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The Rape of Goa - A photo documentary by Rajan P. Parrikar Venue: Menezes Braganza Art Gallery, Panjim, May 21-24, 2008 http://www.parrikar.org/misc/doc-notice.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dears, Be at Caritas this afternoon at 4 P.M. and at Calangute [off CHOGM Road-Arpora road junction near the Church] at 5 P.M. [non-stretchable times, please] to hear the VOX POPULI ...the Voice of the People. What the GGRM leaders spoke yesterday in today's newspapers and what the CM spoke the day before is in the Herald report reproduced below. What Babu Azgaokar, the Minister for [or, rather, against] Panchayats, said has been reported by almost all the newspapers. I do not believe he has read the 73rd amendment to the Constitution of India, the Article 243 ZD or the Section 6 sub-section 4 of the Goa Panchayar Raj Act, 1994, which are the essential reading for any Minister FOR Panchayats. He clearly is not for Panchayati Raj. He does not like words it seems ....it is the numbers that seem to interest him. The numbers are now with the GGRM that is federating the village movements while the Goa ..... oh! let that be for now! Do not disturb. Task Force at Work. The SGPDA has just completed its task ...and does not even have a copy to show the people what it has done. At least we have the Interim Report of the Task Force. so what if it is like a bikini ...and hides the esentials ....as Soter D'Souza has rightly pointed out. At least we get to see the bikini. Roland Martin's recently repeated my question while discussing the 'stand' of a CSO on the 'Casino' "What is the CSO's stand on the bikini?" [I had asked this question when the GBA Convenor was quoted on the then proposed International Bikini Show in Goa]. Why is every Goan male expected to have a stand on everything that has pretty women in it ...the casino, the bikini or the bikini clad launch of the "Goa Times"? We have specialised CSOs and NGOs to do just that ... G-SEX ...oooops G-SACS [Goa State AIDS Control Society] for example! Can I hear the call [saad] somewhere? Forgive me for writing the irrelevant. It is the irrelevant that generally makes it to the front pages of the newspapers as an "exclusive scoop" and to the cable news networks as "Breaking news". The Truth is so boring that it does nothing for the circulation ..neither human blood circulation nor the newspaper circulation. Mog asundi. Miguel GGRM demands demolition of illegal projects NT NETWORK PANAJI " The Ganv Ghor Rakhaonn Manch (GGRM) on Friday demanded that all mega projects in Benaulim should be demolished and the area brought back to its original state if they were found to have committed in any irregularities. Sources also say that work has been halted in most projects under the scanner. At a press conference held at Panaji the GGRM has also criticised the Panchayat Minister, Mr Manohar Azgaokar, saying that he should not make such irresponsible statements when he has failed in his duty to implement the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments. They also said that the panchayat is duty bound to go by the directions issued by the gram sabhas and if they (the panchayats did not feel like doing so they had to challenge it before the directorate of panchayats. Two among the 11 projects in question have been inspected and show cause notices have also been issued to them. The convenor of the GGRM, Ms Geraldine Fernandes said that they have demanded that balance from among the 11 projects be inspected as soon as possible. The manch has also demanded that no projects should be cleared without the clearance of the gram sabhas as ultimately the people have to suffer as scarce resources have to be shared by so many others and wanted to know why the villagers have to go without water and children suffer without electricity for someone else’s profits. Replying to a question, the manch also said that they felt that some of the projects were from the RP2011 era and had to be automatically cancelled and said that they would give details about these later. It may be recalled that the Benaulim gram sabha, where over 600 people had gathered, had recently passed a resolution seeking revocation of licences to all the mega housing projects in Benaulim village with retrospective effect from January 26, 2007. Due to public pressure all the panchas, including the sarpanch, Ms Maria Fernandes, assured the villagers that they would not allow any mega housing projects in their respective wards and the village at large. Task Force to keep tabs on building activity BY HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, MAY 22 — Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has said the Task Force constituted to finalise the Regional Plan is studying to reduce the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in the village and to put some restrictions on construction activity in the villages. He, however, reiterated that construction projects cannot be stopped arbitrarily by people, even as he admitted that building plans can be revoked if the licences were obtained through misrepresentation of facts or through manipulation. The chief minister made these observations after Herald drew his attention to the ongoing agitation against mega housing projects in the villages, especially in Salcete taluka. Kamat said he do not see any scope to revoke licences which have been granted by the concerned authorities. "Of course, the licences can be revoked if there is manipulation or misrepresentation of facts", he added. When his attention was drawn to people apprehensions that large-scale construction activity in the villages would affect the demographic imbalance against Goans, Kamat said "Then we will have to make different laws. This question cannot be raised at this stage". Kamat said the ongoing agitation raises a host of issues. For instance, he demanded to know how ab individual can be obstructed if he or she wants to build a building on the private land. While saying that the Task Force is studying the question of FAR or what restrictions need to be imposed on constructions in the villages, the chief minister said the people are just opposing any housing projects. "I can understand when people raise objections to projects with 500 flats or 100 bungalows, but people are now opposing even 40 and 50 flats in some of the places", he added. -- -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mhapsa 403507 Goa Ph 9822982676 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.