OHERALDOThe Voice of Goa Since 1900

SURAJ NANDREKAR

PANJIM, AUG 31

Chief Minister Digambar Kamatsdream project, the Vasco-DonaPaula Sea Link, has not foundfavour with the National High-ways Authority of India (NHAI).

The project which will con-nect Dona Paula to Vasco hasnot found favour as the officersfeel that it would be anotherwhite elephant, officials toldHerald.

The State government has re-cently appointed German firmLouis Berger as consultants forthe proposed sea link, whichwill conduct feasibility studywithin 18 months.

The consultant will study theeconomic, financial, social fea-sibility of the project and alsoindicate the type of bridge mostsuitable at the site.

At a meeting held recently,which was attended by the NHAIchairman Brijeshwar Singh,NHAI general manager, ChiefMinister Digambar Kamat, ChiefSecretary Sanjay Srivastava,PWD minister Churchill Alemao,the NHAI pointed out there wasnot much traffic count for theproject.

The NHAI officials felt thatsince there was not much trafficavailable it would not be feasibleto invest so much of amount,sources, speaking on condition

of anonymity told Herald.Instead, sources added, the

NHAI officials pointed out thatthe developed countries likeMalaysia, Singapore and othershave taken options of startinghop-in, hop out ferries.

The officials said that thesespeed boats pick up vehiclesand commuters from one endand take them to another endin quick time, sources saidadding the NHAI was of theopinion that this will be muchcheaper and without any envi-ronment impact.

The State has already madea provision of Rs 100 crore inthis budget for the consultancyand other related expenditurefor the project.

However, the government hascome in for severe criticism fromOpposition as well as variousquarters over the project.

Sources in the governmentalso told Herald that the NHAI

officials felt the project wouldbe a wasteful expenditure as thebridge will start somewherefrom Siridao, near Bambolim,which is hardly three to four kmfrom the place where the newZuari bridge is set to come upas part of NH17 widening.

If the bridge will come soclose to the Zuari Bridge, theNHAI has questioned the needof the Sea Link, sources said.

Further, sources informed thatthe Sea link will cost the Stateapproximately around Rs 2400crore.

When this was pointed outto the officials in the PWD, theysaid that with this amountbridges across entire Goa canbe built.

With the State all set to cel-ebrate the golden Jubilee yearin 2011, one feels would it notbe right for the Digambar Kamatgovernment to try and connect

Business: MPT takes steps to

eliminate coal pollution Pg 12

Visit us at:www.oheraldo.in panjim, wednesday, september 1, 2010 priCe rs. 3.00 (air surcharge rs. 1.50) pages 18

IN BRIEF

Shall we organize a football matchhere or have our assembly ses-sion at the football stadium?

Sports: Fedex, Clijsters advance

in US Open Pg 18

Supply vessel, bargecollide at MumbaiA supply vessel collided with abarge at Indira docks offMumbai Coast early Tuesdaybut there was no casualty orany oil spill, officials said. Asupply vessel came in contactwith a barge carrying steelcoils. The barge listed aboutseven degrees as a result, anMumbai Port trust officialsaid, adding no vessel has cap-sized, nor were there any ca-sualties. The accident tookplace when the Offshore Sup-ply Vessel (OSV) Beas Dolphincollided with coastal vessel(barge) Nand Hajara at IndiraDock. (PTI)

Suspected terroristattacked in TiharA Delhi court on Tuesdaysought a response from Tiharjail authorities after a sus-pected Indian Mujahideen ter-rorist appeared before it witha bandaged face complainingthat he had been attacked in-side his cell. Taking a seriousview of the incident, Addi-tional Sessions Judge SantoshSnehi Mann directed the jailauthorities to transfer Salmanto another cell. (PTI)

Sea Link finds no favour with NHAI

l Feels it would be a wasteful expenditure.l Says not enough traffic count on the route.l Suggests hop in - hop out speed boats for

ferrying commuters and vehicles, like the onesin Malaysia, Singapore.

l Link to start from Siridao, which is hardly 3 to 4km from Zuari Bridge.

l To cost approximately Rs 2400 crore.

PTI

LONDON/KARACHI, AUG 31

Pakistans tainted trio of Testcaptain Salman Butt, Moham-mad Aamir and Mohammad Asifwere on Tuesday barred frompractice and summoned to facePCBs internal inquiry at the HighCommission in London as thespot-fixing scandal grew in pro-portion with the arrest of threemore persons.

On a day of swift develop-ments, the players were barredfrom team practice in Tauntonamidst intense speculation thatthey could be suspended by thePCB under pressure from theirBritish counterparts.

Even as the spotlight was onthe players, three persons, in-cluding a woman, were ques-tioned as part of an investigationinto money laundering beforebeing released on bail.

Two men and a woman, allfrom London, were questionedMonday night as part of an in-vestigation into money launder-ing before being released onbail, HM Revenue and Customssaid in a statement.

A 35-year-old woman fromthe Croydon area along with a49-year-old man in North Lon-don were arrested to investigatea second, separate, criminal in-vestigation into allegations ofcricket match-fixing.

Pakistan team manager YawarSaeed said that the three playersdid not have nets with the restof the team because they were

preparing for a meeting at thePakistan High Commission inLondon tomorrow.

The three are not practicingtoday and they have to go toLondon to attend the meetingat the High Commission in con-nection with the ongoing inves-tigations into spot-fixing. Theywill face PCBs internal inquirycommittee, Yawar said.

Although Yawar did not spec-ify whether the three playerswould be subjected to anotherround of interrogation by theScotland Yard, there was specu-lation that the players could bequestioned again. However, therewas no official confirmation.

Pakistan has retained all thethree players named in the scan-dal in their one-day squad for

the series against England andthe team plays a practice matchat Taunton on September 2.

A Pakistan Cricket Boardspokesman said that no playerwould be suspended until a finalinquiry report into the chargesagainst them was delivered tothe board by Thursday.

The spokesman declined tocomment when asked if the ac-cused players would be consid-ered for the first T20 on Sundayif the report didnt come in bythat time.

Yawar said that the three play-ers had been called to the HighCommission where the HighCommissioner has invited aleading British legal expert tobe present along with PCB Chair-man Ijaz Butt.

Tainted players barred frompractice, to face PCB inquiry

Captain Salman Butt, MohammadAamir and Mohammad Asif werebarred from practice and summonedto face PCBs internal inquiry at theHigh Commission in London.Two men and a woman, all fromLondon, were arrested andquestioned as part of aninvestigation into money launderingbefore being released on bail.A report claimed Scotland Yardinvestigators last weekendrecovered wads of cash worth 50,000pounds in captain Butts hotel room.

Butt

Asif

Aamir

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

The government has promisedto put an emergency plan inplace by Wednesday evening totackle the tar ball menace alongthe Colva-Sernabatim-Betalba-tim belt along Salcetes coast,even as fresh deposits of theoily substance was spottedalong the coastal belt on Tues-day.

Fire men and labourers gotdown to the mammoth task ofcleaning tar balls on the beachon Tuesday along the Colvastretch of the coastline. The GoaState Pollution Control Boardofficials also made their pres-ence felt at the beach with amobile laboratory and collectedsamples of the oily substance.

Environment Minister AleixoSequeira along with TourismMinister, Nilkhant Harlankar,Tourism Director Swapnil Naik,Valanka Alemao, Colva PanchCalvert Gonsalves inspected thebeach and took stock of the sit-uation.

Sequeira said the governmentwill work out an emergency planof action by Wednesday afterreceiving report from the Pol-lution Control Board. We aretrying to clean up the beachstretch as fast as we can. As ofnow, the Goa Pollution ControlBoard has collected the samplesand the report will be availablewithin 48 hours. Hopefully, byWednesday, we will be able to

put in place an emergency planto tackle the situation, in-formed the Minister for Envi-ronment, Aleixo Sequeira.

The minister disagreed thatthe coastline has been hit by adisaster, adding that the Statehas witnessed tar balls surfacingalong the coast year after year.He also said the Mumbai oil spillhas nothing to do with the tarballs and refuted reports of anyoil spill in the sea. The Mumbaispill has nothing to do with thetar balls. The tar balls surfacingalong the coast is an annual phe-nomenon in Goa. They say thatthe tar balls settle on the sea

bed during off season and landon the shore during monsoons,he said.

The Tourism Minister said noeffort will be spared to clean upthe beach as early as possible.He said the department has al-ready deployed workers for theclean up work.

While a Coast Guard helicop-ter hovered over the ArabianSea this morning, the fire serv-ices led by Assistant Fire Divi-sional Officer, Prakash Parab toldnewsmen that the entire exer-cise will require a large army ofworkers to clean up the beachstretch.

Incidentally, the EnvironmentMinister claimed that none ofthe village panchayats on thecoastal belt affected by the tarballs have complained either tohim or to the Tourism Ministerabout the oily substance. Icame to know of the situationfollowing a complaint fromValanka. Otherwise, none of thepanchayat bodies have drawnmy attention to the menace onthe beach, Sequeira added.

Meanwhile, the carcass of adolphin was washed ashore onthe Colva beach Tuesday morn-ing.

Tar balls: Govt vows emergency plan

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

The Election Commission ofIndia will probe the inclusion offoreigners name in the Stateselectoral rolls, Chief ElectionCommissioner of India Dr S YQuraishi said here on Tuesday.

Recently some vi l lagersgroups had pointed out to theinclusion of foreigners namesin the electoral rolls.

Responding to this querywhile addressing a press con-ference at the International Cen-tre , Quraishi sa id he hadreceived some complaints in thisregard.

We are investigating thecomplaints of foreigners namesbeing included and will take ac-tion only after receiving the re-

port, hesaid.

Goa is amongst the Statesthat have foreigners being in-cluded in the voters list.

He said that besides Goa fewother States have also pointedout similar instances of foreign-ers getting enrolled as voters.

Each and every complaintreceived by the commission isinvestigated. We see that eachand every person is attendedto, he added.

Further, Quraishi said that thecommission cannot control themedia players indulging in paidnews syndrome.

Our role comes in pictureonly when the candidate ex-ceeds the expenditure ceiling.We cannot question the media,our powers extend only to can-didates, Quraishi told re-porters.

He said it is for the PressCouncil of India to give theguidelines for the media.

When pointed out that elec-tronic media is not covered byPCI, Quraishi admitted thatthere is a lacunae and specialbody needs to be formed cov-ering all the media.

The CECI said that the paidnews issue extends beyond the

election period.He said that paid news

and money power is a bigconcern for the commis-sion, which is being tried

EC to probe foreigners names in election rolls

Related reports on page 2

Shripad wantsreview of

NH widening HERALD CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI, AUG 31

Bhart iya JanataParty MP ShripadNaik has urged thegovernment to re-view the proposalfor widening of the

National Highway 4-A.Raising the issue in the Lok

Sabha under Rule 377, hepointed out that the wideningof roads is always welcomed butGoa has the unique problemthat any widening of the high-way will result in dislocation ofthe large number of residentialand commercial establishmentson both sides.

He said the decision to widenthe highway should, therefore,be re-examined in the interestof the people to be affected. Hewondered what kind of com-pensation the affected wouldget for rehabilitation and reset-tlement.

Women engaged in clearing the Colva beach of tar balls on Tuesday. Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

NRIs get right to vote

PTI

NEW DELHI, AUG 31

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) willnow have a right to vote in elec-tions, with Parliament on Tues-day passing the relevant bill,even as government promisedto bring in comprehensive elec-toral reforms legislation soon.

Replying to a debate on theRepresentat ion of People(Amendment) Bill, 2010 to allowNRIs to exercise their franchisein Indian elections, Law MinisterM Veerappa Moily said the gov-ernment would hold a nationalconsultation on comprehensiveelectoral reforms in two to threemonths.

Rajya Sabha had passed thebill yesterday.

The Ministry is making allround efforts for comprehensiveelectoral reforms and we wantto hold a national consultationon it in two to three monthstime, Moily said, respondingto the demand for completeelectoral reforms from mem-bers.

He said the Election Commis-sion had in its report on elec-to ra l re fo rms made 22recommendations of which sixhad already been implemented.

The rest of the recommenda-tions, he said, were currentlybeing examined by a depart-ment-related ParliamentaryStanding Committee and itwould be taken up for imple-

PTI

NEW DELHI, AUG 31

The Supreme Court on Tuesdaymade it clear that it had orderedfree distribution of foodgrainsto the poor instead of allowingit to rot and rejected AgricultureMinister Sharad Pawars con-tention that it was a suggestionwhich cannot be implemented.

It was not a suggestion. It isthere in our order. It is part ofour order. You tell the Ministerabout it, a Bench of JusticesDalveer Bhandari and DeepakVerma told the government

counsel Additional Solicitor Gen-eral Mohan Parasaran.

The issue of foodgrains rot-ting in godowns was also raisedin the Lok Sabha by the BJPwhich accused the Governmentof not abiding by the apexcourts order.

Pawar said he had not got acopy of the court order but as-sured the House that Govern-ment will honour the decisionof the Supreme Court.

This government will honourthe decision of the SupremeCourt. Members suggestions

will also be considered, he saidresponding to the issue raisedby Leader of the OppositionSushma Swaraj.

The Supreme Court hearingon the issue of rampant corrup-tion in the Public DistributionSystem (PDS), also ordered theGovernment to launch criminalprosecution of those using bogusration cards in the country.

At the fag end of the hearing,the judges expressed displeas-ure at the casual manner inwhich the Union Minister choseto treat its earlier order.

We have seen some news-paper reports. Generally news-paper reports are not correct,but it said that the Minister

(Pawar) had said it was only asuggestion.

The apex court passed the ob-servation while responding toPawars recent contention thatthe apex court had on August12 merely suggested free distri-bution of foodgrains and ruledout the same on the ground thatthe Government was already sad-dled with a subsidy of Rs 66,000crore for foodgrains.

The apex court had on August12 asked the Centre to considerfree distribution of foodgrainsto the poor instead of allowing

it to rot in Food Corporation ofIndia godowns.

The court had passed the di-rection while dealing with a pub-lic interest litigation filed by civilrights group PUCL on rampantcorruption in Public DistributionSystem (PDS) besides rotting offood grains in FCI godowns.

The apex court also on Tues-day minced no words in express-ing displeasure at the mannerin which corruption was breed-ing in the PDS system and said,there has to be zero tolerancelevel to check the menace.

Free foodgrains distribution an order, SC to Pawar

(Continued on page 11)

Goa: Ajay Devgan fined for

smoking in public Pg 3

(Continued on page 11)

F I X I N G T H E P R O B E

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GOA, WEDNESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER, 2010

GOA Pg 2OHERALDO

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, AUG 31

Raja Sabha MP Shantaram Naik has appealedto the Union Minister of Environment andForest Jairam Ramesh to send a team ofexperts to Goa to examine the causes whichlead to the collection of tar balls on Goasea coast every year and the steps to betaken to prevent such occurrences.

In a letter sent to the Ramesh today,Naik referring to the nuisance caused bytar balls on the Goa coast on Monday saidthat the tar balls have marred the beautyof South Goa coastline from Sernabatimto Betalbatim.

General impression is that this is an an-nual feature, and that, every year thetourism department has to clean up theaffected beaches and that is all, Naik saysin his letter.

Naik says that, one fact is apparentlyclear that it is the passing ships along thecoastline which are the culprits.

They discharge their waste which eithersurfaces before being deposited in the seabed or waste gets erupted in monsoondue the act of nature, Naik says.

The question needs to be examined thatwhether the Captains of the ships con-cerned can flout the rules and cause dam-age to the coastlines of the countries theypass bye, in a fragrant manner, Naik saidin his letter.

There must be international conventionsto regulate such behaviours which, Indiahas to invoke, Naik said in his letter

We have also to find out whether thereis any mischief involved in causing damageto an internationally known tourist desti-nation, Naik adds.

An effort should also be made to identifythe ships which discharge their waste intothe sea by following the procedure other-wise than that would violate the environ-mental and other laws, Naik said in hisletter.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

With the tar balls invading thebeaches across the State, the gov-ernment has sought assistance fromthe National Institute of Oceanog-raphy (NIO), Indian Navy and the In-dian Coast Guard to identify thevessel, which may have possibly dis-charged oil in high seas.

Addressing a press conference,after a joint meeting with the GoaState Pollution Control Board andthe NIO, Minister for EnvironmentAlexio Sequeira disclosed that hisministry has sought details of theship which may have crossedthrough the coastline in last 72hours.

I visited the beaches at Colva,Betalbatim and Velsao, along withTourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar,he said adding that this was a normalphenomenon during monsoons. Ithas been happening year after yearevery during monsoons, he stated

adding that the situation is not asalarming as it has been reported inthe print and electronic media.

Nonetheless, he continued, wehave decided to take the matter se-riously and studying possibility ofsome rogue vessel undertakingbulging of its oil tanks into the highseas off Goa.

Sequeira said that in this regardwe have sought assistance from theNIO which has assured full cooper-ation.

The samples of the tar balls havebeen handed over to the Goa StatePollution Control Board (GSPCB) andthe NIO, which will conduct tests intheir laboratories. We have alsoasked them to finger print the hy-drocarbons in the tar ball, he saidadding this process can help us layhands on the rogue vessel.

The minister said that the gov-ernment has also sought help fromthe Indian Navy, Coast Guard to seekdetails of the vessels which may have

been crossed the Indian territorialwaters as well as the Exclusive Eco-nomic Zone in the last 72 hours.

This would be a long processand cannot be done immediatelybut if we are able to find the vessel,action would be initiated, he said.

The minister said that he hadtaken up the issue of tar ball in Julythis year with the Union ministerfor environment, who had assuredto look into the matter.

Meanwhile, Sequeira said, thetourism minister has directed hisdepartment to ensure that all thebeaches are cleaned immediately sothat it does not cause any problemto the visiting tourists.

We have asked the GSPCB tospeak to agencies involved in haz-ardous waste with regards to dis-posing off the tar balls, Sequeirasaid adding the Tourism Ministerhas also directed the department toseek assistance of additional man-power if need be.

Pin down tar ball source, govt to NIO, Coast GuardsShantaram seeks Central help

RAIN OR SHINE WE DONT MIND! A couple, sheltering under an umbrella, enjoys the beauty of the monsoon sea at Miramar beach on Tues-day morning. Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

Goa government in its submis-sion to the High Court has re-jected the contention of peopleaffected by Mopa airport projectthat land for the Greenfield air-port project should be acquiredby Central government and notby the State.

Advocate General SubhodKantak told the court today thatthe state government will ownMopa airport even though it willbe managed by a private party.

As the project is for thestates purpose, the State gov-ernment has a power to acquireland for setting up of the airport,which is owned by government,AG told Court.

The Division Bench of theBombay High Court at Goa com-prising of Justice D G Karnik andJustice F M Reis were hearing abunch of writ petitions filed bylocals allegedly affected by landacquisition for Mopa airportproject at Pernem.

The petitioners had con-tended that the State govern-ment is not the appropriateauthority under the Land Acqui-sition Act, 1984 and conse-quent l y, ha s no l ega lcompetence to initiate acquisi-tion proceedings for Union.

The Central government hasno role to play in the matter ofland acquisition. Their role inthe project is just to provide li-cence for the functioning of theairport, Kantak said.

AG also made it clear that theairport will be built on BOOTbasis in which the company willbuild, own and operate it forsome years.

Advocate Mahesh Sonak, ap-pearing for the petitioners, ar-gued that invocation of urgencyclause under Section 17 of theAct and consequently dispensingwith inquiry under Section 5Awas illegal and arbitrary sincethere was no material for invok-ing the clause.

The AG clarified that as perthe report submitted by the gov-ernment appointed committee,it was clear that Dabolim airportwould rach the saturation pointby 2014 and hence there was aneed to set up a new airport onemergency basis by 2012-13 and

hence the clause was invoked.The petitioners have also

claimed that despite the objec-tion raised by the locals, thegovernment has gone aheadwith the acquisition. It also al-leged that at the time of freshacquisition, government has notconsidered the area, which wasmarked in the first notificationof 2003.

Sonak explained that in 2003,a notification was passed ap-proving acquisition of 78 lakhsq land for Mopa airport how-ever the said proceedings wereallowed to lapse in 2004. In2008 a fresh notification was is-sued covering much larger areathan the earlier one, he said.

Sonak also told the Court thatno proper justifications weregiven for lapsing of earlier no-tification.

They said that it was due topolitical reason, he said.

However, Kantak said as pernew notification 83 lakh sqmeter area is acquired, whichis just five lakh sq meter morethan the earlier one.

This includes the villages andagriculture fields of the locals,Sonak alleged.

Kantak, in his additional affi-davit filed before the Courtstated that at the time of earlieracquisition, most of the peti-tioners did not raise objectionsand as such taking the said sit-uation into consideration, afresh notification was issuedwith urgency clause in 2008.

Court questioned that howcould the government takethese people for granted andthink that no objection wouldbe raised.

Earlier, Sonak pointed outthat the Central governmentorder for an airport at Mopawas based on a condition. Theland can be acquired for newairport provided the State gov-ernment closes down airport atDabolim, he said quoting theorder dated May 1, 2000.

Sonak told the court that tilldate there was no such proposal;on the contrary the governmentis spending money on Dabolimexpansion.

The Court will hear the argu-ment of the union governmenttomorrow.

Goa can acquireland for Mopa,

govt informs HC

Dr Joe shuns

car washers,

chides Kerkar HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

Consultant to Corporation ofthe City of Panjim Dr Joe DSouzahas criticised artist SubodhKerkar for supporting car wash-ers in the city knowing very wellthe activity has been drainingthe city of its all-important re-source water.

In a letter addressed to all thecouncillors, Dr Joe mentionedthat Panjimites were not infavour of the car washers as theywere stealing water from the mu-nicipal garden and public well.

Dr Joe said it was rather dis-turbing to know that non-resi-dents like Subodh Kerkar, DilipBorkar, amongst others, werechampioning the cause of an il-legal activity that causes accu-mulation of water resulting inspread of vector-borne diseases.

Dr Joe advised Subodh Kerkarthat if he was so sympathetictowards the car washers heshould employ them in his ownhouse and not force the illegalactivity on Panjimites.

CCP Commissioner ElvisGomes, who has received theletter, said it was for the coun-cillors to decide over the issueat the next meeting. Many ofthe councillors feel that that thecar washers be absorbed by theCCP.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

A delegation of Pilerne Citizens Forumon Tuesday met the Chief Election Com-missioner of India Dr S Y Quereshi andplaced before him inconsistencies in im-plementing the CEC guidelines in en-rolling voter names in the electoral rollsin Goa.

Adviser to PCF, Adv Yatish Naik, saidPCF presented several documents andfacts to Quereshi to bring to his noticethat mamlatdars in the State were not

following CEC procedures to registervoter names in electoral rolls. In the20-minute meeting we showed the com-missioner different replies given by mam-latdars, he said.

Adv Naik said Quereshi has assuredthem he would go to New Delhi andissue proper directives to look into thematter and directed them to meet hissecretary Bernard John. Accordingly, thePCF delegation met John at 3 pm todayand also explained the matter to him indetail, he stated.

He said John was present with anotherofficer and the State Chief Election OfficerGonesh Koyu. Both Quereshi and Johnhave expressed, prima facie, it appearedthat Election Commission guidelineswere not followed and the matter neededfurther investigation, he mentioned.

Adv Naik said that John asked the del-egation to get in touch with him on Sep-tember 10 on the matter. The CECssecretary assured us that he would tellus on that day what steps they havetaken in the matter, he added.

The PCF has asked Quereshi scrutinisewhole electoral rolls in Goa and on com-pletion of the job, delete whichevernames have been added without follow-ing the election guidelines. The forummade it clear that if the CEC failed tolook into the matter it would knock thedoors of the High Court.

Adv Naik said Quereshi has asked fora detailed report from his secretary onthe facts placed before him by PCF oninconsistencies by mamlatdars in follow-ing CEC guidelines to enlist voter names.

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

Chief Election Commissioner ofIndia Dr S Y Quraishi todayevaded queries on whether theElectronic Voting Machines(EVMs) could be tampered or notbut suggested that the machinescould be improved.

There has been a debate onthe reliability of EVMs with Op-position Parties questioning theirreliability. However, addressinga press conference here, Quraishireposed faith in the EVM tech-nology, which he said had stoodthe test of time since it was firstintroduced in 1982.

The procedure of EVM usagewas vetted both technologicallyand administratively to keep outmalpractices or manipulationconsistently over a period oftime, he said adding The EVMtechnology has improved con-siderably ever since it was firstintroduced in 1982.

We have elaborate proce-dures and a technical expertscommittee outside the commis-sion (ECI), which authorises anychanges or improvements whichare to be made," said Quraishi.

"The machines have goneunder a lot of improvement andwe try to counter, prevent or an-

ticipate any malpractice in ad-vance," he said.

The BJP has already called foran all-party meeting to discussthe efficacy of EVMs in elections,after a Hyderabad-based re-searcher Hari Prasad triggered acontroversy by claiming thatEVMs could be tampered with.

CEC evades questions on reliability of EVMs

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

Chief Election Commissioner DrS Y Quraishi has said that theElection Commission of Indiahas decided to celebrate January25 as the National ElectorsDay.

The day will be celebratedevery year beginning from Jan-uary 25, 2011.

Dr Quraisi said that the ECIwas established on January 25,1950 under Article 324 of theConstitution of India and there-fore the day assumes great sig-nificance to the electors of thiscountry.

He said the electoral systemin India has undergone lot ofchanges and innovations but thecore substance and spirit hasremained the same. Time hascome to document these inno-vations. One of the innovations,he said, included creation BoothLevel Officers (BLO) System

which is a very effective one.Addressing a press conference

in Panjim, Quraishi said that anexpansive nationwide pro-gramme would also be con-ducted on January 25, 2011 toinduct 2 crore youngsters turn-ing 18 that month. It will bedemocratic India's greatest fes-tival".

"We are celebrating nationalvoter's day on January 25, whenthe ECI was founded sixty yearsago, one day before the countrybecame a republic," Quraishisaid, while speaking to the

media after chairing a confer-ence of chief electoral officersfrom the west zone, which in-cludes Gujarat, Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Damanand Diu and Dadra, NagarHaveli.

"We want to give the youth asense of participation in theelection process. This segment(youth) is generally omitted fromthe voter's list because veryoften they are cynical aboutdemocratic processes," Quraishisaid.

The CEC also said that a na-tionwide programme covering8.5 lakh voting booths acrossthe country would be held onJanuary 25, to award electionphoto identity cards to 2 croreyoungsters, who turn 18 thatmonth, making them eligible tovote.

"The functions will be held si-multaneously all over the coun-try on Jan 25," he said

Jan 25 will be celebrated as

National Electors Day: CEC

Pilerne forum meets CEC over bogus voter names

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

The government has said that the UnionMinistry of Shipping and Environment andForests have ordered NEERI to conduct adetailed study on the annual phenomenonof tar balls surfacing along Goas coast-line.

Environment Minister Alexio Sequeirasaid the Goa government took up the issuewith the Ministries of Shipping, besidesEnvironment and Forests and the processhas got underway.

The government is serious on the mat-ter, but has got limited powers. I had raisedup the issue with Union Minister for Envi-ronment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh duringmy meeting with him two months ago.Ramesh has ordered a study and the processis now underway, he added.

Sequeira further said the coast guardalso has their own limitations given theirterritorial jurisdiction, adding that actionwill follow only after the completion ofthe study. Firemen and labourers engaged in clearing the Colva beach of tar balls, on Tuesday. Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

NEERI to study tarball phenomenon

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

Residents of Fatorda on Tuesdaynoon suffered heavy losses aftera high power voltage left theirelectrical appliances and con-sumer durables damaged.

Around 150 res ident ia lhouses located near the PWDoffice and neighbouring Don-gorwaddo bore the brunt of thehigh voltage at around 2.30 pm,leaving TVs, LCDs, refrigerators,air-conditioners, besides tubesand bulbs destroyed.

Assistant Engineer, Santosh

Lolyenkar, who rushed to thespot, was confronted by the ag-itated residents as they blamedthe power department for neg-ligence and demanded compen-sation.

The residents pointed outthat power department officialshad attended to the problemlast night, but asserted that theyshould have come this morningand rectified the fault Besides,LCD and refrigerators, grindersand mixers were destroyed dur-ing the high voltage, informedan affected resident John Men-

donsa.Squarely blaming the power

department for the sheer neg-ligence, Mendonsa demandedthat the affected be compen-sated by the government.

Another resident Reshma D-Souza maintained that as manyas four TV sets, besides refrig-erators and other householditems were damaged, causing aloss of Rs four lakhs.

Why should the people suf-fer for the fault of the powerdepartment? The governmentshould compensate us for the

huge losses, she demanded.Assistant Engineer Lolyenkar

said the high voltage might haveoccurred as the neutral wasfound cut. It may be the causeof the internal fault of the trans-former. I will find out what ex-actly has happened, he assured,but said there is no provisionfor compensating the affectedpeople.

You may make a represen-tation to the higher ups for com-pensa t ion . I t i s f o r thegove rnment to dec ide , Lolyenkar added.

Heavy loss at Fatorda due to high voltage Gokuldas electedBalli sarpanchMARGAO: Gokuldas Gaonkar

is the new sarpanch of Balli pan-chayat.

In the elections held on Tues-day, the presiding officer GunaTuemkar declared Gokuldaselected unopposed after receiv-ing his lone nomination paper.

After his election, the newSarpanch said the body has beenformed with the support of localMLA Babu Kavlekar and UrbanDevelopment Minister JoaquimAlemao. He said the new bodywould take up developmentwith support of Alemao.

Tar balls buried

on beach!HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

Ill-equipped to deal with the tarballs, labourers deployed toclean up the beaches are founddisposing off the oily substanceby burying them in pits dug righton the beach.

The labourers dug up smallpits on the shore to dispose offthe tar balls. At some places,the oily substance was disposedoff in the vegetation on the land-ward side of the beach.

When contacted a senior of-ficial, he admitted that disposingoff the tar balls in pits on thebeach is not the scientific wayof getting rid of the oily sub-stance.

Assistant fire divisional officer,Margao Prakash Parab said theoily substance needs to be trans-ported at a designated place.

GOA, WEDNESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER, 2010

GOA Pg 3OHERALD

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HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

Maintaining that a fish meal plant wouldhave solved many a problem of themechanized fishing industry, the Cut-bona Boat Owners Union, however, saidthe boat owners will not press for thefish meal plant at Cutbona if the villagersof Velim and Ambelim are opposed tothe project.

Allaying apprehensions of the villagerson the fish meal plant, the boat ownersoffered to meet the villagers along withthe Fisheries Minister Joaquim Alemaoand Director of Fisheries to reassurethem the fish meal project will not takeplace against their wishes.

A boat owner Patrick Cardozo saidthat the boat owners would not mindif the government drops the fish mealproject, but appealed to the governmentto set up ice plant, parking, workshopand other facilities at the jetty to meetthe requirements

Boat Owner Roosevelt Alemao saidthe boat owners will soon have a joint

meeting with the agitating villages toreassured the people that they will notdemand a fish meal plant against theirwishes.

He said the fisheries Minister and theDirector of Fisheries will meet the vil-lage to allay apprehensions on the landacquisition process.

Another boat owner John Barrettosaid the boat owners have been carry-ing out the fishing activity from theCutbona jetty with the support and co-operation of the local villagers. Around300 mechanised fishing boats operatefrom Cutbona. The owners are allGoans, while 50 per cent of the boatowners hail from Velim, Ambelim andBetul. The industry supports around500 families, while around 50,000 aredirectly or indirectly depend on theirlivelihood on the fishing industry, headded.

Barretto said the mechanized boatowners have been facing difficulties inthe drying of fishing and to dispose ofexcess fish catch in recent times. We

were first drying the fish at Zuari andthe activity was later shifted to theVerna plateau, which was stopped afterthe setting up of the industrial estate.Fish drying has been stopped at the Na-queri plateau after the land was acquiredfor the food park. Where are going todry the fish or dispose off the excesscash. On the one hand, villagers stoptrucks transporting fish across the bor-der, while they are opposed to the set-ting up a fish meal plant at the jetty,he said.

We need a fish meal plant, but letthe government give us an alternativeplace if the project at Cutbona isscrapped, he demanded.

The boat owners contended that landadmeasuring 30,000 square meters isrequired at the fishing jetty to provideinfrastructure such as a ice plant, ve-hicular parking, storage etc

Patrick said that fish meal plants setup at Mumbai, Gujarat and other statesalong the west coast would show theyare non-polluting.

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

Agitation by Velim villagers againstthe proposed fish meal plant at theCutbona fishing jetty drew first suc-cess, with the government on Tuesdaydeciding to keep on hold the landacquisition process to acquire landadmeasuring 30,000 square metersfor the project.

The governments decision comesa day before the planned dharnacalled by the Velim villagers near theVelim Panchayat hall on September1 morning to protest against the fishmeal project.

At a high-level meeting held at theresidence of Velim MLA and WaterResources Minister, Filipe Neri Ro-drigues, it was further decided to ap-point a consultant to carry out acomprehensive study on the existingfishing jetty at Cutbona and the re-quirements for further expansion.The meeting was attended by theFisheries Minister, Joaquim Alemao,Land Acquisition Officer, Agnelo Fer-nandes and Velim Sarpanch RenyCaeiro.

The government has decided tokeep on hold the land acquisitionprocess till the consultant submitsits report on all aspects of the fishingjetty, informed Fisheries Minister,Joaquim Alemao after the meeting.

Alemao said the Fisheries depart-ment will invite Expression of Interestto appoint a consultant to not onlystudy the fish meal plant, but all as-pects of expansion of the fishing jetty.

Referring to the objections raisedby the villagers against the project,Alemao threatened to take the fishmeal plant to North Goa.

Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues ex-pressed his happiness that the Fish-

eries Minister has respected the sen-timents of the people who are op-posed to the project. The landacquisition process has been kept onhold. I have requested the FisheriesMinister to carry out a comprehensivestudy on the existing jetty and therequirements of future expansion, in-cluding dredging of the mouth ofRiver Sal, Filipe Neri added.

Deputy Collector, Land AcquisitionOfficer, Agnelo Fernandes told Heraldthat his office will not go ahead withthe land acquisition process followinginstructions from the Fisheries Min-ister.

Velim Sarpanch Reny Caeirothanked the local MLA and the Fish-eries Minister for respecting the sen-timents of the villagers.

The Velim gram Sabha had on Sun-day unanimously resolved to opposethe fish meal project tooth and nailand had vowed to sit on a day-longdharna outside the Panchayat hall onSeptember 1 to protest against therefusal by the fisheries director andthe land acquisition officer to comedown to the village and explain theproject.

Meanwhile, the Velim Civic andConsumer Forum has extended fullsupport to the clarion call for a dharnaon September 1 at 10 am at the VelimPanchayat to oppose the acquisitionof cultivated Khazan lands.

Welcoming the decision of boththe Velim and Ambelim Panchayatsand the gram Sabha resolutions tostrongly oppose the acquisition ofland admeasuring 30,000, Forum Con-venor Ramona Almeida said that thevillages of Velim and Ambelim haverealized the environment impact thisproject will cause to the communityin and around Velim.

Govt puts fish plant land acquisition on hold

Cutbona Boat owners briefing media on their stand on the controversial fish meal plant. Photo by Santosh Mirajkar

Boat owners not to press for facility

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

Panjim Police will shortly issuingnotice to Bollywood actor AjayDevgan to pay a fine of Rs 100for smoking in public while onthe sets of his movie Golmal3 at Inox Courtyard in May.

The police action follows acomplaint filed by the Directorof Health Services RajnanadaDesai to Crime Branch in June,against the actor who was oncefined for smoking in Chandigarh.

Desais complaint was in replyto National Organisation for To-bacco Eradication (NOTE) thatasked Health Services to finethe actor as he did not obey nosmoking in public rule.

The complaint letter wastransferred to North Goa Super-intendent of Police ArvindGawas who in turn has directedPanjim police to issue a noticeof fine of Rs 100 to Devgan for

smoking in public. Deputy Superintendent of Po-

lice Deu Benaulikar said thatthey will issue a fine notice tothe actor, shortly.

NOTE in a complaint to StateTobacco Control Cell and theUnion Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare had asked for astringent action against the Bol-lyywood actor as he was becom-ing a habitual offender of theno smoking in public rule.

Local newspaper had flashedphotographs of Devgan smokingon the sets of the movie at Inoxcourtyard with the film directorRohit Shetty standing an armslength away on May 20.

NOTE General SecretaryShekhar Salkar has already inthe past dragged the Bollywoodicon Amitabh Bachchan andShah Rukh Khan to Court for di-rectly or indirectly promotingsmoking.

Ajay Devgan finedRs 100 for smokingat Inox Courtyard

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

The Carmona Panchayat wit-nessed uproar at the monthlymeeting on Tuesday after Panchmember Orlando Da Si lvaprotested against the refusal bythe sarpanch to discuss the pan-chayat decision to hold inspec-

tion of the Raheja property with-out placing the construction filebefore the panchayat body.

Orlando later lodged a com-plaint with the Colva police al-leging that he was abused andthreatened by three personsduring the meeting. Based onthe complaint, the COlva police

has registered a case againstFrancisco Fernandes, Denzie Fer-rao and Joao Francisco DCostaunder section 353, 504 and 506(2) of the IPC.

On the other hand, SarpanchEstaquio DCosta lodged a com-plaint with the Orlim outpostagainst Orlando for causing dis-

Uproar at Carmona Panchayat meet over Rahejas

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

Saying that the Civic body meansbusiness, Margao MunicipalChief officer Y B Tawde has saidthat the Municipality would gofor attachment of the petrolpumps if the oil companies failsto pay the rent arrears within15 days.

Rejecting the plea of the oilcompanies to grant one monthstime to deposit the rent arrears,the MMC Chief Officer said thatthe Civic body has already

served a notice on Bharat Pe-troleum and Hindustan Petro-l eum to c l ea r the i r duesamounting to nearly Rs 35 lakhswithin 15 days.

We have served the demandnotice on the two oil companies.As per the procedure, around15 days are given to the partiesto clear the arrears within 15days, Tawde said, adding thatthe Civic body would go for at-tachment after the companiesfails to deposit the rent arrearswithin the period.

The Territory manager ofBharat Petroleum had asked theCivic body to grant one monthstime to deposit the rent sincethey have to obtain approval ofhigher authorities for depositof the rent, including arrears.

IN fact, the petroleum com-panies has told the Civic bodythat any action of closing downthe petrol pumps would incon-venience the public, warningthat the situation might lead tolaw and order problem in Mar-gao.

MMC to attach petrol pumps if rent not paid

Local fishermen arrange their nets before venturing into the sea at Caranzalem. Photo by Rozario Estibeiro

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

Education Minister Babush Mon-serrate has assured the All GoaSecondary School Teachers As-sociation to resolve all demandsof the teachers before Sept 5.

The assurance was given toa delegation of the Teachers As-sociation which called on himto discuss all pending issues ofthe teachers, including imple-mentation of Part-B.

Association President VithobaDesai said that Bhaskar Nayakwho is in-charge of distributionof laptops to the teachers, havealso promised to disburse lap-tops to all the applicants before

September 5.The delegation thanked the

Education Minister for hisprompt intervention and com-mitment to fulfill the demandsof the teachers. The delegationhave expressed high hope re-garding the fulfillment of theirdemands and anticipated betterco-operation from the Educa-tion Minister.

Dessai bought to the noticeof the Education Minster thatearlier in V Pay Scales teacherswere paid Part-B Scales whichhave to be automatically carriedin VI Pay Scales. He informedthat while implementing the VIPay Scales the teachers have

been erroneously placed in Part-A Scales which are categoricallyrecommended for untrained andnon-teaching category of em-ployees.

The delegation informed theEducation Minister and the Ed-ucation Secretary that the Edu-ca t ion Depar tment i sdiscriminating and meting stepmotherly treatment to the AidedSchool Teachers. The Ministerwas appraised about the delayin payment of aided schoolteachers and was requested todirect the Education Depart-ment to release Salary, T.A., D.A.,Bonus, Arrears and supplemen-tary bills in time.

Will meet demands beforeSept 5, Babush to teachers

turbances and disruption of themeeting proceedings.

In his complaint, Orlando al-leged that the trio abused himwith filthy language, adding thatone of the accused even chargedtowards him, but was preventedby the police from assaulting him.

He contended that theSarpanch disallowed his requestto raise the issue of serving himthe inspection notice withoutplacing the Raheja constructionfile before the body.

Sarpanch Estaquio, however,stated that Orlando raised apoint which was not listed onthe agenda, adding that he wasready to discuss the issue, butonly after transacting listed busi-ness. But, the panch raised anuproar and disrupted the meet-ing. He even abused me person-ally, the Sarpanch claimed.

The Sarpanch denied that thethree youngsters has abused ormade charged towards Orlandoduring the meeting.

Woman killed under train

wheels at VascoHERALD REPORTER

VASCO, AUG 31

A 40-year-old widow from Kar-nataka, but residing at Asoidon-gri -Chical im died, af ter aspeeding local passenger trainhit her while crossing the railwaytrack near the airport railwaybridge at Chicalim on Tuesdaymorning.

According to Vasco RailwayPolice, Kashturi Gangawa diedwhen she was dashed by speed-ing Vasco-Kulem local train.

It is learnt that the deceasedhad failed to notice the train,as when the train reached underthe bridge and since bushes aregrown up close to the track, shefailed to notice the train whilecrossing the track.

Police informed that the de-ceased was working as labourerin a bottling unit in Sancoaleand she was rushing to catch abus at the airport stop. VascoPolice have registered a case ofunnatural death.

Margao traffic measuresreviewed

HERALD REPORTER

MARGAO, AUG 31

The South Goa district CollectorG P Naik on Tuesday reviewedthe implementation of measuressuggested by the Chief MinisterDigambar Kamat to streamlinetraffic and garbage collection inthe city. The meeting comes fourdays after the Chief Ministercame down on the streets ofMargao to personally take stockof the worsening traffic systemand garbage collection.

Margao Municipal Chief Offi-cer Y B Tawde submitted thatthe Civic body has already takenup the work of clearing treebranches and grass from thepavements. Tawde further in-formed that he has alreadymoved a proposal to Directorof Municipal Administration forfour garbage compactors.

GOA Pg 4GOA, WEDNESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER, 2010

UPCOmiNg EvENTS

OHE

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WEATHER REPORTMax Temp: 29.90C Min Temp: 23.50C

Humidity: 89%

Rainfall past 24 hrs: 022.0 mm

Seasonal Total: 2864.1 mm

Forecast: Occassional spells of rain or thundershower would occur in some areas.

SHORT TAKES

Students, teachers felicitated

The PTA of Government High School, Xeldem, felicitates teach-ers and students in the presence of Curchorem MLA Shyan Sa-tardekar.

CURCHOREM (HC): The Parents Teacher Association of Gov-ernment High School, Xeldem, organized a programme to fe-licitate students and teachers for the impressive results in theboard exams of April 2010.

Curchorem MLA Shyan Satardekar praised the school forgetting cent percent results in a rural school where most stu-dents are from economically backward families.

Principal of Government College, Quepem, Bhaskar Nayak,advised students to be experts in their field of vocation, sinceonly experts can survive and prosper in today's world.

Replying to felicitation by the PTA, Headmaster Shankar PDessai said the school's performance has been due to the hardwork of teachers, students and office staff. He also appreciatedthe parent for the kind cooperation extended by them fromtime- to-time.

Deputy Sarpanch Sidharth Gauns Dessai, PTA Chairman Mo-handas Gauns Dessai and ADEI Y B Valaulikar spoke on the oc-casion.

Sarpanch Benidita Fernandes was also present at the func-tion.

Shekhar A Gauns Dessai compered the programme and laterproposed the vote of thanks.

Bhajani Saptah performed

Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar (extreme left) plays a musi-cal instrument while his brother and Priol MLA Deepak Dhav-likar (extreme right) looks on at the Bhajani Saptah at Bandora.Photo by Amresh Parab

MARCEL (HC): A 24-hour Bhajani Saptah was performed atthe Shri Mahalaxmi temple in Bandora-Ponda.

The Saptah commenced with a ritual performed by PriolMLA Dilip Dhavlikar, brother of Transport Minister SudinDhavlilkar.

Bhajans were sung by various Bhajani Mandals and localsduring the Saptah, which commenced at 12 noon on Fridayand concluded 24 hours later.

According to Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar, the age-old tradition of celebrating the Saptah, which was stoppeddue some reasons, was resumed by his father some nine yearsago.

My family will continue to support this tradition, saidSudin Dhavlikar.

POWER SHUTDOWN

SEPT 1BENAULIM: Between 9 am to 3 pm. Areas affected are Benaulim

Panchayat area, Bhindi, Manddo, Maria Hall, Benaulim beach, Am-bexior area.

SEPT 2COLVA: Between 9 am to 3 pm. Areas affected are Pedda Benaulim,

Canoa, Benaulim, Colva, Per-Seraulim.SIRSAIM: Between 9 am to 4 pm. Areas affected are Sesa Goa,

Bander, Dhangarwado, Sirsaim, Cansa, Petrol Pump, Volvonem,Poira, Sikeri and surrounding areas.

TALEIGAO: From 9 am to 5 pm. Areas affected are NIO substa-tion, Caranzalem, Alto Nagali, NIO Institute, Miramar, Raj Bhavan,Taleigao, Marvel, Odxel, Dona Paula and surrounding areas.

SEPT 3ANJUNA: Between 9 am to 5 pm. Areas affected are Vagator,

Shapora, Zorwado, Chivar, Kumbarwado, Sterling Resort, Bademand Assagao Panchayat areas.

Goa NYC workers in Delhi

NCP President Sharad Pawar along with Nationalist Youth Con-gress workers from Goa.

PANJIM (HND): The Nationalist Youth Congress workersfrom Goa under the leadership of Gregorio Fernandes partic-ipated in the national workshop on Indian Youth- New Per-spective and Horizon in New Delhi recently.

Apart from Fernandes, the other youth who participated inthe workshop included Santosh Divkar, Shankar Naik, PrasannaNagvekar, Anuraj Salgaonkar, Ramrao Rane, Edwin Fernandes,Ram Mandrekar, Pallav Nagvekar and others.

The NYC workers met the Union Minister for Agricultureand NCP president Sharad Pawar, Rajya Sabha member TariqAnwar, Minister for State for Rural Development AgathaSangma, NYC-Goa observer Sonia Gupta and other party lead-ers.

The NYC workers explained in brief the present situationof the party to the NCP president and their aim to strengthenthe party by enrolling youths from all the 40 constituenciesin the State.

The NYC workers also submitted a memorandum to thePresident Pratibha Devi Singh Patil for the implementation ofnational youth agenda.

National Nutrition WeekPANJIM(HND): Every year, the Goa College of Home Science

commemorates the National Nutrition Week from September1 to 7 by organizing numerous activities to create awarenessof the importance of good Nutrition and a healthy life style.

This year the plan includes a host of activities such as a Di-eticians Meet, Nutri Mela (sale of nutritious food), and variouscompetitions. The prizes for the competitions will be sponsoredby Nestle India Ltd.

On September 2 at 2.30 pm there will be a lecture titledrecent developments in food technology by Arun Pantheeradi,Factory Manager, Usgao, Nestle India Ltd, which will be opento the general public.

Interested persons should contact Madhavilatha, faculty atthe college during working hours on tel: 0832 2227603.

Konknni course in roman scriptPANJIM(HND): Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr (TSKK) will

conduct a Konknni Course in Roman script. Konknni coursein Roman script uses a modern linguistic approach to teachKonknni to beginners who either do not know Konknni at allor have some knowledge of Konknni.

Though spoken Konknni will get primary stress, readingKonknni in Roman script will also be insisted upon. Classeswill be held from 9.45 am to 12.45 am from Monday to Fridayfrom September 15 to October 14. Regular attendance willbe insisted upon. Throughout the course there will be test oforal proficiency and reading Konknni in Roman script, says apress release. Admission is strictly on first come first servedbasis. To apply for the course, contact TSKK.

Mass for workersPANJIM(HND): The Holy Eucharist would be celebrated for

workers on September 3 at Mary Immaculate Church, Panjimat 1:15 pm. This mass is being organized by the Directorateof Tourism. A priest will be available for confession from 12:30pm onwards. All are invited to this Thanksgiving celebration,says a press release.

Course in homeopathyPANJIM(HND): Fr M Britto (SJ) from Mumbai will be con-

ducting an In-dept course in homeopathy on September 4and 5 at Lar De Estundates, Altinho Panjim, from 9.30 am to4.30 pm. The course is meant only for those who have attendedhis basic and/or advance course earlier, says a press release.For details contact on 9850783887 or 9822158143.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CORTALIM, AUG 31

Heaps of garbage has been lyingat the entrance of Cortalim fishmarket for the past many dayswith authorities, including pan-chayat officials, preferring to ig-nore the hazard.

In fact, what is alarming isthat the garbage which has be-come a breeding ground forworms which have been goingaround the market place andalso the filthy water generatedfrom the garbage due to rainsis also giving terrible time totraders and public.

Admitting that the garbagehad been lying for the past manydays, Cortal im-QuelossimSarpanch Anthony Miranda saidthe garbage contractor has beeninstructed to clear the garbagebin in the market every 15 days,for which he is paid Rs 2,000.

Miranda further informed thathe had told the market veg-etable vendors that they willhave to dispose off their wasteindependently or enter into ana agreement with the contractorto dispose their garbage by pay-ing the contactor.

They had agreed for this.However, I dont know what hashappened thereafter, Mirandatold Herald and said he wouldget in touch with the contrac-tor.

Meanwhile, in the neighbour-ing Sancoale Panchayat, the

Garbage woes cause nightmare for Cortalim, Sancoale locals

Garbage overflows from the bin at Cortalim fish market. Photo by Alvaro Colaco

garbage issue dominated thefortnightly meeting of the pan-chayat with some memberscomplaining that the contractorwas not clearing the garbagebins.

The members informed thatsince the garbage bills werepending for over two months,the contractor had refused theclear the garbage. They said thatthe gram sabha had requestedthat the bills be kept pendingsince the amount was very high.

The issue came up after twolocals intervened in the meetingalleging that the contractorapart from abusing them was

refusing to clear the bins.Contractor Joaquim Silveira

told Herald that since June thisyear, he had not been paid bythe panchayat. Refuting the al-legations that the amount washigh, Silveira said he had col-lected garbage which was lyingaccumulated for more than 4months.

The earlier garbage contrac-tor had backed out. The BDOtold me to immediately startcollecting the garbage, which Idid and now that some disgrun-tled elements are complainingthat the bill amount is high,Silveira told Herald.

Admitting that the bill forJune-July was high, he said thatthis had happened because hehad to collect accumulatedgarbage.

Silveira further informed thathe had no complaints if the pan-chayat had to give the work toany other contractor. He saidsome locals had spread the wordthat he was paid Rs 60,000 permonth, when in reality not a sin-gle rupee was paid to him sofar.

He said since for the last 2years he was lifting carcass freeof charge although he was en-titled to be paid.

BY HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, AUG 31

Bombay High Court at Goa todayadmitted petition by a localseeking to demolish illegal struc-ture of a prominent five starhotel at Utorda.

The Division Bench compris-ing of Justice D G Karnik andJustice F M Reis admitting thepetition has kept it for final hear-ing after three weeks.

The petitioner, Alexio Pereirahad claimed that the five starresort had undertaken construc-tion of illegal RCC structure(1+1building) in No Develop-ment Zone, violating the law ofthe land.

Through the petition, Pereirahad brought to the court noticethat the said illegal constructionis in violation of the High Courtorder in connection to the writpetition filed by Goa Foundationin 1999.

Till and until the survey andinquiry is completed, no new li-cence for any type of construc-tion in CRZ-III zone shall beissued or granted, and no newstructure of whatsoever natureshall be allowed to be con-structed in CRZ-III zone, theorder reads.

All these directions statedabove are in relation to the CRZ-III zone in Goa in terms of theCRZ notification, it added.

However, the petitioner hadclaimed that the constructionof said illegal structure beginin 2008 in violation of CRZrules.

Advocate J Coelho Pereira,representing petitioner, told

court that though the court hasgranted stay on the constructionwork, the municipality has notyet taken any steps towards de-molishing it.

The High Court in its orderdated October 14, 2009 and Oc-tober 21, 2009 had directed themunicipal council to seal theongoing construction.

The lawyer pointed out thata show cause notice was alsoissued by Goa Coastal ZoneManagement Authority (GCZMA)over illegal structure way backin November 13, 2009, but tilldate no action has been taken.

Advocate Surendra Desai, ap-pearing on behalf of the resortmade it clear that the entire re-sort was built in 1990 after tak-ing valid permissions from theauthorities.

When the resort was built,the CRZ notification was not inforce. The company opted forrenewal of the said licence in2006 and 2007 respectively andaccordingly the work of the newstructure started in 2008, hetold Court.

Objecting to it, Court pointedout how a company can opt fora licence to carryout construc-tion in No Development Zone.

Meanwhile, a writ petitionfiled by Goa Foundation over il-legal structures of the said resortin 1992 would be also taken upfor final hearing along withabove matter.

The resort is in deviation inconstruction approved plan andhas added basement to the mainbuilding without prior permis-sion, the writ petition says.

HC admits petition seeking demolition of

illegal structure at Utorda

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

PORVORIM, AUG 31

Aldona MLA and Goa CricketAcademy (GC A) Pres identDayanand Narvekar on Tuesdayevening inaugurated the rainharvesting project at GCA Por-vorim.

The project has been set upby Environmental wing of LilaTechnologies.

Speaking on the occasion,Narvekar said GCA not only en-sures the state-of-the-art facili-ties for cricketers, but also caresfor environment in and aroundits campus.

It is with same commitmentthat rain water harvesting isimplemented for entire prem-ises and the site, including com-munity ground water recharge.The total cost of the project isabout Rs 10 lakh, informedNarvekar.

The GCA does not dependon tap water from the govern-ment. Instead, it has made itsown arrangement of water bydigging two bore wells, which

caters to the requirement ofwater of Cricket Academy, hesaid.

The rainwater harvestingdone in this campus is an ex-emplary work that sends astrong message of the need forrainwater harvesting to others,said Narvekar.

Narvekar further said theCricket stadium, which will bebuilt at Tivim, will also be envi-ronment friendly stadium.

Rainwater harvesting projectwill also be set up at TivimCricket stadium and the use ofsolar energy will be made. Theexisting infrastructure of the vil-lage will not be disturbed, saidNarvekar.

Officer In-charge of Lila Tech-nologies Pradip V Samokadamstated that this is the first of itskind water harvesting projectin private sector in Goa.

About 30,412 cubic metresof rainwater will be harvestedper year. The rainwater harvest-ing scheme for the premises hasbeen done in two ways, storage

sump for rooftop rainwater aswell as recharge of excess sumpwater to existing bore wellsfrom the administrative buildingand by diverting the storm drainwater to recharge pits providedwith appropriate side bore orcentral recharge bore, saidSamokadam.

Samokadam further informedthat the ground water will berecharged with six rechargestructures, three side rechargebores, two central rechargebores and two storage sumptanks with filters.

The rainwater is distilledwater and hence most of thecontaminations will flow downduring the first week of rain.The rainwater available after thefirst week will be quiet good.By recharging the well andground with rainwater, the qual-ity of ground water also en-hances, said Samokadam.

GCA General Secretary PrasadPhatarpekar welcomed the gath-ering and proposed the vote ofthanks.

GCA concerned about environment: Narvekar

Aldona MLA Dayanand Narvekar inaugurates rain harvesting project at Goa Cricket Academy, Porvorim.Photo by Anil Shankhwalker

Dr Fonsecareleases

book on healthHERALD NEWS BUREAU

PANJIM, AUG 31

Noted pathologist Dr SushilaFonseca has recently releasedher book 'Know Your Fever', ahealth book on various aspectsof fever.

The book explains in simplelanguage how the home care-giver should manage a case offever efficiently and when thecaregiver needs to call the doctor.

The book also describes theillnesses that give rise to a fever,thereby enabling the caregiverto provide the patient with bet-ter home care and help the doc-tor arrive at a final diagnosismore quickly.

The caregiver will also under-stand the doctor's managementof the patient more clearly andtherefore co-operate with the cli-nician in a more effective manner.

The book is available at mostof the leading book-stores inGoa.

Dr Fonseca has been practicingpathology for over 33 years. Shehas worked at BYL Nair Hospital,Mumbai, and Goa Medical Col-lege and at present runs her ownlaboratory in Fontainhas-Panjim.

Her observation of reactionsof worried family members andpatients with fever, over theyears, is what has inspired herto write this book.

Earlier works written by her andpublished by Insight Books (a pub-lication of the Daughters of St Paul,Mumbai) are Good Health Practicesfor the Family, What I Should Knowabout HIV/AIDS (both on non-fic-tion), while her books on fictionare 'The Story of the DiamondRing', 'Touched By Love' and 'Re-becca's Inheritance'.

She also has several healtharticles and short stories pub-lished in some issues of nationalmagazines, like Women's Eraand ALIVE.

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CORTALIM, AUG 31

The digging of road ostensiblyfor laying of water pipeline atLar de Estacao in Cansaulim inthe peak of the monsoons hasperplexed villagers over the mo-tive behind the pipeline.

A villager phoned Herald toinform that he had strongdoubts that the pipeline couldbe for a controversial hotelproject at Primeiro Wado in Vel-sao.

When contacted, SarpanchJose Manuel Fernandes said thepipeline was being laid for somehouses which were facing watershortage.

Fernandes further informedthat during the tenure of thethen sarpanch Blanch BarrosPereira, a resolution was passedto that effect.

Recently, a group of peoplehad come to me to approachPWD Minister Churchill Alemaofor laying of the pipeline, hetold Herald and added that thepipeline was only meant to solve

Laying of water pipeline in Cansaulim raises eyebrows

Labourers dig the road for laying the pipeline at Cansaulim. Photo by Alvaro Colaco

the water crisis in that area.Concurring with the sarpanch,

PWD Assistant Engineer MrKunju denied that the pipelinewas meant was any commercialuse.

He said it was only meant tosolve the water crisis of the peo-ple. He however, could not ex-plain if the PWD had obtainedpermission for road digging say-ing that his Technical AssistantMohan Naik was at the site and

he would be aware of those de-tails.

Khola sarpanch polls on Sept 2

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CANACONA, AUG 31

The nine-member Khola Pan-chayat is set to elect its newsarpanch on September 2.

According to Canacona BDOsources, election for the ap-pointment of Khola Panchayatsarpanch is fixed for Thursdayin the panchayat office.

It may be recalled that thepost had fallen vacant, aftersarpanch Archana Velip wasvoted out of power in a no-con-fidence motion successfullymoved by five panchas.

Since then the charge islooked after by Deputy SarpanchUjwala Velip, who after resigningfrom her post, called back herresignation letter.

Even though a clear confir-mation is still evading, sourcesinformed that Ujwala Velip istipped to be the next sarpanchof Khola when the panchas willmeet on Thursday to elect a newsarpanch.

There are reportedly movesfrom one of the panchas to con-test the sarpanch elections, re-vealed the sources.

POWER LINE WARNINGNewly laid underground 11KV

power cable lines in the VillagePanchayat areas of Nagoa, Verna,Nuvem and part of Majorda (Ma-jorda S/S, Calata, KorillowadaMajorda Church and Guirim),fed from Majorda S/S and VernaS/S, along with its associatedequipments will be test and willremain charged thereafter.

Sewing machines distributedPANJIM(HND): The Rotary Club of Dabolim distributed 30

sewing machines to needy women in and around the Bog-malo-Chicalim area. Out of the machines distributed, 15 arehand operated while the rest are foot operated.

The sewing machines were obtained through a matchinggrant programme from 3 International Rotary clubs, viz RCOceanside, RC Baltic Riga and Rotary e-club of District 7890from USA. The programme was carried out at the premises ofthe Bogmalo Panchayat in the presence of Dabolim Club Pres-ident, Rtn Avez Mohidin, Secretary, Rtn. Amit Tapadia, RtnPrakash Saraswat of RC Vasco-da-Gama and Rtn. Bharat Kamatof Rotary e-club of District 7890.

Also present at the function were Urbano Rodrigues -Sarpanch VP Bogmalo Chicolna, Laxuman Kaulekar - PresidentGomantak Dhangar Samaj Onnati Mandal and member VPBogmalo Chicolna and other members of VP Bogmalo ChicolnaArun Naik, Shalini Lucas and Sebastiana D'Cruz, says a pressrelease.

GOA, WEDNESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER, 2010Pg 5

GOAGOA, WEDNESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER, 2010

Pg 7OHERALD

OVrundavan

Hospital organises

medical campHERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, AUG 31

Vrundavan Hospital and Re-search Centre, Mapusa organ-ized a free diabetes detection,general medicine and an eyecheck-up camp recently at Trin-ity Church Community Hall, Ar-pora in association with RoyalGoan Beach Club, Baga and theLions club of Arpora and Nagoa.

Agnelo Dias, Sarpanch of Ar-pora inaugurated the camp inthe presence of Dr DigambarNaik, renowned ConsultantPhysician and Cardiologist andfounder of Vrundavan Hospitaland Research Centre, Jatin Naik,advocate and president of 'UttGoyankara', Caetan D'Mello,Marketing Manager for RGBC,Navnath Naik, marketing exec-utive for RGBC and Khalil Saeed,ex- sarpanch of Arpora.

Dr Digambar Naik then edu-cated the gathering by giving alecture on 'diabetes- a life styledisease.'

Dr Digambar Naik along withVrundavan Medical team con-sisting of Dr Swati Kumar URS,Dr Pandurang Shiralkar, Dr NitinSawant, Dr Soniya Choudharywere then seen examining thepatients and offering them spe-cialist consultation.

The camp ended with a voteof thanks given by Agnelo Dias,Sarpanch of Arpora.

Vrundavan Hospital has beenconstantly organizing camps inthe fields of Cardiology, Nephrol-ogy, Orthopedic, Vascular Dis-eases as part of its socialresponsibility and has been fe-licitated on a number of occa-sions, says a press release.

Vidya VikasMandal

celebrate Founders Day

HERALD NEWS DESK

PANJIM, AUG 31

Vidya Vikas Mandal celebratedtheir 39th Founders Day in KareLaw College Hall, Margao re-cently with Chief Secretary San-jay Kumar Shrivastav as the chiefguest. Prof Dileep Deobagkar,VC of Goa University was theguest of honour.

The key note speaker for thefunction was Adv Ramakant Khalap.

R G Kare, President of VidyaVikas Mandal welcomed thegathering. On this occasion theMandal felicitated Prof DileepDeobagkar.

The Mandal also felicitatedthe senior teachers of the insti-tution for their service in theMandal over the years, whichincluded G G Kondli and V GPatil from Damodar College, RaviKunkolienkar and Manoj Hedefrom Kare Law College, PrincipalV V Powar and V K Garge, fromRMS Higher Secondary, HildaBarbosa and Shamim from VidyaVikas Academy.

The Mandal also felicitatedretiring teachers M E Abranchesand Florence Rebello both fromDamodar College and G M Naikfrom RMS Higher Secondary. Therankers were also felicitated. Thefounder members of the Mandalwere felicitated, RG Kare, thepresident Vasant Virginkar, ShanuPai Panandikar, U N Bene, GaneshDaivajna and Sheela Gaunekarwere felicitated.

On this occasion the PostGraduate Diploma in BusinessJournalism was inaugurated. Thefunction was concluded by a voteof thanks by Vice-President ofthe Mandal, Ganesh Daivajna.

Studentsfelicitation

functionorganised

HERALD CORRESPONDENT

CURCHOREM, AUG 31

The Parents Teacher Associationof Government High School, Xel-dem, organized a programmeto felicitate students and teach-ers for the impressive results inthe board exams of April 2010.

Curchorem MLA Shyan Sa-tardekar praised the school forgetting cent percent results ina rural school where most stu-dents are from economicallybackward families.

Principal of Government Col-lege, Quepem, Bhaskar Nayak,advised students to be expertsin their field of vocation, sinceonly experts can survive andprosper in today's world.

Replying to felicitation by thePTA, Headmaster Shankar P Des-sai said the school's perform-ance has been due to the hardwork of teachers, students andoffice staff. Deputy SarpanchSidharth Gauns Dessai, PTAChairman Mohandas Gauns Des-sai and ADEI Y B Valaulikar spokeon the occasion.

Match fixingS N D Poojary, Miramar

Cricket is supposed to be a game of gloriousuncertainty. The bookies and match fixersare trying to reduce that degree of uncer-tainty.

Presently, cricket has become a hostageto business houses. There is more focus onmoney than the game. Cricketers have stick-ers of different products all over the body,as if they are house-to-house salesmen.Where there is big money, corruption andmatch fixing cannot be far behind.

There is a need to go back to traditionalcricket, with white dress, unblemished batsand regular caps. Ban business houses fromthe game!

Thick & thin skinsDr Dominic Dias, Nuvem

New, but not necessarily improved (A fistfull of salt, Herald Mirror, 29 August), saysthat the new team in charge of the columndoes not like Dr Oscar crying all over themedia (your words) about allegations.

When you accuse a politician (your USP)of corruption, extortion, drug peddling oreven murder, it does not really affect him.No politician in the history of LiberatedGoa has resigned after an allegation. Theyare thick skinned, immune, and ignore it.

But ordinary mortals like Dr Oscar arehonourable men, who do not like theirreputations to be sullied publicly. Theywould rather resign than bear their namesbeing spoilt. But evidently, that does notmake sense to you.

It was good of you to admit that ulti-mately, you are interested only in boostingyour sales, and a court case will help youdo that To hell with journalism for acause? Thanks for telling us that.

Realism and illusionSoter DSouza, Socorro

The news report Dr Oscar against devel-opment affecting ethos, culture of state(Herald, 31 August) does not spell out whatsort of development, in the opinion of thisreasonable realist would affect the ethosand culture of the state. Is the politics ofmaking emotional and vague statementsrealistic, in terms of entertaining thegullible public and, at the same time, notantagonising the exploitative forces?

Does not the in-migration of the rich withtheir posh lifestyles into our villages, affectthe ethos and culture? Do not gated com-munities in our villages impact the ethosand culture? If Gram Sabhas opposing thistype of development is anarchy, Dr Oscar,please tell us what is democratic develop-ment?

A suitable candidateMiguel Vas, by email

It is indeed a pleasant surprise, to learnfrom Its mix and match at Betalbatim!(Herald, 30 August) that Avertano Furtadois seen as a probable candidate in Navelimagainst Churchill Alemao. I whole-heartedlywelcome this news.

Furtado comes from a family that has tra-ditionally steered the destiny of Navelimvillage his father, the late Mr Jose Furtado,was its first Sarpanch. Regrettably, this familyhas played second fiddle to people of far

lesser calibre than themselves in politics. Avertano is a gentleman. He is kind, soft-

spoken and always ready to lend a helpinghand. I wish him every success and urgethe people of Navelim to support him, sothat he can clean the Aegean stables ofNavelim politics.

Crickets JudasesSebastian A Mascarenhas, Siolim

Cricket just got hit for another six by spotfixing (Herald, 30 August). It brought mem-ories of match fixing by the erstwhilecaptain of the Indian cricket team inyears gone by.

Spot fixing has really undermined thegame, and cricket is the appalling loser. Thegentlemans game has been sacrificed atthe altar of Mammon. Gambling in Cricketshould be nipped in the bud. The Judaseshave found new ways to destroy this lovelygame.

Justice for Naresh?Arwin Mesquita, Abu Dhabi

I am sure that many like me are growing in-creasingly impatient that Naresh Douradosmurderers have still not been found. Thebrutality of the murder should have thrown

up a lot of evidence. For the Goa Police tosay the case is 60 per cent cracked is asgood as saying it is zero per cent cracked;that is the sorry state of affairs of the policeforce today.

Dabolim pilferage racket Jerome Goes, London

Breakthrough in Dabolim fuel pilferageracket (Herald, 27 August) is amusing.Petroleum pilferage operations have beengoing on for years, not only at Alto Dabolim,but also at Sancoale and Loutolim, wherethere was a fire and a person was killedsome years back.

Is it time for Goans to start taking thelaw in their own hands? They have lost faithin the politicians, the police and the au-thorities, who should have put stop to thispetroleum pilferage and adulteration racketyears ago.

Not 500 years!John Abreu, President, Comunidade ofTaleigao

The news item Taleigao Comunidade cele-brates 500 years (Herald, 21 August) is in-correct. The Portuguese led by Afonso de

Albuquerque re-conquered Goa on 25 No-vember 1510. As such, the special privilegeaccorded by the Portuguese to TaleigaoGauncars to present the first corn to theGovernor of Goa certainly did not take placein August 1510. Therefore, the 2010 feastcannot be the completion of 500 years ofKonnsanchem Fest in Taleigao.

Anti-Christian remarksCol Cyril P DSouza (Retd), Calangute

The recent remarks by Khanapur BJP MLAPrahlad R are to be condemned by one andall. The MLA said that Indians need toweed out Christians. What does he meanby this, when he has received most of hiseducation from Catholic institutions? Suchstatements only go to show what is on themind of hardcore BJP elements. And the BJPis trying to woo minority votes in Goa?

Idle jewelleryMichael Vaz, Merces

Mondays newspapers say that jewelleryworth Rs2,000 crore is lying idle in Goashouseholds, temples and churches. The re-port has surfaced on the eve of the GoldenJubilee of Goas Liberation.

It would be meaningful if due thought isgiven to utilising this wealth to alleviatethe sufferings of the masses, without barriersof religion, region or caste.

Public, not policeJulius Carvalho, Dubai

It is great injustice for Herald to show a pic-ture of thieves caught by alert Dabolim res-idents posing with Vasco police. They wereapprehended by the public, but the photomakes it look as if PSI Filomena DCostaand her team arrested them!

The cops were sleeping all these days,and thieves were having a great time. Finally,when apprehended by the alert public, theshameless cops got their picture clickedwith the thieves. You should have shownthe picture of those brave persons whocaught the thieves. The DGP should rewardthem, so that in future the public will keepcloser watch on suspicious persons in theirneighbourhoods.

A Remote controlled lornatic!

The other day I caught up briefly with a col-lege friend of many moons ago. As his wifeand son were browsing titles in the book-

shop, we both got chatting. How, my lawyer-friend asked me, is the media scene doing thesedays?

For some time now, I have been convinced thatthe media and journalists are undergoing a rapidand unrecognisable metamorphosis. Contrary tomy usual optimistic approach, I think we definitelyneed to be concerned here. From being respectedwatchdogs of citizens interests, the media isbeing increasingly seen as opportunistic, selfish,subservient to the powers-that-be and participantsin varied motivated games. This is not an exercisein throwing stones. It affects us all, accredited orotherwise, freelancers or full-timers, columnistsor contributors, humble proof reader to editor.

This changing perception is not entirely withoutreason. The logic of sheer numbers explains thingsin part. The media has grown phenomenally. Morepapers are fighting fiercer competition battles.And in the media marketplace, you can bet itsdefinitely NOT the best man or woman who wins!(This is not to suggest that the Press worked finein the past. There was definitely cause for concernthen too; but awareness simply wasnt that high.)

Anusha Rizvis first directorial venture Peepli[Live] has made audiences do a quick rethinkabout the efficacy and idiocy of particularly thetelevision media. But we need to extend that de-bate to ask questions about a wider section ofwhat is increasingly becoming the Froth Estate(intentional typo!), whether it is electronic or print.

Some may see Peepli [Live] as a satire on farmersuicides. But thats just the peg. The real story isabout an increasingly trivialised Indian media.But trivialisation is not the only issue.

Of course sensationalism sells. The sound byteis most important in the TV, satellite and cableworld. After years of official domination and abelated launch (as far as the private sector goes)in our small state, the idiot box is turning in-creasingly influential in Goa too.

It is an agenda-setter here. But this trend isnot restricted to the small screen. Mainstreammedia in Goa, too, is focused on a narrow defi-nition of what is news, and each paper tries to

look more like the other. If one newspaper landsa sensational story, the others staff could be lam-basted for not getting it first!

A generation ago, even till the early 1980s,media in Goa was a monopoly. The Navhind Timesdominated the English language scene, while(Marathi) Gomantak ruled the other side of thelinguistic fence. Experiments at creating a peoplespaper in Konkani (Novem Goem) soon came un-stuck. There were just a handful of accreditedcorrespondents. Most were close to the govern-ment of the day (whichever the party), and theycomprised a small circle that was very influential,chummy and largely closed to new entrants. Inthose times, if one even managed to get a letter-to-the-editor published, it was possible to drawa whole lot of attention through it.

A little earlier, Goa of the 1960s saw the demiseof the Portuguese-language media (except forOHeraldo, which continued till 1983). Its replace-ment was a more commercialised, more populist,yet just as closed media, closely aligned with in-dustry, particularly mining, which was speedilygaining in clout.

That death of the Portuguese-era media wasonly to be expected. It had been discredited,thanks to its close links with the colonial power,and its existence was politically incorrect (and

inconvenient too) for post-1961 governments. Itrepresented an elite fast overtaken by events.

* * * Peepli [Live] catches attention. It became the

first film from India to reach the highly regardedSundance Film Festival. How thinly-disguised itsfiction is, is anybodys guess. No wonder it drewattention from journalists, including on Delhi-based media critic Sevanti Ninans website, the-hoot.org.

But we, in tiny Goa, seem to lack the gene thatallows us to be critical of our past. We are alsoforgetful and dont invest too much time or energyin such matters. Who can forget that the firstpart of the 20th century in Goa was spent in ob-durate caste battles among the Catholics (Bamonsversus Chardos), which spilled over into the mediatoo? Newspaper wars on caste lines now seemunimaginable (though caste rivalry among Hindusshaped post-Liberation politics).

In more recent times, we have little-noticedproxy battles and lobby wars of other kinds thatdominate our media. In the last decade or so,the media has got polarised on political lines.Even at news conferences, the bias becomes veryclear. Depending on who is in the line of fire,news conferences can get abruptly terminated,or dragged along a particular direction.

Party lines in Goa means a pseudo-war be-tween the Congress and the BJP. This is strange,given that the two parties are like Siamese twins,whose politicians hop across party lines withalacrity. Neither offers policies that would makea difference to the lives of the people or build asustainable future for Goa.

The Congress, being in power, naturally hasthe ability to influence journalists and win themover. But dont be misled into thinking that themain rival contender for power, the BJP, hasntmanaged to consolidate its influence in the media.

BJP-friendly journalists were given plum postswhen a newspaper loosely affiliated with theparty was launched. Ideologies of communalism,casteism, even pseudo-spiritualism, or the verygenuine concern over corruption in Congresstimes, are all harnessed to push the partys chances.This cannot but skew media functioning.

In recent times, we have seen tiny newspapersset the agenda by raking up all kinds of communalflames and creating an agenda that a wider groupbuys into. They do so knowing fully well that thestate is neither keen on tackling communalism,nor is the vitriol read by those who would noticethe communal bias and be concerned about it.

The media, in its rush to earn even faster is failing in its commitment to voice the peoplesconcerns. Being ad-driven, our newspapers areabout the cheapest in the world. But what goodis that if the reader is seen as almost dispensable,and is no longer given the importance (s)he once was?

We let politicians use newspapers to settlescores. Mickky Pacheco can grab the headlinesby targeting John Fernandes. Ravi Naik will turnthe heat on Mickky in turn. Ravis number willcome next The media doesnt seem to be leastconcerned about being made use of to settlesomeone elses scores, as long as such dramascreate some sensation and fuel sales, of course.

Young television journalists in Goa are willingto talk about the pressures to constantly breakhot news, and keep story-sizes down to minimum.All this is good for business, and draws both au-diences and advertisers. But what does it do forjournalism? Goa will have to wait for its ownPeepli [Live] before we even start thinking deeperabout these new trends.

OPINIONwww.oheraldo.in

Pg8Vol No CX No: 221

Goa, Wednesday 1 September, 2010

Letters to the EditorLetter of the Day

Golden or gold-plated jubilee?Jonas Correia, Aldona

Goa is gearing up for the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Liberation on 19 December.On the 10th Anniversary, there was a special midnight Assembly session, whenlegislators bragged about their achievements. The late M Boyer in one of his songshad responded that the number of murders in Goa during those 10 years had surpassedthose during 450 years of Portuguese rule!

Apart from murders, rapes, frauds, bribery, drugs, cheating, corruption, forgeries,manipulations, suicides, accidents, defections, bail jumping, countermanding, robberies,thefts, scams, deforestation, illegal mining, debauchery, anticipatory bails, waningagriculture, misrepresentations, peddling, molestation, migrants, garbage, hill cutting,illegal constructions, etc, words strange to most of us before Liberation, its greatestgift to us is the GRILL, starting with the front door. A luxury in Portuguese times, ithas now become a necessity for peaceful living in free India, and virtually made usprisoners in our own homes.

Could we say, without exaggeration, that it will be more of a gold-plated anniversarythan a golden one?

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