Parrikar and Urban Development Minister, Mr Digamber
Kamat informing them about the resentment amongst locals.
--
The Navhind Times 12/8/03 page 3
--
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[Goanet]3 Goa IDC officers suspended for corruption in road works.

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
-
3 IDC officers suspended for corruption

Three top officers of Goa Industrial Development Corporation have been
placed under suspension for corruption regarding execution of road works
in Madkai and Kundaim industrial estates. Sources in the Secretariat
said that action was initiated after it was discovered that the road work
which was shown as having been executed was prima facie not taken
up at all.
The order suspending General Manager (engineering), H L Kulkarni,
Deputy General Manager (engineering), K A Shirodkar and Area Manager,
P Y Gaonkar pending an inquiry, was issued by the managing director
Mr Sandeep Jacques.Disciplinary action has been proposed for having
intentionally caused monetary loss to the corporation.
Sources said that the work of repairing roads and filling pot-holes of
internal roads in the industrial estates at the cost of around Rs 3 lakh
had been shown to have been completed between June 11-13.
The bills of the contractors were also paid after one of the top officers
certified that the work had been completed.The fraud came to light when
the managing director was visiting the Madkai industrial estate last week.
Taking suo moto cognizance, he enquired into the matter and prima facie
found that the road work was virtually not executed besides finding
discrepancies in the works register.
The three officials have claimed that the work was executed but was
washed away in the heavy rains (though hardly any traces of the work
done could be seen), the sources informed.On verifying the records
of the case, it was also revealed that no work of bitumen could have
been possible as it had rained very heavily on June 12 and 13.
An administrative inquiry has been initiated against the three officials.
For the last many months, the chairman alongwith the managing director
of IDC have been trying to bring in efficiency and clean-up the system.

HERALD 8/8/03
---
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[Goanet]World-wide Goans set to celebrate World Goa Day

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
--
World-wide Goans set to celebrate World Goa Day
--
by Joaquim Fernandes
Suffused in a mix of love and nostalgia, Goans across the globe
are gearing up to celebrate World Goa Day on August 20. The date
marks the inclusion of Konkani in the 8th Schedule of the Indian
Constitution by both houses of Parliament in 1992. While talk
of the event in Goa seems muted, a virtual fever is building up in
cyberspace among the Goan communities now thriving in the
United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Portugal,
Spain, Kenya, Tanzania and some countries of the Middle East.
Writing in the official website of World Goa Day, Mr Rene Barreto,
convenor of the event, says, "on Goa day this year, thousands of
Goans will once again remind themselves of the need to work to
preserve our culture, music, history, language, cuisine, and art
for our children, the non-Goan community, and for posterity."
"The theme of "Giving back to Goa" is a good way to inspire our
Goan community to do more for Goa and Goans worldwide," writes
the London-based Mr Barreto. "Let Goa day be a beacon of light
and inspiration throughout the year and for the rest of our lives.
Let us make this our motto: "Proud to be a Goan," and live up
to that motto."
Messages of support and solidarity have been crowding Mr Barreto's
email inbox. An email by Mr Keith Vaz, British Member of Parliament
states: "As someone of Goan descent I send my very best wishes
for a most successful World Goa Day. This is obviously a crucial step
forward in recognising the unique contribution of the Goan community
to the life not just of India but also other countries where they have
chosen to make their homes. Goa is known the world over for its civility,
hospitality and diversity. It is one of the most glorious places on earth.
I send my very best wishes for a successful day."
Hoping to enthuse more among the Goan diaspora, Mr Barreto has
posted some of these messages onto the popular mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Mr Oscar Furtado, of G.O.A, Toronto, sees this as an opportunity to
celebrate the values the Goan community possesses and also to share
these values with the various communities around the world. Writes
Mr Cristopher Nunes, President, Goan Association of New Jersey, Inc.
"As this year's theme for World Goa day is 'Giving something back'
to society, I am proud to say that the association and individual members
continue to donate funds to projects in Goa and help other less
fortunate Goans."
Mr Oscar C Lobo, from Melbourne, Australia urges Goans everywhere
to shun the caste system and Mr John Paul Kihara of the Goan
Community of Mombasa, Kenya, warmly invites all Goans and non-Goans
to their special Goan festival in September. There is even a congratulatory
message from a Briton, Mr Paul Hancock.
There are some dissonant notes too. Writing in Roman script Konkani,
one Mr Simon Mendonca laments that though Goans proudly proclaim
their Goan-ness, they are ashamed to talk in Konkani. The bouquets
and brickbats apart, Mr Rene Barreto affirms that on August 20,
"Goans world-wide join in solidarity to celebrate our Goan-ness."
In Goa, World Goa Day is planned for August 24. Among other things,
the celebrations will include a stage production by Professor
Isabel Santa Rita Vas.
Elsewhere in the world, Goan organisations have planned activities
for the entire months of August, September or October 2003. Details
are listed on www.goaday.com.
There are games, picnics, dinners and dances, cultural shows and
cooking demos, even Masses and healing services planned by Goan
communities in places like Toronto, Montreal, Calgary (Canada),
New Jersey, California, Houston (USA), London (UK) and Nairobi
and Mombasa in Kenya.
The list of celebrations is big, the activities diverse and the places, 
far-flung.
The common denominator is Goa. Music naturally becomes part of the
celebrations. Mr Basilio Magno, a Goan from Spain, had composed
a special song, "Proud to be a Goan," for the first World Goa Day in 2000.
This year, the song has been re-arranged by Mr Emiliano da Cruz and
sung by Lulu, one of Goa's top singers.
---
The Navhind Times 12/8/03
---

===
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[Goanet]GOA:High Court directs Municipalities to act on constructions in openspaces.

[GOACAN]

--
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-
 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

HC urges municipalities to act on constructions in open spaces

The Panjim Bench of the Bombay High Court has directed all
the Municipal councils and Corporation of City of Panjim to take
action on complaints received regarding construction in open spaces
in one month and dispose off the entire matter within three months.
The double bench comprising Justice F I Rebello and Justice
P V Hardas has observed that the complaints filed will have to be
disposed off within a time frame so that the citizens do not have
to approach the High Court on account of inaction on the part
of the municipal authorities.
In the light of this, the Court found it essential that directions are
issued so that the planning laws, regulations, bye-laws, rules and
regulations are strictly adhered to within the jurisdiction of various
municipal councils/corporation of Panjim city.
The issue of the inaction on the part of the Authorities had come
to a head when the Down Mangor Valley Residents Welfare Association
went to court stating that some property which had been handed over
to the Municipality of Vasco as open space to be made into a garden
had been taken over by squatters and that the Mormugao Municipal
Council had taken no action.
The Court has directed that all the Chief Officers of the Municipal
Councils/Commissioner of the CCP are to issue within 10 days,
a public notice in the local leading newspapers pertaining to the
directions earlier given by the Court.As per the earlier judgement,
"open spaces maintained as part of a development project or pursuant
to a building licence, have to be kept open as per the development
permission or building licence as a condition for development or
construction in terms of relevant Act, Rules and Bye-Laws or other
executive directions"
The Court directed that a separate register is to be maintained in
respect of all the complaints filed, including the date of the complaint
and the receipt thereof. This register is to be verified by the Chief officer/
Commissioner every month.
The court has also directed that action is to be taken with reference
to the complaints received within one month of receipt, and after following
the procedure, the entire matter is to be disposed off by the Council/
Corporation within three months thereafter.
The Appellate Authorities/ Revisional Authorities have been directed
to dispose of the proceedings at the earliest and at any rate not later
than nine months from the date of filing of the proceedings before them.
The court has also directed that interim orders are not to be granted
without hearing the Municipal Council/corporation and the interim orders
will be granted only after hearing these bodies in the proceedings which
are filed either before the first or second appellate authority, unless
there are compelling reasons, in which event, the reasons have to be
recorded to disclose the urgency.
Within the planning areas, under the provisions of the Town and Country
Planning Act, the Authorities have been constituted which are charged
with duties to oversee orderly development within their area and to take
steps to remove the illegal constructions, observed the court. The court
directed the member Secretary of the Planning Authority to maintain a
separate register as directed in so far as Municipal Councils are concerned
and to dispose of the complaints in the same manner.
The Court had held that the same directions in so far as disposal of appeals
and grant of interim reliefs will also be applicable to the Appellate 
Authorities
under the Town and Country Planning Act.

The double bench has also directed that a copy of the order is to be
forwarded to the Village Panchayat of Sanvordem to take steps
in respect of the illegal constructions in the open spaces in area under
question. A compliance report in respect of the same has to be submitted
to the court within three months.
-
HERALD 14/8/03
-
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[Goanet]Blacklist rogue contractors of road works in Goa.

[GOACAN]

---
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

Rogue Contractors

When we buy an electronic commodity we get a guarantee,
similarly for bikes or other consumer goods. If there is a defect in
manufacturing we give it back to the dealer or the manufacturer and
he replaces it or else he will face action from the consumer courts.
If that is the case in real life for goods worth a few thousand of things,
how come we don't get guarantee for things like public roads. Every year,
new roads are laid out or repaired but every monsoon the same things
happen. Are we to believe that a nation which can produce a nuclear weapon
cannot even after 50 years of independence produce one decent road?
The problem, of course, is the corruption and the lack of accountability.
Why dont we have a system, where vigilant civilians can report bad roads,
and then the name of the contractor is published and black listed.
So whenever a new road is tendered, he is automatically rejected unless
he repairs the earlier road free of charge. If they can black list 
terrorists and
organisations why cant they black list these people who are actually
responsible for accidents and damage.

Karl de Sousa, Moira
in a letter to the Editor

HERALD 8/8/03
---
===
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[Goanet]Police-Public meet at Margao on Sunday

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---

Police-public meet at Margao

The Margao Legal Aid Cell of V M Salgaocar College of law
will organise a police-public programme on August 17 at the
Grace Church hall at 10.15 am.
Superintendent of police, South I D Shukla, SDPO Umesh Gaonkar,
Margao PI P Shirwaikar, PI Traffic, D Angle and other officials of the
Goa police will be in attendance. The beat police officials will also be
present.
The public have been informed to contact the Legal Aid cell incharge,
Sharon Albuquerque in advance for any special specific issues/queries
they intend to raise at the programme, whose objective is to educate
the public on various issues as well to improve and have cordial relations
between the public and police officials.
Problems related to traffic will also be discussed by the Goa police cell.
The organisers have said similar programmes will be held more frequently
in the near future to note the outcome of the same
--
HERALD 15/8/03
-
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[Goanet]Dr Wilfred de Souza backs Goa garbage plants at Balli, Colvale

[GOACAN]

--- 

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
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Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
---

Willy backs garbage plants at Balli, Colvale

Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Goa unit chief, Dr Wilfred de Souza
today said he was of the firm opinion that the garbage treatment plants
proposed by the House Committee at Balli and Colvale would serve the
interest of the State.
Dr de Souza accused the Tivim MLA, Sadanand Shet Tanavade, of
spreading canards and misguiding the people of Colvale-Camurlim
that he (Dr de Souza) was responsible for finalising the location of
the plant at Colvale-Camurlim.
Dr de Souza said the people of Colvale were being mis-led by Mr Tanavade
perhaps to score petty political points, little realising that he was in fact
committing a breach of privilege of the Goa Legislative Assembly.
While acknowledging that the idea of having these treatment plants was
initiated by him through a private members resolution in February last,
Dr de Souza said: “What I had suggested was that land for the project
be acquired in Bainguinim, which had been earmarked for the purpose in
1994,”
Dr de Souza said, adding that the House instead appointed a committee
under the chairmanship of Urban Development Minister, Digamber Kamat
which studied the whole problem and produced a report.Dr de Souza said
this committee had in its report given all the recommendations including
the sites — Colvale-Camurlim and Balli — for the scientific, solid-waste
treatment plants in North and South Goa. “The plants have to be located
in some constituency or the other,” Dr de Souza said, adding that Mr Kamat
himself had made an impassionate appeal to all the MLAs to recognise
this and not to pose hurdles.
When pointed out that residents of Colvale-Camurlim were opposing the
project, Dr de Souza claimed that it was perhaps because they are
ill-informed and are being misguided by the local MLA.“The project details
must be explained to them. The impression being created is that it is going
to be a garbage dump because all that Goa has had till date are dumps at
Curca, Sonsddo and Mapusa,” he said.
Meanwhile, NCP’s joint secretary, Nilkanth Halarnkar, who was also present
at the press conference addressed by Dr de Souza, said he would continue
to back the Colvale residents opposing the project.
When asked for his reaction, Mr Halarnkar said, the residents of Colvale were
being dumped with several projects that have not benefited them much.
“First Binani Zinc, then the Power Grid Corporation was located there.
People have only lost their land and are getting no much benefit from
these projects,” he said. He said, now more pollution is being sought to
dumped on to Colvale through the garbage project.
-
HERALD 13/12/03 page 3
-
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GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
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---
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[Goanet]Does the Goa Govt. offer just lip service to the Goan consumer ?

[GOACAN]

Goanet next meets in Goa: January 7, 4 pm (meeting point: Kala Academy canteen). 
Goanet founder Herman Carneiro will be there. See you there!
--
--- 

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
---
---
It's just lip service to the consumer
---
by Bindya Chari
On December 30 the government of Goa is celebrating yet another
National Consumer Day. But is it just another bid to pay lip service
to the cause of consumers rights in the State?
For some time now, Goa has been dilly-dallying with appointments
of presidents to Consumer Dispute Redressal Forums of North and
South Goa. About a year ago, the president of the Consumer Dispute
Redressal Forum resigned and till today the post lay vacant.
Sources suggest the government has not found a suitable person to
fill the post. This post was advertised in a local newspaper some six
months ago, and interviews were held. However, for reasons best known
to government, the interviewing process was scrapped.
Unquestionably, the working of the forum has suffered in the absence
of a president. Its remaining two members have been trying to offer
some relief to the consumer, but without avail.
Working has suffered greatly, so much so that no orders have been
passed during the last three months at the South Goa Consumers Forum,
sources inform.
Satistics updated uptil August 3, show that of the 83 cases registered
at the forum, only four had been disposed off.In 2002 only 39 cases were
resolved of the total 124 it enlisted. Sources at the South Goa Forum also
argue that work is also suffering because of lack of staff.
The forum doesn't have a full-fledged steno, the appointee being a trainee.
Working condition of the North Goa forum is nothing to be proud of either.
This forum too is functioning without a president for a quite some time now.
It seems government is contend with the forum functioning sans a president,
even if that meant giving a go by to consumer rights.
Sources in the North Goa Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, on the
condition of anonymity, told the Herald that they have been greatly
overburdened since the time president has resigned.
It's over six months that the president has resigned,that two members are
handling the load of cases they are receiving. The work load is so much that
sometimes they have to take files home, it is learnt.
---
HERALD 30/12/03 page 1
---
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[Goanet]Calangute, Colva Village Panchayats urged to hold waste disposal programmes

[GOACAN]

Goanet next meets in Goa: January 7, 4 pm (meeting point: Kala Academy canteen). 
Goanet founder Herman Carneiro will be there. See you there!
--
--- 

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
---
-
Calangute, Colva VPs urged to hold waste disposal programmes
-
The Directorate of Panchayats has requested the Sarpanchas of Calangute
and Colva panchayats to conduct awareness programmes regarding the
segregation of waste and vermicomposting.
The programmes will primarily target the producers of garbage in their
jurisdictions - hotels, housing co-operative societies, pathological
laborotaries, maternity homes and other such establishments besides
also involving the public.
According to sources in the Directorate of Panchayats, these two Panchayats,
both hubs of tourism, have been beset with the problem of garbage disposal
for a long time. The programmes are to be conducted in February and
March 2004 and besides organising essay and poster competitions,
the panchayats have also been requested to invite resource persons from
the Department of Science and Technology, the Corporation of the City
of Panaji and non-governmental organisations who are members of the
committee for garbage disposal formed under the Municipal Solid Waste
Management Act. These persons will interact with the producers of garbage
to evolve ways for the better management of their waste.
This directive of the Directorate of Panchayats originates in a ruling of 
the High
Court to a petition before it regarding the disposal of waste by the Calangute
panchayat. Sources said that considering Calangute to be a semi-urban area,
the High Court had issued directives to the Directorate of Municipal 
Administration
and the Directorate of Panchayats had agreed to catalyse such programmes.

In the forthcoming programmes, special emphasis will be given to the disposal
of hazardous bio-medical waste. The sources said though the production of 
medical
waste is low in comparison, even if five percent of it mixes with general 
waste,
the full waste becomes hazardous.
-
The Navhind Times 30/12/03 page 3
-

---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
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[Goanet]FIGHT BACK:Harassed female student gets bus permit suspended

[GOACAN]

Goanet next meets in Goa: January 7, 4 pm (meeting point: Kala Academy canteen). 
Goanet founder Herman Carneiro will be there. See you there!
--
--- 

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
---
-
Bus permit cancelled after harassment issue
-
The Mapusa office of the transport department has suspended the permit
of a passenger vehicle and the driving license of the driver for one month.
According to the Assistant Director of Transport, North Goa, Mr A Bhosle,
there was a complaint from a female student travelling by bus bearing number
GA-01-T-5432 from Panaji to Mapusa on September 6, 2003.
The conductor of the bus reportedly demanded full fare from her and further
used physical force in preventing the passenger from leaving the bus at
Mapusa bus stand.
The Mapusa office of transport department carried further inquiries and found
that the concerned conductor was an unlicensed person employed by the
owner to collect the fares.
The department took a serious note of the incident involving use of physical
force against the passenger and suspended the permit of the vehicle
GA-01-T-5432 and the driving license of the driver for a period of one month.
--
The Navhind Times 1/1/04 page 6
--
---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
to promote civic and consumer rights in Goa
---
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Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
  website: www.goacan.org
---
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[Goanet]ROAD SAFETY:In Goa driving schools fail to follow the syllabus

[GOACAN]

stant Director of Transport, Mapusa
was “We find that trainees have no confidence while appearing for the 
driving test
and we are very strict about clearing applications of such weak candidates.”

Mr Bhosle disclosed that he too terminated the licence of one driving school
in Mapusa for not complying with the requirements prescribed in the Central
Motor Vehicle Rules and for not imparting proper training to its trainees.
In Margao, the authorities disclosed that out of the 25 driving schools less
than 50 per cent take interest in teaching their students well. “As such we 
are
compelled to fail students who lack confidence,” says an RTA inspector at the
Margao office.Another officer, agreeing that driving schools needed to tune 
up,
said on a disenchanted note “Driving schools have become mere factories
producing mass scale drivers.”Statistics say that as many as 35-50 students
secure motor driving licenses daily in the State.

Though the authorities claim that the number of accidents have reduced, the
comparative figures of the last two years indicate a marginal decrease in
accidents in 2003. Nevertheless cases booked under Motor Vehicle Rules
and Act have increased from 95,583 in 2002 to 1,69,991 in 2003. These are
cases booked for driving indiscipline, overtaking, breaking of rules — some
of the very basic lessons that driving schools fail to imbibe in their 
students.

Last year, 90 riders and 12 drivers lost their lives, 234 serious accidents
occurred and 222 lives were lost.The need is now felt that driving schools
should make their students sensitive to the need for observing road 
discipline,
according to officials.

And there is also an increasing demand that the road transport authorities
should ensure that driving schools produce good drivers by following the 
syllabus.
This will ensure production of a skilled driver, safe driving and make 
roads safe
in the true sense of the term.

HERALD 7/01/04 page 1


---
GOA CIVIC AND CONSUMER ACTION NETWORK
---
an initiative of GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
to promote civic and consumer rights in Goa
---
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Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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[Goanet]Panchayat Gram sabhas - on the spot minutes now mandatory

[GOACAN]

- 

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
- 

---
Gram sabhas - On the spot minutes now mandatory
---
Minutes of gram sabha meetings and fortnightly will now have
to be recorded on the spot when meetings are conducted.
Prompt recording of minutes has been made mandatory
vide a circular issued by Director of Panchayats P M Borkar
issued last month.
Mr Borkar has stated in the circular that "minutes are recorded
after a lapse of long periods, which gives scope for making
manipulations and adding the resolutions, which were not
actually passed in the meetings".
The director has also claimed, that the circular had been issued
after his office has received complaints, that minutes of gram sabha
and panchayat meetings were not being recorded.
The circular dated July 31 also instructs all block development officers
to ensure that the instructions are strictly followed by all panchayats
in their respective blocks.
--
HERALD 18/8/03
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[Goanet]107 fall victim to jaundice,Goa Health Minister says its Hepatitis E

[GOACAN]

- 

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
- 

-
107 fall victim to jaundice
-
In a belated action, the State government is undertaking damage-control
measures as more than 100 persons have fallen victim to viral Hepatitis
(jaundice) in the last few days.
While the main cause of this sudden spurt of viral Hepatitis cases is not 
known,
officials of the Directorate of Health Services (DHS) strongly link it to the
sewerage water entering into the potable water pipeline in the heart of
Panjim more than two weeks ago.

As the incubation period of jaundice is between 15 days and two months,
it is feared that the present number of victims may be just the tip of the 
iceberg.
Officials however say that it is "localised only to Panjim."

Officials said that most of the victims were customers of the restaurants
which received contaminated water. The restaurants' potable water supply
which was polluted due to the contamination with the sewerage pipeline,
is considered to be the main cause of spreading the viral hepatitis.
After the contamination was detected near Azad Maidan, the PWD
on the advice of its public health engineering wing, had stopped water supply
to the entire area and the restaurants are being supplied water by tankers.
At least five eateries were affected by the contamination. The victims who
spoke to the doctors said that they drank water in these restaurants.
The official figure of patients afflicted by the viral Hepatitis is 107.
Of these, 35 are taking treatment from the Goa Medical College Hospital
while the rest are being treated by private hospitals.
Among the first few victims was the director of Information and Publicity,
Mr Rajesh Singh who was later treated at GMC. DHS officials fear that the
staff members of the respective restaurants too may add up to the list of
patients in the coming days as they drink potable water and not boiled water.
Some private pathological labs have confirmed that the victims are of
Hepatitis E. However, for formal confirmation, serum samples have been
dispatched to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.
Though more than two weeks have passed since contamination of water
was detected in Panjim, the authorities did practically nothing to advise
the public not to drink water in the restaurants which had received
contaminated water or to take other measures, until a spurt in jaundice
case was reported.
Whether water sampling of the affected restaurants was done then is also
not known. "As water contamination came through the government-supplied
water pipeline, it was the responsibility of the government to caution the 
citizens",
said an agitated relative of a patient.

Health Minister, Dr Suresh Amonkar who held a high-level meeting at the
Secretariat to review what could be called a near-epidemic situation in 
Panjim,
said the cases appear to be of Hepatitis E. It has been spread through the
sewerage water, he stated. "We are taking all necessary measures", he claimed.
Tests conducted have revealed the presence of e-coli in the water in one of 
the
restaurants, he disclosed.

Incidentally, one restaurant was sealed some days ago after its water was
also found contaminated with sewage water (due to its internal faulty system)
However, it was allowed to be re-opened by the authorities concerned who
found that its management had taken necessary measures.
Dr Amonkar told Herald that around ten restaurants were today inspected 
jointly
by officials of Health department and Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

DHS does not have the exact number of persons afflicted by jaundice virus.
This is attributed by the officials to the non-intimation by private hospitals
to the DHS. "Hardly 35 per cent of the patients go to the GMC. The rest have
taken treatment in private hospitals", an official stated.
Dr Rajendra Tamba, State's epidemiologist, obtained the number of the patients
by personally visiting some private hospitals in the city.
According to the DHS, viral hepatitis is caused by contaminated water and
food and it causes symptoms such as fever, bodyache, loss of appetite,
morbidity, yellow eyes and urine. The virus is destroyed only by boiling 
water.
The virus doesn't get killed
by chlorination of water.

The public is advised to contact the nearest health centre or the
State Epidemiologist, Directorate of Health Services, Campal personally
or on Ph 2225538 or e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-
HERALD 19/8/03
-
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[Goanet]Goa Health Dept to clamp down on unhygienic restaurants in Panjim

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
--
Health dept to clamp down on unhygienic restaurants
--
Viral Hepatitis (jaundice) continues to play havoc as the number
of its victims went up to 113 in Panjim even as the health authorities
decided to clamp down on restaurants running in unhygienic conditions.
By Tuesday afternoon, the Directorate of Health Services had confirmed
that the viral hepatitis victims had gone up from 107 to 113. DHS officials
lament that private hospitals do not intimate the office of the epidemiologist
about the communicable disease. In the instant case too, many may not
have come on record. A team of doctors however, has been instructed to
visit the city-based private hospitals to get the correct picture of the viral
hepatitis, officials said.
The Director of Health Services, Dr A V Salelkar said that there is no need
for panic as the situation was well under control and that the government was
taking all necessary measures. He maintained that yesterday the number of
victims was 107 (as reported by the Herald) and not 160.
The DHS is awaiting the report from the National Institute of Virology (NIV),
Pune, where serum samples have been sent two days ago. The report will
confirm whether the viral Hepatitis is Hepatitis A or Hepatitis E.Worried 
about
the situation, the government has decided to create awareness about the
disease. As part of this exercise, a programme will be telecast on Goa
Doordarshan between 6-7 pm most probably on August 20.

It may be recalled that contamination of potable water with sewage water
(due to a corroded pipeline three weeks ago), has been tentatively proved
to be the main cause for the spread of viral hepatitis in the city as several
restaurants in the heart of the city had been supplied the same water.
INSPECTION: The Corporation of City of Panjim (CCP) has issued notices
to 30 hotels for clearance of illegal constructions and extensions carried out
by several hotels and restaurants today. As per the notice, hotels have to
remedy the situation within the period of 28 days from the date of issue of
the notices, informed the sources in the Corporation. Following the complaints
from the people of unhygienic conditions and improper sanitation, Corporation
decided to check the status of the eateries in the State.
In the first round, the inspection team found that hotels and restaurants
not only operate in unhygienic conditions and improper sanitation, but 85
per cent of them have illegal extensions. The Corporation intends to take
strong action against all those hotels that would not comply with the notice.
From Monday, the CCP commenced the second round of hotel and restaurants
inspection with PWD's sewerage and Water Supply Divisions and health services.
Besides the restaurants, complaints have been received against the road-side
eateries running with 'hand-cart' licences. Until the spurt in jaundice 
cases was
reported, the authorities concerned, according to sources, had hardly checked
the water, restaurants and road-side eateries are supplied with.

HERALD 20/8/03


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[Goanet]1 HEALTH UPDATE Goa Jaundice outbreak Govt. declares red alert inPanjim

[GOACAN]

 

Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
-
--
Jaundice outbreak Stop drinking water from city restaurants,
Govt advises Citizens
--
As the situation arising out of the outbreak of viral Hepatitis (jaundice)
has turned alarming, the government has advised citizens not to drink
water from any of the restaurants in Panjim and not to eat uncovered
food from any eatery in the State.
Talking to a group of reporters after taking a review of the situation,
the Health Minister, Dr Suresh Amonkar said that the latest spurt of viral
Hepatitis is due to the drinking of contaminated water in some of the city's
chai restaurants after the potable water supply was infected with sewage.
The number of people afflicted with the Hepatitis virus is growing by the day
and more than 200 are suspected to have fallen victims to the water-borne
disease.
GMC hospital continued to get cases of jaundice while private practitioners
had much more. The ratio is 3:7 respectively. Enquiries with local doctors
indicated that several persons who had consumed water in the affected
restaurants, have tested positive for the viral Hepatitis. There is already
a panic and several persons have been visiting pathological clinics.
It was revealed today that the outbreak now is no longer restricted to
Panjim alone. Viral Hepatitis cases have been reported in Pernem and
Bicholim taluka as well.In fact, a person from Pernem, Pradip Moraskar
was admitted today to GMC in a serious condition,sources said.
Apparently trying to play down the number of people suffering from jaundice,
the health minister said so far the number is only 123. This includes the 
figure
from the GMC as well as from the private hospitals/clinics.When it was brought
to his notice that there must be cases which have not come to the DHS,
Dr Amonkar agreeing to this, said that the number anyway will not cross 200.

For the inaction/delayed action on the part of the authorities in handling the
situation, the health minister blamed it on the non-intimation by the private
hospitals/clinics of the disease. "We came to know when patients started
getting admitted in GMC", Dr Amonkar informed adding that had the private
hospitals/private practitioners informed us earlier, as they had got patients
earlier, "action" would have been taken days ago.
He said the government may declare red alert in the city and added that the
DHS is taking adequate measures keeping the situation under control.
Dr Amonkar said jaundice being a notified disease, DHS should have been
intimated by private hospitals and private practitioners. As only a few have
reported, the epidimeological cell is visiting them to get the figures. 
There was
however no confirmation whether all the private hospitals/clinics had been
visited by the DHS officials as the number of patients here was only 6 today.

He said the government authorities hadn't anticipated the outbreak of jaundice
after the contamination of drinking water was detected nearly a month ago.
Replying to queries, he didn't rule out the possibility of the existing 
water pipes
remaining free from the virus.

Meanwhile, acting following the near-epidemic situation, the government has
directed FDA to take action on the gaddas selling food in the open.The DHS
and FDA continued with their inspection drive, inspecting five restaurants on
Wednesday. On Tuesday, they had inspected 13. Though the government
said it was a joint inspection, the figures of the restaurants inspected today
did not tally.
---
HERALD 21/08/03
---
===
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
Documentation + Education + Solidarity
11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.goadesc.org
--
Working On Issues Of Development & Democracy
===


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[Goanet]ACTION ALERT:Mapusa KTC bus stand brimming with filth

[GOACAN]

--
Do GOACAN a favour, circulate this email to your
family members, relatives, neighbours and friends.
Help others be BETTER INFORMED,
The time is come for the people of Goa
to ORGANISE not AGONISE !!
-

Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Ph:2252660
---
--
Mapusa KTC bus stand brimming with filth
--
by Joaquim Fernandes
Every morning, Mr Nirmal Mhapsenkar (name changed) from Carraswado,
Mapusa, rises from bed, bathes and then performs his ritual pooja with
fastidious neatness. On his way to work at Panaji, Mr Mhapsenkar stops
at the Mapusa Kadamba transport corporation bus stand to catch the shuttle
service. Here, Mr Mhapsenkar's sense of cleanliness is grossly outraged.
A horrible stink emanates from the environs of the KTC bus now brimming
with filth.
Mr Nirmal Mhapsenkar is not alone in his distaste of the Mapusa KTC
bus-stand. "There are many of us who have been patronising the shuttle
service since day one. The shed has been put up at a dirty place. Later,
the Sulabh toilet was built nearby. Behind is a gutter which is always
choked. People also defecate near the gutter and the stench is horrible.
What a way to start one's day?" he asks.
These days, he says, the noxious odour is diluted by the rains. "We wrote
to the KTC authorities to shift and were delighted when they moved us to
near the RTO office. It was good relief. But suddenly, they moved us right
back. It was like teasing us," says Mr Mhapsenkar. This happened about
two years back and Mr Mhapsenkar and his fellow commuters have been
suffering in silence since then.
A visit to the Mapusa KTC bus-stand confirms Nirmal's predicament. The
stink near the shed apart, the KTC grounds are littered with thrash in various
stages of decay. The KTC stand is also full of large potholes which have now
turned into big brown puddles. Near the vehicle-entrance, a large horde of 
cattle
are ruminating luxuriously and dung cakes are generously spattered all around.
Like the buses, the cattle now seem to be a permanent feature of the Mapusa
KTC stand.

Pointing to the litter-spattered north-eastern corner of the stand, one 
bus-driver
says that migrants defecate there at dawn. "They also sleep under the buses.
Once I nearly drove over a man," he says. There are more kiosks on the 
northern
side. Strewn all around are de-juiced limbu halves, used drinking straws, 
wicker
baskets and more thrash. Behind the kiosks, men are urinating on the ground.

The bus-stand building is tolerably neat. A plaque on the building informs 
that it
was inaugurated on June 26, 1989 by then-chief minister, Mr Pratapsingh Rane.
It's a small irony that the bus-stand inaugurated by a man who dreamt of 
making
Goa into another Singapore is now going to seed.

There are enough "Do not spit" notices everywhere. But right below one such
notice near the entrance to a hotel (and all around), is a thick, brown, 
calcified,
long-time-layer of spat-out pan juice. Could it be that prolonged exposure 
to such
squalor makes people believe it is the norm?

A walk along the eastern periphery showed only one lady holding her nose. 
Also,
it is business as usual for the vendors seated near the covered-gutter at 
the gate
connecting the market to the bus stand. At the entrance, huddled in cool 
comfort
between a pile of refuse and a trampled-upon dung heap, one young man is 
selling
velvety blossoms of maroon dahlias. Ten rupees four, he says. This then is 
a slide
from the early-morning world of Mr Nirmal Mhapsenkar. "Before leaving home,
I now douse my kerchief with perfume. I hold the kerchief to my nose to 
ward off
the stink while I wait for the bus. I never used perfume before," he says.

Behind his shuttle-service shed is a large BSNL hoarding whose pretty-young
-smiling model clutches her head and proclaims, "Speak out!" All Mr Nirmal
Mhapsenkar manages is a sad remark. "So many people use the KTC service,
they should maintain some hygiene."
When contacted KTC managing director, Mr Arun Dessai, agreed that a
"terrible smell" emanates near the shuttle service shed. He expressed sadness
that despite the Sulabh toilet being so close, men were freely urinating 
outside.
While admitting to receiving the shuttle-service commuters' complaint, Mr 
Dessai
said shifting the shed to a new location was a "problem." He promised to
"give it a thought."

"The KTC is largely a socia

[Goanet]3 HEALTH UPDATE Goa Govt. Department canteens show the way.

[GOACAN]

--
Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
-
--
Govt canteens: enter at your own risk
--
It is said 'never look into a restaurant kitchen, you won't
want to eat'. Thanks to the State government's 'Good Governance',
in the capital city, this has now changed to 'Never look into a
government canteen kitchen, you won't want the risk of getting
jaundice'.
During a survey of canteens of seven government offices in Panjim
today, the underlying theme drawn was 'Eat and drink there at your
own risk.'Uncovered food, dark and dingy kitchens, unclean platforms,
filthy flooring, cobwebbed and charcoaled ceilings, oilcoated cups and
glasses, hasty washing of dishes and dispensing of food with unclean
hands was witnessed at each of the seven canteens visited by Herald
today.
The canteens appeared as clear nodes for spreading the jaundice
and posing high risk to the health of government employees and
all those who visit these canteens for the low priced chau, udok
and jevonn.
Herald's team first stopped at the Directorate of Accounts where
a glance into the canteen kitchen seemed evident that whoever visits
the place was quite immuned to poor standards of hygiene there.
This canteen is being run by one Naik for nearly 23 years, the team
was told. The place had been popular among the staff of the department
but now one sees more non-staffers there. The reason being that it's
rice plate costs only Rs 13 and a cup of tea Rs 2 and 2.50. However,
rusty containers were stacked with rava, a couple of containers with
cooked food were uncovered and cooks in a stuffy kitchen were bathed
in sweat.
Interestingly, the news of the media presence at the canteen was
communicated to the Director Nobert Moraes who immediately rushed
to the site and was seen personally inspecting the kitchen and issuing
instructions.Mr Moraes said,  "We have taken steps to keep the kitchen
clean," and accepted that much more needed to be done in the wake of
the jaundice epidemic.
The next stop was to the Secretariat canteen which is managed by
a consumer credit group of the Secretariat. While the representatives
were away, those who managed the cash counter refused to speak and
immediately shoved two plates of uncovered patties and samosas into
a glass closet. About ten uncovered rice plates priced at Rs 10 each and
placed not very high above a wet and mud stained flooring were awaiting
customers. The media team was however immediately escorted out by
the canteen staff.
While the team stood out, a stinking canine entered with flies hovering
all over its body and parked itself right in the doorway. It may be pointed
out that a week ago a gutter right in front of the canteen was clogged with
sewerage discharge. The canteen staff denied being responsible for the
same.
The team then moved to Education Department which is being run by
Sayyed Mohiddin, a canteen contractor. They sell the cheapest rice plate
from among the seven canteens visited today. It is priced at Rs 8 and
tea at Rs 1. Here the kitchen wore a dark and dingy look, dishes uncovered
and kitchen platform oily and unclean.They have been operating for the
last four months and stated that besides staff from the department a
couple of outsiders also visited the place.
It was nearly lunch time so the team moved on to the Forest Department
canteen at the old GMC Complex where Bharati has been running the
same for the last two years. On arrival, rice grains were still boiling in
huge containers and raw fish awaited a dip in boiling coconut curry.
Bharati was cooking for a total of 7-8 staff members from the Forest
Department. A water kettle lay on the unclean floor and close to it was
a cat rummaging through a dustbin while a helper grated coconut.
When the cat was driven out it jumped over the balcony railing where
the Herald team was aghast to find sewerage discharge into the
backyard.According to Bharati the old Resident Medical Officer's
canteen just below the Forest Department was responsible for it.
But the contractor at the old RMO canteen blamed the Forest Department
canteen for the mess.The old RMO canteen, apparently one of the dirtiest
of the seven canteens visited today seemed to have had a large crowd.
It's rice plate is priced at Rs 10 which was cheaper by Rs 5 than that
charged by the Forest Department canteen. However the walls of the
old RMO canteen and kitchen were black as ever. Even a black dog
seated close to the kitchen was camouflaged.
A waiter clad in a lungi and vest was serving food around. A couple
of young girls from the nursing college were seen waiting for their meals.
Glasses were being washed in a bucket of