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IN BRIEF

They have robbed my expensivecar but since petrol price is hiked,they have left its engine for me.

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

The fate of former Tourism Min-ister, Mickky Pacheco will be fi-nally decided on Wednesdaymorning, even as Crime Branchon Tuesday submitted beforethe Ses s ions cour t tha tPachecos custodial interroga-tion is necessary not only to re-cover certain missing items, butto find out the involvement ofmore persons connected withNadia Torrados death.

After hearing arguments ad-vanced by the prosecution anddefense counsel, Additional Ses-sions Judge P V Kamat has re-served his orders to Wednesdaymorning.

Vehement l y oppos ingMickkys bail plea, Public Pros-ecutor Sarojini Sardinha said theformer minister is required incustody to answer questions on

the various discrepancies in hisstatements and those made byNadias mother, besides to re-cover the weapon used in theassault on Torrado. She said

there could be more persons in-volved in the death of Nadia Tor-rado.

It is high time the accusedsubjects self to custodial inter-rogation. The entire truth willbe revealed only throughPachecos custodial interroga-tions, She submitted, addingthat interrogations of Pachecowithout custody would defeatthe very purpose of the SupremeCourt order. The applicant hasmoved for bail in order to cam-ouflage the orders of the HighCourt and Supreme Court,Sardinha said, adding that thereis no change in the circum-stances right from the day

Mickkys date with fate today

prosecution for test by medical board

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

Public Prosecutor Sarojini Sardinha has asked the SessionsCourt to subject Pacheco to examination by a medical boardand call for the hospital papers right from the date of admissionsaying the medical certificate issued by Hospicio on Pachecoshealth is suspect and needs to be checked for its genuineness.

PTI

SRINAGAR, JULY 6

The Army was deployed tonightin Srinagar and indefinite curfewimposed as fresh violenceerupted in Kashmir Valley, claim-ing four lives and leaving over70 injured after days of calm.

Fayaz Ahmad Wani was killedwhen security personnel al-legedly opened fire at a stone-pelting mob protesting the deathof a man who he fell into a drainduring a demonstration in Bat-maloo area of the city last night.

A 25-year-old woman identi-fied as Fancy was killed by astray bullet in the same areawhen security forces fired in airto disperse a mob which at-tacked a police building aftertorching a welfare centre in thesame premises, police said.

I nde f in i t e cu r f ew wasclamped in the city after the lat-est spell of violence.

The army called out on thestreets of Srinagar late tonightto enforce the curfew keepingin view the non-availability of

adequate number of police per-sonnel many of whom have beendeployed for Amarnath Yatraand counter-insurgency opera-tions, official sources said.

In the evening, Abrar Khan,18, was killed while 20-year-oldOwais Ahmad was seriously in-jured when police fired to dis-perse protesters in Maisuma inthe heart of Srinagar city afterthey defied curfew orders, po-lice said.

Besides Srinagar, violence alsotook place in Baramulla, Pam-pore in Pulwama and parts ofcurfew-bound Anantnag leaving25 injured including an assistantsub-inspector who was hit by astone on his head at MattanChowk in Anantnag.

Police said the mobs alsopelted stones on police stationsat Pattan and Pampore. The po-licemen fired in air to scare awaythe protesters.

Police resorted to firing todisperse mourners carrying thebody of Fancy who was killedin Batmaloo.

Army DeployeD iN SriNAgAr

Security personnel chasing demonstrators at Batamaloo in Srinagaron Tuesday.

PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 6

The Central government hasasked Maoist-hit States to re-main vigilant and take all possi-ble steps to foil any attempt atviolence, including hostage-likesituations, ahead of the two-day bandh called by Naxals toprotest killing of their leaderAzad.

The Home Ministry asked theNaxal-affected States and theRailways to take necessary ac-tion to guard railway properties,tracks, public places, marketsand other vital installations toavoid any untoward incident

during the 48-hour bandh calledby CPI-Maoists beginning to-morrow.

The bandh was called inprotest against the killing of topNaxal leader Cherukuri Rajku-mar a l ias Azad in AndhraPradesh last week.

The Maoists have vowed totake revenge of Azads killingby Andhra Pradesh Police inan alleged encounter nearSarkapalli village in Adilabaddistrict. The Maoists also re-portedly asked people not totravel by train during thebandh period.

There have been intelligence

reports that the Maoists maytry to create a hostage-like sit-uation to demand the releaseof their jailed leaders, an officialsaid.

The Centre is particularlyconcerned over the safety ofShatabdi and Rajdhani Expresstrains, rail tracks and passen-gers as nearly 150 people losttheir lives following the derail-ment of Jnaneswari Express inWest Bengal on May 29 byMaoists.

Meanwhile, the Railways saidit was taking the situation seri-ously and has kept crack teamson standby.

Centre asks Naxal-hit States to be vigilant

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

Chief Minister Digambar Kamaton Tuesday said the governmentwould soon come out with theGoa Scholarship Scheme to as-sist students who excel at thenational level for IIT, IIM andBITS Pilani.

He was speaking at a functionorganised by the Margao Mu-nicipal Council to felicitate SSCstudents from the city schoolsscoring highest marks in socialstudies.

The scheme is not exactly ascholarship, but the governmentintends to financially assist thestudents pursuing IIT, IIM andeducation in BITS Pilani.

Not only the poor even themiddle class cannot afford topursue professional education.The scheme would work out away wherein the governmentbears the cost of hostel charges,equipments and other things,he said, adding that the Directorof Higher Education is workingout the modalities of the scheme.

Saying that this is the age ofthe survival of the fittest, Kamatsaid merit will be the main cri-teria in respect of admissionsto professional colleges in thefuture.

Complimenting the MargaoMunicipal Council for decidingto felicitate SSC students for ex-celling in social studies, the chiefminister advised the studentsnot to forget the parents andteachers who contribute to-wards their success.

Goa Scholarship Scheme soon: CM

27 detainedwith fake

Dubai visas PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 6

Unearthing a major fake visaracket, security personnel todaydetained 27 people at the IndiraGandhi International Airporthere when they were trying toboard two Dubai-bound flightsallegedly with forged travel doc-uments.

The detentions by the CISFcame this evening after King-fisher and Jet Airways call centresreceived calls from an anony-mous person that these peoplewere to board two flights toDubai with fake visas. The calleralso gave PNR numbers of theirflight tickets, sources said.

Daylight murder at Baina

HERALD REPORTER

VASCO, JULY 6

A youth allegedly murdered hisfriend at Baina-Vasco on Tuesdayafternoon.

According to reports, the ac-cused, Ahmed Shaikh (20), al-legedly murdered MehabosabhMulasabh Kamatgi (33) of Baina,who also had a criminal recordin Baina.

The accused allegedly hit aborewell pump handle on Meha-bosabhs head, killing him onthe spot.

Mehabosabhs wife, holdingher eight-month-old baby boy,told media that Mehabosabhhad informed her that he had aquarrel with Ahmed about aweek ago.

Friends of the accused alsoinformed that Mehabosabhalong with some persons hadallegedly assaulted Ahmed nearHanuman Temple, Baina, abouta week ago, where the murdertook place on Tuesday.

Ahmed doesnt listen to any-one, when he sniffs white-ink(the accused was habituated tothe sniffing of correction ink).Earlier, Ahmed had also beatenfew other people in an inebri-ated condition, said a friend ofthe accused, who present at themurder site after the incident.

No one entertains him whenhe is in intoxicated condition.He also had quarrels with policeconstables, added the friend.Relatives of Ahmed added that

First night trial ofAstra conductedFor the first time, India todayconducted the night trial of itsindigenously developed be-yond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra in inclementweather. -- (PTI)

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GOA, WEDNESDAY, 7 JULY, 2010

GOAHERALD

Pg 2

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

QUEPEM, JULY 6

Residents of Tilamol, Cacora,Curchorem and Bansai are gear-ing up to oppose the proposedland acquisition for wideningthe road from Tilamol to Cur-chorem.

It may be recalled that thegovernment on July 1 issued anotification under Section 4 ofLand Acquisition Act to acquireland to construct the road, a fourlane, from Tilamol to Curchoremand Quepem Deputy CollectorAgnel Fernandes was appointedland acquisition officer.

The residents on Sunday con-

vened a meeting at Bansai to op-pose the land acquisition andmake the people aware aboutits effect on the people residingalongside the road. The villagershad come under the bannerGanv Rakhonn Jagrut Manch,which was attended by over 500villagers.

Addressing the residents,Babu Prabhu Dessai said if theroad is for the benefit of thelocal people, then the peoplewill demolish their houses them-selves, but if the proposed ac-quisition is for the benefit of themining lobby, then they will notallow the acquisition.

The plan showing the landto be acquired for road wideningis drawn on a survey plan, whichis not being updated for years.If the physical survey of it is car-ried out, then several houses willbe demolished to make way forthe road widening, he claimed.

Adv Mahesh Kakodkar ques-tioned governments intentionin the matter. He said the presentroad is enough for the normaltraffic and widening is not re-quired by demolishing housesof hundreds of people for noproper reason, unless the gov-ernment has some hidden mo-tive behind this move.

Christanand Pednekar said re-cently there have been numerousaccidents due to mining transportand if widening becomes a reality,then people will have to walkwith their coffin in their handsexpecting death any moment.

A four-lane road is not re-quired for the normal traffic, asthe present road is adequate,he added and called upon thepeople to oppose the proposedroad widening with all theirmight.

Soccorina Goes said peoplehave been asking for a by-passroad for so long for mining activitywhich the authorities had prom-

ised, but now it is evident thatthey were fooling the public.

I am confident that thiswidening is done to enable themining lobby to transport oreand not in the interest of thepeople, she alleged.

People will not take thingslying down, but will agitate withall their might to stop this doubleintentional move of the govern-ment, warned Goes.

Mafaldo Fernandes said thegovernment should forget aboutthe road widening and take upthe by-pass road work, if theywant peace in the region.

We will never let the mining

lobby succeed in this move of roadwidening, warned Fernandes.

Curchorem BJP PresidentPradeep Naik, Vinod Velgaonkarand Rajendra Kakodkar alsospoke at the meeting.

Villagers have decided to meetQuepem Deputy Collector AgneloFernandes, who was appointedacquisition officer, and submittheir grievances. They also de-cided to meet Chief MinisterDigambar Kamat over the issue.

The villagers warned that iftheir demands are not met bythe elected representatives, thenthey would knock the doors ofthe court.

Land acquisition heading for roadblock at Curchorem

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 6

Even though Malaria cases havereduced in the last ten years, itis no reason to be unworriedand health department needsto focus on high risk areas toarrest its spread in other partsof the State.

The trend observed is almost88 per cent of the cases in 2009and 85 per cent of cases in 2008were from the project areaswhere construction activity isgoing on.

Almost 50 per cent of thecases are reported from areasin Panjim and Candolim whereconstruction activity is rampant.This is a good breeding site forthe anopheles stephensi speciesof mosquito which transmitsmalaria. The labourers at theconstruction sites are also come

from various malaria endemicstates in India and help in thespread of the disease, said DrAmit Dias, lecturer, Preventive& Social Medicines, Goa MedicalCollege & Hospital.

Hence, focus has to be onhigh risk areas to prevent thespread of the disease in theState, says Dr Dias.

In 2008, 9,822 cases of malariawere reported of which around28 per cent were due tofalciparum malaria (thedangerous species ofmalaria) and 21 deaths.

In 2009, there were5056 cases with 21 percent falciparum cases andten deaths and data tillMarch this year show thatthere were 434 reportedcases with no deaths.

If we compare the first

three months of 2009 with 2010,there were 1246 cases of malariafrom January to March, 2009.But, this is not a reason to becomplacent. We have to learnfrom the past where malaria wasalmost eliminated in this coun-try and then made a comeback,said Dr Dias.

It is now mandatory that allthe labourers have a malaria testand possess a Malaria card. The

Directorate of Health Servicesis making all efforts to consoli-date the gains, control the dis-ease, lower malaria cases furtherand prevent all deaths due tomalaria. But whats puzzling iswhy Goa has not been able tocontain the spread of vectorborne diseases especially,Malaria despite of having thebest public health care facilities.

According to Dr Dias theproblem of Malaria ismanmade and ironi-cal ly i t is uncon-trolled developmentthat has led to theresurgence of thisdisease.

The malaria vec-tor breeds all over --it breeds in cleanwater at the con-struction site as well

as in our houses, in flower pots,water tanks, rain water that col-lects in tyres, coconut shells,tins left open in the garden --everywhere. The parasite isslowly developing resistance tothe usual drugs and we are re-quired to adopt more stringentregiment to treat malaria in theState, said Dr Dias.

More research on the parasiteand vector dynamics in the Stateto improve techniques to fightthe disease has to be promoted.Need for more research onnewer drugs, better insecticidesand hopefully a vaccine formalaria is needed, he says.

He suggested that local NGOs,panchayats and schools couldbe engaged to control breedingsites and bring about awarenessand behavioural change in thecommunity.

Malaria cases down, but we cant relax!

Year Malaria Falciparum % of Deaths

cases cases Falciparum

2006 5010 1196 23.9 7

2007 9755 3047 31.2 11

2008 9822 2727 27.8 21

2009 5056 1056 20.9 10

2010*** 434 59 - -

Malaria cases and deaths

As the world cup fever is on, young Panjimites plays football on the street near education department. Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, JULY 6

Police on Tuesday took the al-leged abductors of the Anjunahoteliers son to the cashewplantations at Khola reportedlyto examine and identify thelocation where the youth waskept captive last week.

It is reliably learnt that An-juna PI Manjunath Dessaireached the same Khola spotbe tween Mo lo rem andMatvem-moll on Tuesdayevening along with the abduc-tors.

Even though sources couldnot confirm the number of ab-ductors brought at the site,black-coloured clothes hadcovered their heads, as theywere reportedly brought downfrom the vehicle and weretaken deep inside the cashewplantations as part of policeinvestigations into the kidnap-ping case.

It may be recalled that GoaPolice assisted by some localyouth from Agonda rescuedthe boy and arrested all theseven abductors, who were al-legedly involved in abductionfor ransom.

Earlier, the police had re-portedly taken in their posses-sion a makeshift plastic tent,which the abductors reportedlyerected and used on Fridaynight, after bringing their cap-tive all the way from Anjuna.

Police succeeded in nabbingthe last and seventh abductor,

who reportedly dodged 400policemen on Saturday nightby hiding under dried leavesin the same forest.

One of the local youth,who helped police duringrescue operations, told Her-ald that in the absence ofsuitable light, they foundit very difficult to walk in-side their own houses, butthe way the Nepali (seventhabductor) ran on that Sat-u r d a y n i g h t f r o m t h epurview of police torchlightwas amazing.

He ran like a rabbit intotal darkness in an unfa-m i l i a r p l a ce and d i s ap -peared to make the strongpolice force to search forhim throughout Saturdaynight till he was reportedlyfound hiding under dried butrain-drenched wet leaves onSunday at about 5.30 am,added the local youth.

Meanwhile, taking cog-nizance of reports appearingin print media, including Her-ald, about the help providedby three Agonda youth, Cana-cona police on Monday report-edly collected their contactdetails.

It may be recalled that ChiefMinister Digambar Kamat andHome Minister Ravi Naik an-nounced Goa police a rewardof Rs 1 lakh for its swift actionin rescuing hoteliers son andfor arresting all the alleged kid-nappers.

Anjuna youthsabductors taken forsite identification

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, JULY 6

The axe is likely to fall on a num-ber of temporary structures,which continue to dot CanaconaMunicipal Council (CMC) coast,even though the tourism seasonended last month.

According to municipalsources, police protection hasbeen sought to carry out dem-

olition drive of illegal temporarystructures in civic areas onWednesday.

It may be recalled that coun-cillors in their last meeting hadurged the chief officer to initiatestringent measures on default-ing temporary licence holders,who had failed to restore theirplaces to normal self after theexpiry of licence period.

Accordingly, it is learnt thatCMCs team was deputed to in-spect and conduct assessmentof all the illegally standing tem-porary structures in the coastalareas at Palolem, Patnem,Colomb, Rajbag, Tarir, etc.

When contacted, CMC ChiefOfficer Deepak Dessai confirm-ing Wednesdays demolitionsaid: There may not be much

to do on Wednesday, as mostof the structures are reportedlyrazed by the licencees them-selves after recent CMCs noticesgiving 48 hours were served onsome defaulters.

I even told a few people whomet me a few days ago thatnothing doing and all has to ho-nour the terms and guidelinesof temporary licences issued to

the applicants during last touristseason, said the chief officer.

We will not allow any de-faulters in allowing them to con-tinue with the structures thatpeople were permitted to erectfor specific period, he said.

But contrary to what Dessaisays, locals in the civic areas al-leged that at least one-third of1,200 temporary structures per-

mitted by CMC during the lasttourist season continue to standtall and some are reportedlydoing business.

The locals also alleged thatstructures of some influentialpeople continue to stand illegallyand instead fictional specificsare provided to the controllingauthorities by inspecting teamswith ulterior motives.

Temporary structures along Canacona coast face axe

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

COLLEM, JULY 6

A 46-year-old man from Aso-dem-Khotodem, Valpoi, but re-siding at Masandiwada-Mollem,was arrested on charges of as-saulting his wife on Tuesdayevening.

According to Collem policePI Manoj Mardolkar, accusedArjun Laxman Masurkar, whowas staying with his wife andtwo children, was not in goodterms with his wife for the last

two years.There used to quarrel over

some minor issues. Thereafter,Arjun left his house and wasstaying at Asodem. However,on July 4, he came to Mollemand assaulted his wife with aniron rod, informed police.

Police further informed thatthe woman suffered grievoushead injuries and was rushed toID Hospital in Ponda, fromwhere she was referred to GMCHospital in Bambolim.

After committing the act,Arjun fled from the site. PI Mar-dolkar along with Head Con-stables Akbar Ali Khan andPradeep Gauns and ConstableHassan Patel went to Asodemon Tuesday and arrested theaccused.

Collem police have registereda case against the accused underSection 307 IPC (attempt to mur-der). The accused will be pro-duced before Sanguem JMFC onWednesday.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 6

For a common man rationcard has multiple usage! Veryoften it is traded as a social doc-ument even as the Departmentof Civil Supplies and ConsumerAffairs (CSCA) abhors the prac-tice.

We have intimated all de-partments of the governmentnot to insist on ration cards asa social document as it can beused only for purchasing rationfrom a fair price shop, saysCSCA Director Gurudas Pi-larnkar.

The department has startedgenerating awareness amongpeople that ration cards cantbe used as social document.The message is also printed on

the ration card. Pilarnkar said,During consumer meetings wetell people that ration cardscannot be used for any otherpurpose than what it is meantfor.

But people continue to useration cards for other purposesas most government depart-ments consider them as one ofthe important social docu-ments.

Immediate fallout of this prac-tice is people continue to applyfor ration cards not because theywant to stake claims to theirshare of ration but to use it asa social document.

If this practice is stopped,at least, genuine and needy peo-ple wil l get more ration,pointed out Pilarnkar.

Total quota of foot grains re-ceived from the Centre is dis-tributed equally among totalcard holders. But in reality, manydo not purchase their share ofration.

Its only when the practice (ofusing ration cards as multi-pur-pose social document) ceases,there could be fair distributionof ration quota among genuineration card holders.

The number of ration cardshas gone up even as rationquota received by the civil sup-plies department has remainedstatic. There are 3,54,000 rationcard holders in the State. Ifpeople stop using ration cardfor other purposes genuine ra-tion holders will get more ra-tion, Pilarnkar added.

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

The Consumer Disputes Redres-sal Forum, South has ordered aleading private bank to pay toan NRI an amount of Rs 6.26lakh for deficiency in service bythe bank resulting in causingloss to the complainant.

In this case, the complainantSavio Fernandes had lost his bagcontaining all documents of hisbank transactions, includingthose of the accounts with thebank. He immediately throughhis mandate holder requestedthe bank to block his accountsso that the same could not beoperated by the person, whohad managed to secure posses-sion of his bank documents to-gether with ATM cards.

He, however, maintained thatthere was deficiency in serviceby the bank by neglecting to ad-here to the instructions to blockthe account, resulting in a lossof the amount withdrawn by theculprits from his account.

The bank, in its reply, had de-nied any deficiency in serviceor dereliction of duty by thebank staff.

In his order, President of theConsumer Disputes RedressalForum, Adv Jagdish Prabhudessai

observed that the Forum is dutybound to accept the legitimategrievance of the complainantthat this is clear case of failureto perform duty towards the ac-count holder of the bank.

The bank has miserablyfailed to comply with the timelyinstructions given by the com-plainant. We agree that instruc-tions are issued to the accountholders of the precautions tobe taken to protect the ATMcard, but they do not come intopicture in the present case sincethe documents were all lost andbank was informed to block theaccount. Hence, contributorynegligence attributed by thebank to the ATM card holderare not applicable here, AdvPrabhudesai said.

Bank ordered to pay NRI

Rs 6.26 lakh The bank has miserably

failed to comply withthe timelyinstructions given bythe complainant.Contributorynegligence attributedby the bank to theATM card holder arenot applicable to thefacts of the presentcase.

Multipurpose use of ration cards hits needy

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, JULY 6

Contrary to government claimsthat sufficient ration is providedto its citizens, Canacona is re-ceiving 30 tonnes of rice lessfor the distribution to 11,845ration cardholders of Canaconataluka.

According to the data col-lected from talukas civil suppliessection, Canacona has receivedonly 63 tonnes of rice as against93 tonnes, the quota normallythe taluka used to receive.

This is 30 tonnes less, whichcan put several ration cardhold-ers to great hardships, in-formed sources.

The taluka has 14 fair price

shops servicing 11,845 rationcards in different areas of Cana-cona taluka.

The 8,580 APL cardholdersfrom the taluka are eligible for10 kgs of rice with a price tagof Rs 8.90/kg, while 2,445 BPLfamilies get 35 kgs of rice at Rs6.15/kg.

The 807 Antodaya ration card-holders get 35 kgs of rice at Rs3/kg, while 10 kilos of rice isgiven by the government free ofcost to 13 families having Anna-purna ration cards in the taluka.

Sources also informed that 2kgs of wheat is eligible to APLcardholders, while only 500grams of sugar is sold to all theration cardholders.

Canacona gets 30-tonne rice less HERALD REPORTERMARGAO, JULY 6 Wheres the City DevelopmentPlan (CDP) which the MargaoMunicipal Council had promisedto keep for public viewing for aperiod of 15 days.

When citizens came to theCivic body to view the plan,there were no maps displayedanywhere in the Municipality.The citizens were only told thata copy of the bulky CDP hasbeen kept with an Assistant en-gineer for viewing, raising ques-tions whether the Civic body isreally serious in getting objec-tions and suggestions from thecitizens on the CDP.

The situation has evoked crit-icism from the opposition in theCivic body, who demanded toknow the whereabouts of theplan.

Former Chairperson PiedadeNorohna said an important plansuch as the CDP should not betaken lightly by the Civic body.Its nearly two days now, butthere are no plans displayed vis-

-vis the CDP. How are the citi-zens supposed to know the con-tents of the plans. Are theysupposed to go through thebulky plan in a short span oftime, she asked.

Councilor Narayan Fondekarechoed similar sentiments byseeking to know whether theCivic body is fooling the citizensunder the pretext of keepingthe CDP for public viewing. Pru-dence demands that copies ofthe plan are displayed for view-ing. But, we are told that a copyof the bulky plan is kept withan engineer for the public toperuse. Will this serve the pur-pose, he demanded to know.

An official said the very pur-pose of keeping the CDP forpublic viewing will be defeatedif the public have no proper ac-cess to the contents of the plan.Another official recalled that theCivic body should approach Ar-chitect Rahul Deshpande whohas prepared the plan at the in-stance of the GSIDC to submitcopies of the information which

Where is Margaos CDP?he had displayed in the Munic-ipal hall at the time of audio-vi-sual presentation for the MargaoCity Fathers.

Valpoi local held for assaulting wife

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

MARCEL, JULY 6

A cow died after coming in con-tact with an electric pole atSadar-Ponda on Tuesday after-noon.

I was on the opposite sideof the road and suddenly sawthe cow making some weirdnoise. The cow was electro-cuted and could not move awayfrom the electric pole. We werehelpless and could not save theanimal, said the eye witness.

The animal had gone therein search of some eatables, asthe place is often used by peo-ple to dump garbage, headded.

Incidentally, the municipalworkers had cleared garbagefrom the same spot on Tuesdaymorning and were lucky tohave escaped from gettingelectrocuted. After receivinginformation of the incident,the power line was discon-nected.

The electricity departmentfrom Ponda informed that theanimal died due to an electricshock from an electric connec-tion provided to a nearby build-i ng . The cab le wasunderground and partially

burnt.Ward Councilor and Ponda

Municipal Council DeputyChairperson Vincent Fernandessaid authorities should takeprecautionary measures so thatsuch incidents do not repeatin the future.

Today morning our munic-ipal workers cleared garbagefrom the spot and they are in-deed lucky. I hope authoritieswill take note of this and takenecessary measures to avoidsuch incidents in future, saidFernandes.

Fernandes also charged theelectricity department Pondafor not maintaining street lightsduring night.

Every time, there is no oneto switch on the street lightsduring night. The personnelare least bothered and evenwhen we call, they do not lis-ten, claimed Fernandes.

Streets are kept in the darkmost of the time. Sometimes,we switch on the street lightsand we dont even have pro-tective hand gear. This I do onlyfor the people in my ward whenelectricity personnel do notswitch on the lights. This hap-pens often, he said.

Cow electrocuted

Complaint lodged against contractorHERALD CORRESPONDENT

QUEPEM, JULY 6

A resident of Sirvoi-Quepem hasfiled a complaint against onecontractor for constructing astage in his property at Sirvoi.

One of the co-owners of theproperty, Vikas Vasu Bene saidthe contractor constructed astage in his property at Sirvoi-Quepem in March 2010, whichwas inaugurated by a councilor.

Since the contractor did nottake consent from me at thetime of construction of the

stage, I filed a compliant withQuepem Municipal Council(QMC) to initiate action againstthe work, stated Bene.

The QMC on April 30 for-warded the complaint to PWDto verify whether the PWD hasundertaken the construction.The PWD in turn in a letterdated June 10 informed QMCand me that they had not exe-cuted the work, he said.

The QMC officials also de-nied that they had executed thework, alleged Bene.

GOA, WEDNESDAY, 7 JULY, 2010

GOAHERALD

Pg 3

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

In a move that attracted flakfrom the crowd, the Goa policeon Tuesday stopped supportersof former minister MickkyPacheco from coming to the Ses-sions Court at todays hearingon Pachecos bail application.

Unlike the previous two oc-casions, a large number ofPachecos supporters who cameto hear the court proceedingswere left disappointed and ag-itated after they were stoppedby a huge police contingent atthe entrance to the court build-ing.

The police erected a barricadeat the main entrance gate of thecourt premises to keep the sup-porters at bay. Thats not all. A

police party manned the maindoor of the building and allowedpeople ins ide, only a f terscrutiny.

Inside the court room of Ad-ditional Sessions Judge, P VKamat, most of the chairs werefound occupied, this time notby Pachecos supporters, but bymale and lady police constablesin civil dress a strategy by themen-in-uniform to keep the sup-porters at bay.

Margao Sub-divisional Policeofficer, DySP Umesh Gaonkarled the police force comprisingof police officers from Margao,Colva and Maina Curtorim policestation.

The supporters, who bravedheavy rains outside the courtbuilding, were an agitated lot,

demanding to know whetherthe court has ordered the policenot to allow them inside thebuilding.

They accused the police foracting on their own for the de-cision against allowing them in-side the building.

When questioned, MargaoPolice inspector, Santosh Desaisaid there was no court orderbanning Pachecos supportersor sympathizers from attendingthe court hearing. He, however,said the police has acted on in-formation that a large numberof Pachecos supporter wouldcome today to the court build-ing. The decision not to allowthe supporters inside the build-ing was taken as a precautionarymeasure, PI Desai added.

Mickkys supporters kept away from court

Lawyer casts doubts on Nadias injuriesHERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

Fo rmer m in i s te r M ickk yPachecos legal counsel has sub-mitted that the age of the in-juries found on the body ofdeceased Nadia Torrado isdoubtful , saying the postmortem examination conductedat Chennai and Goa do notspeak anything about the ageof the injuries.

Defense counsel Adv Suren-dra Desai said that there issomething wrong in the policeinvestigations if the case papersof both Apollo Victor and JupiterHospitals do not speak anythingabout the injuries.

Adv Desai sought to knowhow the doctor from the Chen-nai hospital has fixed the ageof injures without examiningthe body. How does the doctorsay that the injuries were of 12-16 days old without examiningNadias body? The doctor oughtto have looked at the medicalpapers of Apollo Victor andJupiter Hospitals. There is some-thing wrong with the doctorwho has fixed the age of the in-juries, he submitted.

On the delay in admittingNadia to the hospital, Adv Desaisaid that Nadias mother cameto know of the consumption ofpoison only at around 2.30 pmwhen she heard loud vomitingsound. The mothers inquiresrevealed that Nadia had con-sumed Ratol, he said.

Saying that the medical evi-dence goes in favour of provingthe innocence of Pacheco, AdvDesai said if Pacheco is deniedbail, he will be detained ille-gally.

Supporters of Micky Pacheco stopped by police at the entrance gate to the Sessions Court building. Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 6

The private bus operators, whojoined July 5 strike, are likely tobe pardoned by the State gov-ernment, with transport depart-ment terming any action againstthem as unfair.

The action of bus operatorsof keeping their vehicles off theroad has not affected the peopleas there were no commuters onMonday, Director of TransportArun Desai told Herald.

Under such situation any ac-tion against them would be un-fair, he added.

The private bus operators inthe State had gone on all Goastrike on Monday demandinghike in ticket fares by 20 paisa.The BJP too had called for Goabandh on July 5. Transport Min-

ister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar hadearlier warned of cancellationof temporary bus permits if re-mained off the road.

Though the Maintenance ofEssential Services Act was in ac-tion, the Goa bandh forced thepeople to remain indoors. Herewe cant ask bus operators torun their buses, Desai said.

He said that it wont be fairto take action and we cant ha-rass the operators.

I had personally visited mostof the State bus stands, wherethere were no passengers. EvenKadamba bus services saw pres-ence of hardly few people,Desai said.

However, he maintained thatthe department would conductcase to case study on the privatebuses. We will have dialogue

with bus operators and if weare not convinced with their an-swers we may initiate againstthem, Desai said.

Talking about hike in busfares, Desai said the governmenthas take into consideration theburden that would be passedon to the public, who might optfor alternate option at cheaperrates.

We have already given themhike by ten paisa. We need toalso think about the people,he said.

The private bus operatorshave threatened indefinite strikefrom July 12, if all their demandsincluding bus fare hike by 20paisa was not approved. A sevenday notice has been served ongovernment on Monday, with adeadline of July 11.

Govt likely to pardon bus operators who joined strike

Canca woman alleges dowry harassment

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, JULY 6

A 30-year-old woman fromCanca has accused her husbandand in-laws of harassing her onthe pretext of dowry.

In her compliant, the victimtold Mapusa police that she wasmarried in February 2010 andwithin 15 days of marriage, herhusband and in-laws started ha-rassing her. They assaulted andi l l - treated me demandingdowry, stated the woman inthe complaint.

According to Mapusa police,her in-laws and her husbandwere repeatedly asking her toget cash of Rs 1 lakh and jewelryfrom her parents.

The situation got aggravatedand on Monday, the victims hus-band allegedly tried to set heron fire by pouring kerosene.However, the woman managedto escape with the help of acousin of her husband and fileda complaint with Mapusa po-lice, informed police.

Police have registered an of-fence against her husband andPSI Udai Gawde is investigatingthe case.

Bicholim woman sets

herself ablazeHERALD CORRESPONDENT

MAYEM, JULY 6

A 30-year-old woman from Kud-chirem-Bicholim committed sui-cide by setting herself ablaze ather residence late Sunday night.

According to Bicholim police,one Nikita Naresh Gaonkar com-mitted the act as her husbandwould frequently abuse her.

On Sunday night, when herhusband started abusing her,she allegedly poured keroseneand set herself ablaze, as shecould no longer bear her hus-bands abuses. Nikita died onthe spot.

She was married four yearsago and has a one-and-half-yearold son. Deputy CollectorNarayan Gaad and PSI HarishMadkaikar conducted the pan-chanama.

Examiningslashing VATon fuel: CM

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

Chief Minister Digambar Kamathas said that he has only askedthe VAT Commissioner to ex-amine the question of the gov-ernment reducing VAT onpetroleum products in the wakeof a hike in prices.

During an informal chat withnewsmen, Kamat reminded thatthe Centre has decontrolled thepetroleum prices, a situationwhich may lead to the upwardand downward movement ofthe prices. In fact, he said dueto decontrol in the petroleumprices, the prices may evencome down after 15 days. I hadonly said that I am examiningthe question whetherwe can re-duce VAT on fuel. The VAT Com-missioner will submit all detailson the matter soon, he added.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, JULY 6

In a tragic incident, a 2-year-oldtoddler drowned at a construc-tion site at Nerul on Tuesday.

According to Porvorim po-lice, the incident occurred whenthe child, Manjunath BaswarajPattimanohar, was playing atthe construction site at Nerul.His mother had gone to delivertea to her husband, when thechild accidentally fell in the pitat the construction site anddrowned.

When his mother returned,she found the child missing andbegan a frantic search. The bodywas later found in the pit.

Toddler drowns at Nerul construction sitePorvorim police rushed to the

site and after conducting theinquest sent the body to GMCHospital at Bambolim for post-

mortem. Later, the body washanded over to his parents. Po-lice Sub Inspector Sawant is in-vestigating the case.

recording the employees pres-ence in the office and ensuringthey do not skip work.

He pointed out that realiza-tion of the importance of sucha machine, the civic body issuedan other directing the employ-ees to record their attendanceon the bio-metric finger scanmachine, adding that there was

disobedience of the order, withworkers discontinuing using themachine.

Incidentally, the use of the fin-ger scan was shot down by theemployees following protests,which prompted Chief Minister,Digambar Kamat to direct the Mar-gao Municipal Council to keep theproposal on hold.

HC notice to MMC, employees

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

Chief Minister Digambar Kamathas said the government willnow take up the responsibilityof installing surveillance camerain the Margao Municipal Counciland two other civic bodies tokeep a tab on the employees.

When newsmen asked theChief Minister over the failureby the Margao Civic body to in-stall the surveillance cameras

within a months time, Kamatsaid the government might notmind spending its own moneyto install the cameras in two-three Civic bodies, besides theCollectorate and other depart-ments where the public contactis more.

He said the government isworking out and identifying cer-tain departments for the instal-lat ion of the sur vei l lancecameras.

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

The High Court has issued no-tices on the Margao MunicipalChief Officer and the MargaoMunicipal Employees Associa-tion on the writ petition filedby the Green Goa Foundationfor the implementation of thebio-metric finger scan reader inthe Margao Civic body.

The petition will come upfor hearing in the court onJuly 26.

In the petition the Green GoaFoundation headed by ChairmanRaison Almeida had prayed tothe court for a writ of mandamusdirecting the Margao MunicipalCouncil to implement the atten-dance of employees by use ofthe bio -metric finger scanreader.

The petitioner stated that thebio-metric finger scan machineis the most effective means of

Govt to install cameras

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULEY 6

The dispute over the electionof the Navelim Block Congresscommittee reached the nationalcapital, with the GPCC PresidentSubhash Shirodkar accompaniedby the PWD Minister ChurchillAlemao briefing Congress or-ganisational poll coordinatorOscar Fernandes on the issueon Tuesday evening.

Fernandes is believed to havetold the GPCC president andNavelim block congress com-mittee president Leon Raikar tofile an appeal against the reportof the returning officer declaringConceicao Piexote as the newlyelected president of the Navelimcongress block.

Oscar further told the dele-

gation to submit a report howthe elections were manipulatedby the returning officer to theadvantage of the Piexote group.

Elections to the Navelim blockCongress committee had cre-ated a controversy, with an ag-itated Navelim MLA ChurchillAlemao demanding the decla-ration of Piexote as null and voidor else threatened to constituteparallel block committees acrossif the congress leadership failsto dissolve Piexote led blockcommittee.

Commenting on today smeeting with Oscar Fernandes,Alemao said since the congressleader has asked the GPCC Pres-ident and Raikar to file an appealand a detailed report on the ma-nipulation of the election, he

would wait for a decision fromthe congress high command. Iwill wait for the GPCC presidentto file an appeal and a decisionfrom the Congress leadershipbefore taking the next courseof action, he said.

The election hit a bitter rowlast week and the Chief MinisterDigambar Kamat was briefed onthe issue by the Alemao brotherscompris ing Churchi l l andJoaquim and Shirodkar.

On the other hand, Piexote -- a close aide of CWC memberLuizinho Faleiro has main-tained that he has been dulyelected as the Navelim blockCongress committee and won-dered how the party leadershipcan dissolve the committeewithin days of the election.

Navelim Block Congress poll dispute reaches Delhi

Proposealternatelocations,

casinos told HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, JULY 6

The ball is now in the court ofcasino operators who have theirvessels operating within city lim-its of Mandovi River.

The Bombay High Court atGoa on Tuesday asked casinooperators to submit their sug-gestions to Captain of Ports(CoP) about possible alternatelocation for operating their float-ing casinos.

The six casino operators offloating casinos are before HighCourt who were served noticesby the State Government to shiftat Aguada Bay on ground thattheir casinos were posing navi-gational hazard.

Six floating casinos - Mahara-jah, Caravela, Leela, CasinoRoyale, Arabian Sea King andPride of Goa are currently op-erating in the Mandovi Riverafter obtaining stay on govern-ments order.

When the matter came up forhearing before a Division Benchof Justices A S Oka and F M Reistoday morning, the lawyers ap-pearing on behalf of the casinooperators told the court thatthey would like to suggest suit-able locations for operation offloating casinos that would notcause any navigational hazardto other vessels operating in theriver, they submitted.

The State Government hasstuck to its stand that the Man-dovi river forms a navigationalchannel while and these casinovessels pose a serious naviga-tional hazard to barges, trawlersand pleasure cruises operatingin the river.

The Division Bench has alsodirected casino operators to ap-proach the CoP within twoweeks with their suggestions.The court will hear the petitionfurther on August 4.

GOAHERALD

Pg 4SHORT TAKES

GOA, WEDNESDAY, 7 JULY, 2010

Felicitation function

One of the studens being feted at the function.

PANJIM(HND): The felicitation function for distinction holdersof SSC batch of 2010 of G S Amonkar Vidya Mandir was heldrecently. Nidhi Kamat stood first in the school followed byShriyash Kamat and Pranav Mayekar. A welcome address wasgiven by Ajay Sardessai, the manager of the school. Certificateswere presented to meritorious students.

Suharsh Usgaonkar, treasurer of the New Goa EducationalTrust speaking on the occasion congratulated the meritoriousstudents and advised them to show interest and be creativein whatever they do in the future. Headmistress of the School,Mabel De Sa proposed the vote of thanks. Zena Viegas comperedthe programme.

The other dignitaries present on the occasion were the PTAChairman, Avinash Belekar and the members of the Trust,Sudin Usgaonkar, Sanjay Usgaonkar and Mohan Kaul.

Diabetes detection camp

People availing the facilities of the camp at Kurtarkar MedicalStores.

PANJIM(HND): As a regular customer care service, KurtarkarMedical Stores conducted their 3rd diabetes detection campat their medical store in Ponda. The camp was held in associ-ation with ROCHE Accucheck Glucometer. The camp was heldunder the supervision of area sales manager, Maitrey Bhagwatand Pratik Naik, in all, 75 patients took advantage of thecamp.

Patients, mostly diabetics, queue up early in the morningand took advantage of the camp to check their blood sugarlevel. Customers were given few important tips and informationbooklets to control their blood/sugar level. In the beginning,Nutan Kurtarkar welcomed the customers and later proposedthe vote of thanks.

Proprietor Ratnadeep Kurtarkar said the camps are heldevery two months for the awareness of the general public.Free height check, weight check and free blood pressuremeasurement facilities are available in the pharmacy everyday to all the customers, he added.

They also have the facility of giving information to the cus-tomers regarding drug-drug interaction, when multiple drugsare prescribed to the patient. They also have patient counselingfacility wherein all the details of the drugs are given, regardingits dosage, storage conditions, side effects and precautionsto be taken while taking the drug. Rupali Sawant, VidyaGaonkar and Nitesh Gaude helped in conducting the campsmoothly.

Chairman of Austin 7 owners Club London, Howard Annett,Pradeep Naik (Ashvek Vintage World-Goa), Mark Dingle (carowner) at "The Royal George" pub in Hersham, Surrey recently,and is the meeting place of the South London Centre of TheAustin 7 Owners Club (London). The car is a 1934 Austin 7Replica Ulster with a polished Aluminium body.

Chef contest organised

The students of Heritage Institute of Hotel and Tourism at theChef contest organised by the institute.

PANJIM(HND): Heritage Institute of Hotel and Tourism, Goaorganized Chef competition for the students recently. Studentsof the 3rd semester participated.

There were 11 groups which prepared four course menu.The students had prepared various kinds of soups, salads,dressings, carvings, and main course. Three of the groupsemerged out to be the winners and they were given prizes.The judges for the contest were Ranjit Patil, Anandam Lahiriand Cheryl Abreu Lobo.

HERALD CORRESPONENT

CANACONA, JULY 6

PWD Minister Churchill Alemao has statedthat if Goa had a Romi script Konkani as of-ficial language, the identity of the State willbe prospered for the future generations tocome.

Alemao was speaking as the chief guestat the Lions Club of Canacona 30th Boardof Directors installation ceremony recently.

If Goa had a Romi script Konkani as of-ficial language, the identity of our Statewill be prospered for the future generationsto come and at the same time help checkthe migrant infiltrations in future, which islikely to outnumber Goans in Goa if properlynot checked in immediate future, statedAlemao.

I am not against Devnagiri script whichaccording to me is cousin sister (Mauxibhoin) of Marathi, but the need of the houris to keep the identity of Goa and Goans atall the cost and to do that it is high timethat Romi lipi Konkani is made official lan-guage of Goa, said Alemao.

Goa should be preserved for Goans, asrest of the states do to their own peopleby having official language in the script ofthat states local people, added Alemao.

If I was with the government then, Iwould have never allowed to sign Goas Of-ficial Language Act with the Devnagiriscript, he said.

Earlier, Alemao felicitated Sahitya Acad-emy awardee Jess Fernandes, who won lau-rels with the national organization for hispoetry collection of Kirvant book publishedin 2006, while poetry writer GourishVernekar, who incidentally is the recipientof Kala Academy Award in 2008, was alsohonoured by Alemao.

Alemao also came hard on NGOs withoutnaming any one said: Some NGOs are shoutingat the top their voice in demanding to sendback all the migrants to their home states.

How can government do that? Govern-ment has not brought migrants into theState, it is the people like you and me, who

brought them, he added.With the law of the land reigning

supreme, every citizen of India has a rightto live and work in any part of the country.The best thing could have been to establishour identity by making Roman Lipi Konkanias the official language of Goa. We can verywell keep the migrants under checks, statedthe minister.

We Goans in Goa are only 13 lakh, butover 30 lakh Goans are spread across theworld earning their livelihood, said Alemaosarcastically remarking What will happento those, if someone takes up a stand tosend back all Goans back to Goa fromaround the world.

Alemao who turned up late for the func-tion, after reportedly watching Saturdaysfirst quarter final match between Argentinaand Germany, remarked At one time, I mayleave politics but not football, and regrettedhis late coming to the function.

After getting installed as the 30th presi-dent of Lion Club of Canacona, MoteshinhoFernandes made vehement appeal to thegovernment to take up a study to find outthe causes for increased kidney ailmentstargeting residents of Canacona.

At the same time, he requested thegovernment to double the governmentspecuniary monthly assistance of Rs 15,000for dialysis patients, which is far less andinsignificant for most dialysis patients.

Ulhas Faldessai and Lawrence Barrettowere installed as the clubs secretary andtreasurer, while Manuel Martins and Dr VilasPawaskar are installed as 1st vice presidentand 2nd vice president respectively.

Besides, 18 members Board of Directorsin the club strength of 39 membership, isalso installed, while one new memberValarian Viegas was inducted by DistrictChairperson (Sight-First) Dr Celso Fernan-des.

Alemao: Romi script will help in preserving Goan identity

PWD Minister Churchill Alemao addresses the gathering at Canacona. Photo by Kathy Pereira

HERALD REPORTER

VASCO, JULY 6

At a time when prices of gascylinders have increased, Hin-dustan Petroleum has launchedthe Community Kitchen con-cept in the State.

Revenue Minister Jose PhilipDSouza along with MormugaoMunicipal Council ChairpersonShekhar Khadapkar, localCouncilor Arvind Shinde, offi-cials from Hindustan Petroleuminaugurated the CommunityKitchen at HP Gas Rasoi Gharat New Vaddem recently.

HP senior Regional ManagerVasanta Rao explained the gath-ering how the communitykitchen concept took shape forthe benefit of rural villages,where LPG connection is rare.The concept is widely acceptedand appreciated by the petro-leum ministry.

In order to benefit thesepeople and bring them into

LPG fold, the concept of com-munity kitchen was started in2004 and till date, about 2,000community kitchens have beeninstalled in India, informedRao.

He further informed that withRasoi Ghar, people can get easyaccess to a ready kitchen to cooktheir daily meals comfortablyand faster than before.

Rasoi Ghar offers savings inmoney, time and helps protectthe environment. It is ideal fordaily wage earners, who cannotafford LPG installation chargesand the recurring costs of refill-ing a cylinder, said Rao.

Normally, the cost of gas perhour works out between Rs 3or 4 for cooking, where peoplecould bring their eatables andcook it, added Rao.

After hearing Raos speechwith great interest, a 32-year-old woman, Fatima Shaikh, whowas unaware of the concept,

said: Though we have LPG gasconnection, this communitykitchen is a good concept duringhours of emergency and cookingjointly with other women is re-ally a fun.

However, most women, whoattended the function echoedsimilar views and said they werehappy with the communitycooking concept that started intheir locality.

Revenue Minister Jose PhilipDSouza appreciated the assis-tance of HP to start communitykitchen in the State and thattoo in his constituency. He alsourged the women to utilize thefacility for safely and healthycooking.

HP officials thanked localCouncilor Arvind Shinde, Ga-jashree Vidhyalaya and Jay San-toshi Maa Temple Communityfor providing the facility tostart the Rasoi Ghar in NewVaddem.

Community Kitchenconcept launched in State

Revenue Minister Jose Philip DSouza switches on a gas stove installed in HP Gas Rasoi Ghar at NewVaddem in the presence of HP Regional Manager Vasanta Rao, Councilor Arvind Shinde and socialworker Babu Nanoskar. Photo by M Prabhav

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 6

The Goenchea RamponkaranchoEkvott (GRE) has hailed the peo-ple of not only Goa, but the en-tire country for wholeheartedlysupporting the bandh and ex-pressing their resentmentagainst the policies of the Cen-tral Government which are notin the interest of the aam admi.

According to a press release,GRE General Secretary MatanhySaldanha took strong exceptionto the statements made by Fi-nance Minister Pranab Mukher-jee. Mukherjees statement andreaction smack of arrogance anda total disregard to the peopleof India who had expressed theiropposition to the governmentpolicies in a democratic andpeaceful manner, Matanhystated.

Matanhy urged the Goa Gov-ernment to do what ever possi-ble on its part to reduce the VATon petroleum products to alle-viate the sufferings of the Goanpeople. However, the Govern-ment should raise the miningcess to off set the loss, he added.

Agnelo Rodrigues, Presidentof GRE, thanked the fishermen,fish vendors, fruit and vegetablevendors and all other tradersfor voluntarily observing thebandh and respecting the appealmade by GRE not to carry outbusiness on the day of thebandh.

The UPA government at theCentre that claims to be for theaam admi should take note ofthe peoples resentment andsuffering immediately roll backthe hike in petroleum prices,Matanhy added.

GRE hails Goans for supporting bandh

Fatorda getting priority

treatment: Damu

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

Fatorda MLA Damu Naik has saidthat development of Fatordaconstituency has been taken upon topmost priority and manyroads in Borda, Murida, Chan-drawado, Gauliwadda, besidesinternal road network will soonget a new look.

He said that Madel area,which was not attended becauseof the laying of seweragepipeline will be taken up forhotmixing after the monsoons.He said the laying of sewerageline is almost complete, addingthat he had taken up work onthe underground line due topollution and contamination ofdrinking water wells.

Madel was facing a graveissue of overflowing soakpitsseptic tanks. Sewage waste wasreleased in the open drains andpaddy fields, posing a healthhazard to the residents, he said.

He said the sewerage line willtake care of the mushroomingconstructions and multi-storeybuildings coming in and aroundMadel. Now the roads whichwere in bad shape will be hot-mixed after the monsoons. Thework will be taken up at an es-timated cost of Rs 1.5 crore. Thework will be tendered soon,the MLA added.

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 6

GPCC President Subhash Shirodkar said workshop cum trainingprogramme on making of jute items by women will help them tobe independent by establishing their own business under smallscale industry. Today, jute made items are in demand, as its salesare seen in the international markets. Training will be given in thedifferent groups, so that each trained person will get proper at-tention in practical work. All items will be supplied for practicalsession

Mr Shirodkar was speaking at the inaugural function of a work-shop cum training programme for women on making of jute itemsat panchayat hall, Nerul.

The workshop was organized by the Central Goa Agriculturalmarketing co-operative society under National Youth Board affiliatedto Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

Other dignitaries present were MLA Agnelo Fernandes, SanjayKalangutkar V P Nerul, Sushmita Pednekar V P Reis Magos, JayeshSalgaonkar ZP member, Carmelina DSouza, Dy Sarpanch VP Guirim,Kandolkar, Sarpanch, VP Sangolda, Ajay Pednekar, Saligao BlockPresident and other Panch members of Nerul, Reis Magos, Saligao,Guirim and Sangolda Panchayat.

Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes said that he assures completesupport to all the participants on successful completion of thistraining. Government has taken all measures in helping women tobe self dependent. Financial assistance from EDC can also be givento needy to start her own business. He also praised the organizersfor conducting this workshop for 20 days.

Subroto Mukerjee (master trainer) in jute making items fromCalcutta also spoke on the occasion. He revealed that this pro-gramme is successful all over the nation.

Ajay Pednekar compered the programme, Jayesh Salgaonkar,Sarita Shirodkar, Piedade Almeida also spoke on the occasion.Finally, Ajay Pednekar proposed the vote of thanks. Satish Mandrekar,Mahesh Dabolkar, Panchayat staff also helped in organizing thisfunction.

Training in jute items will aid women to start own venture: Shirodkar

Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes, lighting the lamp along withGPCC President, Subhash Shirodkar in the presence of NerulSarpanch Sanjay Kalangutkar, Reis Magos Sarpanch Sushmita Ped-nekar and Sangolda Dy Sarpanch Nilkanth Naik.

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 6

Goa Labour Welfare Board is implementing various schemes forthe benefit of Industrial Workers in Goa. Accordingly for the year2010-2011 also, the Goa Labour Welfare Board continues to extendsimilar assistance/benefits to the eligible Industrial Workers inthe state.

Those Industrial Workers/Employees who are desirous of availingthe benefits of the scheme may apply through their employers tothe Office of the Secretary, Goa Labour Welfare Board, ShramaShakti Bhavan, 4th floor, Patto Plaza, Panjim, says a press release.

Workers who have put more in than 6 months continued serviceand whose pay does not exceed Rs 10,000 per month are eligibleunder the scheme.

The Schemes are Grant of Financial Assistance for purchase oftext book to school going children of Workers/Employees, to availbenefit should be applied before September 30, 2010. Grant of Fi-nancial Assistance to school going children of workers/employeesstudying in 1st to 4th standards for supply of one set of dressshould be applied by September 30, 2010. Award of Scholarshipto school or college going children of workers /employees shouldbe applied by before September 30, 2010. Child care benefits forfemale industrial workers 6 month from date of delivery. Schemeto pay incentive to the wards of workers on the basis of percentageof marks obtained by them passing final examination conductedby the Board/Universities from class X onwards should be appliedbefore September 30, 2010. Scheme for payment of extra monetarycompensation for sterilization to employees, one year from thedate of operation.

Scheme to provide Incentives/Financial Assistance on the basisof attendance in School/College etc, to the female students studyingin class V and onwards in any field of education being daughtersof workers/employees should be applied before September 30,2010. Retrenched Workers Assistance Scheme should be appliedwithin one year from the date of retrenchment or within 6 monthsfrom the date of settlement, adds the press release.

Schemes of Labour

Welfare Board

Brainworksproviding

quality educationHERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, JULY 6

A parent who wants their toddlerto join the ranks of the Newtonsand Einstiens in the future needsno longer search for the meansto make this possible. Accordingto a press release, Brainworks,the national chain of preschoolsthat provides quality preschooleducation at affordable priceshas now set up shop in Goa. Thenew center, located in the arterialarea of Sangolda Bardez offersfacilities like a playschool, nursery,KG, day care and hobby classesfor children and aims to help en-hance their learning in one of themost crucial periods of their de-velopment.

The first few years of achilds life are the most impor-tant for his or her mental de-velopment. We, at Brainworks,strive to provide them with anenvironment conducive to theirsocial, emotional, cognitive,physical and lingual develop-ment so that they have a strongfoundation to build on, whichwill help them cope with todaysultra-competitive school envi-ronment, said Nanette DSa,CEO Brainworks

For details contact: DeeptiDhoot on 09867857577 andPrachi Desai on 09819088363.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, JULY 5

About 26 passed-out studentsfrom Canacona taluka duringthe last academic year were fe-l i c i t a ted dur ing the 2ndGramosthav 2010 organized byAll Goa Tribal Association atGaondongrim on Sunday.

This years Gramosthav 2010theme Education and CommunityDevelopment is inaugurated by ed-ucationist and Congress party GoaState President Subhash Shirodkarin the presence of GaondongrimSarpanch Vishant Gaonkar, All GoaTribal Association President andCotigao Sarpanch Rajesh Gaonkarand State Central Zone EducationDeputy Director Shambu Gadi.

Shirodkar felicitated 26 passed-out students, holding ranks at dif-ferent stages from the taluka, alongwith their parents by presenting

Canacona students feted

GPCC chief Subhash Shirodkar presents memento and certificate toa SSC student. Photo by Kathy Pereira

mementos and certificates.The first 10 rank holders from

the taluka, who passed out in lastMarch SSC examinations, first tworankers each in respective streamsat Std XII and graduation level,including Vocational courses, were

presented with meritorious cer-tificates and mementos.

Different competitions likegroup singing, solo singing, gen-eral knowledge and dances wereorganized and prizes were givenaway on the occasion.

GOAGOA, WEDNESDAY, 7 JULY, 2010

HE

RA

LD Pg 5

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

OLD GOA, JULY 6

The Corlim Citizens Civil andConsumer Forum (CCCCF) mem-bers met Chief Minister Digam-bar Kamat on Monday and urgedhim to divert the NH4A routefrom Corlim village throughsome other route.

Led by Forum PresidentAlexender Gomes and its Sec-retary Baptist Periera, themembers submitted a memo-randum to the chief ministerat his office at the Secretariatat Porvorim.

The members briefed Kamatabout the difficulties likely tobe faced by Corlim villagers ifthe NH4 h ighway pas sesthrough Corlim village. They

suggested Kamat to divert theroute from Corlim instead ofmaking it to 30 mtrs width.

It may be recalled that Forummembers had raised fears of de-struction to the houses alongthe highway in Corlim with theCentral governments plan towiden the NH4.

The members had sug -gested diverting the highwayfrom Old Goa through someother area.

Speaking to Herald, ForumSecretary Baptist Pereira said:We are happy that the chiefminister gave a patient hearingand informed us that housesalong the road passing throughCorlim will not be touched atany cost and the State govern-

ment will try and explore newdimensions while preparing theNH4A.

The chief minister has alsoassured that no houses will betouched till everyone is takeninto confidence, but at the sametime, he has also stated thatsomewhere someone will haveto sacrifice something for thehighway, said Pereira.

Kamat has called a meetingwith the officials of the NationalHighway Authority to discussabout the grievances of the peo-ple from each and every village,he said.

PWD Principal Chief EngineerJ J Rego and Joe Gomes, JamesSequiera and Jaime Sequiera ofthe Forum were also present.

Corlim forum meets CM; want NH4 route diverted

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

OLD GOA, JULY 6

In a bid to help Corlim CitizensCivil and Consumer Forum(CCCCF) over NH4A issue, theParish Council of St Joao Fa-cundo Church, Corlim, has de-cided to join hands with theForum and organize publicawareness meeting in differentwards in and around Corlim.

The meetings, which will beconducted in and around Cor-lim, will be organized by thesub committees of Parish Coun-cil of St Joao Facundo Church,known as Small Christian Com-munities, whose main aim is tocreate social awareness amongthe residents of Corlim on var-ious fronts.

It may be recalled that recently,the CCCCF members at a meetinghad decided not to allow thewidening process of the NH4Athrough Corlim which could notonly destroy houses alongside

the road, but will also createproblems for the locals if theNH4A passed through Corlim.

In a bid to save houses alongthe national highway, whichwould be demolished if theNH4A is widened, CCCCF mem-bers had suggested that author-ities should instead divert thehighway from Old Goa throughthe fields of Carambolim andCorlim, before connecting it to-wards the highway at theBanstarim Bridge.

The meetings which will beorganised by the sub committeeof the Parish Council are keptopen for all and would takeplace at Churchward on July 10and Mollar, Volwaddo and Belav-ista on July 11.

Speaking to Herald, St JoaoFacundo Church Parish Priest FrAssis Dourado said: We wouldalso like to be part of the Forumin its movement in urging theState government to divert the

NH4 passing through Corlim.The meetings called by the

Parish Sub Committee will in-form all the people of Corlimabout the effects it would havein Corlim village if the highwaypasses through Corlim, said FrDourado.

There is no need for such abig highway for a small Statelike Goa and such highways donot pass through residentialareas, the message which wewill try to pass to the locals ofour village through our SmallChristian Communities meet-ings, he added.

Parish Council of St Joao DeFacundo Church ChairpersonZena Sequirea said: Our mainaim behind organizing the meet-ing is to make people aware ofthe NH4 destruction and its con-sequences as our panchayat andother government bodies havefailed to inform about it to thelocals.

Corlim Parish Council joins hands with forum

HERALD NEWS BUREAU

PANJIM, JULY 6

The Society of Pilar has receiveda request from the Holy See totake up challenging missionareas, stated Fr Tony Lopes, Su-perior General of the Society ofPilar.

Speaking at the 71st anniver-sary of the reorganization of theSociety of Pilar, Fr Lopes furthersaid the Society has in its tradi-tion taken up challenging mis-sion initiatives in areas likeNagar-Haveli, Sanguem, An-daman-Nicobar Islands and Pun-jab Haryana.

The Superior General gave aclarion call to its members tofollow the noble tradition oftheir predecessors. In its recentrequest, the Holy See recognizesthe indigenous dynamism pre-vailing in the Society.

The Society of Missionariesof St Francis Xavier Pilar, com-monly known as Society of Pilar,was founded by Fr Bento Mar-tins in 1887. The Society wason the verge of extinction, whenthe prophetic words of Ven. Fr.Agnelo D'Souza, The societywill not die, the finger of Godis here saw the Society being

Vatican urges Pilar Society to take up mission areas

Bro. Minguel Souza kneels before Superior General Fr Tony Lopes sfx. Also seen are Fr Nazareth Fer-nandes, Central Delegate Superior of Pilar and Fr Peter Fernandes, Vice Rector of Pilar Seminary.

reorganized on July 2, 1939.The foundation and the re-

organization form two distinctmoments in the life of the Soci-ety of Pilar the latter trans-forming the former, this beinga unique phenomenon rarelywitnessed in the history of reli-gions institutes and societies ofapostolic life.

The story of the Re-organi-zation of the Society startedwith the movement called LigaXaveriana in honour of St. Fran-cis Xavier. Fr Conceicao Ro-drigues and Fr Francis Sequeirawere the inspired persons ofthe Liga Xaveriana who took thelead in re-organizing the Society.

Fr Remedios do RosarioGomes, the lone surviving mem-ber of the Society whole-heart-edly accepted the proposal andlater, Fr Manuel Barreto, FrJo seph A lbuquerque , FrTheodolindo Cabral, Bro. PeterMascarenhas and Bro. PaixaoLacerda joined to re-organizethe Society.

To mark the special occasion,54 priest members joined theEucharistic celebration at PilarMonastery presided over by Su-perior General Fr Tony Lopes.

We are called to walk in thefootprints of Jesus and carryon the great commission,stated Fr Lopes, stressing thetheme of the Mass FollowingJesus as we live the great com-mission.

During the Eucharistic cele-bration, nine members SavioCabral (Navelim), MinguelSouza (Arambol), Maria Devasa-hayam (Tamil Nadu), Rex Fer-nandes (Corta l im) , B inodKerketta (Jharkhand), SagayaSelvam (Tamil Nadu), MichaelPrakash (Jaipur), Lino Santiago(Margao) and Kuldip Lakra(Jharkhand) made their finalcommitment to the Society ofPilar, by kneeling before the Su-perior General of the Pilar So-ciety, right hand firmly placedon the Bible, holding the cru-cifix in the left hand.

The traditional footballmatch between the Pilar Fa-thers and the Students of The-ology was played with fullgusto, in which the brothersmanaged to score 2 goals inthe last 10 minutes.

No trustagainst Uguem

sarpanchHERALD CORRESPONDENT

SANGUEM, JULY 6

Six panchas of the Uguem Pan-chayat, including its deputysarpanch, on Tuesday filed a No-Confidence Motion againstSarpanch Madhevi Shiddikar.

The motion has been tabledagainst Shiddikar over her failurein taking the panchayat mem-bers into confidence in dis-cussing important panchayatmatters and for not undertakingany development projects in thevillage since her taking chargeas the sarpanch.

The signatories to the motionare Deputy Sarpanch Xavier Fur-tado, Anand Naik, Devidas Naik,Subhash Gaonkar, VidhikshaBhandari and Anil T Zangale.

Sources informed that therewere allegations against thesarpanch for quite some timenow over her alleged high-handed behaviour in the pan-chayat matters and the problemsfaced by the villagers in gettingNOCs and other documents.

It is also alleged that thesarpanch was hardly giving anytime for panchayat matters, thusaffecting the developmentprogress of the village.

Over the last many years,Uguem village which comprisesseven wards has not seen anydevelopment progress and thisissue has been raised by thegram sabha members at everygram sabha, but to no avail. Thedevelopment of the village con-tinues to remain on the backfoot allegedly due to paucity offunds in the panchayat coffers.

Meanwhile, Panchayat mem-ber Anil Zangale has lodged acomplaint at Sanguem policeand with the assistant engineerelectricity department Sanguemagainst unknown persons fordamaging about 15 street lightsat Chiraband ward recently.

Zangale informed that he hadgot the street lights installedrecently in the ward, but themiscreants damaged all the 15street lights for no valid reason.

Zangale has urged the policeand the electricity departmentto take cognizance of the mat-ter and immediately bring theculprits involved in the act tobook.

Sanguemresidents

urged to keeparea cleanHERALD CORRESPONDENT

SANGUEM, JULY 6

Government Primary HealthCentre, Sanguem, Health OfficerDr Anil Kakodkar has called oncitizens from Sanguem to keepaway malaria disease by keepingtheir neighbourhood clean.

Dr Kakodkar was speaking ata function held recently at theHealth Centre to make peopleaware of the measures thatcould be taken to make Goamalaria free.

The function was attendedby Sanguem Municipal CouncilChairperson Harsha D Sambhari,Chief Officer Vassant Parwar, DrPanchwadkar and others.

Speaking further, Dr Kakodkarurged the locals to destroy un-used tyres. This simple meas-ure, if resorted to by the locals,the malaria disease can be tack-led to a great extent, he added.

As of date, malaria disease inthe locality has been decreasedto a great extent, he said.

He urged the locals to furtherintensif y the drive againstmalaria by taking all precaution-ary measures they could betaken in keeping their surround-ing clean, particularly with re-spect to unused tyres andunused utensils.

Workshop to improve

vocabularyHERALD NEWS BUREAU

PANJIM, JULY 6

Detroit Institute will organize atwo-week workshop on Buildyour English Vocabulary and Flu-ency from July 12.

The workshop is aimed at build-ing up vocabulary and speakingbetter English through games, sto-ries and interaction. The workshopwill help students to develop theirEnglish writing and speaking skills.

The workshop will be for a pe-riod of two weeks and will beheld at Detroit Institute, Jose Fal-cao Road, Near Mary ImmaculateConception Church, OppositeProgress High School, Next to Sil-imkhan Opticians, Panjim. For de-tails, contact 9822131835.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, JULY 6

One of the oldest culverts alongNH-17 at Bhatpal is on the vergeof collapse and locals in the areahave claimed that if not givenimmediate attention, there is adanger of mishaps claiming livesand property.

Locals from Bhatpal are ag-grieved with the highway au-thorities that despite the culvertbeing nearly washed away dur-ing the last years October 2floods, none have bothered toinspect its load-bearing capacityor its present status, as severalthousands of tonnes-loaded ve-hicles crosses over it daily.

Some locals informed thatthey have even alerted the pan-chayat on several occasions todo something about the culvert.

Incidentally, according to lo-cals, the Portuguese era culverthas no safety on its side andseveral vehicles in the past haveplummeted over it, causinggrievous injuries to humans anddamaging vehicles.

Since the culvert with severedepth down the nullah has norailings or any other protection,there is a danger of a walkingperson accidentally falling overit and if locals are to be believed,such incidences in the past hasalso taken place in the area withthe humans and cattle.

When the October 2 floodshad hit the area hard, the waterfrom nearby Khushavati Riverhad raised several metres com-pletely drowning NH-17 road,including the culvert and nearlywashing it over endangering to

cut-off an important link of high-way at Poltodbhag-Bhatpal.

A local further informed thatit was around in the same loca-tion that two vehicles weretaken away by floods, while athird car was kept tied to anearby tree till floods subsided.

This culvert has become veryweak after that the last yearsfloods and there is danger ofthis culvert giving away at anymoment, informed Valent.

When contacted, ShristhalPanch Sanju Naik, through whichpanchayat area this NH-17 runs,told Herald: There is indeeddanger to this culvert due to itsweak status and non-existenceof any supportive railings. Butit is for the PWD (Highways) toimmediately inspect and takenecessary action.

Culvert along NH-17 at Bhatpal on verge of collapseAuthorities turning blind eye, say residents

Heavy vehicles pass over the weak culvert bridge at Poltodbhag-Bhatpal, Canacona. Photo by Kathy Pereira

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, JULY 6

The contractor, who was allottedthe works of installation of fivefire hydrants in Mapusa Munic-ipal Council (MMC) market inJanuary 2009, is yet to completethe work.

As per the terms of the worksorder, the work of the installa-tion of fire hydrants was to becompleted by July 2009.

There are 1,114 shops in Ma-pusa Municipal Council (MMC)market. Besides, hawkers oc-cupy every inch of the footpathand the road inside the market.The roads inside the marketare so much occupied by themthat in case fire breaks out inthe market, it would be difficultfor fire brigade personnel towend their way through thehawkers.

Hence, the Mapusa MerchantsAssociation had requested MMCto install some fire hydrants tomeet any eventuality.

The PWD at the request ofMMC decided to install five firehydrants in the market. Accord-ingly, the PWD floated the ten-der for the installation of fivefire hydrants and was awarded

to one contractor on January 8,2009 for Rs 11.18 lakh. But thecontractor has installed onlythree fire hydrants in the marketas of date.

When contacted, PWD Assis-tant Engineer Prakash Surlikarsaid the contractor has stoppedthe work for the time being dueto heavy rains.

The contractor in betweenalso encountered some labour

problem. The work of the in-stallation of fire hydrant needto be carried out during night,between 11 pm and 5 am only,as during day it is not possibledue to business activities, saidSurlikar.

As soon as rains subside, thecontractor will begin the workand the installation of the re-maining two fire hydrants willbe completed, said Surlikar.

Work on fire hydrants pendingin Mapusa market

An incomplete fire hydrant at the Mapusa Municipal market. Photo by Anil Shakhwalker

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

MAYEM, JULY 6

The Dindi comprising about 137devotees of Lord Vithal fromRavalnath Temple, Mulgaon-Bi-cholim, proceeded to Pand-harpur under the guidance ofHari Bhajani Pandit (Kirtankar)Udaybuwa Fadke.

The Dindi, also including GokulGawas (75) and Sairaj Korgaokar(17), proceeded to Pandharpuron foot despite torrential rains.

The Dindi, which was inau-gurated by local MLA Rajesh Pat-neka r, w i l l p roceed toPandharpur via Dodamarg,Tillari, Patne, Halkarni, Mhale-

wadi, Kamewadi, Halikkatti, Ka-mattur, Jainapur, Basawanguddi,Manjarishirguppi, Mhaisal, Sub-hashnagar, Bhose, Shirthon,Kerewadi, Junoni, Hatir, Watam-bare, Sangola-Khardi and Pand-harpur and is expected to reachin 13 days with devotees walk-ing 30 kms a day.

Dindi proceeds to Pandharpur

A Dindi procession leaves for Pandharpur. Photo by Vishant Vaze

FIR lodged forland fillingBY HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

The Cuncolim police on Tuesdayregistered an FIR against un-known persons for filling of lowlying land near the Cuncolimbus stand. The FIR was regis-tered under section 17-A of theTown and Country Planning Actfollowing a complaint lodgedby the Town Planner for fillingof low lying land. The Cuncolimpolice are investigating.

Birth centenary celebrationsBY HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, JULY 6

The birth centenary of veteran singer and artist of Marathi TheatreLate Jaikrishna Bhatikar will be celebrated by Ravindra bhavan,Margao in collaboration with Directorate of Art and Culture onJuly 18.

A committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister DigambarKamat has been constituted with persons and artists from variousinstitutions.

Detailed program has been planned on July 17-18 evening witha musical concert, seminars, interviews etc.

Ravindra bhavan has requested lovers of art and culture to takenote of the grant event and pay homage to the great artist.

GOA, WEDNESDAY JULY 7, 2010

HERALD

Pg7INDIA

PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 6

In a subtle message to his partyleaders to put the interest ofthe organisation first, seniorleader L K Advani today askedthem to work towards revivingBJP as a "party with a differ-ence".

Advani, who seems to be fash-ioning himself in the role of anelder statesman who is aboveinner party squabbles, said, "AtalBihari Vajpayee used to say wewere a party with a difference.We all should strive towardsachieving this aim."

He was speaking at a functionheld here to mark the birth an-niversary of party ideologueShyama Prasad Mookherjee.

Advani's statement has comeat a time when the BJP is still grap-pling with internal dissensionsand several of its leaders speakingin different voices on issues.

Th i s had even l ed theRashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh(RSS), the fountainhead of theSangh Parivar, to tell the BJP topbrass that the writ of party pres-ident should run and his wordon any issue should be the final.

After RSS propped up NitinGadkari as president of the BJPit wants to ensure that he suc-ceeds in his project of reviving

the party. "His failure wouldmean failure of the RSS," a seniorBJP leader said.

As if toeing the Sangh line ofputting the "country first, partysecond and self last", Advanisaid, "We are in politics not toserve our own agenda but tomake this country great."

This appeared to be a mes-sage to BJP's top brass who aremostly seen competing witheach other for one-upmanship.It had led critics to call it the"party with differences" after BJPsuffered its second successiveLok Sabha poll debacle.

Advani praised the BJP andits leaders as being "unique,incomparable (Ananya)" andasked the cadre to make themost of this.

Make BJP partywith a difference,

asserts Advani

PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 6

Congress today asked a defiantparty MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddynot to go ahead with his con-troversial yatra and threatenedhim with disciplinary action ifhe did not obey.

"All true committed and loyalCongressmen must necessarilyobserve both the party dharmaand laxman rekha of propriety andparty discipline," party spokesper-son Abhishek Singhvi said.

In an indication of the partytoughening its stand on theissue, he said, "Failure to do sowould perforce lead to a chainof consequences, which are bestavoidable. We hope and trustthat compliance will take theplace of defiance."

The Congress spokespersonmaintained that "party disciplinelike law does not discriminatebetween individuals."

Notwithstanding party chiefSonia Gandhi's reservationsabout it, Reddy, the son of lateAndhra Pradesh Chief MinisterYSR Reddy, has decided to re-sume his controversial "Odarpu"yatra from July 8 to console partyworkers grieving his father'sloss.

Jagan, who had defied theparty directive against under-taking the yatra in May also, hadmet Gandhi along with his familymembers on June 29 to seekher permission for the tour. Themeeting took place in New Delhion the request of Jagans motherVijayalakshmi.

During the meeting, the Con-gress chief had suggested as-sembling the affected familiesat one place to console themand also to offer financial assis-tance, the young Lok Sabha MPsaid.

In an open letter to the peo-ple, he said, "We explained toher the need to resume the yatrato console the family membersof those who died following thedeath of my father. She (SoniaGandhi) did not cite any specificreason but did not appear to befavourably inclined over resum-ing the yatra."

Jagan would pay tributesto his father at Idupulapaya,the family estate where hewas buried, today and laterproceed to Ichapuram inSrikakulam district to resumehis tour.

Defying the Congress highcommand's directive earlier,Jagan had left by train to starthis yatra in Warangal district onMay 28 but it was marred by vi-olent protests from Telanganasupporters.

Stop yatra, Congtells Jagan

PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 6

Global money transfer andbanking operations of thecountry's postal departmentare being scanned by the En-forcement Directorate andother agencies for suspectedterror-financing and Hawala-like transactions.

At present, there are noother official channels, be-sides the pure banking route,to transfer or receive moneyfrom abroad.

The Department of Postshad started this service in as-sociation with US-basedWestern Union FinancialServices in April 2001 andcustomers can send or re-ceive money from 205 coun-tries.

According to top FinanceMinistry sources, the ED andthe Financial Intelligence Unit(FIU) -- an agency to monitorsuspect financing in Indian fi-nancial channels have initiatedsteps to check the remittancesand transactions on the wireson a "real time basis".

In 2008-09, the 'India Post'had delivered remittances to

the tune of more than Rs7,649 crore.

While the ED has asked'India Post' to keep a checkon all "kinds of transactions"and inform it of suspecttransactions, the FIU hasasked the service provider tostrictly comply with the re-porting norms.

Under the provisions ofthe Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA), allbanking entities or financialintermediaries who facilitatetelegraphic or wire transfersor electronic remittanceshave to report the nature andvalue of the transactions tothe FIU.

"Also, the banking oper-ations conducted by theIndia Post have been largelyunregulated. There aremany small accounts witha lot of money. The enforce-ment agencies are nowtracking the remittancesand withdrawals," a sourcesaid.

The international moneytransfer service is currentlyavailable from 8,511 post of-fices.

India Post globalmoney transfer

under ED scanner

Goa seems to be getting nothing right thesedays. If you read about Indias smallestState in the newspapers (where else!) youd

get the impression that this is a region knownfor rapes, murders, politicians on the rampage,mayhem and what not. There was a time whenGoa could get into the national media only withstories about mining. Then came tourism, Eurocharters and all that. The season for topplinggovernments lasted throughout the 1990s. Now,it is the story of Goas deadly politicians (andtheir kin) that makes news.

Currently, its Mickky Pacheco. Before that itwas Babush Monserrate. Somewhere in betweenwas Mickkys rival John and the Russian rape case.There are not-so-subtle insinuations made con-tinually against home minister Ravi Naik and hiskin. (Quite a few other controversial politiciansare lucky enough to never get focussed on; onewonders why.

Some protests have been raised already againstthe attempts to show Goa as a Sodom and Go-morrah, where everything goes wrong all thetime. Yes, it is a fact that money-power has takendeeper root in Goa today than ever before. Ourpoliticians, particularly since Statehood in 1987,have tasted the heady aphrodisiac of power andmoney. But to imagine that Goa has suddenly de-generated is to live in a make-believe world thattakes no cognisance of the reality we have beenliving with.

The fact is that Goas political class - why shouldwe be obsessed with them alone? They are asdegenerate and hypocritical as the ones that havepreceded them. It is the perception of reality,rather than the reality itself, which has changeddrastically. And behind this portrayal lies the bigstory, one which we have to still wait for ourmedia to sufficiently expose and narrate.

* * *Without doubt, behind every such case that

has propelled Goa to national - nay, international- headl