Goa's bird sanctuary at Chorao may get CWH grade

The Salim Ali's bird sanctuary at Chorao and the surrounding mangroves in the area are expected to get a protective cover if conferred with the status of a "Critical Wildlife Habitat"(CWH) area. However the bestowment of that status could finally rest with the villagers of Chorao and may need their approval before such a status is granted.

The CWH status is granted to those areas which are required for wildlife conservation  purposes. The state level expert committee has therefore called for a public hearing on September 15 2009, to elicit views of the Chorao villagers on the CWH proposal.

The Goa forest department is keeping its fingers crossed for the outcome of the above meeting and opine that since the area is already a notified sanctuary and no persons living in that area, the area being under the forest department of Goa, such a status bodes good for the bird sanctuary.

The villagers of Chorao may however have theirs own reservations about the particular status and may therefore seek to know in clear terms the terms and rules governing a "critical wildlife habitat". The forest department officials however feel that the meeting will be a smooth affair with no need for any anxiety to the villagers.

The Salim Ali bird sanctuary is spanned across an area of 1.8 sq km and is abounded with mangroves which provide a safe haven and a breeding space to many species of fish, insects and other wildlife.

Goa Public Transport Fed ups ante.Announces strike on HSRPs

In the building resentment against the enforcement of the high security registration plates for all vehicles in Goa, the All Goa public transport federation became the latest body to announce its agitational stance against the implementation of the High security registration plates in Goa and threatened to go on a one day token strike if the government of Goa fails to stop the process of its implementation.

The federation constitutes al transport operators in Goa including bus owners, taxi operators, rickshaw and two wheelers and pilots who are all set to observe the strike on Monday Aug 31 2009.

Interestingly, the strike call given by the transporters body has the backing of the state unit of the youth congress which had earlier protested the state governments move at Margao when they almost laid siege to the RTOs office last week.

It may be recalled that Goa had advocated the use of high security registration plates making the same mandatory to all vehicles as per the directives of the supreme court under the central motor vehicles act and a Mumbai base company  Shimnit Utsch had bagged the contract amidst opposition by the BJP.

The state of Goa has over 6.5 lakh vehicles registered with the road transport organisation (RTO). The representatives of the various transport organisations lamented that their memorandum made to the chief Minister Mr Digambar Kamat on August 10 with a deadline of seven days had no response and with the deadline expiry on August 18, they had no choice but to  hold the strike which was held in abeyance due to the ganesh chaturthi celebrations in Goa.

The organisation alleged that the representatives in the assembly have not dwelled well enough on the scheme of HSRP and pointed out that the number plates are of no use in Goa as the state has no infrastructure to ensure that the features in the number plate are complimented by proper implementation like tracking of vehicles and other security related aspects as also the absence of a data bank in Goa.

The leader of the opposition Mr Manohar Parrikar had also alleged that there appeared to be a scam in the implementation of the HSRP scheme while saying that Goans were unnecessarily paying double the price compared top the west Bengal government where the number plates were charged at Rs 282 and 441 while people in Goa have to spe4nd Rs 550 and Rs 1250 for such plates.

Illegal mining in Goa : Panel blames select trio

The committee on mines in Goa has put the onus of illegal mining in Goa on three departments of the state which the committee said are passing the buck when it came to illegal mining in the state of Goa. The three departments are the Directorate of mines, Forest department and the Goa state Pollution control board. The first report of the committee says that if these three departments had to initiate action against the offenders, then the state of Goa would not have faced this problem of illegal mines and pollution.

The committee observed that while the Directorate of mines followed central government rules in the enforcement, it did not take the responsibility to ensure that mining activity is not done without environmental clearance and other required permissions. The committee observed that it was the duty of the departments to close down or cancel the licences of the mines whose mining rejects and mining wastes pose a threat and damage to paddy fields, fruit bearing crops and drinking water resources and other water bodies within the vicinity of the mines

While the deemed clause was being misused by numerous mining companies, and which was being known to the concerned departments, none of them stopped this practice. The committee has now suggested to the government of Goa to pass strictures amending the state and central legislation affecting mining in the state. The committee has urged the government to stop all mining operations in the state which are carried out with or without valid lease concessions.

Goa govt appoints panel to check grievances of parents

With parents of children in private unaided schools of Goa deciding to take recourse to legal action to enforce the rules applicable to such schools as per the Goa School education act 1984, the Goa government appears to have woken up to the reality facing it and has now belatedly appointed a committee to introspect the grievances of parents on the issue of fee hikes in private recognised unaided schools in the state of Goa.

The panel is expected to hear the members of the private unaided school managements, the unaided school parents association of aggrieved parents, other people in the education field and subsequently submit its report to the government within a period of one month

The members of the panel are former education director Suman Pednekar who heads the committee, Surendra Sirsat ( retired principal of Kushe Higher secondary school Mapusa, C K Mathew ( retired Principal  Holy trinity HSSS Benaulim ) D P Pednekar ( retired principal of Naik Higher secondary school Curchorem) and Avinash Nasnodkar ( AEO - legal, Education Department)

Among other things the committee is expected to deliberate on matters such as : the scope of references of the committee with whether in terms of section 13 of the Goa school education act 1984, the hike of fees by private unaided schools is necessary to implement sixth pay commission scales to their staff thereby bringing them on par with the employees of the corresponding status in schools run by the government.

The other aspect to be analysed by the panel is whether the exorbitant hike of fees by the unaided schools is justified with respect to providing better infrastructure facilities and quality education for better development of the child as claimed by such schools

Transparency in accounts of unaided schools is another bone of contention expressed by the aggrieved parents and this issue is bound to invite suggestions from the panel to resolve it with more transparency in audited accounts.

The panel may also explore the possibility of making further provisions with regard to the fee structure  in unaided schools in Goa, in the Goa school education act and rules and make recommendations accordingly.

Goa committee want changes to Land Revenue Code

The age old land revenue code in Goa is crying for an amendment according to the ad hoc committee on finance which has recommended a suitable amendment to the code thus empowering a single authority to manage the process pertaining to mutations and partitions. Presently citizens are facing grave hardships in completing formalities for mutations and partitions of their plots due to the inherent problems in the land revenue code.

Hundreds of cases pertaining to mutation and partitions are therefore piled up in Goa and the citizens are seeking that the partition and mutation of the plots be done at the same time before the deputy collector. Complaints are aplenty about the adjournment of matters without hearing and the authorities are known to be saddled with their own official work.

The panel has therefore advocated the need to vest powers in a single authority which would invariably save the applicants their time, money and hardship and have sought a suitable amendment to the land revenue code in Goa to accord the jurisdiction to a single authority.

Presently, the mamlatdar of the respective taluka deals with the mutation process under section 96 of land revenue code 1968 while the jurisdiction of partition under section 61 of the land revenue code is with the respective deputy collector under delegated powers of the collector.

Goa government buckles to vernacular theory

The current medium of instruction as an issue which has been plaguing Goan parents, who have been arguing for the cause of English as a medium of choice in Goan schools has taken a hit for the moment.The Goa assembly proceedings on Friday July 24 2009 when the issue was expected to be a hot topic on the agenda was quietly subdued as the two MLAs who were vociferously supporting the cause of English as a medium of instruction aimed at empowering parents to choose for their children, withdrew their resolutions aimed at giving English education as a medium in the primary aided schools in Goa

The two congress MLAs Agnelo Fernandes and Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco were however apparently assured of a change in the policy and have appeared to have set the tone for the government to do a serious rethink on the issue. Meanwhile the education Minister Mr Babush Monserrate felt that the local Konkani language needs to be protected and suggested  an enforcement of Konkani as a subject  from class I to X.

Mr Monserrate also dwelled on the fees structure of private unaided schools in Goa and indicated that taking control of these fee structures was also an option before the government and quoted that the Goa School Education Act and Rules prohibit exorbitant fees and expressed the need to implement these rules.

However the latest backtracking of the two congress MLAs over the issue is seen as a move by the congress party to avoid any controversies regarding the issue while silently endeavouring to bring about the necessary change in keeping with the aspirations of the Goan people .

NHAI's Satanic ignorance of Goa most deplorable

What is the difference between Saint Anne and Satan? Nothing, seems to be the answer for the National Highways authority of India which has conveniently corrupted the name of Saint Anne with that of Satan on its signboards along the NH 17, which is condemnable to say the least. While one would think that mere sensibilities had to prevail before committing the name SATAN to a peaceful and beautiful village of Goa, it is a mystery whether NHAI decides on the various names of places along the highway on mere hearsay or relies on the advice and diction of its migrant labourers who are engaged in the laying of the roads for its highway.

The village of "Saint Anne" or "SantAnne" in Konkani, is located off the national Highway 17 just before the Pilar junction on the eastern side as one proceeds from Panjim to Margao. A quaint village with peaceful surroundings and an abode of lush greenery, SantAnne is named after "Saint Anne"  and has been in the news recently due to the ambitious renovation plans that have been undertaken of the Sant Anne Church. It is the first village encountered by those who choose to skip the highway enroute to Panjim in quest of a traffic free road which runs through the village and after negotiating some quick twists, turns and hills, takes you through the village of Merces at the other end to reach the city of Panjim. The distance to Panjim through this route is cut down by a good two kilometres.

However it seems that the National Highway authority of India or its people engaged in the listing of names along the highway have allowed their common sense or common knowledge to lie rotten amidst their 9 to 5 duty of completing their assigned tasks of putting up name plates along the highways. Any person worth his school under- matriculation would have the presence of mind to understand that "Satan" is indeed the devil. Common sense would demand of anyone to think twice before listing such an evil name along the highway in place of the actual name and would naturally seek more information through enquiries and be satisfied with a thorough  confirmation of such a devilish name if it ever existed for any place. But not the NHAI. It seems they can do what they wish. Bend turn, melt or mould Goan names of places according to their whims and pleasure.

What's more is that the name of Satan has been replaced for the name of Saint Anne, who in her lifetime was known to have worked for the kingdom of God. The disgust stems from the fact  that two extremities, one a Saint and another the devil,  having opposite teachings have been carelessly swapped to misguide people and wound the feelings of Goans and christians in particular.

Another neighbouring village of Batim which has been in the news for apparitions of Our lady, has also been listed as Batti on the same signboard. How does NHAI manage to concoct simple names of Goan villages into disgraceful unrecognisable places is a question the authority needs to answer.

While people in Goa would be willing to forgive NHAI for the umpteen errors in the pollution of Goa's village and city names on Goa's part of NH17, the error of SantAnne to Satan is completely unpardonable and appears to be carried out in complete disregard to the sensibilities of Goans or is the work undertaken by an irresponsible agency either deliberately or by the "chalta hai" wisdom of its ability to be immune to accountability.

By Goacom

Goa High court extends stay on school fee hikes

The aggrieved parents who have approached the high court to intervene in their grievances relating to arbitrary school fee hikes by private unaided schools under the banner of All Goa Unaided schools Parents Association,(AGUSPA) were relieved when the high court of Bombay at Goa extended the interim stay on approval of fee hikes by government recognised private unaided schools in Goa till August 4.

The matter came up following a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by AGUSPA. The advocate general Mr Subodh kantak informed the bench that the government had already constituted a committee to look into the accounts of government recognised unaided private schools in the state of Goa.

AGUSPA maintained that the fee hikes were completely arbitrary and that all their efforts to elicit cooperation from the government and the directorate of education to curb the "commercialisation of education" had failed and therefore the only option available to them was to move the high court.

While AGUSPA was against any fee hikes, the association was of the view that a committee of experts should be formed to work on the financial matters pertaining to the unaided schools and prepare a report on whether salaries as per the Sixth pay commission recommendations could be paid to teachers within the current existing fee structure.

AGUSPA held the Directorate of education responsible for the arbitrary fee hikes and maintained that the failure of DoE to meticulously enforce the Goa School education Act 1984 through section 19, sub section (3) and (4) which deals with the fees and other charges to be collected by schools , has led to the present situation where education in Goa has become commercialised.

Seeking to correct the system through the PIL, AGUSPA stated that the ongoing battle is aimed at streamlining erring managements and trustees of unaided schools and the DoE which has denied justice for long to parents who have been unduly exploited due to inaction.

AGUSPA has also sought that the DoE should constitute an authority to inspect and audit the account statements of recognised private unaided schools in Goa which they pointed out is mandatory under Section 10, sub-section 7 and under the rules framed in the Goa education Act 1984.

TAG to urge Goa Board to include tiatr in school books

The newly formed Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) as a part of its ambitious plan to re-invigorate the essence of the tiatr for Goa and Goans, is set to request the Goa board and the textbook committee to include the tiatr in the school curriculum either as a lesson or as a part of dramatics which is currently being taught as an optional subject in many schools in the state.

According to the President of TAG, Mr Tomazinho Cardozo, tiatr plays a very important and relevant part in Goan society and is known to have had a major role in mobilising the public at the time of the opinion poll which played the most historic chapter to ensure that Goa remained as a separate state and did not get merged into Maharashtra. Songs and duets from tiatr are also known to strike an emotional chord with people in the state.

Mr Cardozo stressed that besides being a part of Goan culture, tiatr deals with social issues such as drugs and casinos and emphasized that anything that goes against the interest of Goans is brought to the fore by artistes from tiatr and said that students in modern Goa should be made aware about this fact.

Among the other things, to push the cause of tiatr far and wide in Goa and outside, Mr Cardozo lined out a series of activities that the TAG plans to undertake which include organising of seminars and lectures in schools and colleges on the different aspects of tiatr in Goa.

TAG also wants to document the history and experiences of the old tiatr artistes by interviewing them and recording their experiences on films. Tag will endeavour to document the history of tiatr by publishing books on it past legacy.

Preservation of tiatr literature is also high on the TAG agenda and it has resolved to publish scripts, one act plays and lyrics with the musical scores wherever possible.

A museum is being planned in the state of Goa which will house tiatr material in the form of manuscripts, handwritten lyrics, printed books, old records, CDs, DVDs which may be scattered around the state with government authorities as well as private individuals and collectors and will be exhibited at this museum. this collection of material is expected to begin this year in 2009 and go on uptill the museum is set up.

Tiatr Academy of Goa (TAG) which was set up by the government officially in February 2009 is expecting a funding of Rs 60 lakh towards its various activities. On the anvil is also a plan to encourage tiatr production by youth, technical workshops and seminars to upgrade the quality of tiatrs, promoting the art form as a means of communication outside the state and setting up a website for the academy.

TAG also wants to encourage and revive the use of wind instruments in tiatr and will host a festival of award winning dramas. Artistes of yesteryears will be remembered and honoured through various activities and persons documenting their works will b e provided incentives. A directory of tiatr artistes is also expected very soon. TAG in the meanwhile is also awaiting a premises in Panjim which has already been identified a provision for which is already made by the government which is reportedly to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore.

Goan land Protection - Shantaram introduces bill

A private members bill was introduced in the Rajhya sabha on Friday July 3 2009, seeking to add article 371 to the Constitution of India, in a bid to authorise the Goa Legislature to enact a legislation to monitor and regulate the transfer of land in the state of Goa in public interest and in the interest based on grounds of duration of residence in the state, social , economic and environmental needs etc.

Also with respect to the current resources such as land, water, power, environmental aspects etc, the bill also provides to authorise the Goa Legislature to enact a suitable legislation to regulate the influx of migrants into the state. The bill also seeks to empower the Goa Legislature to enact a legislation to opt for any of the two types of panchayat for villages - intermediate and district level.

In a statement attached to the bill, Mr Naik said that the rights of citizens under the constitution should bot be so boundless that they contribute to changing the economic scenario of a smaller state like Goa particularly its villages, much to the bitterness and disadvantage of the local people which only adds to the anti-social elements which become a strong part of such uncontrolled transactions thereby proving disastrous for Goa.

While justifying the need to control the influx of migrants into Goa, Mr Shantaram Naik pointed out to the state of Goa which hardly encompassed only 3,702 sq kilometres of land with a population of around 14 lakh. Compared to this, the increase in migrant population has reached unmanageable proportions. While it is the fundamental right of every citizen of India to move freely within the territory of India, Mr Naik pointed out that it is also the fundamental right of others to live a decent life with basic amenities provide by the state.

From this viewpoint Mr Naik has argued that in order to safeguard the basic rights of Goans and non-Goans settled here for a long time, the further inflow of people into Goa needs to be regulated immediately to avoid a virtual chaotic situation in the near future.

Abide by Indian laws when in Goa - Shantaram to foreigners

In reaction to the news reports about some British citizens who have purchased land and have now approached the British Prime Minister Mr Gordon Brown, complaining that the sale deeds of their properties are not being registered by sub-registrars in Goa, Rajya Sabha MP Mr Shantaram Naik  advised the affected British Nationals to comply with Indian laws and also appreciate the problems of the state of Goa and its people, caused by the large-scale execution of purchase deeds by foreign nationals.

Pointing out that Goa has only an area of 3702 square kilometres he said that Goans have a natural tendency to be protective about their scarce land resources.

Mr. Shantaram Naik while stressing that Goa is not against any specific foreign nationality, also revealed that there are many foreign nationals who do not fulfill the requirement of 182 days stay in India and without holding a business visa attempt to misrepresent and misguide the authorities to enter into land dealings which is illegal and said that such attempts have to be firmly dealt with and put to an end.

Goa's Mega projects ,water shortages and 40 comedians

The alert of mega projects affecting water resources is now being trumpeted like as if it was a big secret . It was indeed illegal forest cutting in various parts of Goa which triggered a public hearing of the ad hoc committee on Agriculture and Forest this week where the rampant forest cutting and mega housing projects were pointed out as the major reasons for an impending water shortage awaiting to hit Goa hard.

With an elected government in place to take care of our welfare, it is ironically the citizens of the state, much after standing in long queues to exercise their valuable franchise, still having to garner common support in a bid to save Goa from the senseless destruction heaped on us by the very people who were expected to enhance our living, least of it contribute towards its destruction.

Goa was indeed a land with natural verdant beauty and a high sense of civic sense which failed to find a rival in the rest of the country.  However it seems ' neighbours envy is our owners shame'. No wonder our 40 comedians are struggling their wanton best to ensure that they drag this beautiful 'once upon a time paradise' into a land infested with ugly concrete vultures and massive conversions of the Goan earthside , awaiting to be devoured into commercial capital enough to satiate only one objective - their unrelenting greed. They seem to be so enamoured of the civic sense prevailing in some unplanned cities of India with gutters, unattended garbage, flies, defecations and slums abounding in deafening co-existence that they wish to hoist this culture on Goans to satisfy their pot bellies.

All their vain harps about the development of Goa has been discovered to be a hollow drum beaten hard for its clamour to be desperately silenced. All their destructive development has been in the backdrop of zero concerns for the terrible fallout awaiting Goa and Goans. There is nil foresight of the depleting resources accommodating such gargantuan plans. Worse, no existing plan for the current impasse of garbage disposal and water depletion with a merciless  pile-up over the overburdened apparatus. There are no studies done to fathom the capacity of any area in Goa . In fact no will to do a study lest it exposed a more sinister plan. However projects and mega projects continue to be planned, executed and foisted on us with regular impunity despite the unanimous civil unrest against such self-serving destruction.

For the Goan it has been an alarming situation in more ways than one. We have lived in a land of the bountiful unlike much of our countrymen who have revelled in the width of a proverbial hole and have lost little time to migrate to Goa once the taste of this breeze intoxicated them. While they are pumping in more of their tribe to feast on our misery, our brethren are selling land to survive long after the money of the gulf dried up and our old vintage houses crying for repairs had no economic brains to supplement themselves. The goa governments vintage policy only punishes you if you demolish old houses in place of new ones( disclaimer: big purses go scot free)  but is bereft of any ideas to help you maintain the old house. Tourism is abounding in Goa but the government has no wits to utilise this flow towards a constructive plan to self-sustain colonial houses and other such old structures  wilting under the 'conservation sword of democles' to stand on their own. The inevitable result of such a short sighted dumb policy has been telling.

Also for some other category of Goans, it seems that our pride of being the highest per capita winners in the whole country seems to be haunting us to keep pace with that position at the cost of our land. Brazen selling of land probably to see fatter chickens , expensive chonak and fatted pork on the dinner table has taken obvious precedence.

However it is certainly more to the administration in power to be responsible to set the rules of the game. With scarce land availability and the inability of the current resources in Goa to bear new burdens, common sense implies that some studies with experts in the field be carried out immediately and a planned sense of development be implemented which serves the interest of the Goan community at the best. We need peaceful coexistence with constructive and planned development at no cost to our environment. Period. Rules for land sale and land conversions in Goa have been crying to come into existence for decades. Yet there is no will.

Every gram sabha in almost every village of a Goa has been vociferous in their opposition to the haphazard development which has been planned by vested forces which may be Goan but which have no Goan interest in mind. Last week the Benaulim gram sabha was a picture of complete disgust and resignation when almost half the count of the members of the public attending the gram sabha went down literally on their knees folding their palms in pleading with the sarpanch  and the panch members to resign en masse after failing to evince their co-operation in curbing down mega projects in their village. Simply goes to show that the venom of our 40 comedians has sunk deep into village administrations who seem to be entrenched with poisonous cues from their masters.

The blindness of the current dispensation to live upto the aspirations of the people will surely cost them dear in the near future untill some sense prevails in asserting the problem in right earnest.

In the meanwhile it is no wonder that Goans have begun to oppose each and every project of whatsoever name and size with no malice. Only the fear of the unknown. Our 40 comedians are solely responsible for this disease which has become chronic and will lead to far more complications in Goa than their wallets think.

Goacom

Air-conditioner sales get a boost in Goan summer

The sale of air conditioners in Goa has risen exponentially  in the past couple of months as citizens try to desperately beat the heat in Goa by resorting to cool down the temperatures in offices, shops and homes in Goa through the use of cooling systems.

So traders in Goa who normally sell around five air conditioners per month are now selling around 30 per month thanks to the increased humidity in the state in the month of April and May this year. Also air cooler units blowing cool air, have also seen robust sales this year thanks to the heat in Goa and traders are on song selling a record number of air-coolers in Goa this year.

The popular brands of air-conditioners in Goa range in prices from Rs 16,000 to around 47,000 depending on the type of brand and the capacity. However the 1 tonne and the 1.5 tonne air conditioners are reportedly very popular owing to their mid range size. The brands available in the Goan market are Samsung, Hitachi, LG, Onida, Daikin, Godrej, Blue star , General and Voltas.

It is also notable that the modern air conditioners sold in Goa consume lesser electricity for its use compared to the older models sold a few years back due to which the general public prefers to use an air conditioner compared to earlier trends.

The older generation of airconditioners employed toxic or flammable gases like ammonia, methyl chloride and propane. The usage of such gases could result in fatal accidents when they leaked. In the year 1928, Thomas Midgley Jr, created the first Chlorofluorocarbon gas, Freon, which was much safer for human beings but was later found to be harmful to the ozone layer of the atmosphere.

The blend mostly used in homes and buildings was an HCFC known as R-22. But it is to be phased out for use in new equipment by 2010 and completely discontinued by 2020.

However several non ozone depleting refrigerants have been developed as alternatives including R-410A, known by the brand name of Puron.

Room air-conditioners normally come in two forms or constructions. Unitary and split or packaged terminal PTAC systems. Unitary systems or the common one-room air conditioners sit in the window or wall opening with interior controls. Interior air is cooled as a fan blows it over the evaporator. On the exterior, the air is heated as a second fan blows it over the condenser.

The split AC ( PTAC) on the other hand is frequently used in offices, shops and hotels. It has two separate units ( terminal packages) , the evaporative unit on the exterior and the condensing unit on the interior with tubing passing through the wall and connecting them. This minimises the interior system footprint and allows each room to be adjusted independently.

So how does a Goan make a choice about what kind of AC he should fit in his house , shop or office. here is some advice.

If you want a nice neat look in your premises, the Split AC is a good option. Also if you didn't want to mess with the window, split would be a good idea. Besides if you don't like the external of a window AC hanging out, a split may be a prudent decision. Also the compressor of the split can be located at a far distance through tubing. However if tubing and compressor for split is a problem then surely Window AC is the way to go.

Split AC is also expensive on the budget and you may want to look at that too before making a decision. Window ACs are cheaper and 
subject to the above, both AC's have similar functions in operations and makes no difference to comfort levels.

Goa parties vs Goa elections

Goa parties in this case are not the political ones that are fighting the Goa elections. Rather they are the ones who have been crying foul that elections are responsible for their party going awry. Wedding party that is.

It is no secret that over the years, the various directives of the election commission seem to have infused a discord among common men and many of the directives seem to be out of touch with reality and the prevailing customs and traditions or ground realities of a particular region or state.

The latest controversy over banning of liquor at wedding parties in Goa has been met with a very bitter taste from the affected party people who have termed this high-handed autocratic attitude of the election commission as being out of sync with common sensibilities. Such an attitude only contributes to the frustration and irritation of the common man in Goa who is more inclined to boycott voting thereby undermining the whole electoral process.

It has to be noted that wedding parties in Goa are planned months in advance, if not years. During such planning, most often,  neither the elections are decided nor the government announcements to that effect is made. No notifications are done while Goans are busily preparing for that great day in the life of a family. With elections suddenly beating the drum, are Goan weddings expected to shut down their plans at the last minute at the cost of all the planning and with much money down the barrel?

The custom of serving liquor at weddings is a traditional Goan custom as also being an Indian custom at many Indian weddings all over the country. However it is more prominent in Goa since colonial times. Such wedding receptions in Goa are private affairs with no public access to such parties. how does such conduct affect the elections in Goa? That too despite seeking specific permission on a case to case basis? Isn't the denial of permission to such wedding receptions a case of extreme high handedness by the concerned authorities?

It seems that the election commission is keeping Goa on par with states with a rampant history of poll violence such as lawless Bihar or belligerent UP, in absolute disregard for Goa's history and cultural traditions besides being the country's hottest destination of world tourism.

Inducing the closure of over thousands of bars and wholesale liquor shops etc in the name of elections for weeks together does not improve the conduct of elections in any way. All that it causes is artificial shortage to the common man which is abused by black marketers as per their whims besides the inconvenience to Goans , hardships, monetary loss and loss of business for Goa thereby straining the government exchequer due to an inexplicable clampdown.

It is therefore time for the election commission to do some self-introspection and identify the areas where its stubbornness is causing more harm than good. Whether its efforts in a particular direction bear the fruit for which they were instituted or whether the enforcement of certain directives only contribute towards the bitterness of the common man without riddling the actual problem.

All rules and regulations need to be updated regularly keeping in mind the practical situations at hand while ensuring no dilution in the effect caused towards seeking the desired results.

Sea bathing soothes people in Goa every summer

Come March-April every year, Goans head for the beaches. The summer seems to be a wake up call for Goans reminding them that there exists a beach which is calling. For the rest of the year, Goans are lost in their busy schedules and do not even think about the beach too often like the rest of the world does. But if its summer, it has to be Goa's beaches.

The healing powers of the beach waters have been part of traditional folklore for Goans who sincerely believe that the waters of the ocean offer the much needed relief in the scorching heat of the summer while inducing the healing touch to a variety of ailments.  

So it is a common sight to watch Goans submerged waist deep in the waters of the beach for hours in the testing heat, with their brown skins gleaming as if they were soaking up a tan. On the contrary, this is a typical Goan practice of a rejuvenating sea bath in the summer.

Some Goans believe that this kind of a soaking bath has its effects only in the summer and not during other seasons in the year. So as the summer picks up itself, Goan families get together  along with neighbouring friends and relatives to spend at least a day or two on the sand, soaking in the ocean before winding back home towards dusk time.

Across the state of Goa it is a familiar sight to see residents near the beach especially around the beaches of Colva, Benaulim, Calangute, Baga, Arambol and Miramar where there is a sudden rush flocking for an energising bath. So from the inner villages, towns, nooks and corners of Goa the doddering Goan oldies, grannies, mothers and toddlers all come for their traditional date with the sea, equipped with towels, lunches and tasty snacks for a bath with all the comforts at hand.

Many Goans swear by the waters of the sea claiming that the body remains fighting fit for the rest of the year with an annual bath. Some others opine that a sea bath is not only refreshing during summer time but also keeps away pains and aches from bones and keeps the skin disease free.

There are other Goans who believe that a sea bath for a couple of days can ward off degenerative ailments like arthritis and keep swelling of joints and bones at bay. In fact bathing in the sea in Goa during the months of March, April and May is a faithful ritual that envelopes all communities and classes.

There is a strong belief that a dip in the summer is more helpful due to the high salinity believed to be in the sea water and the duration of the soak is considered very important. The older generation feels that a person needs a dip in the sea at least thrice a day with no cleansing with fresh water for  a period of 24 hours after bathing to get maximum benefit

Using Goan employees to shield illegalities in Goa

There is never a dearth of loopholes to take advantage of, in the Goan system of governance. And if there isn't any in sight, a lot of head scratching and brainstorming will surely open up a new window to exploit so that one's skin is saved. Never mind if it is immoral or unethical or simply illegal. Issue is, it works!

Using Goan employees as a bait seems to be a wonderful technique discovered by many in Goa who are on the wrong side of the law. It is obviously another topic about how they were allowed to travel for so long on the wrong side and who should be accountable for it. However what comes to the fore is a suddenly created urgency of saving jobs of innocent Goans.

The brainwave of using employees under the pretext of them losing their jobs is the latest fascination caught onto everyone whose illegalities come into the open. To substantiate for the reason to continue with the illegalities , these employees seem to come forth to present their case as if the illegalities are justified at least for the sake of their jobs.

With the elections hovering like a shadow of  a demon, everyone in Goa seems to see a valid opportunity to seek their pound of flesh with the result that the government is gleefully busy swallowing everything that any vested interests such as employees of illegal establishments are throwing at them.

For employee issues, there is a labour department in place to redress their grievances. Their terms of employment with their employer are not based on illegal machinations with the state of Goa. Employees of such organisations should therefore be advised to approach the labour department or alternatively be asked to take legal recourse in the event of them losing their jobs due to the clampdown on illegal activities of their employers or due to their employers not following guidelines laid down by the government of Goa.

However falling for the bait of protecting jobs of employees and thereby regularising illegalities simply reflects the ever-willing foolhardiness and breakdown of a governing system which lacks both teeth and stamina.

Consumers in Goa being curbed of freedom to choose?

The recent comments, protests and gheraos by various lobbies of shopkeepers, traders and overnight associations of various dubious bodies which have sprung up in the city of Margao in Goa are making an attempt to stop exhibitions and sales under the pretext of losing their business to these open fairs. Last week such an outfit from Margao gheraoed the Chairperson of the Margao Municipal council seeking his intervention in stopping these exhibitions.  

While the demand from these associations is downrightly absurd, these traders suffer from a crisis of not living up to the modern times in  a changing world. Economics and purchasing wisdom are both  dictated by price and better quality of the product in question. The traders need to self-introspect whether they are able to satisfy the consumer on these two important factors and identify the other reasons responsible for the consumer to shift loyalties from them to the fairs, instead of using illegal and violent methods of redressal.

Consumers have the democratic right to choose and purchase whatever he/she wants and this cannot be curbed by such senseless protests from a handful of people who want to shower their might on the people of Goa.

Do the consumers of Goa need to protest in retaliation of such vain moves of these traders and come out in the streets or gherao municipal officials so that these exhibitions  stay? Instead, the civic bodies and the panchayats should ensure that sanity and rule of law prevails when dealing with the unjust demands of vested interests.

Consumers are the final judges. What the traders in Margao or Goa  need to do is compete with the exhibitions. Instead, with their current actions they are exposing their sense of "high price shopping" which they want the Goan consumer to forcefully continue despite them being non-competitive. In other words they probably feel that Goans should live expensively just because they have their whims and fancies to heap on us.

The Municipal bodies in Goa should therefore never bow to the wishes of a handful of these people who oppose exhibitions and sales and the consumer forums of Goa should also intervene to ensure that democratic systems are never hijacked by the demands of a select few.

Goa to finally witness the "Best out of waste"

The garbage issue which has gripped Goa for the last couple of years is looking its head up. This time for goodness sake. It is therefore certainly a lesson to be learnt fast by our elected representatives to remove their band of blindness and absolute lack of application to efficiently solve the garbage problem which if addressed properly  can come up with profitable answers against the adoption of simple concepts and timely measures which have hitherto been ignored.

Also it seems that Margao is the one going to lead it all the way with the dynamic chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council Mr Savio Coutinho meticulously implementing some good measures to solve the problem.

The result is that on April 2nd 2009, the Margao Municipal council will dispose off the compost and crude plastic bails via an auction at 10 am for a handsome amount.

The segregation and composting of the waste began at sonsodo after the Margao Municipal Council engaged the services of the Goa Foundation, an NGO to tackle 50 tonnes of waste heaped at the site on a daily basis..

The result has been rich compost valued at over Rs 1 lakh presently awaiting disposal at the site. Also crude plastic bails are awaiting suitable buyers.

The upset value fixed for the 10,000 kg of vegetable compost is Rs 3 per kg  and Rs 5 per kg for the 15 tonnes of fish and meat compost awaiting disposal. The plastic bails counting to about 200, each weighing about 25 kgs totaling to about 5000 kgs has been fixed at an upset price of Rs 2 per kg.

Thus a handsome revenue from waste is finally waiting to see the light of day, thanks to the dedication of the Chairperson of the Margao civic body who seems to have efficient plans to tackle the problems plaguing the city while also making a profit.

If our politicians and bureaucrats in the rest of Goa follow the example, and honestly go about doing their job, Goa could see plenty of good emerging out of its vast resources.

Goa shows the red card to the Sri Ram Sena

The loathsome plans of the Sri Ram sena to brandish its wares in Goa have hit a major block thanks to the timely ban imposed on it by the state government which moved swiftly in banning the controversially communal outfit in the state.

Further the government has warned that whoever attempts to launch the SRS in the State would face arrest.

After the scathing criticism of the ambitious attempt of the SRS to enter Goa, the Home Minister Ravi Naik on Saturday cleared the file imposing the ban on any operations of the SRS in the State.

Stating that Goa is a peace-loving State , the Home Minister informed that notorious outfits with a history for disturbing peace in other states will be banned in Goa and asserted that the government of Goa will not allow such institutions to spoil the state's harmony.

Informing that there was a unanimous feeling among Goans to ban the SRS from the state, the Home Minister said that Goans themselves will teach such outfits a befitting lesson if they ever think of entering the state of Goa and preach their hate policies.

It may be recalled that the opposition leader Mr Manohar Parrikar had also criticised the SRS plans to enter Goa and termed them a bunch of crooks and criminals . The Home Minister appreciated the views of Mr Parrikar on the issue

Is bad governance ruining Goa?

That is the question heaping on Goan minds for a long time with the state continuously being ravaged by issues which are affecting the common man most undesirably.

The latest issue plaguing the state is the sense of disregard for the rule of law expressed by the government of Goa in the promulgation of an ordinance to save a city hotel from the sword of democles hanging on their head after the supreme court gave its verdict to demolish a part of the hotel.

The final verdict from the citizens is being formulated in this case.Large rallies, signature campaigns, approaching the supreme court and other such options are being debated by citizens in a bid to infuse some sanity into the rabidity of such a arbitrary decision. Why do the citizens have to intervene in something in which the government didn't have to?

Going backwards, its a case of flips and flops in simple governance. There seems to be no application of mind on anything and every issue is being treated with scant imagination and foresight. In fact its not scant. It seems to be nil imagination.

Some time back we had the issue of granting Goa university the status of a central university. The government unilaterally took the decision to ask for central status without weighing the pros and cons for a small state like Goa which had only one state university.

Many debates later, the government was twiddling its thumbs when the realisation dawned that in a central university, the selection of students and staff is based on an all-India merit and not on basis of domicile.Soon enough the embarrassing backtracking began with the government rewinding it earlier decision and withdrawal efforts were in full mode just when the bill was awaiting the final nod in Parliament. Wasn't it prudence to deliberate on  the decision of granting the central university status in advance before a suitable committee? Who is to be held accountable for such messy foresight?

The regional plan 2011 hatched with the sole motive of destroying Goa's ecological balance and land resources for petty gains of a select few in power, was another shoddy attempt of the government in bypassing stated norms of seeking a consensus from the citizens.

However despite its best efforts to push the regional plan in its rotten form, the government had to secede to the might of the people who forced it to rescind its decision in the favour of the people. Couldn't the government think in favour of the people on its own? Why did the government take Goans for granted? Where was its aam aadmi slogan hidden?

The SEZ's were another high handed exercise foisted on Goans by this toothless governance.In a fit of excitement, favourable to many, 14 SEZ's were brazenly approved for a tiny state like Goa which is already grappling with scarcity of land. However when the people rose in unison against this short-sighted destructive exercise, the government woke up from its wanton slumber.

Not only were the policy on SEZ's withdrawn but the three notified SEZ's were denotified much to the disappointment of central leaders and other experts in the field.Why did the citizens need to wake up the government from its sleep? Who is responsible for the lack of application of mind to allow SEZ's in Goa? Was a social impact study done on the matter? What a farce!

The IT park in Dona Paula and the Food park in Betul are the other mismanaged and arbitrary decisions of the government of Goa which are lying in cold storage after spending a lot of money on the projects. Why are they opposed. Rather on what grounds were they proposed? No one knows any answers. None are given.

The riddle of the continued existence of the sea demon " river princess" despite the protests of the citizens and the continuous denudation of the coastline due to its destructive presence does not seem to move an inch of an effort at solving the problem. All mega projects are being vociferously pursued but the destruction of Goa through the benevolence of the mega demon River princess is being merrily watched by our government for over 7 years. Who is accountable?

The mega projects and its subsequent fallout with almost every village panchayat gram sabha in Goa opposing huge projects which have been planned without adequate study and management or procedures or infrastructure to support these projects is another big failure of the government of Goa to either have the stomach to lay down guidelines or solve the vexed issue or rein in the offenders and corrupt bureaucrats.

The term" mega projects" in Goa is currently construed as anything in concrete which is opposed tooth and nail. In the absence of any guidelines or roadmap, what else do you expect?

It seems that the government of Goa has forgotten "what is governance". Leave alone it being good.