OHERALDOThe Voice of Goa Since 1900

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Let the speech beshort, comprehending

much in few words.

Ecclesiasticus

IN BRIEF

Sir, your complaint that Assemblyspeaker is not functioning prop-erly....its absolutely fine now...look1..2...3...test...test.

(Continued on page 2)

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 18

Crime Branch may be in thethick of action handling somehigh-profile cases including thatof Nadia Torrado, but going byrecords the department cuts asorry picture.

Statistics show that the CrimeBranch has fared very badly inthe past three years with onlysix convictions during this time.

It may be noted the CrimeBranch has been continuouslyunder fire from OppositionLeader Manohar Parrikar whohas been demanding that theinvestigations into police-drugdealers nexus be handed overto CBI and some officials of theCrime Branch itself be investi-gated for their alleged role insabotaging the case.

Worse still, despite adverseremarks by the High Court inAshish Shirodkar case the po-

Crime Branch cracks sixcases in 3 yrs: statistics

China denies visa to top

Kashmiri docPTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 18

With India objecting to stapledvisas being issued to those fromJammu and Kashmir, China ap-pears to have adopted a newpolicy of denying visas to thoseborn in the State.

One of Indias leading cardi-ologists U Kaul, also a PadmaShri awardee, and four othersborn in Jammu and Kashmirhave been refused visas to travelto Beijing for a conference oncardiology which he was to havechaired four days back.

Kaul, who has been to Chinafour times before, was surprisedat the denial of visa to him andto the four others. He said therewas no reason given for visa re-jection.

However, another doctor,who is of Kashmiri origin butborn outside the State, wasgiven a visa for the same con-ference.

A Ch inese Embassyspokesman said he could notcomment on these cases imme-diately due to absence of details.However, there was no changein Chinese policy of issuing sta-pled visas to those born inJammu and Kashmir, he said.

Qureshi doesU-turn on Krishnaremark

PTI

ISLAMABAD, JULY 18

In a series of flip-flops, PakistanForeign Minister Shah MahmoodQureshi has said he will not goto India for talks only for aleisure trip and backtracked onhis earlier claim that his coun-terpart S M Krishna received re-peated calls from New Delhitaking instructions during theirJuly 15 parleys.

I do not want to visit Indiafor a leisure trip. I want to gofor meaningful, constructive andresult-oriented talks if the rightatmosphere prevails and if theyare fully prepared (for talks),Qureshi told reporters last night.

He was responding to a ques-tion on whether he would travelto New Delhi for talks in viewof Indian Governments currentposition.

Following a meeting withQureshi here on Thursday last,Krishna had announced that hehad invited his Pakistani coun-terpart to visit India for the nextround of parleys.

Qureshi also said he neverstated that Krishna was on thephone with New Delhi duringtheir parleys on Thursday. Inever said Krishna himselfwas making calls (to NewDelhi).

He contended that wheneverhe and Krishna agreed on anyissue during their talks hereon Thursday, a member oft h e I n d i a n d e l e g a t i o nwould leave the room to conferwith New Delhi and seek in-structions.

The Indian delegate, who leftthe room, would then returnand convey a message to Kr-ishna, he claimed.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 18

Even as youngest sibling ofTorrado family was undergoingtreatment for depression at In-stitute of Psychiatry andHuman Behaviour, a friend ofthe Torrado family has nowclaimed that Nadia had walkedinto the Loutolim market dur-ing the time when she wassupposed to have consumedpoison.

Nadia was in the marketafter 9.30 am and returnedhome at around 11.50 am...She had interacted with manypeople including a newspapervendor, Maria Mascarenhas,close friend of Torrado familytold reporters today.

Police in their investigationhad revealed that Nadia hadconsumed poison at 9 am onMay 15 and was later shiftedto hospital at around 2 pm.Nadias mother, Sonia ischarged with abetment of sui-cide, culpable homicide anddestruction of evidence.

Mascarenhas is attending toNadias brother, Conrad, at In-stitute of Psychiatry andHuman Behaviour, who hasgone into depression after his

mothers arrest.Nadia had enough chance

to inform people about hertaking poison as she had spo-ken to many people, Mas-carenhas said.

She added saying, Nadiahad even brought patties froma bakery for breakfast.

The investigating agenciesearlier had questioned the

delay in taking Nadia to thehospital by the family mem-ber s wh i l e he r mother,Sonia, has stated that itwas only at 2 pm that theycame to know about Nadiaconsuming poison.

Former tourism minister,Mickky Pacheco and Sonia, arearrested by Crime Branch inconnection with Nadias death.

That day Nadia went to themarket, recounts friend

Claims she returned at 11.50 am

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 18

Ahead of State LegislativeAssembly session, National-ist Congress Party (NCP) na-tional leader James Sangmatoday met former tourismminister Mickky Pacheco inpolice custody.

Sources disclosed thatSangma had a meeting withPacheco at the Crime Branchoffice in Dona Paula whichlasted for about 15 minutes.The senior NCP leaders visithas raised eyebrows as thisis the first national leader tocontact the NCP legislator inpolice custody, sourcessaid.

Interestingly, Curtorimlegislator Aleixo ReginaldoLourenco had sought per-mission today to meetPacheco. Mickky refused tomeet Reginaldo, sourcessaid.

This is the second Con-gress legislator who hasmade futile attempt to meetPacheco, who was virtuallyisolated by political leaderssince May 30 when Nadiadied. Mickky reportedly re-fused to meet one legislatorfrom north Goa on Saturday.

Top level sources in NCPalso confirmed that another

Sangma meets Mickky in jailHERALD REPORTERPANJIM, JULY 19

The 15-day monsoon session ofthe Goa Legislative Assemblywill begin tomorrow with theOpposition Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) all geared to cornerthe Government over several is-sues.

In all, 2602 questions willcome in the Assembly to be an-swered by the Government ofwhich 871 are starred and 1731are unstarred questions.

Crucial Bills like the Goa Pan-chayati Raj (amendment) Bill andthe Goa Police Bill, which wasreferred to select committee arelikely to come up for passing.

The session will also vote onthe Budget 2010.

The session is expected to bestormy with the Oppositionmaking its intention clear tocorner the Government on thepolice-politicians-drugs nexuscase besides other issues of cor-ruption and illegal mining.

The Home Minister is unlikelyto be present for first few daysat least, to answer the querieson drug nexus as he is report-edly unwell and admitted in aMumbai hospital.

The session is also expectedto vote on the no-confidencemotion against the Speakermoved by the BJP.

The session also assumes sig-nificance as for the first time inthe history of Goa Assembly anarrested legislator is expected

to attend the session. The courthas granted permission toMickky Pacheco arrested in theNadia Torrado death case to at-tend the Assembly session.

MARGAO REPORTER ADDS:Chief Minister Digambar Kamathas said the Government is fullygeared up to take on the Oppo-sition in the Assembly in the en-su ing As semb ly se s s ionbeginning Monday.

In an informal chat with news-men, the Chief Minister said thegovernment is willing to discussevery issue affecting the stateand its citizens on the Floor ofthe House.

When asked whether he ex-pects the monsoon assemblysession to be stormy, the ChiefMinister said let us see.

When pointed out that theOpposition is waiting to raise ahost of issue in the House, theChief Minster said the Govern-ment is fully geared up to fieldall questions in the house.

On the River Princess, Kamatsaid the Disaster ManagementCommittee is seized with the issue.

Now, all eyeson session

Oppn set to corner GovtWe are ready, says CM

PTI

VIRUDHUNAGAR (TN), JULY 18

Union Home Minister P Chi-dambaram has said slain LTTEleader V Prabhakaran wouldhave been Mudisooda Mannan(uncrowned monarch) of thenorthern and eastern provincesof Sri Lanka had he acceptedthe 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan agree-ment as requested by formerPrime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Addressing a public meetinghere last night, Chidambaramsaid he had met Prabhakaranand talked with him for hours.He (Prabhakaran) was not ourenemy. We were opposed to thepath chosen by him.

Virudhunagar is the homeconstituency of MDMK chiefVaiko, a known LTTE supporter.Vaiko was defeated by Congressnominee Manick Tagore by15,000 votes in the 2009 LS polls.

Chidambaram said a countryneeds peace for development.Violence and rioting will notdevelop a country. There hadbeen heavy loss of lives andproperties in Sri Lanka (duringthe war against the LTTE).

Claiming that peace had re-

turned to the island nation, hesaid India had given Rs 3,600crore for the benefit of the in-ternally displaced Tamils. Thegovernment had also allocatedRs 1,000 crore for the construc-tion of 50,000 houses in north-ern Sri Lanka.

The Home Minister said ef-forts are underway to renovateKangesanthurai port and repairPalali airport.

He said he was confident thatin another two years, 2.5 lakhdisplaced Tamils would get theirhouses.

Chidambaram was participat-ing in the 108th birth anniver-sary celebrations of former ChiefMinister Kamaraj and 125th an-niversary of the Congress party.

Prabhakaran was not Indias enemy: PC

Top RSS leader questions BJP

on JaswantPTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 18

Senior RSS leader M G Vaidyatoday questioned BJPs decisionof re-admitting Jaswant Singhinto the party fold and not lead-ers like Uma Bharti, Govin-dacharya and Sanjay Joshi.

Why was only Jaswant Singhadmitted? Why not Govin-dacharya, Uma Bharti and SanjayJoshi?. They (the three leaders)might have made some mistakesbut it was not as serious as thatof praising Jinnah (which L K Ad-vani made) Vaidya said in anarticle in a Marathi newspaper.

He said there would havebeen no damage to the BJP evenif Jaswant Singh was out of theparty, but the re-admission ofBharti, Govindacharya and Joshiwould certainly strengthen it.

Vaidya was critical of Advanifor declaring Jinnah a secularist,saying no one would accept thepoint of view.

Reflecting on the six yearswhen the BJP-led NDA was inpower, the RSS functionaryasked why would the Hindusvote for the BJP again when itcould not even get the land nearthe Ram Janambhoomi area tothe owners when it was in power.

Nadia Torrado

lice inspector who was sus-pended and arrested for his al-leged links with drug-mafia it does not seem to have madeany striking progress in the case.

Statistics reveal that in 2007,there were acquittals in 90 casesand just six convictions. Inter-estingly, the large number of ac-quittals related to matka cases.A total 125 cases were detectedby the depa r tment andchargesheets were filed in all.But the end resulted in 86 ac-quittals.

Of the 14 forgery cases re-ported in 2007, it could get con-viction in just one case whiletrial is pending in 8 cases. Theremaining five are still under in-vestigation. Also, sleuths arestill investigating all seven cheat-ing cases reported in 2007.

The performance of the CrimeBranch in 2008 was nothing bet-ter. A total 107 cases were re-

ported during this year but therewas not a single conviction.Again, acquittals pertain tomatka and gambling of which

Sonia set to be Cong prez againSonia Gandhi is set to becomeCongress President again andher election will be ratified atthe next AICC plenary which islikely to be held in Mumbai byyear end when the party willmark 125 years of its forma-tion. Gandhi, who has re-mained at the helm for 12years, has created a record ofbeing the longest-servingparty president. She took overthe reins of the Congress inApril 1998 following the exitof Sitaram Kesri. (PTI)

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GOA, MONDAY, 19 JULY, 2010

GOAHERALD

Pg 2

WORK NOT IN PROGRESS: Our reader, Stephen Dias clicked theabove photograph near Milk Centre Booth No:29 at Caranzalem,close to the residence of Panjim Mayor Mrs Carolina Po.

Unattended cable chamber Stephen Dias, Dona Paula

A Chamber containing different type of cabling is lying unattendedfor the last 15 days. The photograph above also shows the existenceof a police barricade all around this chamber and in the middle ofthe road, posing a danger to heavy traffic, as half of the road isalmost blocked. Can the Government authority find out why thisjob is kept pending for the last 15 days, that too where the Mayorof Panjim resides nearby?

Parking for three wheelers Pravin U Sardessai, Ponda

Ponda has several traffic signboards marked as Parking for Two-wheelers and Parking for Four-wheelers at different spots. Theabove photograph shows a three-wheeler goods carrier rickshaw,comfortably parked at the parking space notified for four-wheelers.

The Traffic Cell should clarify whether three-wheelers can beparked in areas reserved for four-wheelers. In case this is not per-mitted, the department should reserve a parking space for three-wheelers as well.

This matter needs to be considered on priority in the interestand welfare of three-wheeler vehicles, which constitute a sizeablenumber in different locations.

Improve traffic scene at PorvorimAmit Majumdar, Porvorim

The once beautiful Bougainvillea garden near the O'Coqueiro circleand adjacent to the CHOGM road is fast disappearing, as it hasmade way for business activities like a steel and building materialsstockyard and parking of vehicles.

Though a signpost has been installed in front of the Mutt (op-posite the water tank) reading No parking within 100 metres,several cars, LCVs, tempos, vans, etc, are parked within 5 metresof this signpost. The constant movementof water tankers (fromthe PWD overhead tank) adds to the woes. It is a nightmaretravelling through this stretch, especially during office hours, asthere are no side walks for pedestrians.

Stray dog menaceJohn Alvares, Bogmalo

The famous tourist destination, Bogmalo beach, is nowadays fre-quented by unwanted stray dogs, posing a risk for the safe move-ment of locals and tourists alike. Otherwise, this beach is quietand serene, mostly preferred by lovers.

If the stray dog menace is not cleared before the tourist season,they may attack tourists visiting the beach, and there is everypossibility of dog bites that may turn into rabies.

Ration card anxietyEdwin Braganza, Canacona

In spite of being born and brought up in Goa for 37 years, I havestill not received my BPL ration card, and I am surprised to seeeven outsiders possessing them. I had applied for BPL ration cardfour years back and even after informing the Civil Supplies Ministerabout this, there is no response.

With the recent price hikes of essential commodities, being adaily wage worker, I find it very difficult to purchase the basic req-uisites for my family. I request the concerned authorities to im-mediately look into this matter.

Open ditches on pavementGina Chodankar, Dona Paula

Our regular writer, Gina Chodankar, has clicked the above photographshowing open ditches on the pavement near IT park on Nagali hills.As the area is not a populated area, it makes no difference to humans,but proves dangerous for stray dogs walking on the pavement. Shehas so far treated four dogs with broken legs, as they fell into theseopen ditches in the dark.

Fare hike discrepancies Maria Lata Pereira, Tivim

The hike in diesel and petrol prices has made a huge hole in thepockets of the working class. Bus owners have a stranglehold oncommuters, a situation akin to forcing them to pay the fare atknifepoint or gunpoint. If the demand for a fare hike is not met,they threaten to go on strike. Commuters have to pay the fareasked, or miss work, school or college. Isnt this a type of legaliseddaylight robbery?

Each time there is a hike in fares, the private bus owners makemerry. Their demands are always met. But what about the demandsof the hapless regular commuters silently suffering discrepanciesin fares of the privately owned buses? Ticket collectors chargesome people the old fare, while others are charged the revisedfare. They easily get away with this, as they do not issue tickets.When tickets are demanded they are rude and, at times, threatenus physically. Why are the private bus owners not dealt withstrictly? Is it right for the so-called government of the aam admito torture the aam admi?

CIVIC FORUM

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

Chief Minister Digambar Kamathas extended all possible sup-port from the Goa governmentfor the first World Konkani Cul-tural convention scheduled atMangalore in November-Decem-ber 2010.

The Chief Minister was speak-ing at the Vovllik, the curtainraiser of this world conventionat the Ravindra bhavan here on

Sunday evening.He requested the organizers

of the world Konkani culturalconvention to hold the event ina big way, assuring Goa govern-ments assistance for the con-vention.

Kamat complimented EricOzario and his group for puttingup a magnificent infrastructurein Mangalore, saying this willhelp benefit Konkani lovers ina big way.

In his address, South Goa MPFrancisco Sardinha underlinedthe need to preserve the richKonkani culture by creatingawareness amongst the newgeneration. The new genera-tion should know about theirculture. Our children have notseen our rich culture, he said,and asserted that it is the dutyof very Konkani loving citizento protect and preserve the lan-guage for posterity.

The First World Konkani Cul-tural Convention is being or-gan i sed a t Ka l aangann ,Mangalore from November 25to December 19, 2010. Over60 troupes from across theworld are expected to attendthe 25-day festival. Around 30cultural troupes from Goa willparticipate and showcase Goasculture in the field of folkmusic, tiatr and Nattok at theconvention.

Govt supports world Konkani convention

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, JULY 18

Excise officials are hotly in pur-suit of the main culprit in theseizure of Rs 20 lakh worth ille-gally manufactured liquor atLoliem on Saturday, while thearrested business partner hassucceeded in obtaining bail.

After conducting massiveraid, which went past Saturdaymidnight, excise officials ulti-mately succeeded in the seizure

Liquor seizure: Excise Dept on hot pursuit of culprit

Canacona Excise Inspector Shamba Naik and Superintendent of Excise Navnath Naik searching for theculprit in Canacona forest. Photo by Kathy Pereira

of illegally packed IMFL of dif-ferent well-known brands, Coun-try liquor, stocked alcohol worthlakhs of rupees, besides sealingand filling machines and otherraw materials like empty bottles,caps and labels of differentbrands.

According to Superintendentof Excise Navnath Naik, who ledthe raid on the massive illegalmanufacturing and stocking unitat Shelim-Loliem, the lone ar-

rested business partner JohnMinz is booked under exciseSections 5, 7, 8 and 9 for illegalmanufacture, illegal possessionof vast quantity of different IMFLbrands, alcohol and machinesand other raw materials, sale ofliquor, illegal imports of excisematerials, etc.

The accused was producedbefore JMFC Canacona on Sat-urday night itself, who grantedhim bail on personal bond of Rs1 lakh and two sureties of Rs50,000 each.

John Minz was quizzed on

Sunday also, but other then re-vealing the illegal supply he wasmaking to Karnataka state re-gions, not much could be gath-ered from him, as the mainculprit and prime accused, whois reportedly owner of thesemassive illegal operations, isstill at large, informed Naik.

Meanwhile, a team led byCanacona Excise InspectorShamba Naik was in Shelim-Loliem till late Sunday eveningto catch hold of the house andthe alleged illegal activitiesowner.

The prime accused is stillnot traceable and he had notvisited his house or seen any-where, after he hoodwinked ex-cise personnel on Saturday andescaped through the thickforests of his house. Some ofour guards had followed him,but he was not seen after that,added Naik.

He is a local and he cant beon the run forever. We expectto nab him and book him for allthe offenses at the earliest pos-sible, said Naik.

Naik replied in negative when

asked if the raiding party or de-partment bigwigs are gettingany political pressure to go softon the massive revelation of theillegal activities.

Some locals told us thatthese massive activities aregoing on for the last 4-5 yearswithout any check, he said.

Interrogation of the arrestedperson, a native of Jarkhand, didnot reveal any other specific de-tails or pointed fingers to anyone else. It is too early to sayanything, as the main culprit isalso still at large, Naik said.

Interestingly, this is the thirdsuccess for the newly postedCanacona Excise InspectorShamba Naik, after he was postedin Canacona two months ago.

Naik had recently seized IMFLbottles il legally traffickedthrough Konkan Railways fromCanacona KRC station, while inthe second instance, a personwas arrested after this officerwith his team camped for twodays in Polem forests and finallycaught the man, who was traf-ficking liquor to Karwar throughPolem dense forests. The totalworth of liquor in both theseraids was about Rs 35,000.

In the latest success, Shambais part of the massive raid con-ducted on a manufacturing unitsituated almost in a forest areaof Shelim, close to the borderwith Karnataka.

MORE OBITUARIES ON PG 10

Sangma meets

MickkyUnion minister has been tryingto contact Pacheco on phone,which the latter refused to en-tertain.

Deputy Inspector General ofPolice (DIG) Ravindra Yadav hadquestioned Mickky on Saturdaynight at Crime Branch.

Sources maintained that theDIG initially inquired aboutMickkys foreign visits and laterwanted to know about police-drug mafia nexus case.

Pacheco is in police custodysince July 8 and his bail petitionwill come up for hearing tomor-row in the High Court.

Police crackscases

about 32 cases were registered.In 2009, though it received

56 cases of which it claims tohave de tec ted 52 , andchargesheets were filed in 32cases, it failed to get even oneconviction.

The statistics for last threeyears also reveal that CrimeBranch has taken undue longtime for investigating cases ofcheating and all 23 cases re-ported during last three yearsare still under investigation.

Bad performance of CrimeBranch only strengthens allega-tions levelled against it by theOpposition leader.

FROM PAGE 1

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

The process to reconstitute thedefunct South Goa District Plan-ning Committee has got under-way.

Elections to the DPC fromamongst the South Goa ZillaPanchayat members was held,wherein six members wereelected unanimously andthrough consensus.

After the withdrawal of ZPmembers, Maria Miranda andPradeep Desai from the fray, ZPmembers Nel ly Rodrigues(Colva), Krishna Velip (Cola),Domnic Gaonkar (Raia), AnthonyRodrigues (Velim), Aparna BhojNaik (Sancoale) and Rashmi Lam-bor (Dharbandora) were electedto the South District Planningcommittee.

The elections were conductedby the Presiding officer and ZPCEO N S Navti in the presenceof South Goa ZP ChairpersonMaria Rebello.

The DPC was not reconsti-tuted after elections to the Zilla

Panchayat held earlier this year.The chairperson of the Zilla Pan-chayat is the Chairperson of theDistrict Planning Committee.

Incidentally, though the Dis-trict planning committees wereconstituted nearly a decade ago,none of the committees in thelast 10 years have submitted anyconsolidated plan to the gov-ernment for consideration.

The DPC is required to con-solidate the plans received fromthe Panchayat and Municipalbodies, besides the Zilla Pan-chayat and forward the same tothe government for allocationof funds to the panchayat raj in-stitutions.

Sadly, the statutory districtplanning committees have failedto consolidate any plan till datefor want of any guidelines fromthe government and the lack ofwill from the powers that be todevolve powers and functionsto the district and village Pan-chayat bodies.

South planning panel being reconstituted

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

BICHOLIM, JULY 18

Several fields in Ambeshi andDevulwada, Pale, were rendereduncultivable due to the miningsilt in the area.

According to sources, the siltwhich was on the roads has en-tered into the fields, therebydamaging crops.

Speaking to Herald, DevanandGawas of Devulwada Pale saidthere are several companies

Mining silt renders Palefields uncultivable

The fields that were rendered uncultivable due to depositing of min-ing silt at Pale. Photos by Samir Umarye

which are operating in the areaand some are illegal. ThroughRTI Act on July 4, 2010 we havebeen informed that a miningcompany which is in operationin the village is not given anypermission and is totally illegal,added Gawas.

Due to these mining activi-ties, our fields have been ren-dered uncultivable and theauthorities should look intothis, said Gawas.

In Ambeshi, several fields havebeen damaged as the silt hasflown down during the rain. Thevillagers have demanded com-pensation for the loss of crops.

GOA, MONDAY, 19 JULY, 2010

GOAHERALD

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HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

This mega market has virtuallyturned an eyesore for want ofmaintenance, stinking environ-ment, broken drains et al.

But, hopes are now raisedthat the market may see a turn-around after monsoons, evenas the Chairman of South GoaPlanning and Development Au-thority (SGPDA) Mauvin Godinhohas again pleaded with ChiefMinister Digambar Kamat tohand over the PDA market tothe Margao civic body for main-tenance.

I agree that this marketneeds a face lift. The momentmonsoons are over, the entiremarket will get a fresh coat ofpaint. Illumination will get pri-ority, while the drainage systemwill improve to meet the re-quirements, Godinho said.

The PDA chairman assuredthat other improvements willbe brought about to ensure themega market truly becomes amodern market.

He, however, said that the PDAcannot be expected to take upthe maintenance work forever.The SGPDA is supposed to dothe planning needs and executeother projects. Looking after themaintenance of the markets iscertainly not the job of the PDA.The only solution to the mess ishanding over the market to theMargao Civic body for mainte-nance, he asserted.

Godinho expressed confi-dence that the market can def-initely see a turnaround when

the chief minister is taking somuch interest in his con-stituency by executing so manyprojects in Margao.

Incidentally, former Town andCountry Planning Minister,Babush Monseratte had stronglyrooted for handing over theSGPDA market to the MargaoCivic body for maintenance. Theproposal, however, fell flat afterthe PDA officials requested forcompensation from the govern-ment for both the market com-plex and the land running intocrores of rupees

Attempts to hand over thePDA market to the civic body in

the past had also failed to ma-terialize over the compensationto be paid to the SGPDA in lieuof handing over the market tothe Municipality.

The near-decade old SGPDAmarket is crying for attentionsince its commissioning withmuch fanfare for want of main-tenance by the authorities. Themega market built under pri-vatization along with thewholesale fish market has beenliterally struggling on the main-tenance front from day one,with attempts to put the mar-ket on the track coming a crop-per.

Mauvin vows turnaround for Margao SGPDA market

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

SGPDA Chairman MauvinGodinho has said the planningbody will put in place thecomprehensive developmentplan for Margao city after tak-ing the public views into ac-count.

The CDP should be peoplecentric. All suggestions andobjections will be invited andconsidered before the Plan isfinalized, Godinho told Her-ald on Sunday.

Replying to a question, hesaid there cannot be a timeframe to put the CDP inplace, reminding that it tookaround two years to finalisethe Outline Development

Plan (ODP) for Margao.When the ODP exercise wasse t in mot ion , we hadthought it would be done insix months.

But, the whole process gotdelay as the land use mapwas not in place. We saw toit that the land use map wasdrawn before the ODP wasfinally finalized, Godinhoadded.

He said the PDA will cer-tainly take the public opinioninto account and recalled howChief Minister DigambarKamat had scrapped the SEZsand sent all objections to theRegional Plan to the grass rootlevel for consultations anddecisions.

Promises comprehensive development plan for city

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

The ambitious exercise to makeMargao clean and green got un-derway at the SGPDA parkinglot on Sunday.

Even as Chief Minister Digam-bar Kamat rooted for plantingfruit bearing saplings as part ofthe tree plantation drive, theMargao Municipal Council alongwith NGOs Rotary Club and Nis-arga has identified around 200sites within the municipal juris-diction to grow more trees.

Kamat, while participating inthe function, rooted for Chikooand mango saplings, sayingthese trees may benefit the pub-lic in the long run. So manytrees have been grown over theyears, but we hardly find anyfruit bearing trees. At least, letthe children enjoy pluckingfruits from these trees one day,the chief minister said.

Kamat had an advise or twofor the organizers, asking themto take care of the maintenanceand nurture the sapling, so that

they grow into trees, but helpin the mission to make Margaogreen.

The Chief Minister said thenon-conventional energy parkwill soon take place opposingthe PDA parking lot.

Margao Municipal Chairper-son Savio Coutinho said the civicbody in association with Nisargaand Rotary Club have identifiedaround 200 sites across the cityfor tree plantation. Membersof Nisarga and Rotary club havetaken pains to identify the site

for tree plantation, Coutinhosaid.

In his address, SGPDA Chair-man Mauvin Godinho compli-mented the NGOs for taking upthe tree plantation exercise inthe PDA parking lot for the pick-ups. The Kamat governmenthas taken so many steps to pro-tect the environment. I comple-ment all of you for joining handsto make Margao green, he said,adding There is no better waythan making a tree our friendby planting more trees.

Clean & green Margao exercise takes off

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

The Camurlim gram sabhaturned stormy on Sunday overthe construction of an educa-tional institution in the village.

Opposing the project in thevillage, gram sabha membersrejected the proposal outrightand asked the panchayat to goon appeal against the order ofthe deputy Director of Panchay-ats.

Gram sabha members raisedvarious queries on the project,demanding to know how theproject could be approved with-out the proper conversionsanad. The members pointedout that half the property inquestion shows it is non-settle-ment and sought to know how

the authorities could grant con-version for the entire land.

After much discussion, thegram sabha members directedthe panchayat not to grant con-struction licence and decidedagainst forwarding the file forapproval.

The garbage issue also figuredat the meeting, with gram sabhamembers demanding to knowfrom the chair the identificationof any garbage disposal site.

Sarpanch Basil Dias said thepanchayat has not yet identifieda garbage disposal site after theGoa State Pollution ControlBoard rejected the site proposedby the panchayat body.

In this respect, the gramsabha meeting decided to studythe garbage disposal system put

in place in Taleigao Panchayatand implement the same in thevillage.

On the question of State high-way passing through the village,agitated members threatenedto come onto the streets if thePWD does not take urgent stepsto complete the road and con-struct a reta ining wal l atDolawaddo.

Sarpanch Basil later told Her-ald that the gram sabha mem-ber s comp la ined tha tconstruction of the road hasreached a dead end, resultingin water logging. The gramsabha members demanded thatthe road should continue. Thepeople also complained ofdumping of mud, destroying thepaddy fields, he said.

Camurlim gram sabha turns stormy over educational project

A rare species of migratory birds spotted at Caranzalem road side on Sunday. Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

A group of citizens from Colvaled by Cutbona Boat OwnersUnion President Antonio Ro-drigues and Panch member JoseCamilo Silva on Sunday ex-tended their support for thecandidature of PWD Minister,Churchill Alemaos daughterValanka.

This is the second such dele-gation from Colva that has ex-tended support for Valanka, whohas made her intention clear tocontest the next Assembly pollsfrom Benaulim.

Antonio told newsmen aftercalling on the PWD Minister andValanak that the boat ownershad many problems at the fish-ing jetty, which will now be re-solved by the government. Hesaid the delegation will welcomeand support Valanka in the com-ing hustings.

Panch Jose Camilo Silva saidthe delegation had called onChurchill Alemao since the vil-lagers faced problems at theColva creek, besides garbagedisposal. He said the delegationwill support Valanka in the fu-ture since she has assured tostudy the problems and find asolution.

Valanka later told newsmenthat more and more people areextending their support to hercandidature ever since she dis-closed plans to contest from Be-naulim. We will help to resolve

Colva locals back Valanka for polls

the problems faced by the peo-ple of Colva after inspecting thecreek, she said.

Replying to a question, shesaid that she is very positive ingetting the Congress nomina-tion to contest the Assemblypolls from Benaulim.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 18

After launching tirade demand-ing handing over drug nexusprobe to CBI, the National Stu-dents Union of India (NSUI) hasnow reposed full faith in ChiefMinister Digamber Kamat.

We have full faith in chiefminister that he will hand overthe drug nexus case to CBI,NSUI, Goa unit chief SunilKawthankar said.

Kamat has been alwaysworking for the benefit of Goansand we feel that he will take the

matter seriously, he added.Briefing media today after-

noon, Kawthankar said that aletter accompanied with signa-ture campaign has been ad-dressed to chief minister.

NSUI has launched a massivesignature campaign across thestate demanding handing overof police-drug peddler nexuscase to CBI.

Kawthankar has recently vis-ited Delhi to attend the nationalexecutive meeting and had metAll India Congress Committee,general secretary Rahul Gandhi

with the demand to hand overthe case from police to CBI.

We had discussed the issuewith Gandhi, who appreciatedthe signature campaign againstdrugs. When we explained tohim the entire situation, he wasshocked to know the facts be-hind the drug nexus in Goa,Kawthankar said.

We even explained to himhow police are involved in thedrug nexus and how they aretrying to suppress our cam-paign, he added.

Kawthankar said that Gandhi

has assured to take the matterseriously.

Secretary in charge of NSUI,Menaxi Natarajan will personallymonitor the situation, he said.

Kawathankar saidthat the issue was also discussedwith the various presidents ofNSUIs across the state.

Kawthankar said that we can-not trust over police, who areby and large involved in the drugnexus. Even if I die, we wontwithdraw our agitation till gov-ernment handles the situationcarefully, he stated.

NSUI trusts CM on police-drug nexus probe

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 18

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) todaysaid that it plans to percolatethe section of society whichwere hitherto not their voterbase in Goa.

We will be holding ST con-vention followed by conventionsof Christian and Muslim com-munities as we want to reachout to everyone with our partypolicies, BJP Goa unit chiefLaxmikant Parsekar told a gath-ering today.

Parsekar was speaking duringinauguration of BJP OBC cell,which has vowed to force thestate government implementthe 27 per cent reservation thatwas passed on the floor of theHouse.

BJP President Nitin Gadkariduring his Goa visit has advicedus to reach out to the peoplewhere we never went and alsoincrease our base in the sectionswhich we are already existing,he said. He said that the partywill hold ST convention nextmonth in the state.

ST community has been keptaway from 12 per cent reserva-tion, a right which is given tothem, Parsekar added.

Taking a dig at family-ori-ented politics by the Congressparty, Parsekar pointed out thatSonia Gandhi led party whichhad refused ticket to VishwajitRane on the basis of one ticketper family' has now taken JuniorRane in its fold. Congress ide-ology varies within three years,he said.

Parsekar also mentioned howAlemao family is trying to gettheir daughter a party ticket de-spite two brothers already beingon the post of profit. In caseof Rane, first father introducedson and now son wants his wifeto contest from Sankhalim con-stituency, he said.

He also said that both Babus-- Babu Kavlekar and Babu As-gaonkar -- plan to field theirwives in Sanguem and Dhar-galim constituency respectively.

Babu Asgaonkar is eyeing forMorjim constituency, the Mor-jim legislator said.

Parsekar said that BJP has al-ways given platform for OBCcommunity and thats why sevenout of its 14 legislators are fromthat community.

In case of congress, out of19 only two legislators are OBC,he pointed

With eye on polls, BJP forms OBC cellHERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 18

Joining forces with the OtherBackward C lasses (OBC) ,Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) todayformed OBC cell to press for en-hancing the registration from19 per cent to 27 per cent.

There was a private memberresolution adopted by assemblywhich was moved by BJP legis-lator Damodar Naik. Despitepassing the resolution, the in-crease in reservation is not im-plemented, BJPs Member ofParliament Shripad Naik said.

He said that the BJPs OBCcell will take up the issue onpriority as it is injustice to thecommunity, who has remainedeconomically backward.

Naik said that consecutivegovernments, except BJP-ledgovernment, have just given alip service to the cause of OBCcommunity. He recalled thatBhandari community was givena Scheduled Tribe (ST) status byNDA government, the issuewhich was pending for ages.

He said that the BJP will con-tinue its agitation till OBC getstheir dues which are duly rec-ognized by the state legislativeassembly.

Be ready to take on street,Naik appealed the gathering at

Gomantak Maratha Samaj hall.Naik feels that development

of backward class people willhelp in the development of thestate. Development of OBCswill translate into the prosperityof the state, he stated.

BJP state president LaxmikantParsekar said that its only be-cause of BJP that Goa was ableto get OBC ministers. We have7 out of 14 MLAs who belongto OBC, whereas congress hasonly two of its 19, he stated.

Only BJP can fight for therights and development of thissection of society, he added.

Parsekar said that OBC, whichincludes 19 classes of societyare completely ignored by thestate government.

Addressing the gathering,Damu Naik said that BPJ is thegovernment of OBC and Sched-ule Tribe (ST) people. There isneed that the rights of thesepeople are protected. Theyouths especially the studentscommunity needs reservationin different fields, where theycant approach due to financialproblems, he said.

On this occasion, Naik passedthe resolution of enhancing thereservation by 27 percent, whichwas supported by large sectionof OBC people and BJP members.

Plans reach out mission

Pale local injured

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

BICHOLIM, JULY 18

A 65-year-old man from Pale wasinjured, after he was hit by anunknown vehicle at Sanquelimon Friday.

Bicholim Police on Sundayregistered an offense against anunknown person in connectionwith the case.

According to reports, AnantMadkar, who was hit by an un-known vehicle at Sanquelim,was shifted to GMC Hospital inBambolim.

Meanwhile, one Nilesh Man-drekar (35) from Karapur wasreported missing since the lastfour days. According to reports,Mandrekar had gone for fishingin the nearby river. The villagerscarried out search operation,but were unable to locate Man-drekar.

Goa Foundationcomplains

against govt HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 18

The Goa Foundation has com-plained to the Centre that theState government has been tak-ing retrograde actions threat-ening the extinction of about1016 sq kms of open forest inthe State.

In his letter to Minster for En-vironment and Forests JairamRamesh, Director of Goa Foun-dation Dr Claude Alvares saidthat the extinction of 1016 sqkm open forests could even frus-trate the implementation ofGreen India Mission in Goa.

Dr Alvares further said thatthe Green Ind i a M i s s ionlaunched by his ministry maynot be executed in Goa due tothe retrograde actions alreadytaken by the State government.

A national mission for a GreenIndia was recently announcedin view of international com-mitments. But according to theState governments criteria anyforest below 0.4 per cent canopydensity will not be recognizedas open forest. By the applyingthis criterion, all areas cate-gorised by Forest Survey of India(2009 report) as Open foresthave been simply derecognised.

Mauvin wants land for

garbage plantHERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 18

Cortalim ML A and DeputySpeaker, Mauvin Godinho hasrequested Chief Minister Digam-bar Kamat to make availableland admeasuring one lakhsquare meters to the six villagepanchayats in his constituencyto set up a garbage treatmentplant.

Making a earnest appeal tothe Chief Minister at theVanamahotsava function held atthe SGPDA ground here on Sun-day, Godinho said the villagepanchayat are willing to set upa modern waste processing pantif the government makes avail-able the land. We are ready toput up a modern plant. Onlygive us the required land, maybe around one lakh square me-ters, Godinho said.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

MAYEM, JULY 18

North Goa MP Shripad Naik hasstated that parents, teachersand management are the threemain factors in leading the ed-ucational institution towardssuccess.

He was addressing the PTAof Shri Shantadurga HighSchool, Bicholim, during a spe-cial meeting at Hirabai ZantyeMemorial Hall, Bicholim, onSaturday.

Naik lauded the efforts ofShri Shantadurga High Schoolfor achieving success in thefield of education, art, sports,music and culture due to effi-cient governing body.

Vidhyavardhak Mandal Pres-ident Sadashiv Walaulikar, VicePresident and Bicholim MLARajesh Patnekar, HeadmasterSuresh Ghatwal, PTA PresidentVishant Vaze, member ArunSalkar, Vijay Sardesai, Arun

Naik, Rajesh Dhond and Golamteacher were present on theoccasion.

On the occasion, Naik an-nounced to provide one lap-top, five computers and aprojector to the school, be-sides cash Rs 25 lakh for thenew school building from theMP Fund.

On the occasion, 22 stu-

dents were felicitated for mer-itorious academic career.

Earlier, programme beganwith welcome song followedby a welcome address by Vis-hant Vaze. The annual reportwas presented by Suresh Ghat-wal. Teacher Marathe com-pered the function, while ArunNaik proposed the vote ofthanks.

GOAOHERAl

dO

Pg4ShOrT TakES

GOA, mOndAy, 19 july, 2010

==

Eye check-up camp held

A doctor examines a patient at a eye checkup camp.

PANJIM (HND): Sesa Goa Ltd, as a part of its CSR initiative,organised a daylong free eye checkup camp at Sirsaim, pan-chayat building recently, in collaboration with Mukta Opticians.The camp was aimed at treating and providing free eye-careservices to the people of rural areas.

A total of 113 people from various age groups werescreened for cataract, vision correction and other eye prob-lems, out of which 82 people required glasses and 16 were de-tected with cataract.

Present on the occasion were Sirsaim Sarpanch DikshaKanolkar and other panchayat members. The camp was coor-dinated by AGM Medical Services, Sesa Goa Dr Sunil Kakodkarand his colleagues Manager Environment Leena Verenkar andCSR officers Carlton Carvalho, Samiuddin Khan and Ashish Pi-lankar.

Arena Animations coursesPANJIM (HND): Admissions are open at Arena Animations

Goa for the AAASP and GWD courses. Arena Animations Academy Specialist Programme (AAASP)

comprises of 5 semesters. The first semester covers printmedia, the second 2D, third 3D Base, 4th 3D advanced and 5thspecialisation and demo reel.

Graphic and Web Designing course (GWD) comprises of 2semesters. The first semester covers graphic design and sec-ond semester covers web and interactive design.

A new batch will start from August 9. For further details contact MGM animations academy, Midas

Touch building, 3rd floor, Panjim market square, or call2225153/ 9423885224/ 9823013484/ 9823611824/9890432246or email: mgmanimations@gmail.com.

Dr Rekha rewarded

Dr Rekha Gaonkar, Head, Department of Economics, MES College,receives the best college teacher award from Governor Dr S SSidhu.

PANJIM (HND): MES College Associate Professor Dr RekhaRamesh Gaonkar was felicitated with the award of the bestteacher at college level at the Goa University on the occasionof valedictory ceremony of silver jubilee celebrations of GoaUniversity.

Dr Rekha Gaonkar was felicitated at the hands of GovernorDr S S Sidhu. CM Digambar Kamat, vice-Chancellor of Goa Uni-versity Prof Dilip Deobagkar and other dignitaries were pres-ent. A special committee consisting of eminent scholars ineducation field was appointed to select the deserving teacherfor the award. The committee recommended Dr Rekha RGaonkar as the best teacher.

Dr Gaonkar has attended and presented many research pa-pers in many state, national and international level confer-ences.

Murgaon Education Society Chairman Vasant Joshi, viceChairman Paresh Joshi, ex-Principal of MES College Prof M SKamat, Principal Dr R V Hajirnis, vice-Principal Dr Maria Ceudo Rodrigues, faculties and students extended warm congrat-ulations for her success.

General body meeting heldPANJIM (HND): The general body meeting of ex-students as-

sociation of St Xaviers Institute was held recently in the schoolhall at Bandol, Curtorim.

Members of the management spoke to the ex-students.Many ex-students gave their opinion and expressed their grat-itude to their institution, to which they owed much in theirlife. They mentioned that they were well moulded and givenall round development. Others who spoke on the occasionwere Wilson Luis, Santano Rodrigues, Dionisio Sardinha, DrErnesto Rodrigues, Joseph Monteiro and Theresa Vaz, Head-mistress of St Xaviers Institute High School.

The ad-hoc committee was elected which included WilsonLuis as president, Michael Sequeira as vice-president, DionisioSardinha as secretary, Maria Menezes e Mascarenhas as jointsecretary and Esmael Rodrigues as treasurer.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks by Melroy Fernan-des, Manager of St Xaviers Institute high school.

Plant sale organised

Society of St Vincent de Paul sells plants at Calangute. Photo by Thomas Fernandes

CALANGUTE (HC): The Society of St Vincent de Paul Confer-ence of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, Calangute, organ-ised a two-day plants sale outside St Alex Church, Calangute,on weekend to generate funds for the Society.

The Society collected funds from the sale of plants to meetits requirements of helping the poor and needy in Calangute.The Society members were overwhelmed with the responseof the villagers for the sale of plants.

Musical programmeMAYEM (HC): Sammrat Club, Bicholim, will organise a musi-

cal programme Ashadhdhara on the eve of Ashadhi Ekadashiat Kelbai Temple, Mulgao, on July 21 at 3.31 pm.

The speciality of the programme is that all the participants,including the comperer and others, besides singers will be thechildren. Kelbai Devasthan President Shripad Raut and journal-ist Durgadas Garde will be the guests. Sadashiv Joshi of MarathiSanskar Kendra will highlight the importance of AshadhiEkadashi. Sammrat Club President Nishant Chanekar has calledupon the people to attend the programme in large numbers.

Friday Balcao on July 23PANJIM (HND): Friday Balcao, the fortnightly discussion

event to be held on July 23, will focus on how Self Help Groups(SHGs) are making a difference in peoples lives in Goa

The discussion, which will cover the the Parra-Verla-Cancaexperience in Bardez, will be led by Vijaydatta Lotlikar and SrEdith Dantas. Friday Balcao will be held at the Goa Desc Re-source Centre, No. 11, Liberty Apartments Feira Alta, Mapusafrom 4 pm to 6 pm and is open to the public. For more infor-mation email on goadesc@gmail.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 18

Officiating Chief SecretaryNarendra Kumar today advisedthe government departmentshaving plan budget provisionsand which have potential toimplement welfare schemes forthe tribals to devise schemesfor the tribal population.

Kumar was presiding over ameeting of all the depart-ments implementing TribalSub Plan and having planbudget provisions in the Con-ference Hall, Secretariat, Por-vorim. The meeting wasattended by the Secretaries tothe Government and Heads ofthe Departments.

On the occasion, Kumarsaid that Scheduled Tribes

cannot be deprived of theschemes that are devised forthem by the government. De-liberating on the modalitiesof enhancing the outlaysunder tribal sub plan up to12% of State Plan outlay, healso advised all the depart-ments to share their 12 per-cent budget allocation underthe Tribal Sub-Plan. If the de-partments dont use theirbudget share towards theTribal Sub-Plan, the plans formain schemes would not bereleased by the planning com-mission, he remarked.

Kumar advised the Depart-ment of Information and Pub-licity department to come outwith a book on the schemesthat are meant for the tribal

population. He said that therewas need to ensure that eachyear funds are earmarked andfully utilized for the schemesand programmes under TribalSub-Plan.

Earlier, Social Welfare Secre-tary Rajiv Verma said that itwas the responsibility of eachState government concernedto implement all programmesmeant for improving the livesof Scheduled Tribes. EachState government therefore,should draw up a focused andintegrated Tribal Sub-Plan,which is required to ensureearmarking of funds underTribal Sub-Plan in a proportionnot less than that of the tribalpopulation of the State, hesaid and added that the State

government has to provide thefunds so earmarked to bespent exclusively for the wel-fare of the scheduled tribesand also to ensure the imple-mentation of the Tribal Sub-Plan strategy in letter andspirit.

Rajiv further said thatpresently there are 17 Sec-toral Departments such asWater Resources, PWD, Mu-nicipal Administration, TribalWelfare, Education, Electric-ity, Sports, Women and Child,Health, Animal Husbandry,Agriculture, Forest, DRDA,Panchayats, Fisheries, Crafts-men Training and Art and Cul-ture which are implementingthe Tribal Sub-Plan for thestate since 2006-07.

Govt depts told to devise welfare schemes for tribal population

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 18

Minister for Rural Develop-ment and PWD Churchill Ale-mao said that after gettingapproval of Union RDA Minis-ter, the BPL norms and guide-lines have been relaxed so thatmore destitute and poor fami-lies can get benefits under BPLprogrammes in the State. He,therefore asked the concernedofficials to conduct survey asper new guidelines for inclu-sion of BPL families in Pernemareas to extend the benefits.

Alemao was speaking at theinauguration of Panchayat Gharconstructed under Rural Devel-opment scheme at a functionorganised at Agarwada-Chop-dem in Pernem.

Speaking further, Alemaosaid under the leadership ofUPA President Sonia Gandhiseveral welfare programmesare launched for the better-

ment of the common people inthe country. He said that NREGscheme introduced recently forthe benefits of marginal farm-ers, women and weaker sec-tions in the society is beingimplemented and urged thepeople to avail the advantagefrom such schemes to improvetheir standard of living.

Alemao also assured to pro-vide free gas connections andother incentives to BPL familiesin these areas.

Panchayats Minister BabuAzgaonkar urged the people ofPernem to keep aside their po-litical affiliation and remainunited in the process of socio-economic development of thetaluka.

Azgaonkar further favouredfor setting up of jobs-orientedprojects in Pernem for the ben-efits of youths in Pernem andsurrounding areas.

While reviewing the devel-

opment works, Azgaonkar in-formed that during the last onedecade many developmentalprojects like Chandel WaterTreatment Plant, Ozari-Pirnabridge, construction of variousroads, community halls havebeen taken up, besides Thar-mas-Ozari bridge is being con-structed in Dhargal.

MLA Dayanand Sopte ex-pressed satisfaction over theconstruction of new PanchayatGhar and urged the govern-ment to take up more develop-ment activities to createadditional infrastructure inAgarwada-Chopdem areas.

Later, Alemao and Az-gaonkar honoured the ex-Sarpanchas ofAgarwada-Chopdem pan-chayat.

Prabhakar NagvekarSarpanch welcomed the gath-ering and Arun Naik comperedthe function.

Guidelines for BPL schemesrelaxed for Goa: Churchill

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, JULY 18

Former minister Prof GopalraoMayekar has stated that educa-tion should aim at developingthe personality of the studentin all dimensions moral, men-tal and emotional.

He was speaking at Por-vorim after releasing MarathiBook Shikshan Vata aniVallne, written by Manohar Ko-rgaonkar.

The foundation of educa-tion should be laid on moralityand ethics. Without moralityand ethics, no student can beconsidered to be healthy inmental and physical terms. Aperson, who is not a moralistand is unable to differentiatebetween right and wrong, can-not rise to the essential level oftrue student, said ProfMayekar.

These days, the attentionto the teachers is focused on

completion of curriculumwithin the timeframe set bythe Education Department andin the process the emotionaland spiritual side is neglectedentirely, he added.

The minds of the childrenare sensitive and hence the ed-ucation should give the stu-dents confidence, which willprepare them to face the chal-lenges of life in future, hesaid.

He claimed that some teach-ers do not teach the subjectswith devotion, due to whichstudents dont take interest instudies.

Teachers do not haveAstha. Teaching should bemade interesting, then only thestudents will listen to what theteacher teaches in the class-rooms, said Prof Mayekar.

Speaking on the book, ProfAnil Samant said the book isthought provoking and makes

the reader to ponder on the ex-isting system of education.

The author suggested thatteaching should be based onlife experiences. There is noproper communication be-tween students and parents orthe teachers. Since both theparents go to work these days,they dont get time to under-stand the problems of theirchildren, said Samant.

The teachers also do nottry to explore the difficultiesof the students. The authorsuggests that teachers andparents should try to under-stand the problems of the stu-dents and solve them, addedSamant.

Earlier, Meghna Khare sangan invocation song. Book au-thor Manohar Korgaonkar wel-comed the gathering, GajananMandrekar compered the func-tion, while Mahesh Nagvekarproposed the vote of thanks.

Education should develop personality of student

Prof Gopalrao Mayekar releases Marathi Book Shikshan Vata and Vallne, written by Manohar Korgaonkar. Photo by Anil Shankhwalker

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 18

Chief Minister Digamar Kamathighlighted the importance ofeducation and made a plea toparents, especially fromweaker section of the societyto send their children toschool.

Chief Minister was speakingafter distributing exercisebooks to students from weakersection of the society at a func-tion organised by the MargaoBlock Congress Committee at

Margao. 7000 books were dis-tributed to about 421 studentsat the hands of the Chief Min-ister and other dignitaries.

Speaking further, Kamat saidthat the government has initi-ated various schemes to ensurethat children are not dependedof education. However par-ents should also encouragetheir wards go to schools, headded.

Kamat then spelt out facili-ties provided by the govern-ment to students to pursue

their education such as provid-ing uniform, exercise books,scholarships, Bal Rath trans-port, etc.

Margao Block CongressCommittee president VijayaSheldekar welcomed the CM,Dumu Borkar compered andAvinash Shirodkar proposedthe vote of thanks.

Margao Seva Dals RadhikaKarapurkar, Gopal Naik andcouncillor Gurunath Lad wereamongst those present on theoccasion.

Parents urged to send children to school

Institutions success depends on parents, teachers, management

North Goa MP Shripad Naik felicitates the students at Bicholim.

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 18

The SEZ Virodhi Manch(SVM) condemned the re-ported statements of the En-vironment Minister AleixoSequeira that Centre has saidno to SEZs in CRZ areas inGoa.

Stating that the State gov-ernment had scrapped SEZs inGoa and the Chief Minister hadmade a public statement in thisregard, SVM said that the lateststatement from the Environ-ment Minister smacks of hishidden agenda and ulteriormotives.

Warning Sequeira not toplay with the sentiments of thepeople, SVM warned thatGoans will not sit quite if SEZsare allowed anywhere in theState.

Chiding Sequeiras state-ment, SVM said that on onehand he is against setting up of

SEZs in CRZ areas and on theother hand he does not mindimposing SEZs on his own con-stituents who have elected himfor the fourth term in Assem-bly.

SVM further advised Se-queira that instead of battingfor SEZs, he should use hisgood offices to convince theCentre to denotify the threenotified SEZs in the State.

SVM also requested the En-vironment Minister to putsome time and efforts to savethe environment in his ownconstituency where variousindustrial units from theVerna Industrial Estate dumptheir industrial waste andgarbage in adjacent privateproperties and along the in-ternal roads of Verna andLoutolim, which has led to se-rious environment damageand caused undue hindranceto the villagers.

Aleixos statement smacks of hidden agenda: SVM

Penha VP invites

forms from SSC,

HSSC studentsHERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, JULY 18

The Penha de Franca panchayathas invited applications fromstudents who have passed theSSC & HSSC examinations ofGoa Board in March and April2010 respectively, with an ag-gregate of over 60%.

In a press note, SarpanchGopal Sawant has stated thatcash prizes of Rs 501, Rs 301and Rs 201 respectively will beawarded to first three studentsresiding in Wards 1 to 6, whohave secured the highest marksin the SSC exams and to stu-dents from Wards 7 to 11 whohave secured the highest marksat the HSSC exams in each fac-ulty of Science, Commerce andArts.

A special prize of Rs 501each will be awarded to SSCstudents from Wards 1 to 6who have secured the highestmarks in English and Konkanisubjects. These prizes havebeen sponsored by Prof Ra-bindranath J B Pinto in memoryof late Caetano S Pinto and lateJoao B Pinto.

Similarly, special prizes of Rs501 each will be awarded tostudents from Ward 1 to 6 whohave scored the highest marksin Maths and Science in the SSCexams. These prizes have beensponsored by Augui D'Mello inmemory of his late father Al-fred J J D'Mello.

In addition, there are specialprizes of Rs 500 each for thedisabled students securinghighest marks at SSC and HSSCexams and to sportspersonsbelow 19 years who haveplayed for the State at nationalcricket and football tourna-ments. These prizes have beensponsored by the Panch Mem-bers Rajesh Volvoiker and Sub-hash Kalangutker.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

MAYEM, JULY 18

Cloth banners have now be-

come things of the past,

having been replaced by

computerized plastic ban-

ners.

However, plastic banners

become useless once the oc-

casion is over and in order

to overcome this wastage,

Swami Vivekanand Sanstha

from Keri-Sattari has taken

keen interest to use envi-

ronmental resources, which

can also be reused.

Swami Vivekanand

Sanstha member Suryakant

Gaonkar has created a ban-

ner of weaved coconut

palms, while the letters

stitched over it are made up

of shells of the banana tree.

This type of banner was

installed during the poetry

presentation programme

of Pournima Rajendra

Kerkar, which became the

cynosure of eyes of all the

audience.

Earlier, Gaonkar had pre-

pared a Lord Ganesh idol

made out of environmental

components.

A banner with a difference

A banner made up of natural components by Suryakant Gaonkar. Photo by Vishant Vaze

OH

ER

Al

dO

Pg5GOA, mOndAy, 19 july, 2010

==

Milk is considered as anideal and completefood and it contains

essential nutrients and providea quick and easy way of supply-ing these nutrients to the dietwithin relatively low calories.

However, one should avoiduse of the milk which is notprocessed as it could be con-taminated if not stored prop-erly. This may lead to healthproblems. All these years GoaDairy has developed thrustamong the consumers by pro-viding fresh & Pure milk to itsconsumers. Goa Dairy has beenawarded mnemonic symbol forproviding Quality milk to con-sumers. Goa Dairy milk beforepacked undergoes stringentquality tests. Hence majority ofGoan trust Goa Dairy milk.

Milk in Sanskrit is called asKsheera. Ayurveda an au-thentic system of Science hasdescribed varieties of milk andits importance in diet. Thereare varieties of milk from dif-ferent animals like cow, buf-falo, goat, horse, camel, Desielephant etc. Among all, cowmilk seems to have greater me-dicinal properties. AlthoughHuman milk is the most essen-tial diet for infants for theirgrowth and to gain immunitythrough out their life.

Cow Milk: Cow milk in San-skrit is Goksheera. It consid-ered being the best among all.Cow milk which is sweet intaste; cold in potency, pro-motes digestion, strength, and

longevity, good for eyes andsuitable for all age groups.

Buffalo Milk: Buffalo milk isheavier than Cow milk. Henceit is advised to persons thosewho have strong digestivepower.

Goats Milk: Goats Milk hasthe same properties like that ofCows milk, still lighter to di-gest than cows milk. GoatsMilk is lighter to digest as goateats lots of plant food that hasdifferent tastes, does lots ofphysical exercises like walkingand drinks very little quantityof water. It can be used as asubstitute in the place of cowsmilk.

Human milk: Human milk isessential for infants. Humanmilk is sweet and slightly as-tringent in taste, cold in po-tency and light to digest. Itpromotes strength, helps inpromoting the growth of thetissues of the body, good foreyes.

Raw milk Or Un-boiled milk:The milk, which is Raw or un-boiled, is heavy to digest, re-duces ones digestive power.All types of milk should betaken only after boiling excepthuman milk, as boiling ofhuman milk is not good. If themilk is kept un-boiled forabout 5 hours the originalquality of milk changes, if it iskept for about 10 hours it be-comes unfit to use.

Effects of intake of milk de-pending upon time:

Morning: Intake of milk is

usually not advised in themorning hours, as it is heavy todigest.

Afternoon: Intake of milk inthe afternoon promotesstrength in old people, im-proves agni in children, re-moves urinary calculi (krichraAsmari chedanam) and also al-leviates kapha and pitta.

Evening: Drinking of milk inthe evening hours is good foreyes and alleviates vata andpitta.

Night: Drinking of milk atnight is ideal. In daytime peo-ple happen to exert much andvidahi annam hence drinkingof milk after food is essential atnight to reduce tiredness andalso good for eyes.

Age factor:Baalyavastha (childhood)-

promotes growth and develop-ment of tissues

Yuvavastha (youth)- pro-motes strength

Vruddhavastha (old age)-provides strength and preventsageing.

Qualities depending uponstorage:

Qualities of milk differ de-pending upon the vessel inwhich it is stored.

Taamra (copper) VataharaSuvarna (gold) PittaharaRoupya (silver) KaphaharaKamsya (brass) Rakta

prasadhanamIn pregnancy:Habitual intake of cows

milk is indicated from the firstmonth pregnancy in ayurvedic

For milk, Goans trust Goa Dairy samhitas. Because of the valu-able properties, milk is advisedto take every day solely ormixed with other food.

Milk, provides the followingbeneficial nutrients in varyingquantities:

Calcium - for healthy bonesand teeth, phosphorous - forenergy release, magnesium -for muscle function, protein -for growth and repair, vitaminB12 - for production of healthycells, vitamin A - for good eye-sight and immune function,zinc - for immune function, ri-boflavin - for healthy skin, fo-late - for production of healthycells, vitamin C - for formationof healthy connective tissues,iodine - for regulation of thebody's rate of metabolism (howquickly the body burns energy)and the rate of growth.

1 glass of milk alone canmake a contribution to thedaily recommended intake ofmany important nutrients forall age groups.

It is highly recommended toconsume milk and dairy foodsas part of a healthy balanceddiet.

Consumption Of dairy milk& milk products has been asso-ciated with numerous healthbenefits. Some are mentionedas follows:

Bone HealthDairy products provide cal-

cium, which is essential forbone growth and development.Bone growth is at its highestduring childhood and theteenage years and therefore itis important that teenagersconsume dairy products.

Optimising bone mass in thisage group can help to reducethe risk of osteoporosis (a de-bilitating, brittle bone disorder)in later life.

TeethDairy products contain cal-

cium and other tooth friendlynutrients, which help teethgrow and keep them healthy.

It is the only drink -excludingwater which is recommendedby dentists to be safe to con-sume between meals.

ObesityContrary to popular belief,

research has shown that peoplewho consume milk and dairyfoods are likely to be slimmerthan those who do not.

Milk is also not a high fatproduct. Whole milk contains4% fat, semi-skimmed milk con-tains 1.7% fat, and skimmedmilk contains 0.3% fat.

Studies have also found thatconsuming milk and dairy aspart of a calorie controlled dietcan help us to lose weight -espe-cially from the abdomen, wherefat deposits are associated withthe greatest health risks.

Blood PressureDairy helps reduce blood

pressure. A diet containing fruitand vegetables, low-fat dairyproducts and low salt helps re-duce blood pressure (DietaryApproaches to Stop Hyperten-sion: DASH diet).

The potassium, magnesiumand calcium found in dairyproducts are all linked tohealthy blood pressure.

CancerStudies have discovered that

diets containing milk and dairyproducts may significantly re-duce the risk of certain can-cers.

A study in 40,000 Norwegianwomen discovered that thosewho drank milk as children andcontinued to do so throughoutadulthood has a significantlylower chance of developingbreast cancer.

Cardiovascular diseaseConsumption of milk and

dairy has also been associatedwith a reduced risk of sufferinga heart attack.

Type 2 diabetesConsumption of low fat

dairy products has been linkedto a reduced risk of developingtype 2 diabetes.

In fact studies have foundthat each extra portion of lowfat dairy consumed each day isassociated with increasinglylower risk!

HydrationRegular fluid intake through-

out the day is essential to bewell hydrated. Dietetic expertsrecommend drinking 6-8glasses of fluid per day. As milkcontains a high percentage ofwater, it is a useful vehicle forrehydration.

Eating habitsPeople who consume dairy

products have better intake ofnutrients than people who donot consume dairy products.Introducing dairy products atan early age helps establishgood eating habits for later inlife.

National Institute of Nutri-tion has recommended 300 gmof milk/day for the child age 1-3 yrs and 250 gm of milk/dayfor others.

Milk that should be avoided:Milk other than Sweet taste

like sour, salt should beavoided. Milk with bad smell,abnormal colour should also beavoided.

S Roy Choudhary, zonal manager, LIC, Western Zone, inaugurates LIC Customer Zone in the presence ofRegional Managers (Mktg) - S N Bhattacharya and V Satyakumar. A K Madhankar, Sr Divisional Managerand B Majhi, Marketing Manager LIC, Goa Division are also present.

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GOA, MONDAY, 19 JULY, 2010

INDIAHERALD

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PTI

MUMBAI, JULY 18 Maharashtra Government is

considering formulation of anew training policy for its offi-cers and employees.

"A quick assessment is nec-essary to be carried out by eachDepartment of their skill require-ments, keeping in view the chal-lenges ar is ing out of thechanging domestic and interna-tional environment and themodified role of the govern-ment," a Mantralaya official toldPTI.

Accordingly, each departmentis expected to redesign its man-power and training policies. Acentralised training policy andstrategy may be adopted by thePune-based Yashda for impartingperiodical continuous compul-sory foundation and in-servicecertified training to all state gov-ernment officers and employees,he said.

This compulsory trainingneeds to be blended with exist-ing promotion and advance in-crement policy, he said.

In an effort to reward inno-

vation and encourage in-servicehigher education, departmentswould be asked to recognise in-dividuals who have contributedto improving public servicesthrough specific projects.

Employees who undertookin-service higher professionaleducation may be given mone-tary incentives in the form ofadditional minimum three in-crements and certificate or anaward, the official said.

The government is also re-viewing recruitment rules of allcadres and considering a pro-posal for 50:50 quota for nom-ina t ion and p romot ionrespectively at all levels, the of-ficial said.

Considering availability ofwell qualified manpower in themarket, appropriate upward im-provement in essential qualifi-cation and experience would bemade and candidates with man-agement, law or additional rel-evant professional qualificationswould be preferred.

There is also a plan for grad-ing of officers. Officers musthave Annual Performance Plans.

Wherever possible, performancetargets must be given by the re-porting officer and need to bequantified and assessed.

The officer's performancewould be subjected to a mid-year review with reference tothe Work Plan and new criteriasuch as implementing new in-novative concepts, best prac-tises followed, new initiativestaken, negotiation and generalawareness abilities need to betested.

Introduction of numericalgrading (1-10 scale) for assess-ment of attributes and achieve-ments of an officer is also beingconsidered.

There is also a move to intro-duce a system of Referral Board(instead of administrative Tri-bunal) to consider representa-tion against mala-fide remarksin Annual Performance Reportby the Reporting and ReviewingOfficer/Accepting Authority.

The government would alsoensure that best practises of alldepartments are shared, so thatduplication of efforts and costscan be avoided.

Mrashtra may have training policy for govt employees

PTI

MUMBAI, JULY 18

There is progressive improve-ment in uranium fuel positionfor operating indigenous Pres-surised Heavy Water Reactors(PHWRs) with gradual increasingin production from indigenousuranium mills besides the im-ported fuel, Department ofAtomic Energy sources said.

"There is a progressive im-provement in the uranium fuelposition for the operating nu-clear plants and "especially withsupply of imported uranium forall the five units of RajasthanAtomic Power Station (RAPS),Nuclear Power Corporationsunits which are not under in-ternational safeguards and im-provement in production ofindigenous fuel from the newmill at Turamdih. We havereached a comfortable position,"DAE officials told PTI.

Compared to last two years,when the plants were operatingbelow 50 per cent capacity, atpresent, they are running at 60per cent capacity, they said.

"With the improvement inproduction of indigenous ura-nium from the new Turamdihmill in Jhakhand and the oldermill in Jaduguda, we expect tocome back to our old glory ofhaving 90 per cent capacity ofall the operating plants in a cou-ple of years," they said.

"The import of fuel has defi-nitely eased the situation in thejudicious use of indigenous fuel,"

they said. India pledged RAPSunits 5 and 6 under internationalsafeguards as per the agreementwith International Atomic En-ergy Agency (IAEA) last year andRAPS units 3 and 4 early thisyear.

Under the Separation Plan ofthe Indo-US deal, India hadpledged to keep 14 of its reac-tors to place under the IAEAsafeguards including those re-actors which were already undersafeguards like first two unitsof RAPS, units 1 and 2 of Tarapur(Boiling water reactors built byGE) and two units of Russianbuilt plant at Kudankulam.

DAE officials pointed out eventhe two nuclear plants (220 MW)of Kakrapar in Gujarat which issupposed to be put under IAEAsafeguards in 2012, may beplaced by the end of this year-almost two years before theschedule.

This could further make thefuel position easier as the safe-guarded plants can start usingthe imported fuel, they said.About the two units in NaroraAtomic Power Station in UttarPradesh, they said, it may beplaced under IAEA as per sched-ule in 2014.

A top official from the Hyder-abad-based Nuclear Fuel Com-plex said the unit two of NaroraAtomic Power Station which re-cently under went complete re-placement of its coolant channelis ready and the fabricated in-digenous fuel is being supplied

to it and is expected to be op-erational by the end of Augustthis year.

He said, the fuel position forIndian plants are comfortableand they expect further im-provements in the coming daysas the new mill in Turamdih inJharkhand is continuously pro-ducing the fuel besides the oldmill in Jaduguda.

India has imported uraniumfor its indigenous plants fromFrance, Russia and Kazhakstan.Both Russia and Kazakhstanhave an agreement with the De-partment of Atomic Energy tosupply 2000 MT of uranium overthe next five years and a smallportion has already arrived. TheFrench company AREVA hasmade one time supply of 300MT last year. Russian fuel isbeing used for RAPS units 3 to6 while the French fuel is beingused in unit 2 of RAPS.

Currently, there are seven nu-clear plants in various stages ofconstruction under the state-owned NPCIL, the officials saidadding that the two powerplants of 1000 MW each in Ku-dankulam and unit 4 of Kaiga(220 MW) are in advanced stagesof construction and even maygo critical by the end of thisyear.

Under another corporationof atomic energy departmentBHAVINI, a 500 MW PrototypeFast Breeder Reactor is underconstruction which is expectedto go critical in 2012.

Fuel position for indigenous N-plants comfortable: DAE

PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 18

The Delhi High Court has said adisabled person should not bediscriminated against by grant-ing him less compensation forinjuries suffered in a road acci-dent.

The court set aside the orderof a Motor Accident Claim Tri-bunal which had granted lesscompensation to a victim whoselegs were fractured in a road ac-cident on the ground that hisone leg was already polio-af-flicted.

"Where the injured had suf-fered total disability, the com-pensation should be grantedaccordingly, irrespective of thefact that his one leg was partiallydysfunctional due to polio, evenprior to the accident," Justice S

N Dhingra said.The court increased the

amount of compensation fromRs 50,000 awarded by the tri-bunal to Rs 1.5 lakh to ShahidAli who legs were fractured in aroad accident.

The tribunal had observedthat the amount of compen-sation was sufficient as itwas not a case where the in-jured had suffered perma-n e n t d i s a b i l i t y d u e t oaccident and that he was al-ready suffering disability tosome extent due to polio onright lower limb.

Disagreeing with the tribunal,the High Court said disability ofa person at the time of accidentneed not be taken into consid-eration and compensationshould be decided by the impact

of the accident on the injuredperson.

"Tribunal was supposed to seethe impact of the accident onthe injured. Even if one leg ofthe injured was already sufferingfrom Post Polio Residual Paral-ysis, the other leg of the injuredwas quite healthy and functionalwith the result that the injuredwas able to earn his livelihoodby working as a Helper," thecourt said.

"The accident crippled himtotally and fractured his rightleg, already partially dysfunc-tional. The left leg, which washealthy, was also made dysfunc-tional by the accident with theresult that the injured lost ca-pacity to work," the court saidwhile increasing the compensa-tion.

No discrimination againstdisabled in compensation

PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 18

To save tigers from extinction,13 nations which are abode ofthe endangered big cats havepledged to get their act togetherto double by the year 2022 thenumber of the felines from thepresent 3,200 in the wild.

A decision in this regard wastaken at a recent meeting inBali, Indonesia, by the countriesalong with the World Bank'sGlobal Tiger Initiative (GTI) todevelop a concrete plan to rein-vigorate the tiger count.

The plan is expected to serveas a road map for tiger conser-vation to be adopted by worldleaders at the first global summiton tigers this September in StPetersburg, Russia to be at-tended by Bangladesh, Bhutan,China, India, Indonesia, Cambo-

dia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,Nepal, Thailand and Vietnambesides the host country.

The striped cats, whose counthas declined by a whopping 97per cent from over a lakh in the20th century, continue to face

threats due to increasing de-mand for their skin and bodyparts in the global market.

The officials at the meetagreed to prepare a national ac-tion plan comprising a GlobalTiger Recovery Programme foradoption at the Tiger Summit,according to a statement fromthe International Fund for Ani-mal Welfare.

It includes providing skillsand equipment to rangers andlaw enforcement officials tocombat poaching and illegal traf-ficking of tigers.

The global blueprint for tigerprotection would be backed byjoint commitments to betterconserve key tiger habitatsacross range countries and tostep up enforcement to eradi-cate poaching and end traffick-ing in tiger body parts.

Nations pledge to double number of tigers by 2022

My last article, Independent members ofCongress family got diverse reactions.One was from a senior retired journalist

from South Goa. He said the reason for degener-ation of the political scene was Goas being small.He was hinting at Goas merger with Maharashtra,which did not happen. I countered: Sir, the mostdegenerate are the biggest states like UttarPradesh and Bihar But in a way, he was right.There was an explosion of power centres in Goa:40 MLAs, 12 ministers, 40 Zilla Panchayat membersand 186 panchayats for a state that is smallerthan Maharashtras smallest rural district Sind-hudurg.

He was also right when he said the whole so-ciety has become corrupt, but we only blame therulers for it; it could be curbed, if Goa was bigger.I differed. Even if Benaulim, Navelim and Velimwere combined into one constituency, an Alemaoor a Pacheco would get elected. Even if the wholeof Sattari and Bicholim talukas five constituencies were converted into one, or the whole of Tiswadibecame one, it would be very difficult to defeatthe Vishwajeets and Monserattes. Why?

Later, I was discussing with a tiatrist politicianfrom Salcete the possibilities in Benaulim: Mickky,Valanka or Dr Hubert? Dr Hubert cooks on gas,not our traditional randon, he said sarcastically,pointing at his elite status. But why not Valanka?She is intelligent, I argued. Thats the mainproblem, he quipped, our people dont like in-telligent leaders.

We laughed. But it made me think. What kindof political leaders do Saxttikars like? Corrupt?Scammers? Smugglers? Goondas? Criminals? Butisnt this everywhere in Goa? Nowadays, moneyspeaks; character simply does not matter.

But Salcete matters. This one taluka electseight MLAs; one fifth of the state Assembly. Theremaining four fifth is divided among 10 talukas.Nearly half of our cabinet six ministers (onejust resigned) comes from this taluka. Its Salcetethat decides how Goa is run. It is also a stepahead in throwing ethics and morality in politicsto the winds.

Do ethics and morals simply not matter toSaxttikar voters? The more I think, the more I

get confused. I also cannot understand why theirpsyche is almost opposite to that of Margao, Sal-cetes taluka town.

Margao has a great ideological history and tra-dition. This town ignited Goas liberation movementwith Dr Ram Manohar Lohias civil disobedienceon 18 June 1946. Margao brought about the greatOpinion Poll in 1967, enabling Goa to retain itsown identity. This town started the historic stu-dents movement of Goa. Margao mobilised thereal force that made Konkani our official languageand Goa a state. Its ideological ripples were felttill Quepem, Sanguem and Canacona.

These social and cultural upheavals threw upmany activists, writers, artists, intellectuals andeven politicians. They are seen today in variousfields education, law, health, literature, culture,journalism some prominently, but many moresilently, sincerely and dedicatedly.

Why havent these strong ideological move-ments stirred up Salcete? Why wasnt there anideological explosion of intellect, ethics andmorality? The Salcete that created a parliamen-tarian and ideologue like Dr Francisco Luis Gomes;an intellectual like Dr Tristao Braganza Cunha, avibrant thinker and journalist like Luis de MenezesBraganza, the great Buddhist scholar DharmanandKosambi and his equally great historian son Dr DD Kosambi, a priest like Fr Antonio Pereira andso many more in the past and present; why, in

spite of this, is the alienation between these leg-ends and the masses so palpable in Salcete?

I was born and brought up in Canacona. Somany others like me are products of the freedommovement in our border taluka, the educationalmovement in our villages, the general environmentof moral values, the fine role models before us,and the enormous impact of ideology created byone town Margao.

In Goas villages, a school is not just a placefor education. It is an institution; a literary forum,a cultural platform, a sports stadium, a readinglibrary, a debating hangout... it provides exposureto everything that a human being needs for ide-ological upbringing and cultural shaping.

Religion did not matter here. It was the samewith Hindus and Christians. In Margao, too, wewere inspired by ideologues and intellectuals ofall religions. I definitely do not speak of ChristianSalcete alone; the Saxttikar belongs to all religions.Anybody who argues that it is a Hindu-Christiandivide is simply wrong.

Margao offers so much. It has reputed schoolsand institutions. It is a centre for literary activitiesand political conferences. It has libraries andbook shops. National and international person-alities deliver lectures, in all languages. It hastheatre halls for tiatr, drama and musical concerts.It has movie halls; even film societies. It has thebiggest sports stadiums in the state. It has insti-

tutions that teach music and dance. That is why so many families from neighbouring

talukas like Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem and Cana-cona are shifting to Margao. The housing problemin Salcete villages bordering Margao owes itselfto this inner migration.

Margao has always been a multipurpose centrefor the Saxttikar, not just a market. Its the firstchoice for schooling and, of course, higher edu-cation. In fact, the privileged ones are those whocan enjoy the cultured tradition of Margao, andthen go back to eat and sleep in their sylvan vil-lages. We were too far away for that; we had tosettle down in Margao to access these privileges.

Why, in spite of this, has Margaos culture notpercolated to the villages of Salcete? Why is itthat Saxttikars cannot elect their political leaderson an ideological and ethical basis? Is the per-spective missing, or the ethical values?

I have visited and lived in many villages all overGoa during my days in the student movement.Of all, I simply love Saxttikars. They are sensitive,frank, open-minded and emotional. Is it theirsimplicity for which they get taken for a ride soeasily? Does emotion override their logic? Or isthe selfishness in all Goans displayed more promi-nently (and honestly) in Salcete?

And has Margao remained pristine, or is thatalso history? There are three Margaos today that of the original Madgaokar, that of migratedGoans, and that of migrated non-Goans. Integra-tion between these three still hasnt taken place.The once-cultured city is quietly sitting on a time-bomb that could explode at any moment into vi-olent communal riots. If that happened, Goascelebrated communal harmony would be mur-dered in its own cultural capital!

Between Margao and Salcete, obviously, theformer could not influence the latter. But has Sal-cete started influencing Margao? Is mammon tak-ing over its morals and ethics? Is de-culturisationtriumphing over its culture? If that doesnt soundlike an answer, its because I dont have one. Doyou?

(Th i s a r t i c l e f i r s t appea red onwww.goanews.com. The writer can be contactedon 9422063000)

Help the teachersLeena Gomes, by email

Congratulations Jose Pereira for revealingthe truth about private unaided schools inMargao (Teachers plight, Herald, 13 July).All teachers are grateful to you. Teachersare in a pathetic condition. They dont geteven a single days leave; if taken, Rs100 isdeducted (daily wages) from their meagresalary, and no account is maintained.

Now that the facts are revealed, we hopethat Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Edu-cation Minister Babush Monserrate and hisdepartment open their eyes, look into thematter, and give us our rights as per thecircular of 16 April 2010 on sixth payscales, pension and retirement benefits,tuition fees, etc.

Fallow fieldsName withheld on request

The paddy fields at Candolim are lying un-cultivated for more than four years, thoughthey are fertile and can be cultivated thricea year. These fields belong to the comu-nidade, and were given free to farmers, but

the latter do not bothe