03-08-2013 … The state government on Friday said that preliminary investigations had revealed that vehicles were let inside the state borders by government officials on paying a nominal bribe

It may be noted that goa government public works department employees were found to be letting in vehicles without paying toll fees at the state borders, after they pay a nominal bribe.

Goa government employees were shown collecting bribes of around Rs 500 from trucks without giving them any receipt, while the actual toll fee tax payable was Rs 1000 per truck.

Speaking to goanreporter State Public Works Department Minister sudhin Dhavalikar said that preliminary investigations had revealed that there were lot of problems while vehicles were entering goa and action would be taken once inquiry process was completed

He said that though allegations of corruption have been proved prima facie, a detailed inquiry would be conducted to ascertain the extent of money which has been siphoned off.

The PWD has installed CCTV cameras at border checkposts, while records of all vehicles entering the state are maintained.

The minister said that records at all checkposts would be verified by a team of department officials. “All those involved will lose their jobs. We will take action even if we find officers of engineer rank are involved,” he said.

Dhavalikar said that he has asked the department to submit a detailed report within seven days.

02-08-2013 … A five member delegation led by Adv. Aires Rodrigues on Thursday called on Goa Governor B.V.Wanchoo at Raj Bhavan and submitted him a memorandum strongly objecting to the selection of Sandesh Prabhudessai for the post of State Information Commissioner

Drawing the Governor’s attention that Sandesh Prabhudessai had himself not even applied for the post, Adv. Rodrigues also told the Governor that the advertisement issued by the Goa Government on 4^th May being was for the post of Chief Information Commissioner and only one State Information Commissioner that  the government cannot now travel beyond in trying to high handedly appoint one extra SIC and that too with a vested interest.

Adv. Rodrigues also drew the attention of the Governor to the Supreme Court judgments which have held that if advertisement is for one post than more than one appointment cannot be made.

Adv. Rodrigues informed the Governor that Information Commission of big states like Maharashtra and Karnataka have only four and five State Information commissioners respectively, and that the Goa State Information Commission can be ably managed with a CIC and one SIC, while the backlog of pending cases could be cleared in about three months.

01-08-2013 … Stating that the height of the state roads would be increased in the next few months Pwd minister sudhin dhavlikar on Thursday said that the state government would carry out investigation in to the laying process of the hot mixing works of the porvorim road in porvorim area

The transport minister who is also the minister for pwd was speaking at the inaugural function of the 3rd road safety week which was held at the conference hall of the institute of hotel management and catering technology at porvorim with a theme driving faster causes disaster

Also present on the occasion were porvorim mla rohan khaunte, director of transport arun desai, goa can roland martin’s, principal secretary parimal rai, ihn principal roque d’cruz  and other’s

It may be noted that the deteriorating condition of the road near new Secretariat complex at Porvorim is has been posing a grave threat to motorist revealing the quality of work done by the public works department as well as the national highway authority.

Speaking at the function transport minister sudhin dhavlikar said that the state government was in process of increasing the height of the roads along the rural areas, major district roads, state highways as well as national highways too which could help in easing traffic congestion as well getting down a number of road accidents taking place on the state roads

Porvorim mla rohan khaunte said that there was a need for every civic sense and road safety to go hand in hand and should prevail among youth so that better sense could come up among youth while riding along the state roads

Meanwhile director of transport arun desai said that it was happy to say that the numbers of deaths due to roads accidents in the state during the last three years have gone down drastically after the organization of such road safety weeks in the state

31-07-2013 …  The government has extended the mining trucks scheme in all parts of the state for trucks those who have been connected with mining activities in to the state of goa chief minister manohar parrikar said on Wednesday

It may be noted that a total of 3416 forms have been sanctioned under the mining trucks scheme along with 168 applications from those who have been unemployed from the mining sector due to the ban on mining as per the information given by goa electronic limited who have been given the task to verify the application under the two mining schemes

Addressing media persons after the cabinet meet chief minister manohar parrikar said that even the unemployed scheme for those from the mining sector would be availed to all those unemployed who have proof of documents other then esi or pf documents for availing the unemployment scheme

Parrikar said that most of the employment was found to be done in mining belts without proper procedures

Parrikar said that the state cabinet had also approved of recruiting 129 coastal police who would be put in to services for coastal security and also stated that his government would not given any liquor license to any bars who would try to hold dance bar activities in the state

30-07-2013 … Chief Minister manohar parrikar on Monday said that the game of football had a potential of generating employment of around five to six thousand of various types from football in the next few years in goa

Chief Minister parrikar was speaking at the 1^st anniversary of the formation of the Goa Football Development Council at the gfdc office in Panjim

 Present for the function were chairman of dempo group of companies srinivas dempo, gfdc chairman dr rufino monteiro, gfdc member secretary elvis gomes and others

 Having launched itself in the all-round development of the state sport the Goa Football Development Council till date has opened up around 8 grass-root football development coaching centres training over 1200 boys and girls in various parts of Goa such as Valpoi, Sulcorna, Collem, Khandepar, Benaulim, Navelim, Aldona-Moira and Pernem  ..

 Gfdc in its last one year has also conducted 3 coaches training/refresher courses,  one new entrants referees course developing 30 new referees, organized 9 basic life support courses for 250 football coaches/physical instructors of teams, 6 summer football-coaching camps, one all-India beach soccer tournament, one all-Goa inter-school girls football tournament, a Sports Medicine Seminar  and all-important International football conference-GIFT 2013.

 Speaking at the function chief minister manohar parrikar said that he was very happy with the way dr rufino had taken forward the good work of goa football development council in the past one year

 Chairman of goa football development council dr rufino monteiro said though he was involved with many people’s heart as a doctor his own heart was involved with football and thanked chief minister for reposing faith in him …

 Later the GFDC publication were also released at the hands of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar while a special memento and a jersey was also present to mr parrikar at the hands of srinivas dempo chairman of dempo group of companies.

29-07-2013 … Governor of Chhattisgarh Shekhar Dutt on Saturday launched a microfinance initiative for Goan artisans by South Asia Foundation at the Kala Academy in the city.

The microfinance initiative for Goan artisans is targeted at those registered with the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, the Government of India.

South asia foundation makes an effort to emphasise on creating a strong marketing network which is a key to success to artisans’ way of life and has been working in Goa for more than five years, especially in north Goa.

SAF initiatives in Goa aims at branding, marketing of the craft and effective micro financing to the artisans.

More than 100 artisans and self-help group from the state of goa were a part of programme who are registered with the South Asia Foundation as a part of 2,500-strong artisans group who are being supported by the SAF for creating a sustainable model of development that could be artisan led.

Speaking on the occasion Governor of Chhattisgarh Shekhar Dutt said there was a need for artisans to be treated like artist who had to go through difficulties while creating various types of arts and urged to have a website of goan artisans

Chief manager of nabard b b sethi said that nabard was trying to target 500 self help group in providing help to artisans in their artisan works

South asia foundation also honoured honour a renowned artist from Goa Francisco Martins and two traditional bamboo craft-persons Vijay Jadhav and Rukmini Parwar for their excellence in the filed of handicrafts.

28-07-2013 …   Stating that chief minister manohar parrikar had said earlier that the shah commission report was of no consequences in the supreme court Congress spokesperson and curtorim mla alexio reginaldo lourenco on Saturday expressed shock over the state bjp led government decision of filing compliant with the crime branch over the issue of illegal mining case on the basis of shah commission report …

It may be noted that the Mines director Prasanna Acharya on Friday had filed a 1000-page complaint with the crime branch office at Dona Paula based on the reports of the Shah Commission,   the centrally empowered committee and the PAC over the illegal mining issue.

Addressing media persons in Panjim congress spokesperson alexio reginaldo said that there were malifide intentions of the state chief minister trying to target some of their congress leaders even when the matter was in progress in the supreme court

Reginaldo said there was a need for the chief minister to wait for the supreme court decision rather than filing fir’s and complaints in the state which had no legal standing

27-07-2013 … All india congress committee secretary and goa incharge secretary dr a chella kumar has said that all the congress party members in the state had their full right to express their views to their leaders and if there were any differences it had to be sorted out within the party leader’s

 Speaking on the sideline of his visit to the office of the mayor of the corporation city of panjim surendra furtado the aicc secretary dr a chella kumar who is in goa for the past two days said that he was in goa to interact with the party leaders, block presidents and other office bearers, and also to update myself on the local issues and had taken a lot of feedback as far as the working system of the congress party was concerned

Commenting over the issue of a letter singed by the eight congress mla’s for appoint former Calangute mla agnelo fernandes as gpcc president Dr kumar said that the high command would decide when a new gpcc President would be appointed and that he had not received any letter from any congress mla’s of the state

Dr kumar also stated that Manohar Parrikar-led government had failed to deliver the promises he had made to 14 lakh people in to the state of goa months.

26-07-2013 … Exclusive …  The goa state pollution control board would write to all the 189 village panchayats and municipalities too in the state informing them to guide an entrepreneur to take permissions of water and air acts from the board for any small type of business or micro business before the concerned village panchayat issue final noc ….

The decision of the pollution control board comes in wake of the Green Tribunal which has passed an order directing that the concerned states pollution control board of the country close down all such activities that are operating without the consent of water and air acts of the board.

 The board has already issued show-cause notices under section 33 (a) read with section 25/26 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and section 31(A) read with section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

 From march 2013 till date the board has sent around 2600 notices for various types of establishments which comes from hotels and industries too but only around 200 to 300 applications have come in till date while late fees has been waved off and the scheme is valid till 31^st of December this year

 The whole exercise began after the comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG) had pointed out that hotels and industrial units were operating without water and air consent causing a loss to the state exchequer. The NGT then directed the pollution control board to close down all such units and asked the board to file an action taken report in the matter.

 Speaking to goanreporter chairman of goa state pollution control board Jose Manuel Noronha said “ as we have issued notices to hotles and industries to take permissions of water and air acts from the pcb board

We would also write to all the state village panchayats stating that if there are any industries, eateries or small restaurants or even cycle shops within their village jurisdiction then to please inform the pcb boards so that we can take steps and direct them to ensure that they were functioning with an appropriate authority like the goa state pollution control board”

 Noronha said “ the exercise of identifying such unites was started way back from march 2013 this year as per the directions from the ministry of environment of forest who had given an order to the central pollution control board asking to issue notice to all industries and hotels who did not had pcb water and air consent

 Noronha also stated that even small business had to take air and water consent permission from the pcb board

25-07-2013 …  A total of 3416 forms have been sanctioned under the mining trucks scheme along with 168 applications from those who have been unemployed from the mining sector due to the ban on mining officials of goa electronics limited said on Thursday …

It may be noted that the state government had announced two schemes – one scheme to provide financial assistance to people, who have lost employment due to the closure of mines, and another one for tipper owners, whose livelihood has been affected due to shutting of mining industry

the two schemes for truck owners in the mining belt were been made valid by the state government from 1^st October 2012 to 30^th September 2013, while the unemployment scheme for those who have been unemployed after September 2012 from the mining field has been made valid for the scheme from 1^st of January 2013- 31^st December 2013

Though earlier in his statement chief minister manohar parrikar had expressed concern for the mining affected people, saying that around “25,000 to 30,000 people were in a soup” due to mining coming to a halt in Goa.

The recent figures which had been generated by the GEL officials through the process of the application for the two schemes for the mining dependent people tell a different picture with a less number of mining truck owners as well as unemployed people having applied for the scheme

As on 22/07/2013

GEL has received 6617 application from mining truck owners from which as per the gel report 1629 forms are ready for sanction , 187 forms are incomplete, 995 forms are rejected and 390 are having a detailed scrutiny thus with 3416 forms being sanctioned for the scheme …

While in the unemployment scheme gel has received 1841 applications from which as per the report 86 are ready for sanction, 979 are incomplete, 608 are rejected while no application are having a detailed scrutiny thus with 168 forms being sanctioned

Addressing media person at a press conference in Panjim chairman of goa electronic limited dattaprasad naik said that his department had completed the verification of all the forms …

Mr naik said all the applications which ever were left for certain information would be completed by 15^th of august next month