24-07-2013 …  Stating that better pay parking systems, better garbage management along with walking tracks were the need of the hour in the capital city of Panjim chairman of dempo group of companies srinivas dempo on Wednesday called on for changing the city master plan in to smaller micro plans for the development of  the capital city of Panjim ….

Mr dempo was speaking to media reporters after he was accorded a warm welcome when he paid a courtesy call to the mayor of the corporation city of Panjim surendra furtado at his ccp office where in various issues were discussed over the development of the capital city as well as helping the corporation from the dempo group side through its corporate social responsibilities ….

Speaking to media reporters chairman of dempo group of companies srinivas dempo said he had discussed some of the proposals where in the dempo house and ccp could work hand in hand along with the state government …

Mr dempo said that was a need for people to address issues such as traffic, garbage for which there was a need for a working master plan which could get converted in to an action plan

Commenting over the issue of the bandodkar football stadium in Panjim Mr Dempo further stated there was a need to have a football stadium having a capacity crowd of four to five thousand

Meanwhile ccp mayor surendra furtado also spoke about the discussion

23-07-2013 …  The state government would spend a total of around 60 crores in before the ganesh chaturthi and get all the pothole and problems of the state roads solved state pwd minister sudhin dhavlikar said on Monday

Speaking to goanreproter pwd minister sudhin dhavlikar said that the state government had approached the centre asking for funds to the tune of 40 crores which would be given within six months of time carrying out major roads works of the state highways

Commenting over the bad road conditions long the highway road at porvorim Dhavlikar said since the funds were released late by the national highway authorities state pwd department got delayed in issuing the tender work for the highway works due to which pwd was unable to put macadam on the highway road

Dhavlikar also stated that roads were damaged due to the heavy showers that had taken place in the state in the last few days due to which now there was a need from the engineer section department to study as how roads could be well maintained in rainy season too

22-07-13 … With the state government running in to doldrums due to the financial crisis after the supreme court had put a ban on mining activities in the state, the state government in a way to generate revenue towards its treasury seems to have now given the premises of yatri niwas belonging to the goa medical college and hospital at bambolim on rent to the officials of lusofonia games for setting up a games secretariat for the upcoming lusofonia games 2013 ….

Though the state government officials belonging to the goa medical college and hospital denied to say that the premises of yatri niwas was given on rent or had been rented but mentioned that it was just through mutual understanding that the yatri niwas premises was given to the organizers but one of the official of the lusofonia games 2013 who has come all the way from delhi for organizing the event said “we have rented the whole premises of yatri niwas and no one other than our staff is allowed to enter inside the building premises as it is totally cordoned off the official said”

Sources told goanreporter.com that around 35-40 from officials from delhi are already in goa for preparation of hosting the lusofonia games 2013 who have been put up in this yatri niwas along with officials from goa turning yatri niwas in to a games secretariat thus depriving locals from health facilities who sometimes event don’t get a bed space to sleep at night time if any of their close ones are admitted inside the gmc hospital

 It may be noted that Yatri niwas is a 116 bedded accommodation where in there are dormitories with four beds in each room  (12 rooms) and 8 beds in each 3 separated rooms on ground floor level while on the first floor, there are 22 individual double bedrooms with attached toilets which have been transformed in to office with computers and tables for the lusofonia games secretariat

 but if one goes to the gmc hospital building at any given day one could easily find relatives of patients sleeping on the floor outside the wards with no space available for patients to sleep which has not been noted down by the state government thus giving yatri niwas on rent for lusofoina organizers instead of using it for patients relatives

 Speaking over the issue of yatri niwas premises being given on rent chief minister manohar parrikar over the issue parrikar said “ I don’t think it is rented and been if it rented than what is the big problem the money would go to the state government only no and not to a private party and it is an internal arrangements”

 Parrikar said “ yatri niwas was not being used as the premises is not for the patients but patients relatives and the same was lying vacant for three to four years and only expenses were paid so we taught of giving it to them so that rent being paid to outsiders by the organizers of lusofonia games were curtailed off and I do not think it is given on rent as someone who had informed you might not be aware of it”

 Health minister laxmikhant Parsekar said “ yatri niwas was a premises who was built for keeping any patients relative and since it is vacant and not been occupied it has been given for setting up the games secretariat for lusofonia games which should not have a problem as it is a government premises and if the government can get some rent out of it then there should be no problem on it as we are earning some amount of it though I do not have a complete detail on it”

 On asked as how was the premises being given no rent when there were problems of patients sometimes not being able to get bed space in the hospital Parsekar said “ gmc had around 1200 beds and whenever if there was an increase in the number of patients and beds were occupied then one had to sleep on the floor though such situations were also taken care off”

 But surprisingly once again as usual the st andre mla vishnu surya wagh seems to have been kept aside over the issue who informed herald “ I am not aware of any such thing and since you brought it to my notice I have come to know about it and would try and find out what the whole issue is”

 Meanwhile curtorim mla and congress spokesperson alexio reginaldo lourenco said “ gmc premises can’t be given for rent but should be given for public use and if it given then it is wrong as one side there are allegations that slabs or fall ceiling are falling and such premises should be required to be kept empty if such incidents taken place then patients could be shifted to it and therefore I think the government should look after patients instead of given the premises on rent due to the rainy season due to the outburst of fevers an all I think they should accommodate those people which have no bed no place to sleep to be accommodate there and that’s why I can say that the chief minister has lost hold of the priorities of the state”

21-07-2013 … In a surprise revelation which could spark more fire in to the controversy of Panjim market illegalities former councilor and Panjim market committee chairman uday madkaikar on Saturday denied of having committed illegalities in city market illegalities and has stated that whatever decision of allotting fifty shops during his tenure in Panjim market were done as a collective decision involving, former ccp-mayor, former ccp commissioner and former council member’s ….

It may be noted that though the report on Panjim market illegalities was submitted to the city corporation on Friday Mayor of the corporation city of Panjim surendra furtado has gone on saying that he seems to have been not satisfied with the report submitted by the investing office n d agarwal and he had made up his plans to appoint a retired judge who could look in to the matter once again and could submit his report within two months …

furtado futher had gone and also stated that he was aware of some of the former and present councilors being involved in to the Panjim market illegalities and was surprised to noted that the report though having mentioned that illegalities were committed while allotting the shops in Panjim market had no names of any one being involved in the frauds which was totally false and baseless

Speaking to goanreporter former councilor and Panjim market committee chairman uday madkaikar denied of being involved in any illegalities having taken place during his tenure as a market committee chairman and stated that mismanagement of shops in Panjim market had taken place right from the year 2003 while during his tenure from 2006-2008 he had allotted only 50 shops taking in to confidence the former ccp mayor tony rodrigues, former ccp commsioner elvis gomes as well as the members of the then market committee, standing committee, and even the former council members

Commenting over the allegations of one shop being made in to three madkaikar said that though such decision was not taken during his tenure such decision was taken only to resolve the issue of gadda owners so that they could be given space inside the market as per the list given by gsidc

madkaikar said even the issue of levying rent on shops in the Panjim market was not decided during his tenure due to the shop owners not being ready to accept the rent fixed by the ccp office

Meanwhile reacting over the statements made by former councilor and Panjim market committee chairman uday madkaikar ccp mayor surendra furtado said “ the coporation new took ant decision on such illegalities and it was a gang which took such illegal decisions …

19-07-2013 …. The state tourism department had asked the central tourism minister for relaxation to some of the hotels from the state who has been served notices by the goa state pollution control board for not having the set up of sewerage treatment plant as well as garbage management system in their hotels under the order of national green tribunal …

It may be noted that the national green tribunal had directed pcb across the country to close down all units including hotels running without the consent to operate under the air and water acts environment and forests wrote to the goa state pollution control board to take action in the matter due to which 50% of industries and hotel could close down in to the state

Addressing media persons at his office at the secretariat in porvorim tourism minister dilip parulekar said that since there was a need for such issue to be addressed holistically he had requested the tourism minister to take up the issue on top priority with the ministry of environment for some viable solution to it …

Parulekar said that the central government had also announced collective landing permits to the state in order to enable tourist in group of four or above to travel to india …

Parulekar also stated that the central tourism minister had also approved goa as one of the airports of the country where visa on arrival facility would be granted to the visiting tourists

18-07-2013 … A minor puncture in the water distribution line, along 18 June road near vishal mega mart seems to have caused water contamination in to the capital city of Panjim.

Public Works Department staff swung into action immediately on Wednesday morning to plug in to the minor leakage in to the water distribution pipeline through which dirty water coming out from city service connections had begun flowing through the distribution lines thus contaminating drinking water in to the city.

Speaking over the phone to goanreporter assistant engineer of Panjim city sewerage network radhakrishnana said that though there was no problem as far as city sewerage network was concerned drinking water could have contaminated due to the service connection pipelines coming out from city hotels or restaurants which had got collected near the leakage of the drinking water pipelines

An official from the Pwd department said the rain water stagnation had near the leakeage of the water pipeline had resulted in to the contamination of the drinking water and the same was resolved by the end of the day.

Meanwhile ccp mayor surendra furtado blamed the telephone department for digging the city roads time and again which had created the problems of water contamination in to the capital city

Furtado also stated that it was a serious matter which was beyond ccp control

17-7-2013 … The draft holistic master plan for the capital city of Panaji would be kept open for suggestion from Thursday this was announced by chief minister manohar parrikar at a function held at the corporation office in Panjim

parrikar also announced that the same format would also be used for other cities likes margao, mapusa, vasco and ponda

 It may be noted that the draft plan would consist of various aspects designed and finalized by the experts for up gradation of infrastructure in Panaji city which is being prepared by consultant L K S India private limited, who started their work in February 2013.

 The plan for developing Panjim city is part of the Rs 50 crore budget proposal allocated to the Corporation of the City of Panaji, which was announced by the government in March after Chief minister Parrikar, in his budget speech in 2012, had announced a master plan for Panaji city while the work has been entrusted to the GSIDC.

Chief Minister parrikar was at the ccp office on Wednesday morning to inaugurate the four garbage collection trucks which were donated by four private firms who have their registered offices in the capital city and the same was done under their corporate social responsibilities scheme in the presence of ccp mayor surendra furtado, ccp councilors and representatives of the four private firms …

Commenting over the statements made by ccp mayor surendra furtado of not giving his views on the report of market illegalities to the state government as well as appoint a retired judge to study the report Chief minister manohar parrikar said that it was the decision of the corporation and he had no say on it

Meanwhile ccp mayor surendra furtado said that four more new trucks were in the pipeline which would be donate be some of the leading banking firms of the country having their office in the city

16-07-2013 … Exclusive story: Getting tough with the off shore casinos being operated close to the mandovi river in to the capital city of panjim the Corporation of the City of Panaji has decided not to renew trade licenses of the five casino offices which are being operated from the capital city land for the current financial year thus stating that casino offices were run illegally on the ccp land in the capital city

it may be noted that the corporation had recently decided to seal the Panaji offices of all casinos operating in river Mandovi on grounds that the casinos were causing traffic problems in the city and blocking the river.

The Following resolution was moved by councillor Kabir Pinto Makhija which had a support of 29 of the 30 councillors  after which Furtado had stated that he would issue a note to the CCP Commissioner directing him to seal the casino offices.

According to the ccp officials as a part of the trade tax a fee of rupees fifty thousand with additional ten percent has been fixed by ccp from last year for a year for each of the five casino operators namely

m/s casino goa – advani pleasure cruise co pvt ltd

casino pride – goa coastal resorts and recreation pvt ltd

casino carnival – v m salgaocar and bro pvt ltd

casino royale – delta hospitality and entertainment pvt ltd

casino kings – coastal sports venture pvt ltd

to be paid to ccp but with the trade license having been expired in last April the further decision of  renewal of trade licenses of the this five casinos offices have been kept pending bringing forth further illegalities of casinos offices being illegal operated in Panjim without trade license

Speaking to goanreporter over the issue ccp mayor surendra furtado said that cpc had not renewed any trade licenses of the casinos which had their offices in the city jurisdiction and the casino operators were operating their offices illegally

furtado also named the five casinos who were operating their office illegally without trade licenses in the capital city

Meanwhile on asked about his views over ccp mayor furtado intentions of closing casino offices from the city chief minister manohar parrikar in his statement said that if such decision of the ccp was by provision of law then they had to take action on it

15-07-2013 … The state congress party on Saturday raised its apprehensions on the state government appointing a private construction company from Hyderabad based contractor m/s simplex project ltd for laying the athletic track at bambolim and mapusa for the upcoming lusofonia games …

Addressing media persons at the party head office in Panjim congress spokesperson and curtorim mla reginaldo lourenco said that the same construction company from hyderabad who had now in turn sub contacted the work to m/s sports infratech a new company floated by m/s jubilee sports were been blacklisted by the cbi for the supply of sub standard sports equipments during the common wealth games 2010 and it was strange that under parrikar rules in goa a cbi black listed firm was now executing the works of laying down athletic tracks

Reginaldo also stated that under the rule of cm parrikar the entire infrastructure for lusofonia games was not at all being built with a vision and foresight and therefore the same would not help harness goa’s indigenous sporting talent in years to come