Panaji, April 12, 2015  …. The Twentieth National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) and Preparedness meeting was held at Goa recently.

Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, AVSM, Director General Indian Coast Guard, Chairman NOSDCP, chaired the meeting. A total of eighty delegates including representative of various Ministries, Central and State Government departments and agencies, Ports and Oil Companies attended the meeting.

A highlight of the meeting was the release of the revised National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan by Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, AVSM Chairman NOSDCP. The comprehensively revised 2015 edition of the NOSDCP reflects current international norms and best practices, key relevant national regulation, experience gained since publication of first edition in Jul 1996 and valuable inputs received from stakeholders to the national plan. While the earlier editions of the NOSDCP covered only oil spills, the revised edition initiates national preparedness and response to HNS incidents also.

Yet another highlight of the meeting was the release of the Online Oil Spill Advisory (OOSA) system by Dr SSC Shenoi, Director Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services. The OOSA system developed by INCOIS places India among a select group of countries to have indigenously developed an online prediction system for movement of oil spills and significantly enhances the efficacy of national response to marine oil spills.

The 20^th NOSDCP meeting reviewed the national capabilities with the common aim to ensure collective preparedness to respond to any oil spill contingency in Indian waters. Vice Admiral HCS Bisht also recollected the minor incidents of pollution damages over the past year and the oil spill in Bangladesh which caused damage to the fragile eco system of the Sunderbans Delta and urged persons in charge of all ports and oil installations to review their plans and resources for oil spill contingencies in Indian waters.

April 12, 2015 ….Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar has assured that the long pending demand to have permanent structure for Sanjay Higher Secondary and Vocational Unit will be in reality soon. He said he will take initiative and insist upon the State Government to take  necessary steps to have permanent structure for this school.

Shri Parrikar was speaking as a Chief Guest at the  annual day function of Sanjay Higher Secondary and Vocational Unit held at Porvorim recently.

Speaking further Shri Parrikar said that it is our main motto and duty to look after needs of these special children. He complimented INS Mandovi for taking various efforts for this school and appealed to them to take more initiative for the welfare of the students.

Shri Parrikar said that the performance shown by these special students has is satisfying and these Students with these kinds of special needs should be provided additional educational services such as different approaches to teaching, the use of technology and  specifically adapted teaching area will help them a enrich their academic pursuits.

Students were felicitated by Achiever of Academic Awards at the hands of Shri Michael Lobo on the occasion.

Shri Pramod Sawant, MLA,  Linette Ferrao, Member Secretary, Capt Sanjay D. Cunha, Commanding Officer, INS Mandovi, Smt A. Veges, Principal of Sanjay Higher Secondary and Vocational Unit were present on the occasion.

Shri Guruprasad Pawaskar, Chairman of Sanjay Centre welcome the guests.

Panaji- April 11, 2015 … Chief Minister Shri Laxmikant Parsekar recently visited ongoing Modern Central Jail at-Colvale , and acquainted himself with the progress of work so far.

The work of construction of Central Jail has been executed through the PWD and is nearing completion. Phase- I has been already completed and Phase II will be completed on the end of the year.

During the course of his visit Shri Parsekar instructed the concerned officers to maintain the quality of work and expedite the remaining work.

It is proposed to shift the prisons to the new place by the end of May this year.

On arrival, the Chief Minister Shri Parsekar was received by the Inspector General of Prisons, Shri Elvis Gomes who took him around the place and briefed about the progress.  

Directors of DK Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Mumbai and others were present on the occasion.

11/04/2015 … Defense minister Manohar parrikar along with chief minister laxmikhant Parsekar, gsidc chairman dr pramod sawant and other government officials on Friday inspected the ongoing works for the upcoming new mandovi bridge in the capital city …

It may be noted that Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, had laid the foundation stone of the new Mandovi bridge at Goa last year …

The third Mandovi bridge is receiving 90 per cent of its financing from NABARD the financial institution which is the main lender for the infrastructure project, and has sanctioned Rs 390-crore loan out of total project cost of Rs 514 crore.

Sources said that almost 66,000 vehicles travel over the Mandovi bridges every day and with the construction of a third mandovi bridge it is expected that at least 25,000 of these will go over the new bridge directly to Margao or Ponda once it is built. This is expected to greatly reduce the present traffic congestion near the Panaji KTC bus stand.

Addressing media persons at the site defense minister Manohar Parrikar said that he was happy to see that the work was going on as per the schedule time and was sure that the bridge would be completed in the given limit

10/04/2015 … Union minister of road transport, national highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari approved the development of three new roads in the state Gifting Goa a 5,000 crore bonanza for development of road transport and infrastructure .

The foundation stone was also laid for the road-widening project along NH 4-A and NH 17-B. The highlight was the announcement of the long-awaited Zuari bridge, which would be built at a cost of 2,000 crore which the Centre would foot.

Addressing media persons at the party head office in panjim union minister of road transport, national highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari said that the foundation stone for a new bridge on the River Zuari will be held on December 19 while the Goa-Mumbai Highway would be concretised with four lanes.

Gadkari said the inland waterways bill to convert 101 rivers across the country into transport channels would be introduced in Parliament on April 20 and urged the Goa government to make use of inland waterways for transportation of goods, which will help reduce logistics costs.

The bill aims to reduce traffic burden from roads and promote waterways where transportation cost is barely 50 paise a km in comparison to Rs.1 by rail and Rs.1.5 a km through roads.

Gadkari also stated that the his government aim in the next coming months would also be to increase the gdp up to 8% which was earlier down to 4.5 percent during the erstwhile upa government

10/04/2015 … Benaulim mla caitano silva has condemned the remarks made by the one of the goa state bjp-mgp led Minister and and his wife over remarks against convent schools and has stated that it would better for such people not to send their kids on convent schools so that at least Catholics children could get a chance to study in catholic run schools.

Speaking to media reporter’s benaulim mla caitano silva said that since the concerned persons had commented on the convent culture it was better for non Catholics not to go in convent schools so that at least Catholics students could get a chance to go in catholic schools

Caitu said since there has been a tough competition to get admissions in Catholics schools if certain community concerned people do not want their kids to go in the Catholics schools then at least Christian children would study and become someone in life

Meanwhile aldona mla glen ticlo also commenting on the issue said that whoever had made the comment was absolutely ridiculous and did not agreed on it as bonding within all religions in the state was very strong

10/04/2015 …. Lifeguards serving on the beaches of Goa have rescued around eight persons at different locations along the coastline between April 3-6, 2015 when tourists thronged to the sandy shores of Goa during the long extended weekend gone-by.

• A total of 16 persons were rescued by lifeguards between March 31 to April 6, 2015
• Major rescue operation at Arambol beach – eight saved
• Other rescues between April 3-6 at different locations

Rescues were carried out at Cavellosim, Anjuna, Bogmalo, Vagator and Ashwem beach. Most of the rescue reports indicate that the tourists wading in the waters, failed to pay heed to warnings from lifeguards and ventured either too far or into no-swimming zones where they got caught in rip currents.

In two of the cases, the rescued victims needed medical attention and were rushed to the closest hospital and primary health centre and were discharged after being administered required treatment.

In all the cases the lifeguards manning the respective lifeguard towers lost no time in rushing to the rescue of those in distress and brought out the tourists safely back to shore.

In another major incident reported on March 31, 2015, eight tourists were rescued at Arambol beach where they were caught in rip currents.

The incident occurred at around 3.00 pm approximately 300-400 meters from Arambol tower. The group from Bangalore had waded into the waters to a distance of 25-30 meters seawards.

The lifeguard on duty had requested the tourists to shift to a safe zone, but they did not pay attention to the warnings and continued swimming at the same location.

After a while the eight of them ventured further seawards and were caught in a rip current which dragged them 40-50 meters seawards. The victims were unable to swim back to shore and gestured for help. Lifeguard Sunil observed the victims in distress and approached them with the rescue boards and tubes. He also relayed for help from the neighbouring towers.

A jet ski was pressed into operation as well. Four victims were secured onto rescue boards, one with the rescue tube and three by the Jet Ski. All victims were brought safely to shore with the help of the Jet Ski.

Two of the victims were administered oxygen and taken to the nearby Tuem CHC and later referred to the District hospital at Mapusa.

Lifeguard services in Goa are provided by the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Goa and operated by Drishti’s Surf Life Sacing Goa (SLSG) which keeps a close watch on the beaches from dawn to dusk, an exercise which has prevented deaths due to drowning on the shores of the State.

Panaji: April 09, 2015 …. Social and economic disparity between people and groups has been a subject which has been engaging the focused attention and deep concern of the  Hon’ble Governor, Smt. Mridula Sinha.  She has been taking positive steps to bring about changes in this regard.  Inequality and inequity, according to her, are stumbling blocks for the fuller development of human personality and social and national progress. 

It is in this background that the Hon’ble Governor, Smt. Mridula Sinha, has evolved a unique programme: ‘Sachchi Dosti’, which is meant to bridge the gap between students of public schools and students of private schools.  For the first time , this programme was organized at Raj Bhavan, on April 8, 2015 in co-ordination with the Directorate of Education, Goa.

At the above function, 20 Scheduled Tribe students (10 girls and 10 boys) from Government High School, Kundai, Ponda (which is in rural area and has more than 20% Scheduled Tribe students), and 20 students (10 girls and 10 booys) from St. Aloysius High School, Diwadi (Goa), were mixed with one from the Government and Private School, thereby creating twenty sets of buddy pairs. 

The Hon’ble Governor distributed “Sachhi Dosti” kits containing a diary, Raj Bhavan Post-cards, envelopes, pens, pencils and postage stamps.  They took oath of friendship and were asked to communicate with each other through Post-cards which were given to them.  The students exchanged telephone numbers and they have been advised to communicate between them once in a month. 

They were also advised to write diaries, and once in every month, the diaries will be shared in the presence of school teachers.  The Hon’ble Governor advised the children to maintain their friendship throughout their life.  They must meet once in 15 days at home or gardens and exchange pleasantries which will help in maintaining friendship.

The Hon’ble Governor in her speech at this function explained the existing inequality in status of the students studying in private schools and Government schools and stated that this concept was evolved by her to remove this social problem and create emotional and intellectual integration and a sense belonging among the students.

The Hon’ble Governor also gave her guidance to the students on the importance of cleanliness, both personal and environmental.  She distributed “Swachchata kits” to the students which contained items such as duster, nail-cutter, tooth brush, tooth paste, comb and soap. 

A Swachchata Pledge in Hindi and English was also given.   The Hon’ble Govenor advised the children that they should keep their body always clean and maintain cleanliness in all places at home and schools.  The children were also explained about how to dispose off the waste in a systematic manner. 

The Hon’ble Governor informed the children that when the children take due care to keep the houses clean and tidy, their parents will appreciate it.  The children were advised that they should adopt a habit to remove waste wherever they find and deposit it in the dustbin.

Panjim, 9th April 2015: Tourism infrastructure development projects worth s Rs.40 crore are set to be taken up by the Goa government in Pernem taluka giving a facelift to popular tourist locales namely Keri, Mandrem, Arambol and Morjim.

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Shri. Laxmikant Parsekar, convened a meeting on Monday evening to chalk out plans for the mega tourism development projects proposed in Pernem Taluka.

The Minister for Tourism Shri.Dilip Parulekar, Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Shri. Rajendra Arlekar and Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Shri. Nilesh Cabral and tourism officials were also present for the meeting held yesterday. Sarpanchas from the concerned village Panchayats were also part of the deliberations.

The tourism infrastructure development project in Pernem taluka entails providing toilets, changing rooms, lighting, pathways, illumination, cafeterias and more on beaches and other tourist spots which will help add more impetus on Goa Tourism’s endeavor to promote cultural and heritage tourism.

As reported recently, the beaches of Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol and Keri are most pristine and beautiful and were in need of a facelift. The infrastructure development projects will give a boost to these tourism locales which are also less crowded and commercialized but a hot spot for foreign tourists.

The Chief Minister Shri. Parsekar said, “The benefits of tourism will percolate to the villages of Pernem taluka and ensure sustained development of the tourism industry.”

The Minister for Tourism Shri. Parulekar said, “Pernem taluka has some of Goa’s popular beaches and the government is keen on developing these popular areas with infrastructure projects.”

The Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Shri. Nilesh Cabral said, “Goa Tourism and GTDC have been working tirelessly to augment infrastructure along the coastline and plans are being chalked out to do so through various coastal circuits. The areas of Morjim, Mandrem, Arambol and Keri draw tourists from far and wide for being picturesque and peaceful. The villagers of Pernem will also benefit from this project both directly and indirectly.”

The tourism ministry plans to take up areas of tourist importance in Bardez taluka next for infrastructure development.

Mumbai, 8th April.2015 …. A ferry service between Mumbai and Goa is to begin shortly. The chairman of Murmugao Port Trust, Shree Cyril C. George told a press conference in Mumbai recently, that the ferry service which will start in a few months will cater to the tourists commuting between Mumbai and Goa.

He also said that Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) has registered a sterling performance clocking a remarkable 25% growth during the just concluded financial year. In the process, MPT has also recorded the highest growth rate on a year on year basis, among all the 12 major ports in India.

This is a commendable achievement considering that the Port suffered massive downturn in the throughput following the ban on exports of iron ore from Goa. From a peak of 50.02 MMT handled during 2010-11, the Port faced fall of fortunes in 2013-14, when the total cargo throughput was reduced to 11.74 MMT.

Showing a great degree of resilience, the port has shown a resurgent growth by handling 14.71 million metric tons (MMT) cargo between April 2014 and March 2015, as against 11.74 MMT during the corresponding period in 2013-14. Out of the total throughput of 14.71 MMT, exports accounted for 3.33 MMT (23%) and Imports accounted for 11.38 MMT (77%).

Prior to the ban on iron ore mining, iron ore exports constituted a lion’s share (80%) in the port’s cargo profile. MPT has since staged a remarkable turnaround from being a mono-commodity port to being a multi-commodity port by adding a wide range of cargo to its kitty. Today, coal, coke, fertilizers, wood chips, steel products, granite, bauxite, petroleum and other chemicals figure prominently in its cargo profile and constitute 90% of total tonnage handled at the Port.

The port is slowly but steadily improving the container business and has registered an impressive overall growth of 28% by handling 24514 TEUs as against 19,176 containers during 2013-14. Of the total containers, 52% were imports (12818 TEUs) and 48 % were exports (11696TEUs).

During the year MPT saw a 31% increase in the vessel arrivals. A total of 519 vessels were handled at the port during the period 2014-15 as against 396 vessels during 2013-14.

Today much of Goa’s containeriesed trade moves by road and are exported/ imported through the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) located close to Mumbai.

Goa continues to attract high end tourists from world over. During the financial year, the port hosted 26 high end luxury cruise ships carrying over 21084 tourists and 9894 crew. This is an increase of 44% in cruise traffic as compared to 18 cruise ships handled during the year 2013-14.

In order to further facilitate cruise tourism, the Port is now constructing an ultra-modern cruise terminal building at an estimated cost of Rs. 8.79 crores which is expected to be completed by December 2016. The terminal building will have all the modern facilities such as Cafeteria, Lounge, wi-fi connectivity, Foreign Exchange Counter, etc.

Backed by astute control on costs and riding on increased cargo throughput and income from estate rentals, MPT has also recorded an operating surplus of Rs. 30.22 crores against a loss of Rs.29.60 crores in 2013-14. The port reports an operating income of Rs.272.74 crores for 2014-15, an increase of 28.97% over the operating income of 2013-14. The operating expenditure has marginally increased by 0.6% to Rs.242.52 crores from Rs.241.07 crores during 2013-14.