Page 8 - Goa

Maha minister orders special audit of work done on Mumbai-Goa Highway

Maharashtra Minister Ravindra Chavan on Sunday said he has ordered a special audit of the work done on the Mumbai-Goa Highway in the last 12 years and reason for the delay in the project. The PWD minister's announcement has come a day after he got stuck in traffic for more than two hours on the highway while inspecting the ongoing repair work on the route. The Navi Mumbai traffic police has banned the movement of heavy vehicles on Mumbai-Goa highway from Sunday till the end of the Ganesh festival to be held next month. Talking to reporters after an event in Dombivili town, Chavan said Rs 4,500 crore have been disbursed for the project, but under some pretext the work has been delayed. A special audit will be conducted on the work done on the project over the last 12 years, he said. The work on the highway will be completed by end of this year, Chavan said, adding that a lane of the highway will be opened for people from Konkan who are travelling for the upcoming Ganesh ...

By 2040, we want to create 'atmanirbhar' India: Prez Murmu in Goa assembly

Earlier, the President was accorded a warm welcome at the assembly complex by Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant

Flight passengers asked to reach airport early as Prez Murmu on Goa visit

President Droupadi Murmu will arrive on a three-day visit to Goa on Tuesday during which she will address the state legislative assembly and also participate in the Goa University's convocation ceremony, a government official said. On Tuesday, Murmu will lay a wreath at the Martyr's Memorial at Azad Maidan in state capital Panaji and also attend a civic reception in the Raj Bhavan, the official said. On Wednesday, Murmu will attend the Goa University's convocation ceremony at Durbar Hall in the Raj Bhavan. She would later interact with members of vulnerable tribal groups in the coastal state, he said. The President will also address the state legislative assembly on Wednesday, the official said. The Goa police have appealed to people scheduled to take flights from the Dabolim airport on Tuesday evening to reach the airport early due to restricted traffic movement owing to the President's visit. State Director General of Police Jaspal Singh in a post on X on Monday said, In view of

LIVE: Pak's caretaker PM gives Rs 2 mn each to 100 Christian families

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

President Murmu to be on three-day Goa visit from Tuesday, says official

President Droupadi Murmu will arrive on a three-day visit to Goa on Tuesday during which she will address members of the legislative assembly and also participate in the Goa University's convocation ceremony, a government official said. On Tuesday, she will lay a wreath at the Martyr's Memorial at Azad Maidan in state capital Panaji and also attend a civic reception in the Raj Bhavan, the official said. On Wednesday, Murmu will attend the Goa University's convocation ceremony at Durbar Hall in the Raj Bhavan. She would later interact with members of vulnerable tribal groups in the coastal state, he said. The President will also address legislators at the state assembly complex on Wednesday, the official said. On Thursday, Murmu will visit Fort Aguada, a 17th-century Portuguese structure in North Goa. She will also visit the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a church housing relics of 16th century saint Francis Xavier in Old Goa. Murmu will also visit the famous Shantadurga temple in Ponda be

No one should teach us about environment: Goa Minister on tiger reserve

Goa Minister Subhash Phal Desai on Saturday spoke on the issue of declaring the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and surrounding areas as a tiger reserve by claiming "no one should teach us on how to protect the environment". The Goa Bench of Bombay High Court last month ordered that the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary and surrounding areas be declared as a tiger reserve. Phal Desai said the state government has already decided to challenge the HC order. Speaking about the tiger reserve issue, Phal Desai said at least 600 people from his constituency will have to be displaced after the areas are declared as a tiger reserve, adding that people living in the forest are already facing difficulties due to notification of Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary. "We can't face more difficulties. Right now even to construct houses on our own properties in these areas, we have to struggle to get permissions from the forest authorities," he claimed. "People living in the forest areas have respect for the environ

Failure to pay charges in time by Goa police led to late fee payment: CAG

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the Goa Assembly on Thursday said failure of the state police department to pay annual spectrum charges to the Union government resulted in avoidable payment of late fee of Rs 2.39 crore. The CAG report was tabled in the House by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on the last day of the Monsoon session. "The main duty of the state police force is to maintain law and order and wireless communication systems play an important role in this function. The Union ministry of communication is responsible for facilitating faster means of communication through the allotment of necessary spectrum," the report said. "The failure of the police department to pay spectrum charges in timely manner resulted in avoidable payment of Rs 2.39 crore as late fees for the period of 2018-19 to 2020-21. The department was required to pay annual licence fee plus royalty amounting to Rs 0.20 crore from 2004 to 2012 and Rs 0.47 crore from April 2012 to

Goa assembly amends Act to curb littering of single use or reusable plastic

The Goa assembly on Wednesday amended a legislation to enable manufacturers of single use or reusable plastic to levy deposit on sale of items that come in plastic packaging, and facilitate refund of the amount by vendors once a buyer returns the packaging. The assembly, which is having its monsoon session, passed the amendment to the Goa Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1996, which was tabled by state Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral. The minister said the amendment will enable manufacturers of single use or reusable plastic to levy deposit on sale of items. The deposit can be refunded to the buyer once he returns the packaging of the item to the vendor. Cabral after the amendment, a lot of counters will be set up in Goa where people can return the plastic packaging and get back money. If someone buys a PET bottle of Rs 10, he will be charged Rs 10 extra. This way we intend to curb plastic menace under the non-biodegradable Act, he said. The minister said the amendment

Nearly 90% youth trained at skill centre employed at Mopa airport: Goa CM

Nearly 90 per cent of students who underwent training at the Aviation Skill Development Centre (ASDC) are now employed at Manohar International Airport (MIA) in Mopa, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the state legislative assembly on Tuesday. Responding to a question tabled by Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, the chief minister said while the objective of the ASDC is to train the youth of Goa to find employment in the industry, it does not, however, guarantee a job. A total of 1,032 youths underwent training at the ASDC, of which 991 have been absorbed to work at the MIA as on June 30, he said, adding that the trend may not continue in the future, as most of the vacancies at the airport are already filled. When MLAs Jit Arolkar (Mandrem), Venzy Viegas (Benaulim) and other legislators questioned ASDC's future, Sawant said that the centre will continue functioning with the introduction of new courses like hospitality. The youth of the state are getting skilled at the centre and will h

Goa issued licences to more than 7,000 migrant workers since 2019: Minister

The Goa government has issued licences to more than 7,000 migrant workers under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979 over the last four and a half years, state Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserratte informed the legislative assembly on Monday. In a written reply to a question by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, the minister said 7,192 migrant labourers were issued licences since 2019 under the Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act, 1979 and the Rules made thereunder. As per the annexure provided on the floor of the House, 49 licences were issued covering 2,292 migrant labourers in 2019, followed by 26 covering 1,328 labourers in 2020, 26 licences for 1,477 labourers in 2021 and 31 for 1,702 in 2022. The state government has issued six licences covering 393 labourers so far this year, the reply stated. The identification of migrant workers is being done strictly in accordance with provisions of the Inter State Migrant Workmen ...

Crop losses reported in parts of Goa due to extreme rainfall, says minister

Goa Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik on Monday informed the state legislative assembly that crop losses have been reported in parts of the state due to extreme rainfall last month. Naik was responding to a joint question tabled by MLAs Vijai Sardesai, Cruz Silva and Carlose Fereira. As per the annexure provided by the minister on the floor of the House, farmers from Bardez, Canacona, Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem and Sattari talukas have made claims for compensation for crop losses due to incessant rains in the coastal state. Extreme forest fires and unusually high temperatures have not caused major crop losses in the state since June 1, 2020, the minister said. In a reply to a question about providing weather warnings to farmers, Naik said there is no special plan or protocol for agriculture disaster risk management or crisis management with state agromet service centres (IMD). However, the agromet advisory bulletin for Goa issued by the Meteorological Centre, Goa and by ICAR-CCARI, Old G

IIT Goa gets solar-powered weather monitoring station under US-India collab

As part of the collaboration between the USA and India, the City University of New York (CUNY) has installed a solar-powered weather monitoring station at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa. The weather station at IIT Goa, located at Farmagudi village in South Goa, was installed on Tuesday, paving the way for a series of other such installations in the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, those linked to the project said. Neal Philip, Professor from Bronx Community College of the CUNY, said the project was funded by the US Consulate General, Mumbai. The project is part of a collaboration between CUNY and IIT Goa. "This is our first project and we are looking forward to more such projects," he said. Philip said it is a solar-powered modular system. "You can have regular weather information, temperature, humidity, solar radiation, UV radiation, moisture, air quality and other things with this station," he said. "It has a lot of facilities other than the normal weather stat

Goa assembly: All 7 Oppn members suspended for 2 days following protest

All seven opposition members of the Goa legislative assembly were suspended for two days on Monday after they protested and created a ruckus on the floor of the House over Manipur violence. The suspended members are Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Congress MLAs Altone D'Costa and Carlos Ferreira, AAP's Venzy Viegas and Cruz Silva, Goa Forward Party's Vijai Sardesai, and Viresh Borkar of Revolutionary Goans Party. After Question Hour, Alemao demanded a discussion on Manipur violence on the floor of the House, claiming that the private members' resolution moved last Friday by Cruz Silva on the issue was disallowed by Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar. All opposition members, dressed in black, started creating a ruckus on the House floor. The Speaker said that the entire country is sensitive about the issue. The Union home ministry is dealing with the issue. The issue is discussed in Parliament. We cannot allow discussion on the issue on the floor of the House, the Speaker ruled. Unhappy wit

Goa's Manohar International employee arrested for bomb hoax call: Police

A 22-year-old man working at the Manohar International Airport in Goa was arrested for allegedly making a hoax call about a bomb at the airport on Saturday afternoon, police said. The police control room received a call around 4.45 pm informing about the planting of a bomb "at airport", said North Goa district Superintendent of Police Nidhin Valsan. Both the airports in the coastal state Manohar International Airport at Mopa and Dabolim Airport, Vasco were put on alert, but the bomb warning turned out to be a hoax. Mopa police traced the call to Kundan Kumar who is currently working at Manohar International Airport, the SP said. Kumar, who hails from Bihar, confessed to making the call in an inebriated condition, he said. A First Information Report was registered against Kumar under Indian Penal Code sections 505 (1)(b) (causing fear or alarm to public), 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication). The accused was arrested and .

Scrapping more than 15-years-old vehicles to cost Goa Rs 95 cr: Minister

The implementation of a policy to scrap vehicles that are more than 15 years old will cost Goa Rs 95.85 crore, state transport minister Mauvin Godinho said in the Assembly on Friday. There are 520 vehicles belonging to the Centre, state government, civic bodies and transport undertakings that are more than 15 years old, he said. "The Registered Vehicle Scrappage Policy was notified on May 10, 2023. The estimated cost of replacing these (520) vehicles is Rs 95.85 crore," he said during the Monsoon session of the Assembly. Godinho said the policy is an intervention for climate change, he added.

Lupin announces USFDA warning letter resolution for Goa, Pithampur plants

Drug maker Lupin on Thursday said it has resolved manufacturing issues raised by the US health regulator regarding its Goa and Pithampur-based manufacturing facilities. The company has received a correspondence from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) that it (Lupin) has now addressed the concerns raised in the warning letter for its facilities in Goa and Pithampur Unit-2, the drug firm said in a statement. This comes after the satisfactory evaluation of the corrective actions taken by the company in response to the Warning Letter issues by the USFDA on November 6, 2017, it added. "We are pleased to be informed by the USFDA that we have addressed the concerns through our corrective actions related to the November 2017 warning letter. We are committed to being compliant with good manufacturing practices, and to uphold global quality standards and ensuring the quality of our products," Lupin MD Nilesh Gupta said. A warning letter is issued when the US health regulator finds t

Adopting name 'INDIA' will not change opposition's nature: Goa CM Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said even though opposition parties have adopted the name 'INDIA' for their alliance, it will not change their "nature". Truth doesn't change! Adopting the name I.N.D.I.A. will not change the nature of opposition whose politics and policies are against the interests of India and Indians, he tweeted.

Goa govt files complaint against Uber, accuses it of operating illegally

The Goa government has filed a police complaint against Uber India Systems Private Limited accusing the company of illegally operating its services in the coastal state. Earlier last week, Uber announced its services in Goa, including airport pick-up and drop. State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho told reporters on Tuesday that his department has filed a formal complaint against Uber for operating in the tourist state without taking any permission. He said that his department has asked the police to take action against the app-based taxi aggregator. We had sent an email to the cyber crime (cell) last week but on Monday, we gave a formal letter to the cyber crime cell, Godinho said. The minister said the government has already announced that Goa will not allow app-based taxi aggregators Ola and Uber to operate in the state. Assistant Director Transport Francisco Vaz has filed the complaint against Uber with the cyber crime cell. As per the complaint, Uber has been offering rides

Mumbai cops receive hoax call of explosives-laden tanker heading to Goa

The Mumbai Police on Sunday received a call claiming an explosives-laden tanker was headed towards Goa, an official said, adding the call turned out to be a hoax. An unidentified person called up the Director General of the Police control room in Mumbai in the afternoon and said a tanker filled with explosives was on the Mumbai-Goa highway. Police intercepted the tanker, whose description was given by the caller, at Sangameshwar, 290 km from Mumbai, in Ratnagiri district, the official said. Police checked the tanker but didn't find any suspicious material and allowed it to proceed with the onward journey, he added. Further investigation is underway.

Goa to ensure 100% renewable electricity supply by 2050: CM Sawant

Goa will ensure 100 per cent renewable energy-based electricity supply to all the demand sectors by 2050 or even much earlier, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Saturday. The chief minister was speaking at the launch of Goa's clean energy roadmap 2050 during the ongoing G20 Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and 8th Mission Innovation (MI) Meeting. Guided by Goa's Energy Vision, and following the Clean Energy Roadmap's analysis, Goa is certain that it will ensure 100 per cent renewable-based electricity supply to all demand sectors by 2050, or even much earlier, Sawant said. He said Goa is on the path of optimally harnessing solar power and the state Solar Policy is focused on household generation of clean energy. "We have already increased solar power generation sevenfold since 2019, the chief minister added. Sawant said his government was committed to transforming Goa's tourism sector, making it among the first global green tourist hotspots. A strategic roadmap for this is alrea