OHERALDOThe Voice of Goa Since 1900

Hurriyat issues 11-day protest

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HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) sleuths are moving aheadto probe deeper into the illegalimmigration racket against for-mer Tourism Minister MickkyPacheco.

Highly-placed sources in-formed Herald that CBIs Delhiteam will meet Calvert Gon-sa lves a former a ide toPacheco, to know more aboutthe functioning of ManpowerRecruitment Agency, a joint ven-

ture started by Pacheco and hisestranged wife Sara in 1998.

We will meet Calvert to shedmore light on how the agencyoperated, staff strength, wherethe recruited people were sent

for jobs, etc, said a CBI official. The meeting fixed on Tuesday

evening was, however, re-sched-uled for Wednesday.

Sources further inform thatthe investigating team on Mon-day evening conducted investi-gation in the passport office toverify documents submitted byPacheco to get the passports.

The CBI has charged the for-mer minister and two others ofoffenses relating to cheating,forgery, and using fake docu-ments to facilitate illegal immi-

gration of Goans to the UnitedStates.

A case has been registeredafter the US Bureau of Diplo-matic Security complained tothe External Ministry at Delhion the illegal immigration.

For over a week in Goa, theCBI sleuths have hitherto inter-rogated the prime accusedPacheco and Sara, on Friday andSaturday, respectively. Calverthad accompanied Sara duringthe four-hour interrogation inthe Goa CBI office at Bambolim.

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

An alert watchman foiled a majorburglary in a jewellery shop lateMonday night and helped nabtwo notorious criminals fromMumbai, who carried out a sur-vey of the shops by staying in athree-star hotel at Colva.

The burglars RajkumarChowdhary (Bihar) and Vijaykumar Singh (Uttar Pradesh),but settled at Mira Road, Mum-bai nearly laid their hands ongold ornaments worth Rs 80lakhs in the jewellery shopowned by Pawan Raikar at theNew Market, before the watch-man foiled their plan.

The incident occurred ataround 9.30 p.m. when the duocame on the rear side of theshop and began digging a holeto enable entry.

Margao Police Inspector San-tosh Desai said the watchmanmade his routine presence be-hind the shops at around 11.30pm, only to find the duo busydigging a hole. He immediatelyraised an alarm and with thehelp of the people and police,managed to arrest one of them,he informed.

He said the second accusedescaped under the cover of dark-ness towards the Margao railwaystation and with the help of arickshaw, headed towards theColva hotel, where he wasnabbed by a waiting police party.

Desai said that both the ac-cused are hardcore criminalsand were equipped with a bag

containing almost all imple-ments and instruments requiredfor burglaries.

Meanwhile, Margao sub divi-sional police officer, Deputy Su-perintendent of Police UmeshGaonkar said the police are in-vestigating whether the arrestedaccused had any hand in a dar-ing burglary in 2007, wherein

gold ornaments worth lakhs ofrupees were looted.

It is just a coincidence thatlast nights burglary was at-tempted on the fourth day ofGanesh Chathurti. We are inves-tigating into all aspects, includ-ing the role played by theaccused in the 2007 burglary,Gaonkar added.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, SEPT 14

The Environment and ForestMinistry has come out with afresh draft of the Coastal Regu-lation Zone (CRZ) Notification,2010, improving upon the oneissued in April, with special reg-ulations for Goa, Mumbai, Keralaand the Sunderbans region ofWest Bengal.

It permits reconstruction andrepair works of structures oflocal communities in CRZ. Alsopermitted are facilities for fish-ing like traditional fish process-ing yards, boat building or repairyards, ice plants and storage,auction halls and jetties.

The draft also permits settingup and expansion of fish pro-cessing units including ware-housing but excludes hatcheryand natural fish drying in per-mitted areas. Expansion of suchunits for modernisation cancover 25 per cent additionalplinth area but it should not beon the seaward side existingprior to the CRZ notification ofFebruary 19, 1991 and is alsosubject to approval by the StatePollution Control Board.

The Goa government is re-

quired to survey and map thefishing villages all along the Goacoast to put into operation pro-visions of the draft notification,which also mandates mappingof eco-sensitive low-lying khajanlands influenced by tidal actionand protection of mangroves onsuch lands .

Every five years: The draft no-tification, that requires redraw-ing the CRZ map every fiveyears, also prohibits any devel-opmental activity on sand dunesas also on the beaches of Man-drem, Morjim, Galgiba andAgonda designated as turtlenesting sites and protectedunder the Wildlife ProtectionAct, 1972.

As regards demarcation ofhigh tide and low tide lines (HTLand LTL), the draft requires con-sideration of landward (mon-soonal) crest in case of sandybeaches rocks, headlands, cliffs,seawalls or revetments or em-bankments.

The State governments arerequired to identify all violationsof CRZ Notification, 1991, withinthree months and act upon themwithin six months from the dateof issue of the final 2010 noti-

fication, so as to prevent anyambiguity in enforcement of thetwo notifications.

500 metres from HTL: Thedraft notification, which dividesthe coastal areas into five CRZs,prohibits construction or expan-

sion of industries up to 500 me-tres on landward side from thehigh tide line (HTL) as also upto 100 metres from HTL or widthof creek whichever is less alongthe tidal influenced water bodies(rivers) that have salinity con-

centration of 5 parts per thou-sand (ppt) during the driest pe-riod of the year.

The restrictions also apply toland falling between the hazardline and 500 metres from HTLon the landward side. The HTLto be demarcated within oneyear will be the line on the landup to the highest water linereaches during the spring tide.

The most stern prohibitionsare prescribed for CRZ-I thatalso includes areas between LTLand HTL and those prone to in-undation due to sea level rise.

Relaxation: In case of CRZ-III,there is a relaxation that areasup to 200 metres from HTL to-wards landward side are to beearmarked as no developmentzone that shall permit no con-struction except for repairs andreconstruction of existing au-thorised structures but withoutincreasing plinth area or floorspace index.

Activities relating to agricul-ture, horticulture, salt manufac-ture, gardens, pastures, parks,play field, and forestry will bepermitted in this zone. The per-mitted activities also includeconstruction of dispensaries,

schools, community toilet, cre-matoria, cemeteries, electric substations, bridges, roads and fa-cilities for water supply, drainageand sewerage.

Beach resorts: Areas between200 metres and 500 metres ofHTL in CRZ-II AND CRZ-III willbe allowed for construction ofhotels and beach resorts, butwith condition that there shallbe no permanent sports struc-tures except goal, net or lampposts and fencing should nothamper pub l i c a cces s tobeaches.

The plot size for such con-struction should not be less than0.4 hectares and the coveredarea on all floors shall not ex-ceed 33 per cent, with a ceilingof nine metres on the overallheight and the construction shallhave a maximum two floors,that is a ground floor plus oneupper floor.

The draft also requires a gapof not less than 500 metres be-tween two hotels or beaches toallow public access to the beachand mandatory clearance underthe Forest Conservation Act ifthe project involves diversionof forest land.

Business: 16 Taj hotels migrate

to new brand Vivanta Pg 12

Sonia madam sent a specially de-signed ballot box for GPCC chief'selection.

Sports: Rafael Nadal nets

Grand Slam Pg 18

Goas Heartbeat: Raveena

wraps in snakes skin Pg 14

The only alternative to coexistence is codestruction.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Visit us at:www.oheraldo.in panjim, wednesday, september 15, 2010 priCe rs. 3.00 (air surcharge rs. 2.00) pages 18

IN BRIEF

New voter ID cardsThe Election Commission ofIndia (ECI) will distributephoto-identity cards amongnew voters at ten lakh centresacross the country on January25, 2011 which will also beobserved as National VotersDay. This was announced byElection Commissioner V SSampath. Persons eligible toexercise their voting right willbe provided with photo iden-tity cards on the National Vot-ers Day on January 25 nextyear at about 10 lakh pollingstations across the country,Sampath said. (PTI)

Centre prepares new CRZ notification draft Special regulations for Goa, Mumbai and Sunderbans region

l Fresh draft improves upon the one issued in April.l Allows construction and repair works of structures

belonging to local communities.l Traditional fish processing yards, boat building

/repair yards, ice plants, jetties permitted. l Goa government has to survey and map fishing

villages along the States coast. l Mandatory mapping of eco-sensitive lands and

mangroves on such lands to be protected mapped.l Requires CRZ map to be redrawn every five years.

Watchman foils Rs 80 lakhs heist

The hole dug in the rear side of the jewellery shop at Margao. (Right) The two accused with a Margao policeteam headed by PI Santosh Desai. Photos by Santosh Mirajkar.

PTI

SRINAGAR, SEPT 14

Hardline faction of Hurriyat Con-ference led by Syed Ali ShahGeelani has issued a curious 11-day protest schedule asking peo-ple of Kashmir to carry outnormal activities of life fromdusk to dawn on strike days.

As per the schedule, only twodays September 19 and 22 have been exempted fromstrikes and protests by the Gee-lani-led Hurriyat faction whichis spearheading the ongoing ag-itation in the Valley.

The striking point in theprotest schedule is that the hard-liners have asked the people ofthe valley to carry out day today activities from 7 pm to 7am on the strike days.

All business establishments,including manufacturing units,flour mills and cement factorieswill remain open from 7 pm to7 am, the statement issued bythe Hurriyat said.

It also said shops and otherbusiness establishments can dothe normal business duringnight hours. Transporters canply normally during night, itadded.

Geelani has called for a marchto the security forces camps onSeptember 21 for holding peace-ful protests to highlight theirdemands.

The Kashmir Valley has beenrocked by violent protests sinceJune 11 following the killing ofa teenager during alleged firingby security forces here. The un-

rest has so far claimed 88 lives. ALL PARTy mEET: Meanwhile,

groping for a solution to stemthe Kashmir unrest, the Centretoday was looking to evolve aconsensus at the all party meet-ing tomorrow and to initiate apolitical process for a dialoguebut security forces insisted onlegal protection in tacklingthe situation.

The all party meeting, whichwas decided by the CabinetCommittee on Security yester-day, may be followed by anotherround of CCS tomorrow.

The government sources saidthe all party meeting and theCCS was part of a broad-basedapproach to finding out a longterm solution to the Jammu andKashmir problem and was notunidimensional in approach withrevocation or dilution of AFSPA(Armed Forces Special PowersAct) as a single point agenda.

The sources said the meetingwould aim at taking confidencebuilding measures (CBM) keep-ing a long term view while ad-dressing issues like trust andgovernance deficit.

The hope of the government,the sources said, is that the cur-rent round of talks would leadto resuming the dialogueprocess with all shades of opin-ion in Jammu and Kashmir.

As the government grappledwith Chief Minister Omar Ab-dullahs demand for withdrawalfor AFSPA, the sources said Noone is taking away the legal pro-tection provided to soldiers.

CBI to meet Mickkys ex-aideWe will meet Calvert toshed more light on howthe agency operated,staff strength, wherethe recruited peoplewere sent for jobs, etc.

Petrol pumps strike onSept 20

PTI

NEW DELHI, SEPT 14

Petrol pumps across the countrywill go on strike from September20, with a petroleum tradersunion warning of no money,no purchase, no sale... aftertalks with the Oil Ministry tohike the rate of commission onfuel sales fell through.

In a meeting held on Mon-day with petrol pump dealers,the ministry refused to acceptthe demand for at least 5 percent of the invoice value of fuelsales to be paid as commissionto the dealers, official sourcessaid.

At present, the commissionis paid to petrol pump ownersas a fixed margin.

The ministry was of the viewthat accepting the demand willincrease the burden of the oilmarketing companies, which areexpected to suffer losses of overRs 50,000 crore in 2010 -11 onaccount of fuel subsidies.

We are continuing with ouragitation, Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT)General Secretary Ajay Bansalsaid.

PTI

WASHINGTON, SEPT 14

A whopping 125 billion UnitedStates dollars of public moneyhas been siphoned off from Indiaby corrupt politicians and offi-cials between 2000 and 2008,as rampant corruption plaguesthe country that has seen risinginequalities despite unprece-dented growth levels.

The figures of USD 125 billionillicit outflow of money fromIndia are part of a report to bereleased by the Washington-based research and advocacygroup Global Financial Integritylater this year.

Much of the funds flowingout are generated at homewithin India and then sent ille-gally abroad. So the growth ofcorruption and Indias under-ground economy contributessignificantly to illicit financialflows from the country, said

Karly Curcio, a junior economistat the Global Financial Integrityin a blog posted on its website.

GFI said according to its cal-culations Indias economicboom continued with an aver-age growth rate of over 8 percent between 2004 and 2009.

As the money flows, how-ever, the poor continue to staypoor. Corruption is rampant inIndia as it is in almost all devel-oping countries. Both corruptpolitical and corporate officersmanage to siphon off funds - in-tended to aid the people of India- off to political and private sec-tor elite.

Recent efforts in India tochallenge this corrupt affronton humanity have been met withsevere violence, the blog said.

The author of the reportnoted that an impressive growthhas, however, not resulted inequitable development, rather

the period corresponding to thehighest GDP(gross domesticproduct) growth levels has seenthe income inequality levels ac-tually rise.

... the gini coefficient, whichmeasures income inequality, hasactually increased over the timeperiod measured, 2000-2005,from 0.32 to 0.37 on a scale of0 to 1, with 1 being the highestincome inequality, the authorsaid.

The opposition parties inIndia have demanded that thegovernment take steps to bring

back the money that has beenstashed in foreign banks.

We see in India - as in othercurrently developing countries- that as the economy grows, sodo illicit flows. This positive cor-relation exhibits the increasedincentives to conduct illicitflows, mostly because moremoney is flowing within the sys-tem to steal away and constantgreed is tapping into that pool,Curcio said.

Noting that India ranks 84thout of 180 countries in Trans-parency Internationals 2009Corruption Perceptions Index,the author said as corruptioncontinues to plague both thecountry and its ability to developfree and fair institutions to mon-itor and charge corrupt officials,the majority of Indias economicgrowth will never make it to thepeople of India who desperatelyneed it the most.

$125 bn illegally sent abroad by politicosBoth corrupt politicaland corporate officersmanage to siphon offfunds - intended to aidthe people of India -off to political andprivate sector elite.

NCP to lodgecomplaint on

flood aid scamHERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

The State unit of the NationalistCongress Party (NCP) has finallydecided to file a complaint be-fore an appropriate authorityinto the alleged Canacona floodrelief scam spelling trouble forGoa Pradesh Youth Congresspresident Sankalp Amonkar whois at the centre of the contro-versy.

NCP spokesperson TrajanoDMello on Tuesday informedthe executive committee whichmet today under its presidentJose Philip DSouza that theparty has unanimously de-cided to file a complaint be-fore the appropriate authority

States laxity onillegal places ofworship irks SC

PTI

NEW DELHI, SEPT 14

The Supreme Court todaywarned that chief secretarieswill have to personally appearbefore it if the States fail to com-ply with its directions to removeor relocate unauthorised placesof worship in public places.

A bench headed by JusticeDalveer Bhandari also grantedtwo weeks time to the Statesto file their responses on theissue.

The apex court was furiousafter noting that despite severalhearings many of the States haveso far not filed their affidavitsand compliance reports on theissue.

The bench had earlier askedthe States and Union territories(UTs) to ensure that no unau-thorised temples, mosques,

All-party meeting today

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GOA, WEDNESDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER, 2010

GOA Pg 2OHERALDO

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

It appears that journalists arenow required to seek prior nodof Health Minister VishwajitRane before securing entry atthe Hospicio Hospital, whichhas been in the news in recenttime for all the wrong reasons.

Leave alone issues of negli-gence by the Hospicio adminis-tration, the media is now barredfrom covering even other eventsin the hospital as well.

This time, when a group ofphoto journalists visited Hospi-cio Hospital on Tuesday morningto take photographs of LordGanesh, they were denied entryat the entrance gate by rude se-curity men. Even the so-calledPublic Relations Officers ap-pointed by Chief MinisterDigambar Kamat proved nouse for the photographers asthey could not ensure entry tothe media men.

Former minister Luis Alex Car-

Media banned from covering Hospicio

Former minister Luis Alex Cardozo expresses his sympathy with the photo journalists while talking tothem, at Hospicio, on Tuesday. Photos by Santosh Mirajkar

dozo, who was coming out ofthe Hospicio around the sametime, expressed his sympathywith the photo journalists. He

recalled how the security per-sonnel had behaved with himin a rude manner and demandeda stop to the harassment meted

out to the general public.Finally, with the security per-

sonnel and the PROs unyieldingto the requests of the media

men, one of the photojournal-ists called up the Health Minis-ter and demanded to know whythey cannot take photographsof Lord Ganesh from the hos-pital.

The Health minister immedi-ately issued directions to theofficials concerned to grantentry to the scribes, but thathas raised serious questionswhether media men are requiredto seek the ministers nod togain entry into the hospital aspart of their professional du-ties.

Incidentally, medical repre-sentatives do the rounds of thehospital almost everyday, withActing Hospicio medical super-intendent, Dr Nasnodkar sayingthat the medical representa-tives visit the hospital duringa particular time, though thereis no board installed anywherein the hospital premises sug-gesting timings for the medicalrepresentatives.

Mickky seeks permission for

Delhi visitHERALD REPORTERM

MARGAO, SEPT 14

Former Tourism Minister MickkyPacheco on Tuesday approachedthe South Goa Sessions Courtseeking permission to visitDelhi.

In his application, Mickkysought permission to travel toDelhi between September 15and 25 for personal reasons.

The application will come upfor hearing on Wednesday.

This is the second time thatthe former minister has soughtpermission from the South GoaSessions Court to travel to Delhi.Last time around, the court hadgranted him permission to visitDelhi for a period of eight days.

The South Goa Sessions Courthad imposed a condition whilegranting bail to Pacheco in theNadia Torrado death case thathe should seek permission ofthe court before travelling out-side the State.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

Bombay High Court at Goa onTuesday directed the CrimeBranch Police Inspector SunitaSawant to clear the objectionsraised by the Court registry inthe revision petition filed byher challenging the acquittal ofthe lawyer activist Aires Ro-drigues in the 2004 Ribandarcase.

Justice N A Britto has fixed atime frame of 10 days to replyto the objection which arguedthat the revision should havebeen filed and presented by thepublic prosecutor on behalf ofthe State.

The police inspector, on thecontrary, not only filed the re-vision petition but also failedto show that she has been au-

thorized by the government tofile the revision in the said case.

In an apparent disrespect tothe Court, today, the PI did notstand up or come forward whenher matter was called out in theCourt hall.

The Justice in his orderrecorded that PI Sawant was notpresent in the Court. Sawantwas however seen seated in theCourt but did not stand up orcome forward when her matterwas called out, said Adv Ro-drigues.

Currently, the case is beinginvestigated by Sub Inspector KV Mahale, but the revision peti-tion has been drafted by PISawant even though there isnothing on record that showsthat the case has been trans-ferred to the latter.

Answer objectionsto plea against

Aires, PI Sunita told

HERALD REPORTER

VASCO, SEPT 14

Four passengers, includingtwo women and driver, wereinjured when the bus theywere travelling in rammedagainst a generator that wasattached to a stationarytempo near Meta Copper, San-coale, on Tuesday at about4.30 pm.

Santana Caitano Fernandes(33) from Sindole-Sancoaleand Pushpa Naik (39) fromVelsao were admitted in Hos-picio, while Ramvilas Vish-vakaram (45) from Zuarinagarand the bus driver were dis-charged later.

The mini bus (GA-06-T-1675) carrying around 35 pas-sengers had left Titan-Birlaand was proceeding towardsVasco when the accident oc-curred.

According to eye witness,the bus rammed against agenerator that was attachedto a stationary tempo along-side the highway. The impactof the accident was such that

Four injured as bus rams against stationary generator

The ill-fated bus that met with an accident at Sancoale. Photo by M Prabhav

the bus and generator weredragged nearly 10 mtrs fromthe site.

Verna Police PI Jivda Dalvisaid four persons, includingthe bus driver, have sustainedinjuries.

Two people were dischargedlater in the evening, while theother passengers escaped un-hurt. We have registered an of-fence against the bus driver andwill ensure that his license iscancelled, informed PI Dalvi.

HERALD REPORTER

VASCO, SEPT 14

The bus driver, who escaped with minor injuriesin an accident at Sancoale on Tuesday, was alsoinvolved in a similar accident at Vasco aboutseven months ago.

It may be recalled that on March 5, 2010,about 27 passengers, including a pregnantwoman, were injured when a bus proceedingtowards Vasco rammed into a road barricadeand plunged into a nullah near the Goa ShipyardLimited (GSL).

Despite Vasco Police promising that the dri-vers licence and bus permit would be cancelledto ensure that such people are not allowed totake passengers for granted, the promises ofVasco Police remained just that as the bus driverwas freely driving his bus.

It is known fact among bus operators thatthe accused driver is habitually involved in ac-

cidents since he is having a fits ailment. Howeverdespite that, Assistant Director of Transport(ADT) has not taken any cognizance to ensuresafety of the passengers.

About seven months ago when the accidenthad occurred, Vasco DySP Mahesh Gaonkar hadassured that his licence and permit would becancelled since he was found driving recklessly.

When contacted, DySP Gaonkar was surprisedto hear that the bus driver was found drivingthe bus after the Vasco accident.

Verna Police PI Jivba Dalvi claimed that thebus driver was involved in the accident earlier.

We will write to the ADT to cancel his licenceas well as bus permit, as he is involved in theaccident, said PI Dalvi.

Sources in ADT claimed that since they haveto depend on doctors medical certificate to checkwhether the driver is fit to drive or not, theyissued him the licence as per the certificate.

This is second major mishapfor the driver in seven months

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

Road contractors on Tuesday boycottedroad works in Division VI worth Rs 6-7crore as the government is dilly dallyingon the payment of bills amounting to Rs80 crore.

Though the government sanctioned anamount of Rs 10 crore for the payment ofbills to the contractors, the amount wasfound a too meagre given the huge out-standing arrears.

When the PWD, Div VI opened road worksworth Rs 6-7 crore on Tuesday, the roadcontractors stuck to their guns and boy-cotted the tenders.

The All Goa Road Contractors Associationhad last week given a call for a boycott ofall tenders floated by the PWD in protestagainst the delay in clearing their payments.The contractors had claimed that the gov-ernment owes around Rs 80 crore to themon an all Goa basis, adding that whateversmall amount sanctioned by the government

in the past has hardly helped to mitigatetheir grievances.

The contractors have warned the gov-ernment that they would be forced to con-tinue with the ongoing boycott unlesstheir full arrears were cleared at the ear-liest.

Many a contractor in private has saidthat the tenders are floated at the behestof the ministers and MLAs without takinginto account the fund position with thegovernment.

Unpaid road contractors boycott work

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, SEPT 14

The Supreme Court on Mondayasked the Goa government among other State governmentsand Union territories to com-ply with its orders for strength-ening the judicial infrastructure,failing which their Chief Secre-taries would be summoned.

The apex court asked theState to place before it the stepstaken for improving the infra-structure of the subordinate ju-

diciary, and the report aboutvarious projects envisaged inthis regard.

If our directions are not com-plied, we will summon the chiefsecretaries, a special Benchcomprising Chief Justice S H Ka-padia and Justices Aftab Alamand Swatanter Kumar said.

The court noted that Goa,Bihar, Orissa, Himachal Pradesh,Meghalaya, Puducherry, Gujarat,Nagaland, Haryana, Jammu andKashmir and Jharkhand had not

complied with its July 12 orderto file reports in a particularformat about judicial infrastruc-ture.

The court wanted to knowfrom all State governments theamount spent by them for aug-menting judicial infrastructurefrom money generated throughcourt fees, costs and fine im-posed in criminal cases. OnMonday, the Bench consideredthe status reports of Karnatakaand Andhra Pradesh.

File status report on judiciaryor else, SC warns State

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

Judicial Magistrate First Classat Panjim has exonerated ayouth who was accused ofcausing fatal accident at Bam-bolim in January 2009.

Magistrate Edgar Fernandesin the order admitted that theAgassaim police did not con-duct a proper investigation andfailed to record statements ofeye-witnesses.

The police had indictedSavio Gomes, 22, of Salcetterash and negligence while rid-ing his motorcycle GA-08-H-6421, which knocked down apedestrian Ankush TolyoGauns. The victim later suc-cumbed to his injuries.

The accident occurred on

NH17 at Bamblim. Gomes wasproceeding from Panjim toNuvem on the fateful day. Thepillion rider Meera Gomes re-ceived minor injuries.

During the trial of the casewhich began in June 2009, var-ious loopholes were pointedout in the investigation leadingto Savios acquittal. Moreover,Meera deposed that while hernephew (Savio) was riding, anold man (victim) who was try-ing to cross the road dashedagainst her legs, due to whichSavio lost control and all threefell on the ground.

Meera further said that aMaruti Zen car went over thesenior citizen who was draggedfor about one meter.

Defence counsel Swapnil

Nasnolkar argued that the eye-witness did not bring out anynegligence by the accused andmoreover, cross examinationof the investigating officer re-vealed tat the case was notproperly investigated.

Examination of "The inves-tigating officer PSI Chawan (re-vea l s ) t ha t thougheye-witnesses were present atthe place of incident, he hadnot recorded their statementsnor had he taken down theirnames and addresses. I amtherefore inclined to agree withthe contention of the advocateNasnolkar that the IO had notconducted a proper investiga-tion in this case, the Magis-trate observed while acquittingthe accused.

MPTs Agarwalto vacate office on October 17

HERALD REPORTER

VASCO, SEPT 14

Mormugao Port Trust (MPT)Chairman Praveen Agarwal, IRS,will vacate his office on October17, after completion of his five-year tenure in the office as chair-man.

It is learnt that lobbying atthe Centre has already com-menced to ensure that incum-bent Agarwal is replaced byformer secretary for mines inGoa Rajiv Yaduvanshi, IAS.

It may be recalled that Yadu-vanshi came under the scannerof Opposition Leader ManoharParrikar in the recently con-cluded Assembly session for al-legedly shielding illegal miningoperations in the State.

According to a vernaculardaily, Yaduvanshi has shown will-ingness for the chairmans postin MPT.

Speaking to Herald, Agarwalconfirmed that he would be va-cating MPT chairmans office onOctober 17, 2010, as his five-year tenure has come to an end.

We are here for a fixedtenure and will hand over to mysuccessor, as my tenure is get-ting over. In the last five yearsas chairman, what best I can dofor development of port, I havedown. My successor will carryon with whatever necessary hasto be done, Agarwal said.

Youth exonerated of negligencein fatal accident case

House at BPS club burgled in daylight

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

In a daring daylight burglary,unknown miscreants looteda house near BPS Club hereon Tuesday evening.

The house owner S Re-bello had just closed herhouse to go to Holy Spiritgrounds to collect her son,only to realise half an hourlater that her house hasbeen burgled.

The culprits are believedto have effected entry intothe house by cutting openthe latch. After gainingentry, the miscreants is be-lieved to have latched thedoor from inside and man-aged to lay his hands oncash of Rs 20,000, besidesgold ornaments.

It is learnt that the culpritmanaged to escape withthe booty through the reardoor when the owner re-turned back. Before makinggood his escape, the cul-prits left behind two heavyduty screw drivers, whichwas used to commit theburglary.

The Margao po l i cerushed to the spot afterbeing intimated of the dar-ing daylight burglary eve nas the incident has causedscare in the locality.

The police are investigat-ing.

Bungalow burgled atDavorlim

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

Unknown culprits broke intoa bungalow at Davorlim lastnight and decamped withgold ornaments worth Rs20,000.

The Maina Curtorim policehave registered a theft caseagainst unknown culprits fol-lowing a compliant lodge dby one Joseph Agnelo DCosta.

Maina Curtorim police areinvestigating.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, SEPT 14

The entire unit of O Maria filmproduction was at the Commu-nity Health Centre (CHC) Chaudion Tuesday, filming their scenesfor the Rajendra Talaks Konkanicreation.

The shots were taken withthe films lead actors in actioneither on the hospital beds, hos-pitals emergency unit, OPD,health officers cabin or on firstand second floor corridors.

Mumbai filmi worlds heroineShernaz Patel and USA-basedCori as hero and Goas JohnDSilva, besides other actorswere involved in the scenes thatwere shot in CHC at Chaudi onTuesday.

Interestingly, when the shotswere taken, CHC Health OfficerDr V R Murlitharan was seen as-sisting in pointing flaws on var-ious presentations, especially ina shooting, where the film herobadly assaulted, lies injured onhospital bed, while a police teamrecords statement in the pres-ence of heroine Shernaz Pateland John DSilva.

The film party after complet-ing 12-day shooting stint inAgonda, reached Chaudi at CHCfor the one-day shoot.

According to one of the pro-duction unit member, almost allthe main film scenes are cap-tured, while the few remainingshots will be taken up at Panjim

O Maria shot at Chaudi health centre

Lead actor Shernaz Patel and Corri (hospital dress), besides John DSilva reviews their shot at CHCHospital at Canacona. Photo by Kathy Pereira

and elsewhere.The shooting should end by

September 20, informed theunit member. The unit memberhowever, remained tight lippedwhen asked about the centraltheme of the film. Other sourcesrevealed that the film story re-volves around the preservationof Goan heritage and oppositionto selling Goan homes to foreignnationals for monetary benefits.

When asked about his role inthe film, comedian John DSilvasaid: No, not comedy, but I amdoing a serious role, which is alsoa very minimal role. Ill be seenonly in 3-4 scenes in this film.

CHC Hea l th O f f i ce r DrMurlitharan when questionedclarified that no visiting patientsin OPDs or Casualty or any in-ward patients in the CHC wardswere disturbed during the day

The film party has secured allthe necessary permissions fromthe concerned authorities tocarry on the shooting, he said.

However, a source fromAgonda Panchayat in whose ju-risdiction the Konkani film wasshot for over 12 days, informedthat the local body was ignorednor consulted by concerned gov-ernment agency while grantingthe permission.

It is learnt that the film OMaria production party has nec-essary permission from Enter-tainment Society of Goa (ESG),but has neither applied nor ob-tained any permission from thelocal body, totally keeping thelocal body in darkness.

Panchayat sources said:Being a Konkani and local film,we took it in our stride, but sim-ilar offences in future will notbe allowed to be repeated inthe village, as whatever happensin the village, the local peoplehas every right to know and theconcerned should obtain localbodys due permission.

HERALD REPORTER

VASCO, SEPT 14

Barely 15 days after a 40-year-old woman died after a localpassenger train hit her near Air-port Railway Bridge at Chicalim,one more person died on Tues-day when he was hit by a goodstrain, barely 100 mtrs from theearlier site.

The unknown man in his thir-ties was killed, after a speedinggoods train knocked him down.His one hand was smashed inthe accident, while his body waslying alongside the railway track.

According to eye witness, theincident occurred at about 12pm, while sources in railwaysinformed that the deceased washit by a goods train, as therewas no movement of passengertrain at the time of the inci-dent.

Surprisingly, police failed tolift the body lying alongside thetrain for over two hours.

Sources at the Vasco Police

informed that they did not havevehicle as such it got delayedin lifting the body, while a do-nated hearse van which isshared by Vasco Police and Rail-way Police is also in broken con-dition.

Interestingly, Vasco RailwayPolice that attends to emergencycases along the 82-km odd rail-way track of South Western Rail-way t r a ck f rom Vasco toDudhsagar has been managingwith private vehicles if any ac-cident occurs or any emergencysituation arises.

Vasco Railway Police has reg-istered a case of unnatural deathand has preserved the body atHospicio in Margao.

It may be recalled that on Au-gust 31, a 40-year-old widowfrom Karnataka, but residing atAsoidongri-Chicalim died, aftera speeding local passenger trainhit her while crossing the railwaytrack near the airport railwaybridge at Chicalim.

Man crushed undertrain wheels at Vasco

Social worker Mordekar feted

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

Noted social worker Mad-hukarbab Mordekar was onTuesday felicitated at the handsof Chief Minister DigambarKamat for his social work oncompleting 90 years.

Speakers at the felicitationprogram showered handsomepraise on Mordekar for his im-mense contribution to society.

Referring to a suggestionmade by a speaker, the chiefMinister announced that thegovernment will considerawarding Madhukarbab with asocial award.

In his address, the Chief Min-ister said the government hasalready made a provision of Rs50,000 mediclaim for the sen-ior citizens. He was respondingto a request by one of thespeaker s to work ou t amediclaim scheme for the sen-ior citizens.

A large number of peoplefrom all walks of life attendedthe felicitation function.

Fatorda housekitchen walls

collapse MARgAO: Inmates of a resi-

dential house at Fatorda had amiraculous escape after akitchen came crashing down onTuesday.

The inmates of the house hadjust gone out when the wall col-lapsed. While fire services haveput the total loss of property atRs 20,000, the house ownerJoaquina has claimed a loss ofRs five lakh. The owner told thathousehold items were also de-stroyed in the wall collapse.

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

Unknown miscreants effected entry into theoffice of Goa Toddy Tappers in the city here lastnight.

While there were reports which said that themiscreants lifted away a gold chain from the

statue of St Francis Xavier, Margao PI SantoshDesai said that no complaint has been receivedfrom the management of the Toddy Tappers of-fice.

He admitted that the miscreants effected theirentry into the office, but did not lift away anyvaluables or ransacked the office documents.

Toddy Tappers office broken into

GOA, WEDNESDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER, 2010

GOA Pg 3OHERALD

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HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

Environmentalists and social ac-tivists on Tuesday blamed theauthorities concerned for turn-ing a Nelsons eye to the blatantland filling of low-lying man-grove areas at the entrance tothe capital city on both sides ofNH-17 and NH-4A.

Sounding a warning buglethey maintained that slowly, butsteadily, the rich and dense man-grove cover just off the Panjim-Margao nat ional h ighwaybetween Heera Petrol Pump (to-wards the city side) and Old Goaby-pass circle (close to Merces)was in danger of becoming ex-tinct.

On a visit to one of the loca-tions with members of VillageGroups of Goa, it was observedthat an area of approximately15,000 square metres on theleft side of the national highway(while going to Margao betweenHeera Petrol Pump and Old Goaby-pass circle) is housing com-mercial operations like scrap-yard, bus shelter, godowns, etc.

John Philip Pereira of VillageGroups of Goa contends thatthe 15,000 sq m area has notcropped up overnight. Over thelast few years authorities con-cerned have closed their eyesto the gradual disappearance ofthe rich mangrove cover.

A scrap dealer operating hisyard said he paid a rent of Rs5,000 per month to a personwho came to collect the amountonce in a month. When ques-tioned whether his yard pos-sessed a licence to operate thedealer said he had applied forthe same.

It is learnt that a Pepsi depotoperating in the area for the lastthree years pays a rent of Rs24,000 per month. Inquiries re-vealed that the said area falls in

the jurisdiction of Merces Pan-chayat which has hardly both-ered to check the mushroomingof this business hub.

On the Panjim-Ribandar roadclose to Divja Circle and rightbehind the Public Works Divi-sion Sub-Divisional office (Na-t ional Highway) mud andconstruction debris have beendumped to build a kachha path-way that leads to a small hut afew metres away.

Further just off the road lead-ing to Heera Petrol Pump fromDivja Circle one can see manyunused tyres in the mangroves.A part of this outer road con-necting NH-17 leading to Mar-gao is fenced but some part ofit is left open. Close to wherethe tyres were seen, construc-tion debris in truck loads arestill being dumped by the road-side.

If one stands on this road andtakes a look as far as the eyescan see, a pathway is shapingup right through the dense man-grove area. Activists contendthat this road is being built tofacilitate construction projectsin future. The basic objectivewas to slowly and gradually killthe mangrove cover for housingprojects, they stated.

Pereira maintained that theillegal land filling inside the man-grove cover has changed thenatural flow of water leading tochange in tidal pattern. This hasled to some places within themangrove area becoming dry.

The Village Groups of Goa hasnow decided to knock the doorsof the Centre and the Unionministry concerned to take ur-gent note of this blatant landfilling in the eco-sensitive zoneand declare the entire stretchas a sanctuary or a protectedzone where nothing can betouched.

Filling of mangrove areas at city entrance continues

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

The North Goa Flying Squad con-stituted to check into filling oflow-lying areas and hill-cuttingat short notice, yet again, failedto make an appearance to in-spect the filling of mangrovesbordering the city limits prompt-ing activists to question whetherthe squad had its wings clipped.

John Philip Pereira of VillageGroups of Goa informed presspersons assembled at the HeeraPetrol Pump before for a sitevisit he had submitted a letterinforming the authorities con-cerned to send their officials tosee for themselves the clandes-

tine filling of mangrove areas. Pereira said he had informed

the North Goa Flying Squad,Corporation of the City of Pan-jim, Goa State Pollution ControlBoard, Deputy Collector Tiswadiand Goa Coastal Zone Manage-ment Authority. A letter was in-warded to these authoritiesmuch in advance on September9, he mentioned.

He said North Goa DeputyCollector Francis Ferrao, whoheads the flying squad wasntcooperative. Ferrao told me henever received our letter andmy call today morning was tooshort a notice for him to deputethe squad, Pereira stated.

Pereira said, When remindedthe squad was constituted to actat short notice, Ferrao told mehe was busy with other things.Again when I told him there wasadministrative failure in not re-ceiving the letter, he told me wecould do whatever we wanted.

When Pereira contactedGCZMA Member SecretaryMichael DSouza, he was toldthe staff strength at the said of-fice was weak on account ofGanesh festivities. Michael askedme to submit the details of ourinspection, he stated.

After a call to his officeDeputy Collector, Tiswadi, SabajiShetye deputed talathi Sapresh

Verenkar. Verenkar was seen forjust five minutes at one of thelocations where illegal fillinghas taken place. He was neverseen again.

The North Goa Planning andDevelopment Authority deputedtwo planning engineers ShaikhAli and Prakash Kurtarkar. Bothsaid they will check permissions,if any, were given for the activity.We will depute our building in-spector Chopdekar for furtherinspection. The inspector, how-ever, is on Ganesh leave and ex-pected to join duty on Monday.

Corporation of the City ofPanjim engineer Sachin Ambewas also seen during the visit.

These concrete structures have come up right inside, nearly 500 metres from the Panjim-Margao NH-17, right into the heart of the mangrovesection. Photo by Franky Gracias

Flying squad without wings, chide activists

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

Davorlim villagers on Tuesdayvirtually served a 15-day dead-line on the government to comeout clear on the land acquisitionproposal to acquire land admea-suring 1.15 lakh sq mts for theproposed multipurpose utilityproject.

Villagers who came in largenumbers as usual to celebratethe feast of the Holy Cross, lo-cated on the ancestral landsought to be acquired by thegovernment, expressed theirtotal unhappiness over the gov-ernments move.

A villager Paulo Colaco toldnewsmen after the feast of theHoly Cross, that the governmentcannot just acquire the land oftheir ancestors. He said thatpeople come to the cross ontwo occasions, one to celebrate

the feast of the Holy Cross andfor the Way of the Cross and de-manded to know why the gov-ernment wanted to forcibly takeaway the land of their ances-tors.

The government has till datenot disclosed as to what it in-tends to do on the acquiredland, he said, adding that theland was protected and pre-served by the ancestors for pos-terity.

Former Sarpanch MartinRocha said that the villagers aregetting restless over the gov-ernments move to acquire theland with each passing day. Thevillagers are demanding that thegovernment is served a 15-daydeadline to scrap the land ac-quisition proposal or to comeonto the streets, he said.

Rocha said the Panchayatbody would meet in the next

few days to chalk out the futurecourse of action, including con-vening a special gram sabha totake a final decision on the issue.

He recalled that the Panchayathad handed over representa-tions on many occasions to stayaway f rom the l and , bu tlamented that the governmentintends to acquire the landagainst the wishes of the vil-lagers.

Another villager, Antonettasaid the government has till datenot placed before the villagersfor perusal. The villagers arestill in the dark over the projectscoming up on the land. The vil-lagers are agitated that the age-old Holy Cross does not find amention in the plan, she said,while reiterating the demandfor reserving the communidadeland for the benefit of the vil-lagers.

Davorlim serves ultimatum on govt over land acquisition

Davorlim villagers coming down the hillock after celebrating the feast of the Holy Cross. Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

The Goa unit chief of NationalStudents Union of India (NSUI),Sunil Khawtankar, met Goa Gov-ernor S S Siddhu on Tuesdayand impressed upon him thatthe police-drug mafia nexus caseshould be handed over to theCBI.

Speaking to a handful of jour-nalists outside the Raj Bhavanat Dona Paula, Khawtankar saidthat governor has assured tolook into the matter.

The governor admitted thatit is a serious issue and that hewould take up the matter withthe chief minister and chief sec-retary, he said.

Khawtankar said that his dis-cussion with the governor wascentred on the shoddy investi-gation conducted by CrimeBranch team; missing narcoticsfrom the malkhana and the ob-

servations of the Bombay HighCourt at Goa on the improperinvestigation that led to thegrant of conditional bail to oneof the tainted police officersAshsh Shirodkar.

Khawtankar said that he alsodiscussed the sudden disappear-ance of drug peddler Yaniv Be-naim al ias Ata la with thegovernor.

Later, Chief Minister Digam-bar Kamat, Chief Secretary San-jay Srivastava and DGP BhimSain Bassi had also met the gov-ernor.

When enquired whether thepolice-drug mafia nexus case wasdiscussed at the meeting that hehad with the governor, Chef Min-ister Kamat said: The meetingwas purely to wish the Governoron the occasion of GaneshChaturthi. We had fixed an ap-pointment two days agotherewas no discussion on any case.

NSUI chief meets Guv, demands CBI probe into drug mafia case

Tourist rescued

from drowning

at Anjuna beachHERALD CORRESPONDENT

CALANGUTE, SEPT 14

A 22-year-old tourist fromMumbai was rescued fromdrowning off Anjuna coast.

According to Dhristi reports,Joravar Singh was recently res-cued off Anjuna coast after thebeach was closed and life-guards were off for the day.

BSP guards Gautam Parsekarand Sachin Kerkar, who wereposted at Anjuna beach fornight patrol observed thetourist swimming in a poten-tially danger zone.

Sachin rushed to warn thevictim about the dangers ofswimming at night and unavail-ability of lifeguards, but beforehe could reach the victim hewas pulled in by a heavy un-derwater current.

Sensing the danger, guardGautam with the help of rescuetubes and Sachin rescued thetourist and brought him safelyashore.

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, SEPT 14

When the government issuedinstructions last month to with-draw their pen-down strike,promising to resolve all theirpending grievances, the employ-ees of the South Goa Adminis-trator of Communidades wereprompt in obeying the direc-tions by immediately calling offtheir stir.

Believe it or not, leave alonetaking a decision on their de-mand for absorption in govern-ment services, the employeeswere not paid their monthlysalary for the last five monthsand had to go without salariesduring Ganesh festival.

The employees pointed outthat they were eagerly waiting

for the government to pay theirsalaries pending since April last,but in vain. We were hopingthat the government wouldclear our salaries of the lastfive months in view of theGanesh festival. But, we wereleft high and dry by the gov-ernment, the employees toldnewsmen.

Incidentally, the employeesrecalled that though the gov-ernment played truant in thepayment of salaries over the lastcouple of years, they had madearrangements in the past to paytheir salaries during festive sea-sons.

When the employees calledon the South Goa Administratorof Communidades with theirgrievances, he point blank told

them that he has not receivedany funds from the governmentto clear their salary dues.

The employees have nowcalled for a meeting to chalkout a future course of actionwith their salaries not forthcom-ing from the government tilldate.

These Communidade employ-ees have been demanding thatthey be absorbed in governmentservice as they have put in yearsof work in the Communidadeoffice.

It is learnt that the govern-ment has constituted a commit-tee comprising of the Financesecretary and the Revenue sec-retary to study the demands ofthe employees and recommendsuitable action.

Govt dupes Communidade employees on salaries

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, SEPT 14

A person arrested by Panjim po-lice on suspicion this afternoonturned out to be a rider of Activascooter stolen from Tonca, cou-ple of days ago.

The person identified as Kr-ishna Shetty of Chimbel al-legedly stole the Activa bearingnumber GA-01-Y-6048 from itsoriginal owner Vilas Khots res-idence at Tonca, Panjim policesaid. A complaint with regardsto the same was filed at the po-lice station.

Police investigation also re-vealed that the number on thescooter actually belonged to an-other Honda Kinectic.

The police earlier found thealleged accused riding the bikearound the city in a suspicion

Cops nab two-wheeler thief manner and later brought himto the police station. On ques-tioning, Shetty failed to producecredentials of the two-wheeler,which strengthened suspicionagainst him.

He has been remanded to po-lice custody for further ques-tioning, as according to Panjimpolice, it may unveil other ve-hicle theft cases reported in thecapital city and other places.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Dance contest at CortalimPANJIM (HND): The Shree Ganesh Sankhalya Saunstan, Cor-

talim will organize its 10th all Goa Hindi record dance com-petition on September 16 at Shree Ganesh Sankhalya Temple,Thana-Cortalim at 8 pm.

The competition will be held in two categories: seniorsabove 12 years and juniors below 12 years.

In senior category, prizes of Rs 3000, Rs 2000 and Rs 1500will be awarded to the first three winners while in junior cat-egory, Rs 2000, Rs 1500 and Rs 1000 will be awarded. Specialprizes of Rs 500 each will also be awarded for best costumeand youngest participant.

For further details, interested should contact DevendraKenkre on 2550294/9326114419 or Shirish Naik on9326139445.

Mehendi contest at SaligaoPANJIM (HND): Nagnath Rastroli Prasanna Devasthan Com-

mittee will organize an All Goa Mehendi Competition at theDevasthan premises for the sixth consecutive year at GrandeMorrod, Saligao on September 18 at 3.30 pm.

Cash awards of Rs 3000, Rs 2000 and Rs 1000 will be givento the first three winners in addition to two consolationprizes. Spot prizes will also be awarded. For details contactDayanand Mandrekar on 9822387941.

WEATHER REPORTMax Temp: 31.00C Min Temp: 23.00C

Humidity: 75%

Rainfall past 24 hrs: 3.4 mm

Seasonal Total: 3113.3 mm

Forecast: Few spells of rain or thunder showesrwould occur.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CALANGUTE, SEPT 14

Three youths from Kerala, whowere rescued from drowning atCalangute Beach, were de-tained by Calangute Police oncharges of assaulting a life-guard.

According to reports, thetrio was enjoying at CalanguteBeach while the lifeguardscalled it a day. Suddenly, life-guard Captain Krishna Ha-lankar noticed one of thetourists caught in a strong ripcurrent.

Lifeguard Halankar accord-ingly informed the Calanguteteam, who immediately beganthe rescue. However, by thetime Drishti lifeguards beganthe rescue, the trio was strug-gling in the deep sea.

Lifeguards Raghavendra,Nagesh, Pandurang and AmitShinde rescued two youths,while the other misbehaved inthe water. He resisted the at-tempts of the lifeguards tosave him.

When he was asked to hopon the rescue board, he re-

fused, but somehow one of thelifeguards Raghavendra caughthold of him and forcibly puthim on the rescue board andbrought him to the shores.

According to Dhristi reports,the trio was highly intoxicatedand they could neither speaknor understand any familiarlanguages like English, Hindi,Konkani and Marathi.

When the lifeguards weretrying to assess them for in-juries and disclosure of theiridentity, one of the victims dis-played strong aggressiveness

and started pushing the life-guards.

One of their friends howevertried to provide their details asit was mandatory, but to noavail. Lifeguards too made aneffort to tell them that there isno harm in producing theiridentity, etc, but one amongthem kicked the lifeguard.

Later, the lifeguards in-formed Calangute Police, whoarrived at Calangute tower andthe trio was taken to CalangutePolice station. An offence wasregistered against the trio.

Kerala youths rescued from drowning, later arrested for assaulting lifeguard

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, SEPT 14

Poinguinim MLA RameshTawadkar has said that it is nec-essary to realize the impor-tance of womens self helpgroups to strengthen and bringdevelopment in the economicsphere of the society.

Tawadkar was the chiefguest at Bank of India, Chaudibranch, which celebrated its105th foundation day with acustomers meet at Chaudi, re-cently. The Chaudi branch com-

pleted three years, informedthe bank manager.

The bank felicitatedGopalkrishna Komarpant, asenior citizen and the bankscustomer. He was felicitated byPoinguinim MLA RameshTawadkar.

Earlier, Bank of India ChaudiBranch Manager Ulhas Kad-wadkar while welcoming thegathering explained various fa-cilities provided by the bank toits customers.

Bank of India, Canacona

Alex elected Calangute SarpanchHERALD CORRESPONDENT

CALANGUTE, SEPT 14

Alex Fernandes was on Tuesdayelected unopposed sarpanch ofCalangute Panchayat.

Since only one nominationwas received, Observer S VNaik from the office of BlockDevelopment Officer, Mapusa,declared Fernandes elected un-opposed.

With seven members of theCalangute Panchayat led byJoseph Sequeira, Laxman PorobPalyekar, Albert Fernandes, AnaMarie DSouza, Sneha Sal-gaonkar, Vinayak Salgaonkar in-cluding the newly electedSarpanch Fernandes taking partin the electoral process, thenumber game at the local bodyhas seen a dramatic changewith the ruling strengthswelling to seven. The othermembers did not turn up forthe election.

Briefing media, SarpanchFernandes said: I am happy tobe elected as the new sarpanchand I promise to take up pend-ing developmental works inCalangute like market complex,bus stand and garbage plant,etc.

Observer Naik said the entireelection process was peacefuland with the receipt of onlynomination of Fernandes, hewas declared elected unop-posed.

A large police force led byCalangute Police Inspector No-lasco Raposo and PSI MaheshKerkar was present near thepanchayat premises to avoidany untoward incident.

Calangute Sarpanch Alex Fernandes along with the ruling group. Photo by Thomas Fernandes

MLA underlines SHGs role in development

Gopalkrishna Komarpant, senior citizen and Bank of Indias customer, felicitated by Poinguinim MLARamesh Tawadkar in the presence of BOI, Chaudi, Branch Manager Ulhas Kadwadkar and others.

Photo by Kathy Pereira

branch, was opened threeyears ago and has providedloans to all segments of the so-ciety, including small as well aslarge farmers, poultry farmers,etc, besides, retail traders,businessman, professional andself help groups, etc, he in-formed.

Local businessman VallabhPai speaking on the occasioncongratulated the bank author-ities for providing loans to theneedy and even becoming asavior for the new comers tocommence their business.

Social worker Deepali Naikand Shri Katyayani BaneshwarVidyalaya Headmaster PramodDesai also spoke on the occa-sion. Later, banks head cashierPradeep Chari proposed thevote of thanks.

Govt names 8 lawyers

from North as SPPs

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

MAPUSA, SEPT 14

The Goa government has ap-pointed eight lawyers fromNorth Goa as Special PublicProsecutors (SPP).

In a order issued by theUnder Secretary (Home) Sid-dhivinayak Naik, Adv Yesh-want Gawas (Valpoi), AdvMahesh Shetgaonkar (Parra),Adv Geeta Payagi (Mapusa),Adv Aruna Shahapurkar(Pernem), Adv Shilpa Sal-gaonkar (Porvorim), Adv ElsaFernandes (Santa Cruz), AdvKishore Bhagat (Marcel) andAdv Mauro Menezes (GoaVelha) have been appointed asSPP to appear in all theCourts, including High Court,with immediate effect.

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, SEPT 14

Transport Minister Ramkrishna(Sudin) Dhavalikar has high-lighted the great facts of cul-ture and religion and favouredto organise programmes totake these tenets to the poster-ity.

Dhavalikar was speaking aschief guest at a folk dance fes-tival organised jointly by Direc-torate of Art and Culture andDattatraya Ravalanath Sportsand Cultural Club, at Adpai,Ponda.

Speaking further, Dhavalikarcomplimented the organisersfor organising folk dance festi-val. Stating that Adpai and sur-rounding areas have a traditionof art normally witnessed dur-ing the Shigmo festival andfloat competitions, he calledfor efforts by the youth to pre-serve this culture.

Later, Dhavalikar and otherdignitaries distributed prizesof Rangoli and Matoli compe-tition organized by the club.

Chairman of Goa State Co-

operative Bank Ltd Ramchan-dra Mule, ZP member AparnaNaik and local SarpanchPramod Naik also spoke on theoccasion.

Earlier, a one minute silencewas observed to pay homageto late K B Naik.

President of the ClubShailendra Gopi Naik wel-comed, Vidhya Naik comperedand vice-President SomeshNaik proposed the vote ofthanks.

Dhavalikar highlights facets of culture, religion

Interviews postponed

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, SEPT 14

Due to unavoidable circum-stances, the interviews for thepost of technical officer (com-puter) fixed on September 16stands postponed to Septem-ber 21 in the Directorate of Ed-ucation, 18th June Road,Panjim at 9.30 am.

Concerned may please takenote of the same.

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HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, SEPT 14

Bhavsar Vision India, Goa Clubformed by Bhavsar Kshatriyacommunity held a drawing com-pe t i t i on a t Lok V i shwasPratisthan School for mentallychallenged children at Kapilesh-wari, Ponda.

The competition was held tobring out the hidden talent thatevery such special child hasbeen gifted with and during the

course, it was observed thatthe enthusiasm level for partic-ipation from these kids wastremendous. Many of them sur-passed the expectations withtheir talent and their drawingswere very touching. The win-ners were awarded certificatesand every participant was givena gift as a token for their par-ticipation.

Chairman of the school AnupPriolkar thanked the club for

conducting this program. Pres-ident of Bhavsar Vision India,Goa Club Ravindra Sulakhe ap-plauded the efforts of each ofthese children and the sincereefforts put in by the schoolteam and its management. Hesaid that the BVI Goa clubwould wish to conduct a fewmore programs for these spe-cial children. Secretary PramodSulakhe proposed the vote ofthanks.

Drawing contest held for mentally challenged children

The members of Bhavsar Vision India, Goa Club along with the children at Kapilshwari, Ponda.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, SEPT 14

Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernan-des recently inaugurated thefootpath and drains constructedby Reis Magos Panchayat at Am-bekhand.

ZP member Jayesh Salgoanker,Sarpanch Sushmita Pednekar,Deputy Sarpanch Francisco Co-laco and other panch memberswere present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion,Fernandes said there is nothingmore important than health andhence hygiene in home andeveryday life plays an important

part in preventing spread of in-fectious diseases.

It is duty of the panchayatto maintain cleanliness of thevillage and provide necessaryinfrastructure to the villagers tolead a healthy life, said Fernan-des.

He further said generally pan-chayats take interest in con-structing roads and big projectsin the villages and do not botherto look into basic needs of thevillagers such as wells, foot-paths, drains, etc.

Reis Magos Panchayat de-serves compliments for con-

struction of footpath with tilesand the beautifying the area,said Fernandes.

Sarpanch Sushmita Pednekarsaid the footpath has been con-structed under National RuralEmployment Guarantee Schemeand through panchayat funds.

The total expenditure in-curred for the construction offootpath with tiles is about Rs10 lakh. The panchayat has alsoundertaken the work of con-struction of internal roads anddrains in the panchayat areacosting Rs 50 lakh, said Ped-nekar.

Calangute MLA inaugurates footpath, drains at Reis Magos

Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes inaugurates development works at Reis Magos. Photo by Anil Shankhwalker

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

SANGUEM, SEPT 14

The enchanting display of LordGanesha scene put up by Sarva-janik Ganeshotsav MandalSanguem has been attracting hun-dreds of visitors on daily basis.

The Sarvajanik Ganesotsav atSanguem will be kept for 11days before it is finally taken forimmersion at Sanguem River.

The people visiting the Gane-sotsav at Sanguem bus standare also visiting the Ganesh idolat Sanguem Police station, which

is also attracting a large numberof visitors and devotees.

Incidentally, it is not only Hin-dus, but people from other re-ligion also visit the Ganesh idolput up by Sarvajanik Ganeshot-sav Mandal Sanguem andSanguem Police.

However, despite high secu-rity elsewhere in the State wheremetal detectors are seen in-stalled at every SarvajanikGaneshotsav Mandals, no metaldetector is seen being installedat Sanguem.

Hundreds of visitorsat Sanguem

Ganeshotsav Mandal

The Sarvajanik Ganesh idol installed at Sanguem. Photo by Alfred Fernandes

Socorro Sarpanch

oustedHERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, SEPT 14

Socorro Sarpanch PratimaNarvekar was on Tuesday votedout of office, after a no-confi-dence motion was passedagainst her by 9-0 votes in the11-member panchayat.

It may be recalled that the no-tice of no-confidence motion wassubmitted to the Block Develop-ment Office, Mapusa, by PanchasSarvesh Naik, Sonia Halarnkar,John Paul Valles, Kirti Asnodkar,Narayan Satardekar, SandeepVazarkar, Sanjay Pednekar, KartikKudnekar and Dittosa Lobo againstthe sarpanch on September 3.

The signatories to the motionhad alleged that the sarpanchwas encouraging illegal con-structions in the village and shedid not take the panch membersinto confidence while taking de-cisions on developmental issues.

The BDO convened a specialmeeting in the panchayat office onTuesday to discuss the notice ofno-confidence against the sarpanch.The nine panchas attended themeeting, while Sarpanch PratimaNarvekar and Panch Sheetal Arolkarremained absent.

On behalf of the Block Devel-opment Office, Mapusa, Guru-das A Bandekar conducted theproceedings of the meeting andPanchayat Secretary SubhashPhatarpekar assisted him.

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, SEPT 14

The NSS and YRC unit of St FrancisXaviers Higher Secondary School,Siolim in collaboration with JCIMapusa organised a six day man-agement programme titled Em-

powering Youth for the studentsof Std XII Arts and Commerce.

Sessions on personality devel-opment, self esteem, goal setting,motivation, effective communi-cation and human relations wereconducted by the training faculty

comprising of the Mapusa JCI Pres-ident Vikesh Assotikar, Sachin Kut-tikar, Tulsidas Pai, GovindrajDessai, Vinita Palekar and Mallikar-jun Kuknoor. A total of 40 studentsparticipated. Certificates wereawarded to the students.

Management programme organised

Polluted Goan beachesAllwyn George, Carmona

Goa being a land of sun and sandy beaches,the entire coastline is very vulnerable tooil pollution by rogue ships and trawlers.With maritime laws being flouted with im-punity, it has led to rampant pollution withdisastrous consequences.

The Coast Guard needs to use its spotteraircraft to trace any ships illegally discharg-ing oil in Goan waters. Suspect ships needto be inspected by the MMD and PSC forany irregularities and detained. Drastic ac-tion needs to be taken on this score. Oth-erwise, rogue ships will continue to makemayhem for us, sans any deterrent in force.

What surprises me the most is our CMssilence on this issue. While the whole world

has voiced its concern on the issue of mar-itime pollution, Goa needs to get its acttogether fast and put a mechanism in placeto keep our beaches intact. Tourism thebackbone of the states economy is undersevere threat.

Prosecute them allFranco Fernandes, Mapusa

There have been many instances of publicofficials amassing disproportionate wealth,to finance the next election, unmindful ofwho says what. The government goes ona witch hunt against its opponents, orcatches some small fry with a pick-and-choose attitude. Those who wield cloutare allowed to go scot-free.

There is a dire need to prosecute thewrongdoers. It is high time some lawyerscame forward to file PILs on those amassingdisproportionate wealth by looting thepublic treasury. I will put myself as a frontrunner for this purpose while I seek a con-cerned lawyers help. We must ensure thatpolitics means public service and not cor-porate business.

Art of the State?Nubia Mascarenhas, Verna

What is the point of building Joaquim Ale-maos state-of-the-art bus stand at Quepem,when the art-of-the-state is to inevitablyreduce everything to gargantuan dysfunc-tional entities? Viva Goa! God help us.

Police lethargyMenino Fernandes, Sao Jose de Areal

Anti-social elements escape from the lawbecause of police inaction. Last year, whenmy daughter filed a complaint against eve-teasers at Maina Curtorim Police Station,the culprits were let go with just a warningand an undertaking. It seems like every-thing illegal becomes legal when police failto charge the accused and ask one to com-promise, against ones better judgementand safety.

Despite several complaints during thepast one year against certain elements forcausing damage to my house and property(I have been threatened with dire conse-quences even in front of the police!), in all

cases the culprits were let go with merewarnings and/or undertakings.

This system of taking ineffective under-takings needs to end, failing which anti-social elements may take the law in theirown hands.

Love thy neighbourLt Col (Retd) Ranjit Sinha, New Delhi

This refers to your editorial Stop war, Starttennis (Herald, 13 Sept). I would like tostate that the comments of Pakistani tennisplayer Aisam-ul-Haq Quershi should be aneye opener to the political leaders of Indiaand Pakistan.

It only goes to prove that the commonpeople of both the countries do not haveany malice towards each other, and wouldlove to live in peace and harmony. The Gov-ernments of both India and Pakistan shouldheed his advice and abhor hatred towardsone another.

FDA check listPaulo Mascarenhas, Panjim

In Konkani, its called Dolleank pannam ban-dlim. The FDA recently raided a storehouse

containing chemically ripened mangoesand other fruits sometime back. ManekaGandhis article (Herald, 12 Sept) broughtawareness regarding chemical milk, whichwas manufactured and spuriously suppliedunder the best brand names. Has FDA both-ered to check our local government milk,which is being sold all over Goa but is im-ported from outside the state? And whatabout the numerous private brands of milkbeing sold in the state?

Music that sucksJerry Fernandes, Saligao

Goa was once the most happening placeon Earth in terms of live music. It had anumber of great, talented bands in theearly 70s and the 80s. Not anymore.

Goans, with their Indo-Latin musical in-fluences, should have been on top of theworld. It is a pity that we have only a handfulof greats like Remo, Hema Sardessai, GlenPerry and Bondo. Many say that music re-sides in the Goan blood, but I think it is amyth.

Nowadays we have to listen to sissy beatgroups playing computer-sequenced coverversions. If music is really in the blood of

every Goan, then, like Goas famous musicalson Remo, lets promote live original musicin Goa; music that rocks, not sucks.

Making the right choiceObie Nogueiro, Navelim

There is no doubt that Srinivas Dempowould be the right choice for the post ofthe next GFA President. But what aboutthe other candidates? Are they unfit?

It is imperative to let the clubs and GFAmembers decide on whom to vote for.Hopefully, judgement and experience willprevail, not the interference of meddlingpoliticians.

The healing touchLucy DSouza, Mapusa

I would like to express my thanks to Rev FrJerry Sequeira for the miraculous oil TheHealing Touch which is blessed by him anddistributed by the Divine Mission Societyfrom time to time at the Emerald Lawns,Parra.

After using the oil, I have been cured ofchronic arthritis in the legs. I wish to sharethis experience with the readers, so thatthey too can experience the miracle in thespirit of faith and hope.

How much per pothole?Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar

Goans roads are in a pathetic state. Drivinghas become dangerous. Vehicles bear thebrunt of increased wear and tear. Forgetabout Sea Links and a six-lane highway, theground reality is that Goa just needs qualityroads. The only alternative is to focus onbuilding more hospitals and morgues foraccident victims.

When Manohar Parrikar was Chief Min-ister, he announced a Rs1,000 reward forevery pothole shown. What is your offer,Mr Digambar Kamat?

the nameless living

In my mailbox, a Chovoth greeting showedup, and it came from one of the Portuguesecultural foundations working in Goa. On the

radio, I heard Americans complain about howCommunist China (and its environment) was beingruined by unbridled capitalism. Local news reportstalk of campaigners in Goa being worried aboutMade-in-China Plaster-of-Paris Ganesh idols beingsmuggled into the state...

It only reminds us of one thing. These are timesof change, very rapid change. The world as weknow it, and understand it, is in motion. Goa, atiny territory, has often found itself in the midstof such pivotal points in history; one has to askhow it copes in times of such swift change.

For us, the years 2010 and 2011 are crucial.We have to face three important anniversaries inthe next few months 1510 marked the start ofEuropean colonialism in Goa, and even in Asia,one could say. It also launched an East-West en-counter on a scale never imagined before. Somesay that this had a mixed impact, not an entirelynegative one. This year marks 500 years of thatanniversary, the impact of which still awaits properevaluation.

Again, 2010 marks the centenary of the Por-tuguese Republic. For colonies like Goa, the coupdtat of 1910 that resulted in the abolition ofthe monarchy in Portugal brought in its wake asignificant cultural liberalisation and decrease inreligious discrimination that earlier theocraticregimes had imposed on this region.

Next year, we will see the 50th anniversary ofLiberation in 1961, the belated end of colonialrule in Goa and India. We have had many contestedclaims of how Goa has fared after it got a chanceto rule itself.

So far, it is business as usual. Apart from hintsof official plans and formal celebrations, thereseems to be little attempt to discuss and under-stand these issues, and what exactly they meantfor Goa and her people.

Quite apart from the slogans, two aspects standout most strongly. Most evaluations of the pastare based on the agenda of selfishness. You canbet your last rupee that the people taking sidesare judging history in terms of how they, theirfamilies and/or communities benefited or lostout from the events concerned.

There is no wider picture; it is all about I, meand myself . This is true of both sides that battleover the past. To make things worse, the com-

munal discourse that has dominated Goa for thepast decades also distorts the debate further.

Rational discourse is missing. We keep silentover such issues; pretend as if they dont exist.It is a perfect recipe for handing the initiative tothe extremist, motivated and communal fringesof society. It is time for Goa to face up to thepast, accept it for what it was, and get a widerunderstanding of the issues involved.

But for this to happen, there is a need for acertain maturity. In the past 500, 100 and 50years, enough water has flown down the Mandovito allow for this.

There are still the scars of the past. But shouldthese and imaginary ghosts be allowed tocloud our vision? We will have to see whether allthose involved show the maturity that is neededto understand the past in context, rather thanrespond like children who only feel fear aboutthe needles prick when dealing with the doctorthat is vaccinating them.

* * *Unfortunately, the past has got badly polarisedin Goa. If you read the post-1961 discourse, you

sometimes get the feeling that Catholics are com-plaining because they feel a loss of power whether real or notional in the changes thatsubsequently occurred. Likewise, the 1910 Re-publican revolution needs to be seen in a widerperspective than just its role in unshackling GoasHindu population from the bigotry they faced.Life is more complex than that.

Debates in Goa have got sidetracked by extremevoices, eager to push issues one way or the other,rather than accept the many shades of grey. Ourfreedom fighters had many rational voices amongthem, but somehow it was the extreme points ofview that often held sway.

On the Portuguese side, we are yet to see suf-ficient studies of what the Luso-Indian encounterreally meant, going beyond just the narrative ofthem and us.

It is essential for all sides to show maturity.Goans (and those debating the issue in the restof India) need to acknowledge that the Portugalof today isnt the colonial power they fought pre-1961. It is a modern nation, a large section ofwhich grew up post-Salazar, and knows colonial-

ism (in the form we dealt with it) as a dead ide-ology of no relevance.

Likewise, the Portuguese need to show muchmore sensitivity in how they deal with the an-niversaries of 1510 and 1961. On the other hand,1910 could be a unifying event on both sides,apart from academic debates on its actual meaningand hidden aspects.

Talking about discoveries and expansionswithout acknowledging colonialism is not helpfulto build a shared understanding over our commonpast. One is yet to see sufficient critical studiesof pre-1961 Goa. But perhaps that could also bebecause we dont read enough in the Portugueselanguage here today.

Goa needs to overcome its phobias too. Letsnot pretend that 451 years of Portuguese rulecan be wished away. The faster we recognise thenew Portugal and rebuild cultural bridges, thebetter. In a globalising world, can we also lookto the potential of the future, rather than justthe bitterness of the past?

Students from the prestigious Jawaharlal NehruUniversity (JNU) and other North Indian universi-ties are learning Portuguese (the worlds fifth-largest spoken language) with growing interest.Its time for Goa to stop giving step-motherlytreatment to aspects of our culture linked to thePortuguese legacy, which some see as politicallyincorrect today.

If India could restore links with its former colo-nial power, Britain take a look at that colonialclub called the Commonwealth then we mustrealise that Portugal has changed radically enoughfor mutually-beneficial relations of the future tobe built.

Let us face the unhappy legacy too. Luso-stalgia, that yearning for the Portuguese past,has got defined now as a hankering for past priv-ilege by the tiny elite that had it good in thosetimes. In post-colonial Goa, communalism is aworthy successor to the colonial bigotry of thepast, and corruption is just another face of theerstwhile colonialism, which saw this as a regionworth exploiting.

Those who blame the sins and excesses of an-other century and another people on the religiousminorities of today are perhaps worthy followersof the worst of the colonial encounter. Can we,instead, build on whatever positive lessons welearnt from our yesterdays, even if they flowedfrom the law of unintended consequences?

OPINIONwww.oheraldo.in

Pg8Vol No CX No: 234

Goa, Wednesday 15 September, 2010

Letters to the EditorLetter of the Day

Listen to the peopleJeremiah DSouza, Cansaulim

Villagers in Goa pass resolution after resolution at their Gram Sabhas to protect theirenvironment and surroundings, but unfortunately a number of Village Panchayatstake no cognisance of this. Arent these legal resolutions passed at Gram Sabhasbinding on the Village Panchayats? Or is the interpretation of the Panchayati Raj Actleft to the whims and fancies of the elected representatives?

The Panchayati Raj Act clearly states they are binding, but it is a disgrace that in aliterate state like Goa elected panchas and representatives do not record the legallybinding resolutions in the minutes. The secretary records the minutes, but what does(s)he stand to gain by this illegal act?

Elected Panchas hurriedly pass projects and grant licences overnight to protecttheir vested interests, and do not take into confidence the Gram Sabha the peoplesvoice. Attacks on Gram Sabha members are becoming the order of the day.

If the government is serious about the aam admi, it should immediately take actionand instruct executive bodies like Directorate of Panchayats and the BDO that thepeoples voice be recognised at the Gram Sabha. Else, all their tall claims of workingfor the aam admi will pale into insignificance, with a severe drubbing at the nexthustings. The peoples hands are now full, and they will strike back with a vengeance.

Printed and published by Vinayak Pai Bir for and on behalf of Herald Publications Pvt Ltd. Printed at Herald Publications Pvt Ltd, Plot No: L-135, Phase II, Verna Industrial Estate, Verna, Salcete, Goa. Published at PO Box 160, Rua Sao Tome, Panjim, Goa - 403001. Editor-in-chief: Mr R F Fernandes. Editor: Ashwin Tombat(Responsible under PRB Act). Regd Office: St Tome Road, Panjim, Goa. Tel: 2224202, 2228083, Fax: 2222475 (all Editorial); 2230535, Fax: 2225622 (Advertising); Margao: 2737689. Mumbai Office: 16-A, Bell Building, 2nd Floor, 19 Sir PM Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400001 (Tel: 22840702/22844908). RNI No: 43667/83. HOW TO CONTACT US: mail@herald-goa.com For press notes, general queries. junioryouth@herald-goa.com Junior Herald & Careers. heraldmirror@herald-goa.com Sunday Mirror. reporters@herald-goa.com For Reporters. business@herald-goa.com For Business news. editor@herald-goa.com For Letters to the Editor. sports@herald-goa.com For Sports news. advt@herald-goa.com For Advertisements. 2day@herald-goa.com For Herald 2day. tiatr@herald-goa.com For Tiatr Reviews and Reports. Disclaimer: Except for the editorial above, articles and letters in Herald represent the views of the concernedauthors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Herald editor, publisher, and/or owners.

Paths of Wisdom

Goa soon has to face three important anniversaries, which had a mixed impact, says FReDeRicK NoRoNHA

OHERALDO

Lifes like that

By ervell e Menezes

OHERALDO

The dark side of wealth

This story tells us how the possessionof wealth will change the qualities ofsome people. A mother had only oneson and a lot of money. The boy hadlost his father early in his life. As theboy grew older and older, he got intobad company. If the tank is full, frogsgather but once the tank has dried up,all the frogs disappear.

Many friends will gather round youso long as you have wealth and themoment wealth disappears, the friendswill also disappear without telling you.

The son of that wealthy person ac-cumulated a large number of badfriends. He used to go to the motherday after day and demand large sumsof money, with the result that themothers affection towards the boybegan diminishing and she developedpositive hatred towards the boy.

As days went on, the boy lost all at-tachment to the mother. She thoughtthat it is much better that such a sonwho brings down the honour and rep-utation of the parents dies rather thanlives and therefore she worked out aplan one day.

At the same time, the son had itsown plan as he thought that it is betterthat such a mother dies rather thanlives.

One day the son decided to kill hismother with an iron rod as the mothercame to serve him food. The motherhad also planned to kill the son onthe very same day by poisoning hisfood. When the mother came to servehim food, the son hit her with the ironrod and killed her.

A few minutes later, the boy alsodied after eating the poisoned food.

(Source: Chinna Katha)

100 Years Ago

15 September 1910Oil in spring water!0 Comercio narrates about the discoveryof a spring on one of the hillocks of theVila de Margao, whose water reeks ofcrude oil.

Jailbreak avertedSome inmates from the Civilian Jail atBardez tried to escape from their com-mon cell by drilling a hole in the wall.However, they were promptly nabbed.

Law to save birdsThe House of Commons approved thefirst draft of the Bill introduced by MrPercy Alden, prohibiting the import orsale of feathers and skins of wild birdsin Britain (except ostrich feathers), whichhe claims will lead to total extinctionof fauna in the colonies.

Colonial governanceIt is not confirmed as yet about the sub-stitution of colonial governance, whichis to be decided by the Council of Min-isters.

PRIMEIRO DIARIO NAS COLONIAS PORTUGEZAS

Protecting cattle or

harassing minorities?

On 19 March, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) controlledKarnataka Assembly passed the Karnataka Preventionof Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill (2010),

which proposes to ban completely the slaughter of cattle inKarnataka. This may seem like nothing new, since cowslaughter was already banned in the state. Three things,however, made this law different. First, it defines cattle ascow, calf of a cow and bull, bullock, buffalo male or femaleand calf of she-buffalo. Second, it also bans sale, use andpossession of beef, prohibits sale, purchase or disposal ofcattle for slaughter, and restricts their transport. Third, itprescribes draconian punishments imprisonment of up toseven years, and/or fines of between Rs25,000 to Rs1 lakh.

Though the opposition parties the Congress and theJanata Dal (S) alleged that the election to the BengaluruMunicipal Corporation, scheduled for March 28, was themain reason for the Bills passage, its real purpose is farmore sinister than mere electoral manipulation.

The Bill is now in limbo, as Karnataka Governor Hans RajBharadwaj refused to sign it. But, instead of returning it tothe assembly, he referred it to the President of India. If thebill does become law eventually, it will affect lakhs of people.It is the contention of the Beef Merchants Association ofKarnataka that 35 lakh people most of them non-Muslims are dependent on the beef trade, including ancillaryactivities like transportation of cattle, the leather industry,the meat packaging industry, manufacture of shoes, belts,nail polish, films, buttons, etc.

Muslims and Christians are yet to strongly react to theBill, but the Dalits have protested vehemently against theBill, saying that it interferes with their food habits, and ispart of the upper-caste Hindutva agenda of Sanskritisation.

In its defence, the Karnataka BJP government says it isdoing no more than implementing the Directive Principlesof State Policy in the Constitution of India, which advocatethat states endeavour to ban cow slaughter. Article 48 ofthe Constitution says: Organisation of agriculture andanimal husbandry: The State shall endeavour to organiseagriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientificlines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving andimproving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cowsand calves and other milch and draught cattle.

But this constitutional directive was amply served by theexisting Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and CattlePreservation Act (1964), which banned the slaughter ofcows, as well as calves of cows and she-buffaloes, but allowedthe slaughter of bulls, bullocks and buffaloes if they wereover 12 years of age, if they were not fit for breeding ordraught, or did not give milk.

Bulls, bullocks and buffaloes are neither protected by theConstitution, nor by the Hindu religion. Banning their slaugh-ter and the sale of their meat, therefore, is aimed purely atharassment of the minorities, not at saving the holy cow,which is already protected in the state.

Glass houses

People who live in glass houses, it is said, shouldntthrow stones. It is ironic that a former Vice Chairmanof the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC)

who departed under a cloud should complain about itspresent Managing Director. Lyndon Monteiro is facing seriouscriminal charges of destruction of evidence in the death ofNadia Torrado. His boss, Mickky Pacheco, may not be foundguilty in that case, but Mr Monteiro is unlikely to be quiteas lucky. It is best, therefore, that he does not fall for theold lie that offence is the best form of defence.

1510, 1910, 1961

Letters should be 150 words or less inlength, and should have the writers name,address and telephone number. The editorreserves the right to edit letters for size andreadability, and to delete any personal attacksor libellous /objectionable matter.

It is not often that we ruminate over this enigma called life, forthe more you try and unravel, the less you seem to know. Likesleeping dogs, we must let them lie. But every rule has an exception, which they say, only proves the

rule. And this morning I learnt that one of the stragglers in mylane had passed away a month ago. A month had gone before Inoticed his absence. A little thought for our powers of observation,which we ofte