18-feb-2013 … Looking in to the interest of the state tourism and specially the candolim coastal belt Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar on Monday said that the state tourism department was ready to give another chance M/s Arihant Ship Breakers to remove the remains of M V River Princess buried off Sinquerim-Candolim coast

Speaking to goanreporter over the issue of the remains of river princess along the candolim coast tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said that the monitoring committee was supposed to meet in this week to take stock of the situation and the concerned company had been asked to come forth with its action plan to complete the work before the start of the rainy season.

Parulekar said that the state government was keen to see that whatever was still buried under the sea bed was removed 100 per cent and also stated that no payments would be released to the company till the work was done up to the state government satisfaction and certified by the NIO

17-feb-2013 .. South goa mp Francisco sardinha on Saturday expressed his un-satisfaction over the state government affidavit filed in the Supreme Court over the mining issue which sardinha said that the affidavit was only speaking about clearing dumps while there was anything mentioned about starting of legal mining in the state

 Speaking to goanreporter  sardinha said that it was unfortunate that the state government had delayed in filing an affidavit in the supreme court for a long time and was unable to understand as why there was a delay to filed an affidavit and raised his apprehension as weather the centre would accept the state government proposal from the filed affidavit

 Sardinha said that he was in favour of removing mine from the pits and selling it but was not in favour of mine which was being removed from the dumps …

16-feb-2013 … South goa Member of Parliament Francisco sardinha seems to have been able to convince the central government over the dabolim airport issue who has in written got an assurance from the central government stating that the dabolim airport is here even if another airport like mopa comes up in the state …

Speaking to goanreporter after landing from Delhi over the dabolim-mopa airport issue the south goa mp Francisco sardinha said he had in writing from the government of India stating that the airport at dabolim would exist even if two airport would come up in the state of goa and therefore was informing goan people that dabolim was here to stay forever and ever

sardinha said though at present there were only six arrow bridges at the dabolim airport assurance was given to him that the remaining four to five arrow bridges would be constructed at the airport in another few months along with parking facilties …

 Sardinha also said that he was still in favour of mopa airport as he was looking at the state forty to fifty years ahead

15-feb-2013 .. Paddy and vegetable cultivation in merces village has come to a halt as unwanted saline water has entered in to the field of merces village which has caused a major destruction of paddy and vegetable cultivation forcing a thousand of rupees loss to local farmers …

 According to locals doors of the sluice gates located at manoswadda in the merces village seems to have been kept open forcing the saline water to enter in to the fields of the village of merces…

Speaking to goanreporter a local farmer Charlie dsouza charged the committee members for purposely keeping the doors of manoswadda sluice gates opened due to which saline water had entered in to the village fields

Another farmer Teo Pereira from chimbel said fields have been destroyed with the local as well as government authorities were least bothered to take a note of what illegal was going on at the manoswaddo sluice gates …

14-feb-2013 … While the state government has initiated plans of clearing garbage along the highway roads in and around the state of goa garbage menance seems to have hit the highway roads coming under the jurisdiction of merces village panchayat

lot of garbage along the Panjim-old goa kadamba highway seems to have gone unnoticed and is still lying haywire and scattered along the highway road which had made the work of merces panchayat difficult to tackle the garbage issue even when the state government had made efforts to clear the highway roads of the state …

For the past few months garbage seems to have made its ground along this Panjim-old goa kadamba highway road which has even moved towards the nearby river bank thus forcing the panchayat as well as locals to face a lot of hardships from the garbage menance which is believed to have been thrown even by passerby …

Speaking to goanreporter sarpanch of merces village panchayat yateen palekar that the garbage seems to be not coming from merces village but was from chimbel area but the village panchayat had taken initiative for garbage collection drive

yateen said that though the village panchayat was cleaning the garbage mess from the highway road the same was made dirty by passerby again and again by throwing garbage along the road

 yateen also commented over the issue of saline water entering in to the village fields

13-feb-2013 … Stating that though there could be various opinions in the congress party over the issue of dabolim-mopa, South goa mp francsisco sardinha on Wednesday said he was in favour of the existing dabolim airport over mopa if two airports were not feasible for the state of goa

Speaking at a press media at the party head office in Panjim south goa mp francisco sardinha said that there should not be any confusion in to the minds of the goan people over the dabolim-mopa issue and would support both dabolim as well as mopa airport for the state if both were feasible …

Over the issue of mining Sardinha once again retreated the need of state government appointing good counsels in the supreme court and mentioned to take up the issue with the prime minister dr manmohan singh

Commenting over the issue of medical tourism sardinha asked the state government to keep an eye on unqualified doctors who were taking advantage of it and were spoiling the name of the state ….

while mentioning that there were some politicians who could contest parliamentary elections from anywhere in the country Sardinha said as he was the sitting mp of south goa he was confident of get the congress ticket for the forthcoming parliamentary elections

12-feb-2013 … Chief Minister manohar Parrikar on Thursday would inaugurated the redeveloped of edc area at patto plaza …

the fifteen crores re-developed work of the edc patto area was started way back in the year 1980 was given to m/s venkata rao infra projects private limited in November 2010 and designed by architect rahul deshpande and associates …

the total redevelop area covers a total area of around 1.87 lakh sqmts in which edc has a parking facilities for 784 four wheeler’s, 1108 two wheeler’s, around 154 plants have been plants inside the edc area at various places and also has a set up of around 200 street lights in the area …

The edc area at patto plaza has also started the facilities of pay parking system which would be also implemented later in a phase wise in all over the capital city and also has a pedestrian friendly walking area at the patto plaza ….

11-feb-2013 … Stating that the state bjp led government was fooling goans with the dabolim mopa airport issue Chairman of the minority cell of the state congress party saifullah khan on Monday demanded for the re-notification of the dabolim parking land

Speaking to media reporters at the party head office in Panjim saifullah said that the state chief minister Manohar Parrikar was making fun of goans saying that dabolim airport would not be close if mopa comes up and therefore would asked for renotification of the dabolim parking land

Saifullah said that if the airport at dabolim closure down and mop comes up it would not only have an effect on the entire south goa but also on the tourism sector in the vasco port town

 Meanwhile spokesperson of state congress party reginaldo lourenco said the party would come out with a clear statement over the dabolim airport issue and would also take up the issue with the centre

9-feb-2013 … Even though the state chief minister has initiated plans of setting up a 100 tonnes garbage treatment plant at baigunim the officials of old goa village panchayat seems to be in no mood of allowing the corporation city of panjim for setting up the garbage treatment plant …

old goa village is considered to be recognized as the world heritage site and time and again locals have opposed to the move of setting up the garbage treatment plant

it may be noted that in the last cabinet meeting chief minister had announced of setting up a 100 tones garbage treatment plant at baiguinim site which would not have smell within the radius of 2mts …

speaking to goanreporter sarpanch of old goa village panchayat vishal volvoikar said we the old goa village panchayat members along with the locals have already taken a gram sabha resolution not to allow any garbage treatment plant at baigunim and that remains the same as we wont allow any such plant to come up as it would destroy the complete topography of world heritage site at old-goa .

Not only that since we have an objection to the setting up of the treatment plant the matter of permitting construction licenses is still lying at the office of director of panchayats office and therefore our decision remains the same said vishal …

While earlier north goa mp shripad naik and even cumbarjua mla has made their stands clear over the baigunim issue

In his earlier statement North goa mp shripad naik has already clarified his stand stating that “every local as well as people from surrounding areas in and around old goa have been opposing to this project at baigunim as old goa is a world famous tourist spot having ancient old churches along with a mutt, residential area as well as a school and therefore when people from all over the world visit old goa we do feel that such project should not come up close to this world heritage site and should not think of this spot also and therefore I fell ccp and state government should think of other place and set up their solid waste management plant though we also do understand that a solution has to come on solving garbage issues”

While cumbarjua mla pandurang madkaikar also stated that “I being a local mla has opposed to the setting up of this garbage treatment plant at baigunim and if now ccp or tries to put up a plant then once again people would get up and therefore I also I feel that ccp should not think of putting their hands in to fire once again as ccp know that right from beginning there has been an oppose on it which has been a strong oppose and that same oppose is still on “` …..

9-feb-2013 … While junk vehicles are said to be moved out of the state roads a junk vehicle situated along the aggasaim by pass road has earned a lot of attraction from passer-by’s who make it a point to have a glimpse of the junk vehicle which is being used for an add campaign of a private company …

it seems that the aggasaim local police station which is close to the areas as well as local Panchayat is least bothered to take a note of the junk vehicle being parked for the past few months and have till date not verified as to whom the vehicle belongs too which had been doing add campaigns for month’s on now….

it may be noted that On February 12, 2008, the High Court of Bombay in Goa had directed the state authorities to remove all illegal hoardings in the state and were to be complied with by the collectors of North and South Goa, directorate of panchayats, director of municipal administration and the highway administration.

The order of the High Court assumed significance in view of mushrooming illegal billboards in Goa, particularly along the national highways. Following a news report in a local daily, the court had taken suo moto cognizance and issued a notice to the state authorities.

The court had observed that billboards are being erected without obtaining NoCs from local authorities and in violation of the 40-metre setback rule set out by the Indian Road Congress and without the permission of the Traffic Cell.

The court observed that local authorities must exercise proper control over billboard erection and order their removal wherever rules are flouted. The court noted that the hoardings are a hazard to road safety and mar the natural beauty of the state but questions arise as why the locals authorities have been quite of such type of junk vehicle carrying out add campaigns,

Though goareporter team tried to contact the local police inspector of the aggasaim police station as well as sarpanch of agassaim village Panchayat to verify about the facts of the junk vehicle all went in vain as both the officers were unable to be found in their offices when contacted …