CYCLE OF TERROR
‘Absent’ Yemen students spell alarm in Goa
Post-Blasts, Arab Pupils Worry Cops
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: An institute teaching foreign students how to speak English shouldn’t be a security concern. But, then again, schools teaching students how to fly planes weren’t in the pre-9/11 era. The fact that there is an institute in Goa with 42 Yemenese students, all with poor attendance record, has security agencies alarmed in the wake of the consecutive serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Police say the presence of so many students with “dodgy’’ credentials from a country known to have contributed substantial number of footsoldiers to Al-Qaida’s jihad is worrying, but the school authorities, while admitting that 42 of the 44 students were from Yemen, say there is nothing illegal about it.
However, the Goa police have written to various state government authorities as well as the Goa University drawing their attention to the functioning of “Fluency Academy’’ located at a commercial building in Panaji. “We are verifying to ensure that there is no terrorist angle. Things are not in order in the institute and we want to be sure that it is not a front for any terrorist organisation. Prevention is better than cure,’’ North Goa SP Bosco George told TOI.
Police said this is perhaps the first instance where Arabs are coming on student visas to study in an educational institute that is not recognized by any government or university body. All the institute has is a trade licence from the Corporation of City of Panaji. Even that licence expired on March 31. “They have not obtained any NOC from the state government nor has Goa University issued any affiliation to the institute. Such institutes operating in the state are a big problem,’’ said director of higher education Bhaskar Nayak.
Panaji police inspector Francis Corte said they had checked the attendance of the 42 Yemenese students and found them to be “very poor’’. The police are now probing what these students have been up to. “With the increasing threat perception in the state, we want to be sure that these students are really here to study,’’ he said. Corte added that the police were also in the process of identifying other institutes that are not recognized and have foreign students.
July 28, The Times of India, Mumbai edition
Friday, August 15, 2008
Cops ban crackers for Ganesh fest
Cops ban crackers for Ganesh fest
Tight Security Measures In Place To Avoid Communal Disturbances
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: As part of tight security measures to be put in place during the forthcoming Ganesh festival, no firecrackers will be permitted during the immersion procession or any where near the Sarvajanik Ganesh venues in Goa.
Unlike previous years, this year tight security arrangements will be made at all Sarvajanik Ganesh venues, as the Goa police anticipate the possibility of communal disturbances during the festival, especially in the wake of blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore and the recent communal tension in Margao.
To avoid any trouble, DGP B S Brar issued a circular on July 31, 2008, directing all police officials to ensure that no firecrackers or fancy fireworks are burst or displayed near the venues.
Even during the procession or immersion of the idol, no fireworks would be permitted.
Apart from controlling the crowd, to avoid a stampede which could arise in the event of a panicky situation, police will guard the entry and exit points of the venues. They will also have to keep a close watch to prevent unwanted elements from gaining entry into the venues.
Police have also advised the organisers to install closed circuit televisions, sand bags and other equipment for firefighting.
Further, during the procession and immersion of the idol, the police will not only have to keep a watch over the mischief makers and eveteasers, but also have to ensure that the timings and routes of two different processions to the venue of immersion do not clash.
Housing societies, commercial and social organizations in the state organise Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandals and there are about twenty such mandals in North Goa alone.
The police are already holding meetings with organisers in the state to explain to them the threat perception in the state and the reasons for the police to implement such rigid measures.
“People should understand the circumstances under which these steps are being taken. The security in the state doesn’t need to be undermined and we require every citizen’s co-operation in ensuring that no misunderstanding between the public and police is created,” said SP (North) Bosco George.
August 14, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Tight Security Measures In Place To Avoid Communal Disturbances
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: As part of tight security measures to be put in place during the forthcoming Ganesh festival, no firecrackers will be permitted during the immersion procession or any where near the Sarvajanik Ganesh venues in Goa.
Unlike previous years, this year tight security arrangements will be made at all Sarvajanik Ganesh venues, as the Goa police anticipate the possibility of communal disturbances during the festival, especially in the wake of blasts in Ahmedabad and Bangalore and the recent communal tension in Margao.
To avoid any trouble, DGP B S Brar issued a circular on July 31, 2008, directing all police officials to ensure that no firecrackers or fancy fireworks are burst or displayed near the venues.
Even during the procession or immersion of the idol, no fireworks would be permitted.
Apart from controlling the crowd, to avoid a stampede which could arise in the event of a panicky situation, police will guard the entry and exit points of the venues. They will also have to keep a close watch to prevent unwanted elements from gaining entry into the venues.
Police have also advised the organisers to install closed circuit televisions, sand bags and other equipment for firefighting.
Further, during the procession and immersion of the idol, the police will not only have to keep a watch over the mischief makers and eveteasers, but also have to ensure that the timings and routes of two different processions to the venue of immersion do not clash.
Housing societies, commercial and social organizations in the state organise Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandals and there are about twenty such mandals in North Goa alone.
The police are already holding meetings with organisers in the state to explain to them the threat perception in the state and the reasons for the police to implement such rigid measures.
“People should understand the circumstances under which these steps are being taken. The security in the state doesn’t need to be undermined and we require every citizen’s co-operation in ensuring that no misunderstanding between the public and police is created,” said SP (North) Bosco George.
August 14, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
TV not working? Call the cops
TV not working? Call the cops
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Planning a vacation but worried about leaving behind a locked house?
Relax, a solution may be at hand—courtesy the Goa police. People leaving their homes unattended for a short period can now inform the beat officer in their area. And he will stand guard.
To build a rapport with the public, the police have drawn up a number of other innovative proposals. If you are an elderly single woman and your television goes blink, inform the beat officer. He will arrange for a technician.
Police help can also be sought to get water supply, clear garbage, tide over waterlogging, get streetlight fuses replaced and other public interest issues. A circular to this effect was issued by IGP Kishan Kumar on August 8.
“If anyone has a problem, they just need to inform the PI, who would then bring it to the notice of the agency concerned,” the circular notes.
The police believe such friendly interactions will lead the people to trust the force more. The police are also working towards forming policepublic committees to get suggestions and cooperation from people with regard to better policing.
The circular also says that during peak hours, the beat officer could help regulate crowds at bus stops and assist children near schools. He could also keep watch on banks on pay day and regulate crowds at places of worship on festival days. Besides, he would also educate people on crime prevention measures.
Apart from this, will be his regular task of gathering information like number of houses, family profiles, ownership details, telephone numbers, etc and verifying them regularly.
But the big question is how much can a beat officer really handle?
August 13, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Planning a vacation but worried about leaving behind a locked house?
Relax, a solution may be at hand—courtesy the Goa police. People leaving their homes unattended for a short period can now inform the beat officer in their area. And he will stand guard.
To build a rapport with the public, the police have drawn up a number of other innovative proposals. If you are an elderly single woman and your television goes blink, inform the beat officer. He will arrange for a technician.
Police help can also be sought to get water supply, clear garbage, tide over waterlogging, get streetlight fuses replaced and other public interest issues. A circular to this effect was issued by IGP Kishan Kumar on August 8.
“If anyone has a problem, they just need to inform the PI, who would then bring it to the notice of the agency concerned,” the circular notes.
The police believe such friendly interactions will lead the people to trust the force more. The police are also working towards forming policepublic committees to get suggestions and cooperation from people with regard to better policing.
The circular also says that during peak hours, the beat officer could help regulate crowds at bus stops and assist children near schools. He could also keep watch on banks on pay day and regulate crowds at places of worship on festival days. Besides, he would also educate people on crime prevention measures.
Apart from this, will be his regular task of gathering information like number of houses, family profiles, ownership details, telephone numbers, etc and verifying them regularly.
But the big question is how much can a beat officer really handle?
August 13, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Many Unrecognized Centres Enrol Large Number Of Middle East Students
Pvt edu institutes raise eyebrows
Many Unrecognized Centres Enrol Large Number Of Middle East Students
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: The Goa police is now planning to propose to the state government to bring educational institutions enrolling foreign students from the Middle East under the control of the education department.
Investigations have revealed that there are 11 institutes in Goa — six functioning in the capital city alone, which are not recognized by the government, nor affiliated to any university. Besides, there are also such institutes in Mapusa, Calangute and Margao. There are about 150 students from the Middle East studying at these institutes, which mainly cater to foreign students. Yemenese students top the list, followed by students from Sudan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
According to the police, these institutes run courses in business administration, computer science, office management courses and English.
While most of the institutes have a trade licence from a municipal council or corporation, in some cases the licence has expired and renewal is awaited, said the police.
“Not only is the attendance rate of these institutes very poor, but is even marked in advance in some cases,” said an official from the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Most of the institutes offer couses of either a three, six or nine months duration and charge anything between Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 per month per course, which the IB in Goa defines as ‘too less for foreign students’.
The grossly low tuition fees charged by these institutions has caught the attention of security agencies in the state, who have had the 11 institutes under the scanner for quite sometime — especially in the wake of the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Besides, the police is also planning to write to the Ministry of Home Affairs informing about the student visas being issued to foreign students who study in ‘private and unregistered’ institutes.
“Such institutes have cropped up in the last one year and this is perhaps the first instance of its kind where Middle East students obtain student visas to study in an educational institute not recognized by any authoritative body”, said a police official.
TOI had recently reported about ‘Fluency Academy’, which caters mostly to students from Yemen, and that the police were in the process of identifying other institutes that are not recognized and have foreign students.
Armed with details, the Goa police is planning to requesting the state authorities to ensure that all such institutes are registered with the education department and also the collector. The police also wants these institutes to submit a fortnightly report about the attendance of foreign students and their performance.
When contacted, SP (Special Branch) A V Deshpande refused to divulge information, but agreed that there is a need to keep track of foreign students who attend courses in private institutes in the state. “If we don’t act, either the students could be losers or a subversive element may enter the state on a student visa. We would definitely like to have a monitoring system in place,” added Deshpande.
At present however, there is no such mechanism. “We only verify the records and ensure that no extension is given to foreign students who study in institutions not affiliated to the Goa University or education department,” said DySP (Foreigners Registration Office) Rina Torcato.
August 12, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Many Unrecognized Centres Enrol Large Number Of Middle East Students
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: The Goa police is now planning to propose to the state government to bring educational institutions enrolling foreign students from the Middle East under the control of the education department.
Investigations have revealed that there are 11 institutes in Goa — six functioning in the capital city alone, which are not recognized by the government, nor affiliated to any university. Besides, there are also such institutes in Mapusa, Calangute and Margao. There are about 150 students from the Middle East studying at these institutes, which mainly cater to foreign students. Yemenese students top the list, followed by students from Sudan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
According to the police, these institutes run courses in business administration, computer science, office management courses and English.
While most of the institutes have a trade licence from a municipal council or corporation, in some cases the licence has expired and renewal is awaited, said the police.
“Not only is the attendance rate of these institutes very poor, but is even marked in advance in some cases,” said an official from the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Most of the institutes offer couses of either a three, six or nine months duration and charge anything between Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 per month per course, which the IB in Goa defines as ‘too less for foreign students’.
The grossly low tuition fees charged by these institutions has caught the attention of security agencies in the state, who have had the 11 institutes under the scanner for quite sometime — especially in the wake of the serial blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Besides, the police is also planning to write to the Ministry of Home Affairs informing about the student visas being issued to foreign students who study in ‘private and unregistered’ institutes.
“Such institutes have cropped up in the last one year and this is perhaps the first instance of its kind where Middle East students obtain student visas to study in an educational institute not recognized by any authoritative body”, said a police official.
TOI had recently reported about ‘Fluency Academy’, which caters mostly to students from Yemen, and that the police were in the process of identifying other institutes that are not recognized and have foreign students.
Armed with details, the Goa police is planning to requesting the state authorities to ensure that all such institutes are registered with the education department and also the collector. The police also wants these institutes to submit a fortnightly report about the attendance of foreign students and their performance.
When contacted, SP (Special Branch) A V Deshpande refused to divulge information, but agreed that there is a need to keep track of foreign students who attend courses in private institutes in the state. “If we don’t act, either the students could be losers or a subversive element may enter the state on a student visa. We would definitely like to have a monitoring system in place,” added Deshpande.
At present however, there is no such mechanism. “We only verify the records and ensure that no extension is given to foreign students who study in institutions not affiliated to the Goa University or education department,” said DySP (Foreigners Registration Office) Rina Torcato.
August 12, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Father alleges foul play in army doctor’s death
Father alleges foul play in army doctor’s death
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Three days after the body of a 26-year-old army doctor was found hanging in the bathroom of his official quarter, the young medico’s father is alleging foul play.
Dr Hariram Yadav, whose only son Manu was found hanging with a nylon rope round his neck on Friday, refuses to believe it is a case of suicide. “He was happy in Goa and there was no reason to commit suicide,” he said. However, Dr Yadav added that Capt Manu was unhappy and depressed during his previous posting in Sikkim.
Police have registered an offence under Section 174 of CrPC and are probing whether it was suicide or murder. “Investigations are in the preliminary stage and we are looking into every aspect. We are verifying the army version as well as the family’s view point,” said SP (North) Bosco George.
The army’s officiating station commandant, Goa, said it “appears to be a case of suicide” but added that he could
not comment on the matter while inquiries by the police and the army were on.
Though he failed to put the motive behind his son’s alleged murder, Dr Yadav, a district medical officer from Haryana, claimed there was not enough medical evidence to corroborate the suicide theory. “If he had committed suicide by hanging, there should have been some injury in the brain or his eyes should have been protruding,” he said. What has further surprised the father is that no one in the army hospital realized that their colleague had not reported for duty at 8 am. His body was found an hour later.
The police surgeon’s autopsy report doesn’t say whether the death is suicidal or homicidal. “The report states that death is due to constriction of the neck caused by partial hanging (one leg was touching the stool) and no opinion as to the manner of death has been given. The viscera has been preserved for chemical analysis,” said a top police official. SUICIDE CASE
‘Family was planning to get Manu married’
Panaji: Ruling out that his son, an army doctor, Captain Manu was depressed, Dr Hariram Yadav said his son had joined the army of his free will and it was his life’s ambition to serve the nation.
“The only time he was depressed was during his last posting at Nathu La, Sikkim, where he was troubled and forced to issue false medical certificates to jawans. But once he was posted to Goa in May 2008, he was fine and didn’t complain,” he said.
The family was planning to get Capt Manu married and had posted his profile on online matrimonial sites. Capt Yadav’s only sister, also a doctor, lives in the US.
Though the police have recovered a handwritten suicide note signed by Capt Manu, the father believes that his son could never have written the
letter. The one-page note said that he was disturbed with life as he had troubled lots of people and was therefore ending it to ensure that he doesn’t trouble any more people. Further, in the letter Capt Manu has called himself “self-centered” and said that nobody should be held responsible for his death, police officials revealed. But his father and close friends in the army believe these are not Capt Manu’s words.“Anyone who knew Manu would admit that he was totally opposite of what he described himself to be in the letter. He was affectionate and caring, and would never trouble anyone. Either he was forced to write the letter or someone has copied his handwriting,” claimed Dr Yadav.
A few of Capt Manu’s friends even flew to Goa on Saturday to convince the police that the letter couldn’t have been written by him and and alleged foul play.
This can be verified only after the alleged suicide note, which is attached to the recovery panchnama, is sent for handwriting analysis. Capt Manu’s cremation was scheduled for Sunday in Haryana.
August 11, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Three days after the body of a 26-year-old army doctor was found hanging in the bathroom of his official quarter, the young medico’s father is alleging foul play.
Dr Hariram Yadav, whose only son Manu was found hanging with a nylon rope round his neck on Friday, refuses to believe it is a case of suicide. “He was happy in Goa and there was no reason to commit suicide,” he said. However, Dr Yadav added that Capt Manu was unhappy and depressed during his previous posting in Sikkim.
Police have registered an offence under Section 174 of CrPC and are probing whether it was suicide or murder. “Investigations are in the preliminary stage and we are looking into every aspect. We are verifying the army version as well as the family’s view point,” said SP (North) Bosco George.
The army’s officiating station commandant, Goa, said it “appears to be a case of suicide” but added that he could
not comment on the matter while inquiries by the police and the army were on.
Though he failed to put the motive behind his son’s alleged murder, Dr Yadav, a district medical officer from Haryana, claimed there was not enough medical evidence to corroborate the suicide theory. “If he had committed suicide by hanging, there should have been some injury in the brain or his eyes should have been protruding,” he said. What has further surprised the father is that no one in the army hospital realized that their colleague had not reported for duty at 8 am. His body was found an hour later.
The police surgeon’s autopsy report doesn’t say whether the death is suicidal or homicidal. “The report states that death is due to constriction of the neck caused by partial hanging (one leg was touching the stool) and no opinion as to the manner of death has been given. The viscera has been preserved for chemical analysis,” said a top police official. SUICIDE CASE
‘Family was planning to get Manu married’
Panaji: Ruling out that his son, an army doctor, Captain Manu was depressed, Dr Hariram Yadav said his son had joined the army of his free will and it was his life’s ambition to serve the nation.
“The only time he was depressed was during his last posting at Nathu La, Sikkim, where he was troubled and forced to issue false medical certificates to jawans. But once he was posted to Goa in May 2008, he was fine and didn’t complain,” he said.
The family was planning to get Capt Manu married and had posted his profile on online matrimonial sites. Capt Yadav’s only sister, also a doctor, lives in the US.
Though the police have recovered a handwritten suicide note signed by Capt Manu, the father believes that his son could never have written the
letter. The one-page note said that he was disturbed with life as he had troubled lots of people and was therefore ending it to ensure that he doesn’t trouble any more people. Further, in the letter Capt Manu has called himself “self-centered” and said that nobody should be held responsible for his death, police officials revealed. But his father and close friends in the army believe these are not Capt Manu’s words.“Anyone who knew Manu would admit that he was totally opposite of what he described himself to be in the letter. He was affectionate and caring, and would never trouble anyone. Either he was forced to write the letter or someone has copied his handwriting,” claimed Dr Yadav.
A few of Capt Manu’s friends even flew to Goa on Saturday to convince the police that the letter couldn’t have been written by him and and alleged foul play.
This can be verified only after the alleged suicide note, which is attached to the recovery panchnama, is sent for handwriting analysis. Capt Manu’s cremation was scheduled for Sunday in Haryana.
August 11, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Agriculture in Calangute on decline
Agriculture in Calangute on decline
Preetu Nair | TNN
Calangute: Sixty-year-old Rama Matkar returns from the field very unhappy. Despite all the hard work and money spent, he believes that the paddy yield this year won’t be enough to sustain the family for the year. He feels that his worst fears may just come true and they would be forced to purchase rice from the market, something that the family has never done before.
“Despite all our efforts, the yield is reducing, even as the expense on labour and fertilizers is increasing. Now it is cheaper to purchase rice from the market than cultivate your own paddy crop,” said Rama from Gaurawaddo in Calangute.
Agriculture in Goa is on the decline forcing farmers to take up alternate businesses or sell the agricultural land to the highest bidder. Once dependent on farming for survival, the villagers in this coastal village now lament about how money is wasted on paying migrant labourers and how there is no subsidy for farmers in the state.
Rama’s son is a taxi driver, who helps him in the fields during the off-season. But now, just like several other youth in the village, he also claims that the field yields little despite days and nights of back-breaking effort.
Thirty-two-year old Samir Chopdekar says, “How many farmers have a posh car parked outside their bungalow. Many don’t even get to eat a decent meal. More than what they earn, they spend and there is no saving.’’ His parents were farmers and as a child, he also used to go for farming, but now he believes that farming is a waste of time and energy. People complain that inflation has also affected them as the cost of everything, including fertilisers has increased. Further, bad spell of monsoon has also not helped them much.
“I help my mother in cultivating paddy in the monsoon as we don’t get many tourists during the rains. I love working in the field,” said Rajesh Matkar (29). Rajesh is amongst the few youths in the village who are still eager to work in the fields. But he doesn’t know how long he will continue to plough the land and believes that it won’t be long before they also join the crowd.
As per 2001 population census, 16.6% people in the state were engaged in agriculture and allied activities, showing a sharp decline from 63.7% in 1960. This despite the Directorate of Agriculture’s promises to provide custom services to the farmers by providing them with tractors, power tillers and brush/weed cutters on subsidy, which help the farmers to carry out work in their own field, besides providing incentives to the farmers to sustain falling price of their produce.
According to Domingo Fernandes (36), who occasionally works in the field, “During the month of May, there is a huge demand for fertilizers and we have to sometimes purchase it in black by paying extra amount’’.
“Today’s youth argue that there is more money in driving a taxi or working in the shack. They argue that in a week they earn the money to purchase rice that can last them for the year, that even three months of hard work in the fields can’t guarantee,” added Rama.
There is also a social problem, the youth of the village explain. “Now a few parents don’t want to marry off their daughters to a farmer, as they are considered poor and the girl would also have to work in the field,’’ added Vijay Paresekar.
August 11, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Calangute: Sixty-year-old Rama Matkar returns from the field very unhappy. Despite all the hard work and money spent, he believes that the paddy yield this year won’t be enough to sustain the family for the year. He feels that his worst fears may just come true and they would be forced to purchase rice from the market, something that the family has never done before.
“Despite all our efforts, the yield is reducing, even as the expense on labour and fertilizers is increasing. Now it is cheaper to purchase rice from the market than cultivate your own paddy crop,” said Rama from Gaurawaddo in Calangute.
Agriculture in Goa is on the decline forcing farmers to take up alternate businesses or sell the agricultural land to the highest bidder. Once dependent on farming for survival, the villagers in this coastal village now lament about how money is wasted on paying migrant labourers and how there is no subsidy for farmers in the state.
Rama’s son is a taxi driver, who helps him in the fields during the off-season. But now, just like several other youth in the village, he also claims that the field yields little despite days and nights of back-breaking effort.
Thirty-two-year old Samir Chopdekar says, “How many farmers have a posh car parked outside their bungalow. Many don’t even get to eat a decent meal. More than what they earn, they spend and there is no saving.’’ His parents were farmers and as a child, he also used to go for farming, but now he believes that farming is a waste of time and energy. People complain that inflation has also affected them as the cost of everything, including fertilisers has increased. Further, bad spell of monsoon has also not helped them much.
“I help my mother in cultivating paddy in the monsoon as we don’t get many tourists during the rains. I love working in the field,” said Rajesh Matkar (29). Rajesh is amongst the few youths in the village who are still eager to work in the fields. But he doesn’t know how long he will continue to plough the land and believes that it won’t be long before they also join the crowd.
As per 2001 population census, 16.6% people in the state were engaged in agriculture and allied activities, showing a sharp decline from 63.7% in 1960. This despite the Directorate of Agriculture’s promises to provide custom services to the farmers by providing them with tractors, power tillers and brush/weed cutters on subsidy, which help the farmers to carry out work in their own field, besides providing incentives to the farmers to sustain falling price of their produce.
According to Domingo Fernandes (36), who occasionally works in the field, “During the month of May, there is a huge demand for fertilizers and we have to sometimes purchase it in black by paying extra amount’’.
“Today’s youth argue that there is more money in driving a taxi or working in the shack. They argue that in a week they earn the money to purchase rice that can last them for the year, that even three months of hard work in the fields can’t guarantee,” added Rama.
There is also a social problem, the youth of the village explain. “Now a few parents don’t want to marry off their daughters to a farmer, as they are considered poor and the girl would also have to work in the field,’’ added Vijay Paresekar.
August 11, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Fewer Britons, Russians May Check In This Year
Bad publicity abroad doesn’t spell good news
Fewer Britons, Russians May Check In This Year
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: The coming tourist season may see not just a decline in inflow of travellers from the UK, but also Russia and even Sweden.
“Due to adverse international publicity regarding safety in Goa as well as the stand by some locals against foreigners, there is a visible reluctance among Russian tourists to come to Goa this season,” Vikram Varma, advocate in Goa for the consul general of Russian Federation in Mumbai said.
It is a point that Nitin Kunkolienkar, president of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, almost agrees with. “There is a negative Goa wave developing in foreign countries due to agitations and opposition to anything foreign. This is definitely effecting tourism,” he said.
According to data available with the Foreigner’s Registration Office, the state receives tourists of 125 nationalities, but a majority are British (60%), followed by Russians (20-25%), Swedes and Germans. Every year, just about 500 Israelis visit the state. “The number of British and Russian tourists has increased, while there has been a decline in Israeli tourists,” said SP (FRO) Tony Fernandes.
“The UK and Russia are our main markets and the backbone of the tourism industry. But with no government effort to promote Goa in these two countries, we are losing out to cheaper destinations like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius and even Kerala,” said Victor Albuquerque, pioneer in medical tourism in Goa. But with tourists visiting Goa on the decline, he fears that medical tourism will also suffer.
This isn’t good news for Goa, highly dependent as it
is on tourism. Goa has seen a steady increase in foreign tourists—from 2.5 lakh in 1997 to about four lakh in 2007, a majority of whom come by charters.
“The UK has been our main market, but Russia is a developing market. The new season will also see a decline in Swedish tourists as a major tour operator who used to bring about 500 tourists a week has cancelled operations to Goa,” said Ralph de Souza, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa.
Interestingly, it is not just the brass of the tourism industry who are worried. Taxi drivers in the coastal belts are also concerned. “Decline in tourists is not good news for us. Already deterred by
inflation, British tourists visiting Goa in the last season complained that the state is losing its lustre and is becoming a concrete jungle,” said Rajesh, a taxi driver from Calangute.
However, de Souza doesn’t agree with it. “Our UK clients have seen changes and there are complains of over-congestion but that can’t be taken as a universal reason for decline in tourists visiting Goa.”
Two airports can co-exist, says Sidhu
Panaji: A world-class airport with quality infrastructure is critical to Goa’s international competitiveness, Goa governor S S Sidhu said on Friday, adding that two airports can co-exist in the state. A new airport, which would be a key driver to Goa’s future growth, could work on a public-private partnership model on the lines of Hyderabad and Bangalore, he told the Goa Tourism Meet - 2008. He added that the new airport would receive a Rs 500 crore package.
August 9, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Fewer Britons, Russians May Check In This Year
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: The coming tourist season may see not just a decline in inflow of travellers from the UK, but also Russia and even Sweden.
“Due to adverse international publicity regarding safety in Goa as well as the stand by some locals against foreigners, there is a visible reluctance among Russian tourists to come to Goa this season,” Vikram Varma, advocate in Goa for the consul general of Russian Federation in Mumbai said.
It is a point that Nitin Kunkolienkar, president of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, almost agrees with. “There is a negative Goa wave developing in foreign countries due to agitations and opposition to anything foreign. This is definitely effecting tourism,” he said.
According to data available with the Foreigner’s Registration Office, the state receives tourists of 125 nationalities, but a majority are British (60%), followed by Russians (20-25%), Swedes and Germans. Every year, just about 500 Israelis visit the state. “The number of British and Russian tourists has increased, while there has been a decline in Israeli tourists,” said SP (FRO) Tony Fernandes.
“The UK and Russia are our main markets and the backbone of the tourism industry. But with no government effort to promote Goa in these two countries, we are losing out to cheaper destinations like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius and even Kerala,” said Victor Albuquerque, pioneer in medical tourism in Goa. But with tourists visiting Goa on the decline, he fears that medical tourism will also suffer.
This isn’t good news for Goa, highly dependent as it
is on tourism. Goa has seen a steady increase in foreign tourists—from 2.5 lakh in 1997 to about four lakh in 2007, a majority of whom come by charters.
“The UK has been our main market, but Russia is a developing market. The new season will also see a decline in Swedish tourists as a major tour operator who used to bring about 500 tourists a week has cancelled operations to Goa,” said Ralph de Souza, president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa.
Interestingly, it is not just the brass of the tourism industry who are worried. Taxi drivers in the coastal belts are also concerned. “Decline in tourists is not good news for us. Already deterred by
inflation, British tourists visiting Goa in the last season complained that the state is losing its lustre and is becoming a concrete jungle,” said Rajesh, a taxi driver from Calangute.
However, de Souza doesn’t agree with it. “Our UK clients have seen changes and there are complains of over-congestion but that can’t be taken as a universal reason for decline in tourists visiting Goa.”
Two airports can co-exist, says Sidhu
Panaji: A world-class airport with quality infrastructure is critical to Goa’s international competitiveness, Goa governor S S Sidhu said on Friday, adding that two airports can co-exist in the state. A new airport, which would be a key driver to Goa’s future growth, could work on a public-private partnership model on the lines of Hyderabad and Bangalore, he told the Goa Tourism Meet - 2008. He added that the new airport would receive a Rs 500 crore package.
August 9, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Lack of beds at GMC leads to abandonment of patients
Lack of beds at GMC leads to abandonment of patients
Medical Social Workers Have Difficulty When Dealing With Destitute Outstation Patients
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Being declared disabled for life didn’t dampen his spirit. But the manner in which he was shunted out of the Goa Medical College and hospital and abandoned at the railway station without a ticket or any help has hurt his soul.
“We were left at the railway station by the hospital authorities on Wednesday. I don’t know if I will be thrown out again. I can barely sit and none of my family members have contacted me,” said Sahiprasad (32), who was admitted in the orthopaedic ward with a slipped disc on March 13 and was discharged with a catheter (urine bag) on Wednesday afternoon. He along with two other patients were later admitted to the GMC again by the Old Goa police.
Sahiprasad came to Goa from Basti Jillah in Uttar Pradesh seven years ago and in an inebriated state, fell from a two-storeyed building. He was immediately admitted at GMC where he underwent treatment for five months. Even as he was discharged on Wednesday with a certificate that he was “fit to be discharged”, orthopaedic surgeons at GMC admit that he will never be able to walk again.
“I had run away from home and I am not sure whether my father is alive or not. Despite several letters to my relatives informing them about my condition, so far no one has come to take me home,” added Sahiprasad.
The hospital authorities had dropped him and two others at the Karmali railway station as, “these destitute patients were occupying the bed for a long period”.
Worse, the medical social workers (one in each department at GMC) who have been entrusted the job of ensuring that such patients are taken back to their home, abandoned the three at the railway station with a Rs 10 note.
“They took us in a GMC vehicle to the railway station, handed us Rs 10 each and advised us to catch a train home. When I inquired about the tickets, they told us that we would be allowed to travel free if we show our GMC discharge card,” said the second patient Harish Kumar (42) from Kannur in Kerala. He came to Goa on July 13 and met with an accident at Margao.
These incidents also show that the health authorities have little faciltity when it comes to dealing with the destitute and poor, a fact which is also admitted by the GMC doctors.
“In the orthopaedic wards alone, we get about 20 to 25 patients “fit for discharge”, but left at the hospital for months together by their family members or contractors. As they tend occupy beds for long periods, we have difficulty admitting other patients,” said a orthopaedic surgeon.
Goa Medical College dean Dr V N Jindal said, “This is a problem that we have been trying to cope with for a very long time.
They are “fit to be discharged”, yet have no one to take them home and we can’t have them at the hospital for long because we have to accommodate new and more needy patients”.
A medical social worker at the GMC, explaining the procedure, said that a poor patient is dropped home by them on the orders of a medical superintendent, but agreed that they have difficulty when dealing with destitute outstation patients.
“We will have to see how best we can help these patients. We may ask the police to help locate their relatives or if they have an address,” added GMC medical superintendent Dr Rajan Kuncolienkar.
August 8, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Medical Social Workers Have Difficulty When Dealing With Destitute Outstation Patients
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Being declared disabled for life didn’t dampen his spirit. But the manner in which he was shunted out of the Goa Medical College and hospital and abandoned at the railway station without a ticket or any help has hurt his soul.
“We were left at the railway station by the hospital authorities on Wednesday. I don’t know if I will be thrown out again. I can barely sit and none of my family members have contacted me,” said Sahiprasad (32), who was admitted in the orthopaedic ward with a slipped disc on March 13 and was discharged with a catheter (urine bag) on Wednesday afternoon. He along with two other patients were later admitted to the GMC again by the Old Goa police.
Sahiprasad came to Goa from Basti Jillah in Uttar Pradesh seven years ago and in an inebriated state, fell from a two-storeyed building. He was immediately admitted at GMC where he underwent treatment for five months. Even as he was discharged on Wednesday with a certificate that he was “fit to be discharged”, orthopaedic surgeons at GMC admit that he will never be able to walk again.
“I had run away from home and I am not sure whether my father is alive or not. Despite several letters to my relatives informing them about my condition, so far no one has come to take me home,” added Sahiprasad.
The hospital authorities had dropped him and two others at the Karmali railway station as, “these destitute patients were occupying the bed for a long period”.
Worse, the medical social workers (one in each department at GMC) who have been entrusted the job of ensuring that such patients are taken back to their home, abandoned the three at the railway station with a Rs 10 note.
“They took us in a GMC vehicle to the railway station, handed us Rs 10 each and advised us to catch a train home. When I inquired about the tickets, they told us that we would be allowed to travel free if we show our GMC discharge card,” said the second patient Harish Kumar (42) from Kannur in Kerala. He came to Goa on July 13 and met with an accident at Margao.
These incidents also show that the health authorities have little faciltity when it comes to dealing with the destitute and poor, a fact which is also admitted by the GMC doctors.
“In the orthopaedic wards alone, we get about 20 to 25 patients “fit for discharge”, but left at the hospital for months together by their family members or contractors. As they tend occupy beds for long periods, we have difficulty admitting other patients,” said a orthopaedic surgeon.
Goa Medical College dean Dr V N Jindal said, “This is a problem that we have been trying to cope with for a very long time.
They are “fit to be discharged”, yet have no one to take them home and we can’t have them at the hospital for long because we have to accommodate new and more needy patients”.
A medical social worker at the GMC, explaining the procedure, said that a poor patient is dropped home by them on the orders of a medical superintendent, but agreed that they have difficulty when dealing with destitute outstation patients.
“We will have to see how best we can help these patients. We may ask the police to help locate their relatives or if they have an address,” added GMC medical superintendent Dr Rajan Kuncolienkar.
August 8, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Thursday, July 10, 2008
New Act in Goa to counter terrorism
New Act in Goa to counter terrorism
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: By next tourist season, the Goa police intends to have an Act that ensures that all guest houses and hotels maintain details of the guests. If someone fails to comply then their establishment maybe closed.
“Terrorism is spreading its tentacles world over,” said DGP B S Brar. The police is now seriously considering invoking section 144 of the CrPC, till Goa has an Act to keep check on this. “We have, time and again, emphasised that every guest house owner should keep record as it is vital for the safety and security of the state, especially Goa which is a tourist state.”
The police also plans to sensitise the stakeholders and get them involved. “Already quite a large number of hotels have started complying with it, but few have not fully complied,” said the DGP.
Already the North and South Goa District Magistrates issued under section 144 of CrPC directing landlords, owners of houses and property intending to rent accommodation to any person to do so after furnishing the particulars of the tenants to the police inspector of the police station in the jurisdiction it is located in.
The order was issued with the aim of maintaining check on rented premises as there is a possibility of terrorists, anti social elements in guise of tenants seeking hideouts in residential areas. They may breach peace and endanger human life and property.
July 09,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: By next tourist season, the Goa police intends to have an Act that ensures that all guest houses and hotels maintain details of the guests. If someone fails to comply then their establishment maybe closed.
“Terrorism is spreading its tentacles world over,” said DGP B S Brar. The police is now seriously considering invoking section 144 of the CrPC, till Goa has an Act to keep check on this. “We have, time and again, emphasised that every guest house owner should keep record as it is vital for the safety and security of the state, especially Goa which is a tourist state.”
The police also plans to sensitise the stakeholders and get them involved. “Already quite a large number of hotels have started complying with it, but few have not fully complied,” said the DGP.
Already the North and South Goa District Magistrates issued under section 144 of CrPC directing landlords, owners of houses and property intending to rent accommodation to any person to do so after furnishing the particulars of the tenants to the police inspector of the police station in the jurisdiction it is located in.
The order was issued with the aim of maintaining check on rented premises as there is a possibility of terrorists, anti social elements in guise of tenants seeking hideouts in residential areas. They may breach peace and endanger human life and property.
July 09,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Officer directed to speed up probe into Russian ‘race row’
Officer directed to speed up probe into Russian ‘race row’
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: With the Russian consulate in Mumbai raising concerns about the growing “racial intolerance” against Russian nationals in the state, the Goa police have directed its officer to speed up investigation and collect all evidence.
The inquiry report — prepared by the North Goa police after the Russian consulate sent a letter to the chief minister and tourism minister alleging that “Russian citizens were being assaulted on the basis of national or racial intolerance” in Goa — states that the investigating officer has been directed to speed up the investigation.
The report states that soon after the registration of the offence, the Calangute PI made several efforts to trace the accused — who were absconding — involved in the crime.
And, that the SP North has now asked the IO to collect evidence and file chargesheet against the accused.
The inquiry report would be submitted to the chief minister soon.
The report further revealed that during the course of investigation, it was learnt that the complainant (Russian woman) was running the hotel and on St John the Baptist’s feast day the accused had gone to the swimming pool of the hotel to have a bath.
“As the complainant didn’t allow them to enter the pool, a scuffle took place. The motive behind the crime was sudden provocation,” the police report states.
The report also states that the two Russian women were medically examined at Primary Health Centre, Candolim and the medical officers certified that the injuries sustained were simple in nature.
The report added that the two accused – Joseph Coutinho and Jennifer Coutinho from Calangute — had applied for anticipatory bail, which was granted by the North Goa sessions judge.
North Goa SP Bosco George confirmed that the report has been submitted to the DGP.
The report was prepared after CM asked the DGP to inquire into the matter and submit a detailed report before July 10, 2008.
July 9, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: With the Russian consulate in Mumbai raising concerns about the growing “racial intolerance” against Russian nationals in the state, the Goa police have directed its officer to speed up investigation and collect all evidence.
The inquiry report — prepared by the North Goa police after the Russian consulate sent a letter to the chief minister and tourism minister alleging that “Russian citizens were being assaulted on the basis of national or racial intolerance” in Goa — states that the investigating officer has been directed to speed up the investigation.
The report states that soon after the registration of the offence, the Calangute PI made several efforts to trace the accused — who were absconding — involved in the crime.
And, that the SP North has now asked the IO to collect evidence and file chargesheet against the accused.
The inquiry report would be submitted to the chief minister soon.
The report further revealed that during the course of investigation, it was learnt that the complainant (Russian woman) was running the hotel and on St John the Baptist’s feast day the accused had gone to the swimming pool of the hotel to have a bath.
“As the complainant didn’t allow them to enter the pool, a scuffle took place. The motive behind the crime was sudden provocation,” the police report states.
The report also states that the two Russian women were medically examined at Primary Health Centre, Candolim and the medical officers certified that the injuries sustained were simple in nature.
The report added that the two accused – Joseph Coutinho and Jennifer Coutinho from Calangute — had applied for anticipatory bail, which was granted by the North Goa sessions judge.
North Goa SP Bosco George confirmed that the report has been submitted to the DGP.
The report was prepared after CM asked the DGP to inquire into the matter and submit a detailed report before July 10, 2008.
July 9, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Solidarity forums being formed in colleges
TOWARDS COMMUNAL AMITY
Solidarity forums being formed in colleges
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Alarmed by the rise in communal tensions witnessed in the state, a students’ organization in Goa, the students’ Islamic organization of India (SIO), is now working towards getting together students from all religions to form a students’ solidarity forum in the college campuses in the state.
The main aim of the forum is to bring about communal harmony and work towards maintaining a balance in their area whenever there is communal tension.
“We want to bring in balanced thinking in students and learn how to co-exist with others,” said the all India SIO president Bishruddin Sharqui.
“The youth need to understand that what is happening today is madness in the shape of religion. The emerging capitalist mentality of life tries to create communal disturbance to meet its own end,” said Sharqui.
Agreeing with the idea that the basic way to deal with communal tension is to address the issues related with communal tension and solve them, SIO has already started interacting with various student leaders in different colleges and hopes to start a dialogue with the youth through the students’ councils.
“It would be a forum, connecting every religious group, wherein you talk about issues that affect your life and concerns you.
Increasing communal tension in the state is also a matter of concern for the youth,”
said SIO Goa zone general secretary Shaikh Shoaib, while informing that majority of the students are open to the idea and are concerned about the growing religious intolerance in the state.
Ever since the Curchoerem-Sanvordem communal tension, when a madrassa was attacked and damaged by some miscreants in 2006, communalism has raised its head in one form or the other in the state.
Last week, communal tension gripped Margao after a minor eve-teasing incident was given a communal colour.
“The effort would be to destroy compartments that have been created on the basis of religion. It is the responsibility of each religious group to teach their own religion and connect with other religious groups to bridge the gap that would otherwise lead to communal tension,” added Shoaib.
However, secular activists in the state are a bit guarded on the issue.
Ramesh Gauns said, “Any student organization that has faith in the Constitution of India can work towards bringing in communal harmony in the state. But, there is a need to be open to the ideologies of other religions and strive to move towards the secular goal”.
“Just talking or listening about religious views doesn’t help. But each and every person needs to go beyond their own religion and be a part of other communities’ religious prayers, then only you can develop tolerance towards all religions, which would ultimately help people co-exist in communal harmony,” he added.
July 9, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Solidarity forums being formed in colleges
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Alarmed by the rise in communal tensions witnessed in the state, a students’ organization in Goa, the students’ Islamic organization of India (SIO), is now working towards getting together students from all religions to form a students’ solidarity forum in the college campuses in the state.
The main aim of the forum is to bring about communal harmony and work towards maintaining a balance in their area whenever there is communal tension.
“We want to bring in balanced thinking in students and learn how to co-exist with others,” said the all India SIO president Bishruddin Sharqui.
“The youth need to understand that what is happening today is madness in the shape of religion. The emerging capitalist mentality of life tries to create communal disturbance to meet its own end,” said Sharqui.
Agreeing with the idea that the basic way to deal with communal tension is to address the issues related with communal tension and solve them, SIO has already started interacting with various student leaders in different colleges and hopes to start a dialogue with the youth through the students’ councils.
“It would be a forum, connecting every religious group, wherein you talk about issues that affect your life and concerns you.
Increasing communal tension in the state is also a matter of concern for the youth,”
said SIO Goa zone general secretary Shaikh Shoaib, while informing that majority of the students are open to the idea and are concerned about the growing religious intolerance in the state.
Ever since the Curchoerem-Sanvordem communal tension, when a madrassa was attacked and damaged by some miscreants in 2006, communalism has raised its head in one form or the other in the state.
Last week, communal tension gripped Margao after a minor eve-teasing incident was given a communal colour.
“The effort would be to destroy compartments that have been created on the basis of religion. It is the responsibility of each religious group to teach their own religion and connect with other religious groups to bridge the gap that would otherwise lead to communal tension,” added Shoaib.
However, secular activists in the state are a bit guarded on the issue.
Ramesh Gauns said, “Any student organization that has faith in the Constitution of India can work towards bringing in communal harmony in the state. But, there is a need to be open to the ideologies of other religions and strive to move towards the secular goal”.
“Just talking or listening about religious views doesn’t help. But each and every person needs to go beyond their own religion and be a part of other communities’ religious prayers, then only you can develop tolerance towards all religions, which would ultimately help people co-exist in communal harmony,” he added.
July 9, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Monday, July 07, 2008
Russia warns of Goa alarm
Russia warns of Goa alarm
If ‘Attacks’ On Russians Don’t Stop, Embassy Threatens Travel Advisory
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Alarmed by incidents of growing “racial intolerance” against their countrymen, the Russian consulate in Mumbai has threatened to issue a travel advisory to their citizens intending to visit Goa.
In a letter to the state chief minister Digambar Kamat, the acting consul general of the Russian Federation in Mumbai Irina Bashkirova alleged that “Russian citizens were being assaulted on the basis of national or racial intolerance” in Goa and has requested the government to take “appropriate action”.
Hinting that the Russian authorities might take a strict view of such incidents, the letter said that it may “initiate considering a possibility of preparing some recommendations or travel advisory for Russian tourists who want to visit Goa,” as such incidents harm Goa’s image in Russia.
It the letter, the Russian consulate has once again raised concerns over the security situation in Goa that may put in peril the safety and health of Russian nationals. “In view of numerous unlawful actions by Goan inhabitants against Russians, which have taken place lately, we would request you to see that appropriate actions will be undertaken to ensure the rights and safety of Russian citizens,” the letter states. The letter was written on July 1, 2008.
Confirming the receipt of the letter CM Digambar Kamat said that he has asked for a report from the police. “I am yet to get the status report from the DGP,” he said.
The letter to the chief minister and the tourism minister came after the Russian consulate received a letter from one from their citizens narrating an unpleasant incident.
The Russian lady in a letter to the consulate complained that she and her friend, also a Russian, were assaulted by a group of intoxicated locals, who entered a hotel at Calangute where the two Russian women were residing and created a nuisance. In the letter, the Russian alleges that the locals insulted them by shouting, “You Russians are nothing but prostitutes”, “You are nobody in my country” and “Get out of India”, even as one in the group hit and punched them. Further, in the letter the Russian lady said that though she made about ten calls to the Calangute police station, the police arrived at the hotel after an hour, when all the attackers had already fled.
However, North Goa SP Bosco George commenting on the particular incident said, “The Russian embassy has heard only one side of the story. Our inquiry has shown that the complaint was lodged and action was taken by the Calangute police.”
Consul general of Russian Federation in Mumbai’s advocate in Goa, Vikram Varma agreed that the matter is serious. “I hope the Goa government would give adequate attention to resolve this and provide energy for improving the relationship with Russian citizens in Goa,” he said.
Earlier this year too the Russian authorities had alleged that their nationals were receiving an unfair deal from the police, hoteliers and other tourist service providers.
Recently the Goa government had initiated investigations on illegal purchases of land by foreigners as well as constructions by foreign nationals in violation of CRZ rules.
The Enforcement Directorate investigating the illegal purchases had discovered that a Russian company had purchased about 20,000 square metres of agriculture/forest land in Morjim. Foreigners cannot purchase agricultural/forest land in India.
TOI had reported that in the CRZ investigations, a majority of the violations were by Russians and in Morjim alone ten constructions were in violation of the CRZ norms.
July 07,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
If ‘Attacks’ On Russians Don’t Stop, Embassy Threatens Travel Advisory
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Alarmed by incidents of growing “racial intolerance” against their countrymen, the Russian consulate in Mumbai has threatened to issue a travel advisory to their citizens intending to visit Goa.
In a letter to the state chief minister Digambar Kamat, the acting consul general of the Russian Federation in Mumbai Irina Bashkirova alleged that “Russian citizens were being assaulted on the basis of national or racial intolerance” in Goa and has requested the government to take “appropriate action”.
Hinting that the Russian authorities might take a strict view of such incidents, the letter said that it may “initiate considering a possibility of preparing some recommendations or travel advisory for Russian tourists who want to visit Goa,” as such incidents harm Goa’s image in Russia.
It the letter, the Russian consulate has once again raised concerns over the security situation in Goa that may put in peril the safety and health of Russian nationals. “In view of numerous unlawful actions by Goan inhabitants against Russians, which have taken place lately, we would request you to see that appropriate actions will be undertaken to ensure the rights and safety of Russian citizens,” the letter states. The letter was written on July 1, 2008.
Confirming the receipt of the letter CM Digambar Kamat said that he has asked for a report from the police. “I am yet to get the status report from the DGP,” he said.
The letter to the chief minister and the tourism minister came after the Russian consulate received a letter from one from their citizens narrating an unpleasant incident.
The Russian lady in a letter to the consulate complained that she and her friend, also a Russian, were assaulted by a group of intoxicated locals, who entered a hotel at Calangute where the two Russian women were residing and created a nuisance. In the letter, the Russian alleges that the locals insulted them by shouting, “You Russians are nothing but prostitutes”, “You are nobody in my country” and “Get out of India”, even as one in the group hit and punched them. Further, in the letter the Russian lady said that though she made about ten calls to the Calangute police station, the police arrived at the hotel after an hour, when all the attackers had already fled.
However, North Goa SP Bosco George commenting on the particular incident said, “The Russian embassy has heard only one side of the story. Our inquiry has shown that the complaint was lodged and action was taken by the Calangute police.”
Consul general of Russian Federation in Mumbai’s advocate in Goa, Vikram Varma agreed that the matter is serious. “I hope the Goa government would give adequate attention to resolve this and provide energy for improving the relationship with Russian citizens in Goa,” he said.
Earlier this year too the Russian authorities had alleged that their nationals were receiving an unfair deal from the police, hoteliers and other tourist service providers.
Recently the Goa government had initiated investigations on illegal purchases of land by foreigners as well as constructions by foreign nationals in violation of CRZ rules.
The Enforcement Directorate investigating the illegal purchases had discovered that a Russian company had purchased about 20,000 square metres of agriculture/forest land in Morjim. Foreigners cannot purchase agricultural/forest land in India.
TOI had reported that in the CRZ investigations, a majority of the violations were by Russians and in Morjim alone ten constructions were in violation of the CRZ norms.
July 07,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Probe into maid’s killing gains ground
Probe into maid’s killing gains ground
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: Days after cracking the murder mystery of 12-year old Safiya - a domestic help whose disappearance from Goa two years ago triggered a public outcry - the Kerala police on Sunday have found blood stains on the bathroom tiles of the Margao flat where the girl was cut to pieces.
While one team recovered the hands, leg, chest, skull, hair and the dress worn by the girl, another team opened the flat at Ramnagar road, Margao where the victim stayed with Hamsa’s family and found blood stains on the tiles.
The police had arrested Hamsa, a government approved contractor on July 2 from Kasargod and claimed he had confessed to cutting Safiya’s body into three pieces. He also said that he carried the body in a bag to Sangod and buried it. Hamsa’s wife, Mymoona, was also arrested.
However, a people’s judicial commission doesn’t agree with the police version. “She may have been sexually abused and murdered,” said advocate P A Pouram, who is heading the commission.
The judicial commission members said that Safiya, a standard IV student, was taken to Kasargod with a promise by that Hamsa would provide her with education, shelter and food and that in return, she would have to care for the couple’s child.
In August 2006, he brought her to Goa. “After the brutal murder, he returned to Kerala in December 2006 and told the girl’s parents that she was
missing. On December 22, 2006, Hamsa lodged a missing complaint with the Adoor police, Kasargod along with Safiya’s father.”
The Kerala police suspended ASI Gopalkrishna from Adoor police station and named him as an accused in the case for trying to destroy evidence. “The ASI was sent to Goa for investigation. But, he tried to destroy evidence,” added Adv Pouram.
July 07,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: Days after cracking the murder mystery of 12-year old Safiya - a domestic help whose disappearance from Goa two years ago triggered a public outcry - the Kerala police on Sunday have found blood stains on the bathroom tiles of the Margao flat where the girl was cut to pieces.
While one team recovered the hands, leg, chest, skull, hair and the dress worn by the girl, another team opened the flat at Ramnagar road, Margao where the victim stayed with Hamsa’s family and found blood stains on the tiles.
The police had arrested Hamsa, a government approved contractor on July 2 from Kasargod and claimed he had confessed to cutting Safiya’s body into three pieces. He also said that he carried the body in a bag to Sangod and buried it. Hamsa’s wife, Mymoona, was also arrested.
However, a people’s judicial commission doesn’t agree with the police version. “She may have been sexually abused and murdered,” said advocate P A Pouram, who is heading the commission.
The judicial commission members said that Safiya, a standard IV student, was taken to Kasargod with a promise by that Hamsa would provide her with education, shelter and food and that in return, she would have to care for the couple’s child.
In August 2006, he brought her to Goa. “After the brutal murder, he returned to Kerala in December 2006 and told the girl’s parents that she was
missing. On December 22, 2006, Hamsa lodged a missing complaint with the Adoor police, Kasargod along with Safiya’s father.”
The Kerala police suspended ASI Gopalkrishna from Adoor police station and named him as an accused in the case for trying to destroy evidence. “The ASI was sent to Goa for investigation. But, he tried to destroy evidence,” added Adv Pouram.
July 07,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Man cuts up maid to pieces
Man cuts up maid to pieces
Chilling Murder Occured At Gogol, Margao, In 2006
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madikeri (Karnataka): In a bone-chilling crime, a man has admitted killing a 12-year-old maid that he had employed by cutting up her body to pieces and burying the remains just outside his flat in Goa.
The accused, identified as C K Hamza, had employed young Shafia in Kasargod (Kerala) two years ago through one Aiyobi, a friend of the girl’s parents - B A Moideen and Aiysha - saying he wanted her to take care of his children. For two months since, Shafia would call her parents once a week.
On December 16, 2006, they were shocked to hear that she was missing. A complaint was lodged with Adur (Kasargod) police but Hamza is said to have got the complaint reversed telling them that the girl’s parents had taken her home. Suspecting something was wrong, local residents staged a protest asking for a proper investigation.
A special team then questioned Hamza’s wife Maimuna and relatives and got to know that he had taken the girl to a flat he owned in Goa. They
then arrested Hamza, who has confessed to the crime.
Hamza said he had taken Shafia to Goa to cook for him. One day she accidentally spilled a pan of hot water over herself and suffered severe burns. When the wounds wouldn’t heal he decided to kill her, he said.
Hamza, who was arrested along with one Abdulla in connection with the incident, was staying near Gogol housing board, Margao, Goa.
Meanwhile, during this period, it is learnt that Hamza had bagged a contract from the Irrigation Department’s Ponda Sub-division, DIV II for the construction of a Bandhara (bandh or small dam) at Kulem near Molem.
Hamza recently shifted his residence to Chandrawada in Fatorda.
July 4, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Chilling Murder Occured At Gogol, Margao, In 2006
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madikeri (Karnataka): In a bone-chilling crime, a man has admitted killing a 12-year-old maid that he had employed by cutting up her body to pieces and burying the remains just outside his flat in Goa.
The accused, identified as C K Hamza, had employed young Shafia in Kasargod (Kerala) two years ago through one Aiyobi, a friend of the girl’s parents - B A Moideen and Aiysha - saying he wanted her to take care of his children. For two months since, Shafia would call her parents once a week.
On December 16, 2006, they were shocked to hear that she was missing. A complaint was lodged with Adur (Kasargod) police but Hamza is said to have got the complaint reversed telling them that the girl’s parents had taken her home. Suspecting something was wrong, local residents staged a protest asking for a proper investigation.
A special team then questioned Hamza’s wife Maimuna and relatives and got to know that he had taken the girl to a flat he owned in Goa. They
then arrested Hamza, who has confessed to the crime.
Hamza said he had taken Shafia to Goa to cook for him. One day she accidentally spilled a pan of hot water over herself and suffered severe burns. When the wounds wouldn’t heal he decided to kill her, he said.
Hamza, who was arrested along with one Abdulla in connection with the incident, was staying near Gogol housing board, Margao, Goa.
Meanwhile, during this period, it is learnt that Hamza had bagged a contract from the Irrigation Department’s Ponda Sub-division, DIV II for the construction of a Bandhara (bandh or small dam) at Kulem near Molem.
Hamza recently shifted his residence to Chandrawada in Fatorda.
July 4, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Women suffering from cancer on the rise
Women suffering from cancer on the rise
Study Says The Disease Affects The Most Productive Age Group Of 35 To 64 Years
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: In the last five years, more women (53 per cent) were detected with cancer in Goa, while the incidence of cancer amongst men was at 47 per cent, reveals a new study.
Amongst all ailments, the prevalence of cancer in the state is about 11. 3 per cent and the shocking part is that cancer affects the most productive age group of 35 to 64 years. About 68 per cent women were detected with cancer in this age group, with men closely following at 64 per cent.
While the main reason for cancer amongst women has been linked to lifestyle, food habits like increasing consumption of vegetables sprayed with pesticides, broiler chicken and ham injected with steroids that lead to hormonal imbalance, the reason cited for cancer amongst men in Goa, besides changing lifestyle and food habits, is the increase in consumption of alcohol and gutka, the study states.
The study has been conducted by Goa Medical College and Hospital’s department of pathology head Dr Wiseman Pinto and Dr Manali Bandekar.
They studied specimen received from January 2003 to December 2007. Of the 43,472 specimen received, 4916 samples were diagnosed with cancer. “About 25 per cent are tobacco related cancers. While cancer of oral cavity (8 per cent) accounts for highest proportion of tobacco related cancers both in men (11 per cent) and women (4 per cent), cancer of lung (0.69 per cent) accounts for the lowest proportion of tobacco related cancers,” said Dr Pinto.
According to the report, the most common killer cancer amongst women is breast cancer. While majority of urban women were diagnosed with breast cancer (23 per cent) in the last five years, the rural women were diagnosed mostly with cervical cancer (10 per cent).
The other common types of cancer amongst women in Goa is the cancer of ovary, corpus uteri, non-hodgkins lymphoma, stomach, rectum and thyroid.
“Broiler chicken, ham or salami if eaten regularly and for a long time, leads to a hormonal imbalance in the body, which increases the risk of breast cancer in women. The body produces estrogen and progesterone, which is good, but by regularly eating broiler chicken, the exo (produced outside the human body) - estrogen and progesterone - acts on the body and increases risk ,” said Dr Pinto.
On the other hand, majority of men who have been diagnosed for cancer suffer from either stomach, bladder or tongue cancer, followed by the cancer of the mouth, esophagus, larynx, rectum and colon.
Dr Pinto added, “Stomach cancer is increasing amongst men due to increase in consumption of alcohol along with papad and preserved pickles that contains bacteria “H pylori”, excess of which leads to stomach cancer.”
While 3.5 per cent boys (0-14 years) who were diagonised with cancer in the last five years, the number of girls diagnosed with cancer in this age group is 2.2 per cent.
About 7 per cent men and women between the age group of 15 and 34 were detected with cancer in the last five years, followed by about 25 per cent men about the age of 65 and 22 per cent women in the same age group.
July 5, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Study Says The Disease Affects The Most Productive Age Group Of 35 To 64 Years
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: In the last five years, more women (53 per cent) were detected with cancer in Goa, while the incidence of cancer amongst men was at 47 per cent, reveals a new study.
Amongst all ailments, the prevalence of cancer in the state is about 11. 3 per cent and the shocking part is that cancer affects the most productive age group of 35 to 64 years. About 68 per cent women were detected with cancer in this age group, with men closely following at 64 per cent.
While the main reason for cancer amongst women has been linked to lifestyle, food habits like increasing consumption of vegetables sprayed with pesticides, broiler chicken and ham injected with steroids that lead to hormonal imbalance, the reason cited for cancer amongst men in Goa, besides changing lifestyle and food habits, is the increase in consumption of alcohol and gutka, the study states.
The study has been conducted by Goa Medical College and Hospital’s department of pathology head Dr Wiseman Pinto and Dr Manali Bandekar.
They studied specimen received from January 2003 to December 2007. Of the 43,472 specimen received, 4916 samples were diagnosed with cancer. “About 25 per cent are tobacco related cancers. While cancer of oral cavity (8 per cent) accounts for highest proportion of tobacco related cancers both in men (11 per cent) and women (4 per cent), cancer of lung (0.69 per cent) accounts for the lowest proportion of tobacco related cancers,” said Dr Pinto.
According to the report, the most common killer cancer amongst women is breast cancer. While majority of urban women were diagnosed with breast cancer (23 per cent) in the last five years, the rural women were diagnosed mostly with cervical cancer (10 per cent).
The other common types of cancer amongst women in Goa is the cancer of ovary, corpus uteri, non-hodgkins lymphoma, stomach, rectum and thyroid.
“Broiler chicken, ham or salami if eaten regularly and for a long time, leads to a hormonal imbalance in the body, which increases the risk of breast cancer in women. The body produces estrogen and progesterone, which is good, but by regularly eating broiler chicken, the exo (produced outside the human body) - estrogen and progesterone - acts on the body and increases risk ,” said Dr Pinto.
On the other hand, majority of men who have been diagnosed for cancer suffer from either stomach, bladder or tongue cancer, followed by the cancer of the mouth, esophagus, larynx, rectum and colon.
Dr Pinto added, “Stomach cancer is increasing amongst men due to increase in consumption of alcohol along with papad and preserved pickles that contains bacteria “H pylori”, excess of which leads to stomach cancer.”
While 3.5 per cent boys (0-14 years) who were diagonised with cancer in the last five years, the number of girls diagnosed with cancer in this age group is 2.2 per cent.
About 7 per cent men and women between the age group of 15 and 34 were detected with cancer in the last five years, followed by about 25 per cent men about the age of 65 and 22 per cent women in the same age group.
July 5, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Mumbai hospital turns away patients
Mumbai hospital turns away patients
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: After three months of treatment at Goa Medical College and hospital (GMC) produced no result, two and half year old Vibhav Borkar from Borim, Ponda was advised a biopsy. The biopsy report revealed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer).
Armed with a certificate from GMC dated June 12, 2008, advising oncology, ‘facilities for which are available neither at GMC nor elsewhere in the state of Goa’, Vibhav’s parents, accompanied by an attendant, travelled by air as advised by GMC to Mumbai’s Tata Memorial hospital (TMH) on June 13, 2008.
But on reaching the Mumbai hospital, they were refused admission by TMH for want of beds. “They asked us to return after four days. But my son’s condition was bad and the doctor’s in Goa had said that he needed immediate medical attention,” said Viraj Borkar the child’s father.
TMH director Dr K P Dinshaw says, “We always have a problem of beds. But sooner or later, the child would have been admitted in the hospital.”
Vibhav was admitted to another private hospital in Mumbai, in the hope that the Goa government might help save their only son’s life. But the directorate of health services in Goa refused to bear the expenses. “They refused to help stating that the private hospital is not recognised by the Goa government for its mediclaim scheme,” said Viraj.
“The treatment costs Rs four lakh and we have already spent Rs one lakh. We have no more money to spend,” said the aggrieved father, who works as a clerk in a private engineering college in the state.
Though Vibhav has received initial treatment, he needs chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy for 8 to 10 months, that might cost Rs four lakh, the parents said.
Health Services director Dr Rajnanda Dessai said, “The family can submit the bills to us and we will refer the matter to the government. If the government agrees, we will pay them.”
Cancer continues to be a major ailment in Goa and even toddlers are not spared. Every year, at the GMC alone, about 45 to 50 children are detected with cancer. The biggest irony is that even though the state government claims that it is concerned with the rising cancer cases in the state and has sent a proposal to the Union health ministry for setting up a regional cancer centre in Goa, Goa doesn’t have a medical oncologist to take care of cancer patients.
“At present most cancer cases are referred to Tata Memorial for preliminary treatment and followed up at GMC as Goa doesn’t have a medical oncologist,” said a GMC doctor, on condition of anonymity.
July 4, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: After three months of treatment at Goa Medical College and hospital (GMC) produced no result, two and half year old Vibhav Borkar from Borim, Ponda was advised a biopsy. The biopsy report revealed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cancer).
Armed with a certificate from GMC dated June 12, 2008, advising oncology, ‘facilities for which are available neither at GMC nor elsewhere in the state of Goa’, Vibhav’s parents, accompanied by an attendant, travelled by air as advised by GMC to Mumbai’s Tata Memorial hospital (TMH) on June 13, 2008.
But on reaching the Mumbai hospital, they were refused admission by TMH for want of beds. “They asked us to return after four days. But my son’s condition was bad and the doctor’s in Goa had said that he needed immediate medical attention,” said Viraj Borkar the child’s father.
TMH director Dr K P Dinshaw says, “We always have a problem of beds. But sooner or later, the child would have been admitted in the hospital.”
Vibhav was admitted to another private hospital in Mumbai, in the hope that the Goa government might help save their only son’s life. But the directorate of health services in Goa refused to bear the expenses. “They refused to help stating that the private hospital is not recognised by the Goa government for its mediclaim scheme,” said Viraj.
“The treatment costs Rs four lakh and we have already spent Rs one lakh. We have no more money to spend,” said the aggrieved father, who works as a clerk in a private engineering college in the state.
Though Vibhav has received initial treatment, he needs chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy for 8 to 10 months, that might cost Rs four lakh, the parents said.
Health Services director Dr Rajnanda Dessai said, “The family can submit the bills to us and we will refer the matter to the government. If the government agrees, we will pay them.”
Cancer continues to be a major ailment in Goa and even toddlers are not spared. Every year, at the GMC alone, about 45 to 50 children are detected with cancer. The biggest irony is that even though the state government claims that it is concerned with the rising cancer cases in the state and has sent a proposal to the Union health ministry for setting up a regional cancer centre in Goa, Goa doesn’t have a medical oncologist to take care of cancer patients.
“At present most cancer cases are referred to Tata Memorial for preliminary treatment and followed up at GMC as Goa doesn’t have a medical oncologist,” said a GMC doctor, on condition of anonymity.
July 4, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Not just tan, facelift too in Goa
Not just tan, facelift too in Goa
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: To Goa’s sun and sand, now add the scalpel. Medical tourism is picking up in the state, and cosmetic surgery is proving to be a big draw.
During the last tourist season, about 250 people went into the operation theatre to enhance theor looks in the four major hospitals in the state. A majority of those who went under the knife were from the US and the UK, their prime attraction being the cost.
Liposuction (fat removal) costs anywhere between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 lakh in UK and US, the same procedure in Goa would cost about Rs 1 lakh. While a facelift is more expensive in UK (Rs 3.5 to Rs 4.5 lakh) and US (Rs 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh), in Goa this costs about Rs 1 lakh. A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty which costs about Rs 3 lakh to 4.5 lakh in the UK and Rs 2.5 to 3.4 lakh in US, costs between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh in the state. The rates of botox treatment are as low as Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per session in the state, in UK a session costs about Rs 17,200 and in US it costs Rs 8000 to 17,000 a session.
Breast enlargement or reduction costs about Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh in the UK while in the US it is around Rs 2 to 3.5 lakh. However, in Goa the price for the same is between Rs 70,000 to a lakh.
Hospitals in the state say that 75% of their clients for cosmetic surgeries is from abroad. Local Goans account for only about 5%. The rest are patients from different parts of India, including Bollywood starlets, who come to Goa to ensure secrecy.
“Those who want to keep their cosmetic surgery a secret, Goa is an ideal place. People come here on a holiday, get themselves admitted in a hospital and get the cosmetic surgery done. They leave as a changed person,” said Dr Suresh Dubhashi of Vintage hospital, Panaji. MOST WANTED Picture perfect: Many resort to plastic surgery
Panaji: Cosmetic surgeons say that the people of all ages, from a young 24 to a more mature 70, are opting for cosmetic surgery. While those in the age group of 28 to 40 generally seek breast enlargement and liposuction, those between 40 to 50 seek cosmetic surgery for post pregnancy tummy tugs.
Older people between 50 and 70 years, prefer a face lift, liposuction of hands and legs as well as a tummy tug.
“The majority of patients who come for surgery are women between the ages of 20 and 40,” added plastic surgeon Dr Rajiv Usgaocar from Manipal hospital.
Victor Albuquerque, MD, Alcon Victor Group said, “Specialised cosmetic treatment started getting popular among foreign and Indian tourists in a big way in Goa only in 2007 and we expect the numbers to increase by another 25 per cent to 50 per cent this year.”
Take the case of 70-yearold Ramesh Verma, who flew down from Delhi to Goa for a week, got himself admitted into a city hospital for a facelift to remove wrinkles and chin fat, a liposuction of the tummy and botox (baggy eyelid correction). Or that of British national Krysia Fedorowicz (58), who looked older than her age and was depressed as a result.
“I am happy I went in for cosmetic surgery in Goa. The cost is less and I was more relaxed as I was on a vacation, with hardly anything to worry about,” she said. She is determined to return this October for a tummy tug.
Dr Manish Patel, cosmetic surgeon, at Apollo Victor hospital, Margao added, “Cosmetic surgery can help those whose performance is adversely affected on account of their looks, to gain confidence. Sometimes these complications are associated to ailments that can be improved with cosmetic surgery.”
July 4, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: To Goa’s sun and sand, now add the scalpel. Medical tourism is picking up in the state, and cosmetic surgery is proving to be a big draw.
During the last tourist season, about 250 people went into the operation theatre to enhance theor looks in the four major hospitals in the state. A majority of those who went under the knife were from the US and the UK, their prime attraction being the cost.
Liposuction (fat removal) costs anywhere between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 lakh in UK and US, the same procedure in Goa would cost about Rs 1 lakh. While a facelift is more expensive in UK (Rs 3.5 to Rs 4.5 lakh) and US (Rs 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh), in Goa this costs about Rs 1 lakh. A tummy tuck or abdominoplasty which costs about Rs 3 lakh to 4.5 lakh in the UK and Rs 2.5 to 3.4 lakh in US, costs between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh in the state. The rates of botox treatment are as low as Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per session in the state, in UK a session costs about Rs 17,200 and in US it costs Rs 8000 to 17,000 a session.
Breast enlargement or reduction costs about Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh in the UK while in the US it is around Rs 2 to 3.5 lakh. However, in Goa the price for the same is between Rs 70,000 to a lakh.
Hospitals in the state say that 75% of their clients for cosmetic surgeries is from abroad. Local Goans account for only about 5%. The rest are patients from different parts of India, including Bollywood starlets, who come to Goa to ensure secrecy.
“Those who want to keep their cosmetic surgery a secret, Goa is an ideal place. People come here on a holiday, get themselves admitted in a hospital and get the cosmetic surgery done. They leave as a changed person,” said Dr Suresh Dubhashi of Vintage hospital, Panaji. MOST WANTED Picture perfect: Many resort to plastic surgery
Panaji: Cosmetic surgeons say that the people of all ages, from a young 24 to a more mature 70, are opting for cosmetic surgery. While those in the age group of 28 to 40 generally seek breast enlargement and liposuction, those between 40 to 50 seek cosmetic surgery for post pregnancy tummy tugs.
Older people between 50 and 70 years, prefer a face lift, liposuction of hands and legs as well as a tummy tug.
“The majority of patients who come for surgery are women between the ages of 20 and 40,” added plastic surgeon Dr Rajiv Usgaocar from Manipal hospital.
Victor Albuquerque, MD, Alcon Victor Group said, “Specialised cosmetic treatment started getting popular among foreign and Indian tourists in a big way in Goa only in 2007 and we expect the numbers to increase by another 25 per cent to 50 per cent this year.”
Take the case of 70-yearold Ramesh Verma, who flew down from Delhi to Goa for a week, got himself admitted into a city hospital for a facelift to remove wrinkles and chin fat, a liposuction of the tummy and botox (baggy eyelid correction). Or that of British national Krysia Fedorowicz (58), who looked older than her age and was depressed as a result.
“I am happy I went in for cosmetic surgery in Goa. The cost is less and I was more relaxed as I was on a vacation, with hardly anything to worry about,” she said. She is determined to return this October for a tummy tug.
Dr Manish Patel, cosmetic surgeon, at Apollo Victor hospital, Margao added, “Cosmetic surgery can help those whose performance is adversely affected on account of their looks, to gain confidence. Sometimes these complications are associated to ailments that can be improved with cosmetic surgery.”
July 4, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Drastic decline in smoking in state
Drastic decline in smoking in state
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Beedi smoking is down by more than 50% in the state, reveals a new report published by the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
The report ‘Beedi smoking and public health’, prepared in March 2008 reveals that the consumption of beedis in rural Goa has come down from 34.84% in 1993-94 to 16.55% in 1999-2000, while consumption of cigarettes has dipped from 4.54% to 3.78% during the same period. In urban Goa cigarette consumption has fallen from 4.21% to 1.78% and beedi consumption has reduced from 31.01% to 14.14%.
The report arrives at its conclusions by comparing the National Sample Survey data from 1993-94 to 1999-2000. It focuses on multiple harm caused by beedis and reducing beedi consumption. Besides, the report attempts to develop effective strategies to expand the focus of tobacco control programmes to all types of tobacco use.
Doctors agree that tobacco consumption has declined in the state. “The Goan literate population is aware that smoking can lead to cancer, lung and heart diseases,” said Dr Wiseman Pinto, head, department of pathology, GMC.
But there are those who believe that smoking can be reduced even more. “If the government acts a little tougher, Goa could well become the first state to be completely tobacco free,” said Dr Shekhar Salkar of the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication, an NGO.
July 1, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Beedi smoking is down by more than 50% in the state, reveals a new report published by the Union ministry of health and family welfare.
The report ‘Beedi smoking and public health’, prepared in March 2008 reveals that the consumption of beedis in rural Goa has come down from 34.84% in 1993-94 to 16.55% in 1999-2000, while consumption of cigarettes has dipped from 4.54% to 3.78% during the same period. In urban Goa cigarette consumption has fallen from 4.21% to 1.78% and beedi consumption has reduced from 31.01% to 14.14%.
The report arrives at its conclusions by comparing the National Sample Survey data from 1993-94 to 1999-2000. It focuses on multiple harm caused by beedis and reducing beedi consumption. Besides, the report attempts to develop effective strategies to expand the focus of tobacco control programmes to all types of tobacco use.
Doctors agree that tobacco consumption has declined in the state. “The Goan literate population is aware that smoking can lead to cancer, lung and heart diseases,” said Dr Wiseman Pinto, head, department of pathology, GMC.
But there are those who believe that smoking can be reduced even more. “If the government acts a little tougher, Goa could well become the first state to be completely tobacco free,” said Dr Shekhar Salkar of the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication, an NGO.
July 1, The Times of India, Goa edition
Notice to Big B
Panaji: The High Court of Bombay at Goa issued a notice to Amitabh Bachchan and others on Monday for allegedly violating Goa’s antitobacco laws.
Goa-based National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) filed the case after billboards showing the megastar smoking a cigar, were put up along NH 17 highway.
The notices to Bachchan, Anchor Electric appliances, Keshu Ramsay and others are returnable by July 28. They’ve been issued before admission.
A lower court NOTE had approached earlier, refused to entertain the case on grounds that it had no substance. This has been challenged in the HC.
Bachchan had apologised earlier claiming that neither ABCL nor he promoted Anchor products or tobacco products. Calling himself a teetotaller since the last 30 years, he added in his letter to NOTE India general secretary Shekhar Salkar, “I am deeply apologetic of the advertisement that has hurt the sentiments of the people at large and organisations such as yours.”
July 1, The Times of India, Goa edition
Goa-based National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) filed the case after billboards showing the megastar smoking a cigar, were put up along NH 17 highway.
The notices to Bachchan, Anchor Electric appliances, Keshu Ramsay and others are returnable by July 28. They’ve been issued before admission.
A lower court NOTE had approached earlier, refused to entertain the case on grounds that it had no substance. This has been challenged in the HC.
Bachchan had apologised earlier claiming that neither ABCL nor he promoted Anchor products or tobacco products. Calling himself a teetotaller since the last 30 years, he added in his letter to NOTE India general secretary Shekhar Salkar, “I am deeply apologetic of the advertisement that has hurt the sentiments of the people at large and organisations such as yours.”
July 1, The Times of India, Goa edition
Beedis: Rolled Away
Beedis: Rolled Away
At 0.3%, Goa has lowest number of beedi consumers amongst countrywide student population, reports Preetu Nair
Beedis, those leaf-wrapped tobacco sticks that have oft found favour with fisherwomen and hippies alike, are burning out in Goa.
‘Beedi smoking and public health’, a report published in March this year, by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi says beedi consumption has reduced in Goa. In rurural Goa the drop is from 34.84% (1993-94) to 16.55% (99-2000), while urban areas have seen a decline from 31.01% to 14.14%. Cigarettes too have lost favour in the cities, dropping from 4.21% to 1.78% .
The cause for this decline is the state law Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 that bans smoking and its advertisement in public places, says the report.
The report also found that Goa has the lowest number of beedi consumers, 0.3%, amongst the student community. Kids aged between 13-15 years, across India, were studied. While an average 8.3% smoked and 2.3% lit up beedis, Manipur had the highest student beedi smokers at 14.2%. The information was drawn from Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data for 26 states, conducted between 2000-04.
A current beedi smoker was defined as one who smoked one or more beedis, on one or more days, in the prior 30 days. Those who smoked in multiple forms (besides beedis) were not included. Frequent beedi smokers were those who smoked on 20 or more of the 30 days preceding the survey. Nicotine dependence was assessed by the question do you require tobacco first thing in the morning.
The survey also revealed that boys were more likely to be current smokers than girls. The current beedi smoking prevalence was found to be low (1% or less) in Goa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Intermediately low (1.1%- 2.9%) in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Orissa, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. Intermediately high (4.6%-9.2%) in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh and Meghalaya. High (10.6%-14.2%) in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. TNN
MYTH
Beedis are smaller and contain lesser tobacco than conventional
cigarettes and are therefore less harmful
FACT
After smoking a beedi, participants showed similar or slightly higher plasma levels of nicotine than found after smoking a cigarette. This suggested that health consequences of beedis were likely to be similar to those found from smoking regular cigarettes. Researchers also concluded that beedis were more dangerous than cigarettes because their low combustibility contributed to deeper inhalation of beedi smoke. Beedi smoking causes oral cancer, cancer of the lung, stomach and esophagus, coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, and chronic bronchitis.
Flavoured & Herbal
Forget the foul smelling regular beedi, flavoured and herbal ones are around, albeit catering to a very small market in India. Abroad though, it’s a different story. The Health Ministry’s ‘Bidi smoking and public health’ report found that beedis in as many as 18 flavours are aggresively marketed in the West, especially to US importers.
The flavours include:
Strawberry Cardamom Chocolate Cinnamon Clove Grape Lemon Mango Mint Vanilla Wild Cherry Orange Honey Coconut Raspberry
July 1, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
At 0.3%, Goa has lowest number of beedi consumers amongst countrywide student population, reports Preetu Nair
Beedis, those leaf-wrapped tobacco sticks that have oft found favour with fisherwomen and hippies alike, are burning out in Goa.
‘Beedi smoking and public health’, a report published in March this year, by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi says beedi consumption has reduced in Goa. In rurural Goa the drop is from 34.84% (1993-94) to 16.55% (99-2000), while urban areas have seen a decline from 31.01% to 14.14%. Cigarettes too have lost favour in the cities, dropping from 4.21% to 1.78% .
The cause for this decline is the state law Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 that bans smoking and its advertisement in public places, says the report.
The report also found that Goa has the lowest number of beedi consumers, 0.3%, amongst the student community. Kids aged between 13-15 years, across India, were studied. While an average 8.3% smoked and 2.3% lit up beedis, Manipur had the highest student beedi smokers at 14.2%. The information was drawn from Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data for 26 states, conducted between 2000-04.
A current beedi smoker was defined as one who smoked one or more beedis, on one or more days, in the prior 30 days. Those who smoked in multiple forms (besides beedis) were not included. Frequent beedi smokers were those who smoked on 20 or more of the 30 days preceding the survey. Nicotine dependence was assessed by the question do you require tobacco first thing in the morning.
The survey also revealed that boys were more likely to be current smokers than girls. The current beedi smoking prevalence was found to be low (1% or less) in Goa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Intermediately low (1.1%- 2.9%) in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Orissa, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. Intermediately high (4.6%-9.2%) in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh and Meghalaya. High (10.6%-14.2%) in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. TNN
MYTH
Beedis are smaller and contain lesser tobacco than conventional
cigarettes and are therefore less harmful
FACT
After smoking a beedi, participants showed similar or slightly higher plasma levels of nicotine than found after smoking a cigarette. This suggested that health consequences of beedis were likely to be similar to those found from smoking regular cigarettes. Researchers also concluded that beedis were more dangerous than cigarettes because their low combustibility contributed to deeper inhalation of beedi smoke. Beedi smoking causes oral cancer, cancer of the lung, stomach and esophagus, coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, and chronic bronchitis.
Flavoured & Herbal
Forget the foul smelling regular beedi, flavoured and herbal ones are around, albeit catering to a very small market in India. Abroad though, it’s a different story. The Health Ministry’s ‘Bidi smoking and public health’ report found that beedis in as many as 18 flavours are aggresively marketed in the West, especially to US importers.
The flavours include:
Strawberry Cardamom Chocolate Cinnamon Clove Grape Lemon Mango Mint Vanilla Wild Cherry Orange Honey Coconut Raspberry
July 1, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Dead techie’s parents seek DNA test
Dead techie’s parents seek DNA test
Decomposition Raises Doubts
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Parents of software engineer Meghna Subedar, missing since April 2008, have asked for a DNA test and blood group analysis of the serum or blood to confirm the identity of the decomposed body that was found near River Princess at Candolim beach.
In their letter to Calangute police on Sunday, Mohan and Anjali Subedar, an ENT surgeon and a gynaecologist, said, “Since the body of Meghna was totally decomposed and in a mutilated condition at the time of post-mortem, we request you to kindly allow DNA test with parents and blood group analysis of the serum/blood to confirm on scientific basis as the facilities are available. This will alleviate any scope of ambiguity.” The test would be conducted at Goa Medical College and Hospital on Monday.
“We have some doubts, as the body was decomposed. We want to be certain that the body is of Meghna,” said Meghna’s mother Anjali.
Mohan said that he had identified the body as that of Meghna because during post-mortem it was found that there was an old collar bone fracture, small fibre in the uterus and the age of the body, that tallied with that of his daughter. INTENSIVE PROBE
Meghna’s parents suspect murder
Panaji: Parents of software engineer Meghna Subedar have sought a DNA test and blood group analysis of the blood to confirm the identity of the decomposed body that was found at Candolim beach.
“She was a brave girl and would never commit suicide. Moreover, if she planned to commit suicide, why did she kill herself after being missing for 75 days,” said the victim’s mother Anjali Subedar.
“If she had to commit suicide why did she remove her clothes. There were no clothes on her body,” said the aggrieved mother.
According to the father Mohan Subedar, there are ante-mortem injury marks all over the body due to which they suspect that she was assaulted and then smothered
in the sand. The police have registered a case of murder against unknown persons, but no arrests have been made so far.
Meghna was missing from the Mumbai VT station from April 11, while returning home to Korba, Chhattisgarh.
She had been working as an engineer at an IT firm in Bangalore but had quit on April 1, 2008 and was looking for another job.
The parents are clueless about the motive of the murder. “We have no enemies. Neither has anyone called us with a ransom demand. I just can’t understand the purpose of killing our daughter,” said Dr Mohan.
The only time money was withdrawn from Meghna’s ATM account was on April 15, 2008 between 12 am to 1 am, which is again raising the parent’s suspicion.
“The CCTV clippings show that she was tense and upset. The CST railway police failed to act despite several clues. If they had acted in time, our daughter would have been alive,” said the father. With the CST railway police failing to act, the parents had made a desperate attempt to search for their elder daughter in Goa.
June 30, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Decomposition Raises Doubts
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Parents of software engineer Meghna Subedar, missing since April 2008, have asked for a DNA test and blood group analysis of the serum or blood to confirm the identity of the decomposed body that was found near River Princess at Candolim beach.
In their letter to Calangute police on Sunday, Mohan and Anjali Subedar, an ENT surgeon and a gynaecologist, said, “Since the body of Meghna was totally decomposed and in a mutilated condition at the time of post-mortem, we request you to kindly allow DNA test with parents and blood group analysis of the serum/blood to confirm on scientific basis as the facilities are available. This will alleviate any scope of ambiguity.” The test would be conducted at Goa Medical College and Hospital on Monday.
“We have some doubts, as the body was decomposed. We want to be certain that the body is of Meghna,” said Meghna’s mother Anjali.
Mohan said that he had identified the body as that of Meghna because during post-mortem it was found that there was an old collar bone fracture, small fibre in the uterus and the age of the body, that tallied with that of his daughter. INTENSIVE PROBE
Meghna’s parents suspect murder
Panaji: Parents of software engineer Meghna Subedar have sought a DNA test and blood group analysis of the blood to confirm the identity of the decomposed body that was found at Candolim beach.
“She was a brave girl and would never commit suicide. Moreover, if she planned to commit suicide, why did she kill herself after being missing for 75 days,” said the victim’s mother Anjali Subedar.
“If she had to commit suicide why did she remove her clothes. There were no clothes on her body,” said the aggrieved mother.
According to the father Mohan Subedar, there are ante-mortem injury marks all over the body due to which they suspect that she was assaulted and then smothered
in the sand. The police have registered a case of murder against unknown persons, but no arrests have been made so far.
Meghna was missing from the Mumbai VT station from April 11, while returning home to Korba, Chhattisgarh.
She had been working as an engineer at an IT firm in Bangalore but had quit on April 1, 2008 and was looking for another job.
The parents are clueless about the motive of the murder. “We have no enemies. Neither has anyone called us with a ransom demand. I just can’t understand the purpose of killing our daughter,” said Dr Mohan.
The only time money was withdrawn from Meghna’s ATM account was on April 15, 2008 between 12 am to 1 am, which is again raising the parent’s suspicion.
“The CCTV clippings show that she was tense and upset. The CST railway police failed to act despite several clues. If they had acted in time, our daughter would have been alive,” said the father. With the CST railway police failing to act, the parents had made a desperate attempt to search for their elder daughter in Goa.
June 30, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Lovers spurned: Several European women duped in state
Lovers spurned: Several European women duped in state
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: The case of British national Patrina Churm (55) being duped by her lover may not be an isolated one. Women activists say that while Churm may have managed to send the man to jail, many other foreign nationals concede the fight after an initial complaint.
“Incidents of European women who share a live-in relationship with young Indian men complaining about being financially duped and violence in the relationship is common. But the problem is that soon after we initiate action they either request us not to pursue the matter or just disappear, forcing us to close the case,” said chairperson of the Goa state commission for women Dr Pramod Salgaonkar.
Take the case of fifty-nineyear-old Dutch national Eva Thurston (name changed), who met a 35-year-old Kashmiri man in February 2004 in Goa. Eva refused to reveal her boyfriend’s name and said, “I am trying to sort out things with him amicably and naming him may spoil things”.
Duped by her lover, Eva had lodged a complaint with the Calangute police in March 2008. The Calangute police confirmed receipt of the complaint. “We did receive a complaint and called both parties to the police station to sort out things. But after some time the woman left the country,” Calangute police said.
Eva’s story is no different from that of Churm and many others like her. She was holidaying in Goa in 2002, when she met her ‘soul mate’. A friendship developed and Eva financed a shop in North Goa, the purchase of a house, a vehicle and even opened a joint bank account. But in a span of four years, as her financial status went downhill, the relation strained. “One day, I was thrown out of the house, denied my share in the business and house and rendered penniless,” said Eva. But after an initial complaint she has resigned herself to her fate and is trying to settle the matter amicably.
“A majority of the European women in a similar situation put up a brave front initially but back out later as they have no protection nor any back-up support in Goa. On the other hand, the man, being an Indian national, has connections and family,” said advocate Caroline Collaco.
Police officials admit that live-in relationships between elderly European women and younger Indian men is a common feature in the coastal belt. “While Goan or lamani boys get friendly with a European woman intending to travel abroad, we commonly come across cases where woman allege that Kashmiri men have duped them off their money after faking love. But there are no documents to prove these allegations,” the officer added.
“Most of the time there is no marriage certificate,” said advocate Vikram Varma.
Activists said that not only are women robbed financially, but there are even instances of Kashmiri men keeping their marital status under wraps and marrying elderly European women either in ashrams or mangal karyalayas.
In one such case, 40-yearold Angela Kanska married a 27-year-old from Rainawar, Srinagar, who runs handicrafts shops in Candolim and at Osho ashram in Pune.
Initially, everything looked perfect, till he learnt that she was pregnant. “He told me that he was already married with a wife in Kashmir and my whole world collapsed,” said Angela.
June 30, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: The case of British national Patrina Churm (55) being duped by her lover may not be an isolated one. Women activists say that while Churm may have managed to send the man to jail, many other foreign nationals concede the fight after an initial complaint.
“Incidents of European women who share a live-in relationship with young Indian men complaining about being financially duped and violence in the relationship is common. But the problem is that soon after we initiate action they either request us not to pursue the matter or just disappear, forcing us to close the case,” said chairperson of the Goa state commission for women Dr Pramod Salgaonkar.
Take the case of fifty-nineyear-old Dutch national Eva Thurston (name changed), who met a 35-year-old Kashmiri man in February 2004 in Goa. Eva refused to reveal her boyfriend’s name and said, “I am trying to sort out things with him amicably and naming him may spoil things”.
Duped by her lover, Eva had lodged a complaint with the Calangute police in March 2008. The Calangute police confirmed receipt of the complaint. “We did receive a complaint and called both parties to the police station to sort out things. But after some time the woman left the country,” Calangute police said.
Eva’s story is no different from that of Churm and many others like her. She was holidaying in Goa in 2002, when she met her ‘soul mate’. A friendship developed and Eva financed a shop in North Goa, the purchase of a house, a vehicle and even opened a joint bank account. But in a span of four years, as her financial status went downhill, the relation strained. “One day, I was thrown out of the house, denied my share in the business and house and rendered penniless,” said Eva. But after an initial complaint she has resigned herself to her fate and is trying to settle the matter amicably.
“A majority of the European women in a similar situation put up a brave front initially but back out later as they have no protection nor any back-up support in Goa. On the other hand, the man, being an Indian national, has connections and family,” said advocate Caroline Collaco.
Police officials admit that live-in relationships between elderly European women and younger Indian men is a common feature in the coastal belt. “While Goan or lamani boys get friendly with a European woman intending to travel abroad, we commonly come across cases where woman allege that Kashmiri men have duped them off their money after faking love. But there are no documents to prove these allegations,” the officer added.
“Most of the time there is no marriage certificate,” said advocate Vikram Varma.
Activists said that not only are women robbed financially, but there are even instances of Kashmiri men keeping their marital status under wraps and marrying elderly European women either in ashrams or mangal karyalayas.
In one such case, 40-yearold Angela Kanska married a 27-year-old from Rainawar, Srinagar, who runs handicrafts shops in Candolim and at Osho ashram in Pune.
Initially, everything looked perfect, till he learnt that she was pregnant. “He told me that he was already married with a wife in Kashmir and my whole world collapsed,” said Angela.
June 30, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Monday, June 30, 2008
ATTN: GERMAN SPECIAL POLICE ARREST NAZI WAR CRIMINAL NEAR GOA
Around 20 Journalists in Goa received this email from Perus Narkp. The email also had an attachment giving details of the arrest of the suspected Nazi war criminal.
Is this one of the hoax in Indian Journalism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perus Narkp
Subject: Subject: ATTN: GERMAN SPECIAL POLICE ARREST NAZI WAR CRIMINAL NEAR GOA
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008
Dear Ma'am/Sir
Please find enclosed a three page press note issued by the Perus Narkp, Intelligence wing of the German Chancellor's Core to the media in Goa.
The Perus Narkp have arrested a former Nazi War Criminal Johann Bach on the Goa -- Karnataka regions border, in Khanapura. He was living in Calanguta for the last some months.
The 88-year old Johann Bach was responsible for the genocide of 12,000 Jews at a Berlin concentration camp. He had been absconding for the last 40 years.
The top secret joint operation which resulted in Bach's arrest was carried out by senior agents of the Perus Narkp in co-ordination with senior Intelligence Officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
The accused has been and will be kept at a secret undisclosed location until the first hearing at the ICJ, Hague.
A special media briefing will be held on Sunday by the top officials of Perus Narkp and Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India.
The 3 page press note carries the sequence of events leading to Bach's arrest along with his file photograph.
You are requested to release this story immediately today and give this successful joint operation by intelligence teams of both Germany and India wide publicity in the lead up to the press conference on Sunday. Perus Narkp will be dispatching personal invitations to representatives of media houses tomorrow.
Looking forward to your co-operation
Hamman Smit
Dr�ngen Sie Offizier (Press Officer)
C.C.1. Copy to all accredited journalists in Goa, India and journalisten in Berlin
C.C.2. Copy to PIB, India and Bundesinformationsstelle Germany
Perus Narkp
13/108
Town Berlin Polize
Shede Road
Berlin VT 05602
802-223-4409
802-223-4415
perus.narkp@berlin.com
wolfez@dps.berlin.vt.us
Is this one of the hoax in Indian Journalism?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perus Narkp
Subject: Subject: ATTN: GERMAN SPECIAL POLICE ARREST NAZI WAR CRIMINAL NEAR GOA
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008
Dear Ma'am/Sir
Please find enclosed a three page press note issued by the Perus Narkp, Intelligence wing of the German Chancellor's Core to the media in Goa.
The Perus Narkp have arrested a former Nazi War Criminal Johann Bach on the Goa -- Karnataka regions border, in Khanapura. He was living in Calanguta for the last some months.
The 88-year old Johann Bach was responsible for the genocide of 12,000 Jews at a Berlin concentration camp. He had been absconding for the last 40 years.
The top secret joint operation which resulted in Bach's arrest was carried out by senior agents of the Perus Narkp in co-ordination with senior Intelligence Officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
The accused has been and will be kept at a secret undisclosed location until the first hearing at the ICJ, Hague.
A special media briefing will be held on Sunday by the top officials of Perus Narkp and Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India.
The 3 page press note carries the sequence of events leading to Bach's arrest along with his file photograph.
You are requested to release this story immediately today and give this successful joint operation by intelligence teams of both Germany and India wide publicity in the lead up to the press conference on Sunday. Perus Narkp will be dispatching personal invitations to representatives of media houses tomorrow.
Looking forward to your co-operation
Hamman Smit
Dr�ngen Sie Offizier (Press Officer)
C.C.1. Copy to all accredited journalists in Goa, India and journalisten in Berlin
C.C.2. Copy to PIB, India and Bundesinformationsstelle Germany
Perus Narkp
13/108
Town Berlin Polize
Shede Road
Berlin VT 05602
802-223-4409
802-223-4415
perus.narkp@berlin.com
wolfez@dps.berlin.vt.us
Saturday, June 28, 2008
SEA OF TROUBLE AHEAD?CRZ scanner on foreigners
CRZ scanner on foreigners
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: On the one hand the Enforcement Directorate, Mumbai, is investigating illegal purchases of land by foreigners in the state. On the other, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) is examining whether structures constructed by foreigners are in violation of CRZ rules and the Environment Protection Act.
GCZMA has discovered constructions by foreigners, especially Russians, that have been built in violation of CRZ rules. Though the precise number is not known, government sources said, “There are quite a number of constructions by foreigners in violation of CRZ. A majority of the violations are by Russians. In Morjim alone, there are more than ten constructions that have violated CRZ norms.”
Some of the major properties under the GCZMA scanner are: Artlidori Resort Pvt Ltd, Casa Blanca and La Valencia hotel, all in Morjim. GCZMA is also reviewing a property purchased by a Russian company—True Axis Resort Pvt Ltd—which purchased about 22,631 sq m of land falling under CRZ area. Incidentally, True Axis is also under investigation by Enforcement authorities as it had purchased about 20,000 sq m of agriculture/forest land in Morjim despite a ban on foreigners purchasing agricultural/forest land in India.
GCZMA member secretary Michael D’Souza said, “We are awaiting a report from the office of the North Goa Collector and only then will we initiate appropriate action against foreigners who have constructed in violation of CRZ and EPA.”
‘Nobody can build in violation of CRZ’
Panaji: Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) is investigating cases of CRZ violations by foreigners in the state.
Environmental lawyer Norma Alvares said, “Nobody can build in violation of CRZ. The question of foreigners building residential houses in CRZ doesn’t arise at all. If they are building resorts, they require permission from the ministry of environment and forests. This is given after the village panchayat forwards the application to GCZMA, which can recommend the approval of permission.” GCZMA officials say that no such permission have been sought from them.
According to GCZMA authorities, the major violators are foreigners who have constructed in partnership with Indians. Explaining the modus operandi, Rajan Ghate, who spearheaded the movement protesting the sale of land to foreigners said, “A foreigner holding a commercial visa teams up with a Goan and they float a partnership firm. The firm invests in properties in Goa, starts a business, buys land and develops it. After a few months, the Goan partner resigns, leaving the properties in the hands of the foreign national.”
However, Vikram Varma, advocate for the Consul General of Russian Federation in Mumbai, said, “We have not received any notice from GCZMA as yet about CRZ violations. On receipt of any such information, we will scrutinise the cases individually.”
June 28, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: On the one hand the Enforcement Directorate, Mumbai, is investigating illegal purchases of land by foreigners in the state. On the other, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) is examining whether structures constructed by foreigners are in violation of CRZ rules and the Environment Protection Act.
GCZMA has discovered constructions by foreigners, especially Russians, that have been built in violation of CRZ rules. Though the precise number is not known, government sources said, “There are quite a number of constructions by foreigners in violation of CRZ. A majority of the violations are by Russians. In Morjim alone, there are more than ten constructions that have violated CRZ norms.”
Some of the major properties under the GCZMA scanner are: Artlidori Resort Pvt Ltd, Casa Blanca and La Valencia hotel, all in Morjim. GCZMA is also reviewing a property purchased by a Russian company—True Axis Resort Pvt Ltd—which purchased about 22,631 sq m of land falling under CRZ area. Incidentally, True Axis is also under investigation by Enforcement authorities as it had purchased about 20,000 sq m of agriculture/forest land in Morjim despite a ban on foreigners purchasing agricultural/forest land in India.
GCZMA member secretary Michael D’Souza said, “We are awaiting a report from the office of the North Goa Collector and only then will we initiate appropriate action against foreigners who have constructed in violation of CRZ and EPA.”
‘Nobody can build in violation of CRZ’
Panaji: Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) is investigating cases of CRZ violations by foreigners in the state.
Environmental lawyer Norma Alvares said, “Nobody can build in violation of CRZ. The question of foreigners building residential houses in CRZ doesn’t arise at all. If they are building resorts, they require permission from the ministry of environment and forests. This is given after the village panchayat forwards the application to GCZMA, which can recommend the approval of permission.” GCZMA officials say that no such permission have been sought from them.
According to GCZMA authorities, the major violators are foreigners who have constructed in partnership with Indians. Explaining the modus operandi, Rajan Ghate, who spearheaded the movement protesting the sale of land to foreigners said, “A foreigner holding a commercial visa teams up with a Goan and they float a partnership firm. The firm invests in properties in Goa, starts a business, buys land and develops it. After a few months, the Goan partner resigns, leaving the properties in the hands of the foreign national.”
However, Vikram Varma, advocate for the Consul General of Russian Federation in Mumbai, said, “We have not received any notice from GCZMA as yet about CRZ violations. On receipt of any such information, we will scrutinise the cases individually.”
June 28, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Friday, June 27, 2008
Foreigners get the Goa jitters
Foreigners get the Goa jitters
Sell Off Homes, High Commission Worried
Preetu Nair | TNN
Calangute: Foreign nationals who had ‘legally’ invested in property in Goa are placing these on sale, worried over the growing resentment against foreigners purchasing property in Goa.
Take the case of Stephanie (57) and Richard Parker (59) from West Coast, UK. Highly paid executives in an American firm, this couple decided to make Goa their post-retirement home. In 2000, they purchased an old bungalow in Candolim for about Rs 20 lakh and spent another Rs 30 lakh fashioning it into their dream house. Eight years later, they are anxious to dispose of the property and return to the UK.
“We love Goa and connect with the people here. That’s the reason why, after seeking legal advice, we sold our ancestral property in UK and purchased a home in Goa. But now we are eager to sell our house as we are deeply agonized and alarmed by the way we are being targeted, though we have not violated any law,” said Richard.
The Parkers don’t figure in the 400-odd names that makes up the list of the Directorate of Enforcement of those who have been served show-cause notices for having purchased properties allegedly in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
Russians and the Britishers top the list of foreign nationals who have invested in properties in Goa, mostly by forming companies or by complying with the mandatory 180 days residence in the country.
Yet, wary of future trouble, they are eager to sell off the same property. “We wanted to settle in Goa because with the £3,000 pension we would have been able to live a more comfortable life in Goa than in the UK. But it’s better to be at home than in a place where you are worried about either your property being taken away or your visa being denied,” added Richard.
“There is a class of well-educated European professionals who purchased property in Goa but now there is a sense of insecurity amongst such settlers, which is increasingly encouraging them to exit from Goa with their investments,” said advocate Vikram Varma.
But law minister Dayanand Narvekar doesn’t think that those who have complied with all the formalities should have reason to worry. Said Narvekar, “I don’t think foreigners who have purchased property legally in Goa in compliance of FEMA rules and with money coming through proper RBI channels, should have any problems.”
The Parkers, however, are not the only Britishers eager to liquidate their property. Harry (55) and Caroline (48) Smith, who put in Rs 25 lakhs to purchase a bungalow three years back and then spent another Rs 25 lakh on renovation, have put their property on sale. “The market value of the house is Rs 80 lakhs plus. But even if we get the amount we had invested in the house, we are more than willing to sell,” added the Smiths.
Government’s tough stance worries foreigners
Calangute: Trouble for foreigners owning property in Goa began two years ago with the launch of a movement against the sale of land to foreigners. But it is the state government’s decision not to sell land to foreigners that has many worried.
“An increasing number of Britishers in the coastal belt want to sell off their properties at a decent price or start a company and transfer the house in the company’s name,” admitted a real estate broker from the North Goa coastal belt.
This was confirmed by Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira, who said, “The foriegners are feeling helpless and troubled with the stand taken by the state government. There are an increasing number of foreigners who are now coming to the panchayat to register a company and then transfer their house in the name of the company. Under FEMA a foreign owned company can purchase house.”
The British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai is concerned about the problems their citizens are having in the state.
“We would be very concerned if there were to be any question of property acquired legally by British citizens being expropriated through the retrospective application of any new legislation. We have raised our concerns with the Indian authorities at both the state and national level and will continue to do so,” said the High Commission spokesperson.
There is another problem too. A large number of Britishers are being cheated by developers promoting their available apartments on the net. British National Claire Solomon (45) saw an advertisement on the internet, contacted the developer, entered into an agreement and paid an advance amount of about Rs 10 lakh to purchase a one bedroom flat in Calangute. Everything appeared above board until she came to Goa to register the sale deed and take possession. “It is then that I was told that I can’t possess a house in Goa as I don’t fulfill FEMA regulations. My money is lost and I feel cheated,” said Claire.
Explaining this advocate Raju Poulekar said, “When selling property to foreigners, builders don’t explain the legality of buying such property and often the foreigners fall into a trap.”
(Few names of UK nationals changed to protect identity)
June 27, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Sell Off Homes, High Commission Worried
Preetu Nair | TNN
Calangute: Foreign nationals who had ‘legally’ invested in property in Goa are placing these on sale, worried over the growing resentment against foreigners purchasing property in Goa.
Take the case of Stephanie (57) and Richard Parker (59) from West Coast, UK. Highly paid executives in an American firm, this couple decided to make Goa their post-retirement home. In 2000, they purchased an old bungalow in Candolim for about Rs 20 lakh and spent another Rs 30 lakh fashioning it into their dream house. Eight years later, they are anxious to dispose of the property and return to the UK.
“We love Goa and connect with the people here. That’s the reason why, after seeking legal advice, we sold our ancestral property in UK and purchased a home in Goa. But now we are eager to sell our house as we are deeply agonized and alarmed by the way we are being targeted, though we have not violated any law,” said Richard.
The Parkers don’t figure in the 400-odd names that makes up the list of the Directorate of Enforcement of those who have been served show-cause notices for having purchased properties allegedly in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
Russians and the Britishers top the list of foreign nationals who have invested in properties in Goa, mostly by forming companies or by complying with the mandatory 180 days residence in the country.
Yet, wary of future trouble, they are eager to sell off the same property. “We wanted to settle in Goa because with the £3,000 pension we would have been able to live a more comfortable life in Goa than in the UK. But it’s better to be at home than in a place where you are worried about either your property being taken away or your visa being denied,” added Richard.
“There is a class of well-educated European professionals who purchased property in Goa but now there is a sense of insecurity amongst such settlers, which is increasingly encouraging them to exit from Goa with their investments,” said advocate Vikram Varma.
But law minister Dayanand Narvekar doesn’t think that those who have complied with all the formalities should have reason to worry. Said Narvekar, “I don’t think foreigners who have purchased property legally in Goa in compliance of FEMA rules and with money coming through proper RBI channels, should have any problems.”
The Parkers, however, are not the only Britishers eager to liquidate their property. Harry (55) and Caroline (48) Smith, who put in Rs 25 lakhs to purchase a bungalow three years back and then spent another Rs 25 lakh on renovation, have put their property on sale. “The market value of the house is Rs 80 lakhs plus. But even if we get the amount we had invested in the house, we are more than willing to sell,” added the Smiths.
Government’s tough stance worries foreigners
Calangute: Trouble for foreigners owning property in Goa began two years ago with the launch of a movement against the sale of land to foreigners. But it is the state government’s decision not to sell land to foreigners that has many worried.
“An increasing number of Britishers in the coastal belt want to sell off their properties at a decent price or start a company and transfer the house in the company’s name,” admitted a real estate broker from the North Goa coastal belt.
This was confirmed by Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira, who said, “The foriegners are feeling helpless and troubled with the stand taken by the state government. There are an increasing number of foreigners who are now coming to the panchayat to register a company and then transfer their house in the name of the company. Under FEMA a foreign owned company can purchase house.”
The British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai is concerned about the problems their citizens are having in the state.
“We would be very concerned if there were to be any question of property acquired legally by British citizens being expropriated through the retrospective application of any new legislation. We have raised our concerns with the Indian authorities at both the state and national level and will continue to do so,” said the High Commission spokesperson.
There is another problem too. A large number of Britishers are being cheated by developers promoting their available apartments on the net. British National Claire Solomon (45) saw an advertisement on the internet, contacted the developer, entered into an agreement and paid an advance amount of about Rs 10 lakh to purchase a one bedroom flat in Calangute. Everything appeared above board until she came to Goa to register the sale deed and take possession. “It is then that I was told that I can’t possess a house in Goa as I don’t fulfill FEMA regulations. My money is lost and I feel cheated,” said Claire.
Explaining this advocate Raju Poulekar said, “When selling property to foreigners, builders don’t explain the legality of buying such property and often the foreigners fall into a trap.”
(Few names of UK nationals changed to protect identity)
June 27, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Big Fat Goan Story
Surgery could help too
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Bariatic surgery, a procedure in which the stomach is shrunk to reduce food intake, is gaining popularity in Goa. In the last six months, seven such operations were carried out at a Margao hospital. Three patients were Goans, the rest foreigners. Michael Fernandes (name changed on request) was the first Goan to go under the bariatic scalpel. “I was 132 kg and could hardly stand. After the surgery, I lost 34 kg and am more active,” says the 37-year-old. Adding that he feels “healthier today than I ever did in my teens”, the insurance agent says the weight loss helped him “land a job of my choice”. There are three types of bariatic surgeries—laparoscopic gastric banding (lap band), gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. These are decided depending on individual problems. “For a morbidly obese person (with a BMI above 40), bariatic surgery (that costs between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh) is the only solution, as there is a 50-60% weight loss,” says Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan, bariatic surgeon at Apollo Victor hospital. However, the surgery is not without complications. “Nearly 20% develop vitamin B deficiency and have to take vitamin tablets for life. Some also become anaemic, if they are not careful about their diet,” he says.
Michael agrees that he has to be careful about his diet and can’t smoke or drink. But he is not complaining. “I am happy to be alive and I now feel healthier,” says Michael.
What is BMI?
Body Mass Index (BMI) indicates body fatness. It is calculated by dividing a person’s body weight by the square of one’s height. For example, if you weigh 52 kilos and your height is 5 ft (1.52 mtrs), your BMI is 23.111 {BMI = weight (kilos)/height (sq m)}.
BMI categories: Below 18.5 - Underweight 18.5 to 24.9 - Normal 25 to 29.9 - Overweight 30 & above - Obese
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Bariatic surgery, a procedure in which the stomach is shrunk to reduce food intake, is gaining popularity in Goa. In the last six months, seven such operations were carried out at a Margao hospital. Three patients were Goans, the rest foreigners. Michael Fernandes (name changed on request) was the first Goan to go under the bariatic scalpel. “I was 132 kg and could hardly stand. After the surgery, I lost 34 kg and am more active,” says the 37-year-old. Adding that he feels “healthier today than I ever did in my teens”, the insurance agent says the weight loss helped him “land a job of my choice”. There are three types of bariatic surgeries—laparoscopic gastric banding (lap band), gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. These are decided depending on individual problems. “For a morbidly obese person (with a BMI above 40), bariatic surgery (that costs between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh) is the only solution, as there is a 50-60% weight loss,” says Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan, bariatic surgeon at Apollo Victor hospital. However, the surgery is not without complications. “Nearly 20% develop vitamin B deficiency and have to take vitamin tablets for life. Some also become anaemic, if they are not careful about their diet,” he says.
Michael agrees that he has to be careful about his diet and can’t smoke or drink. But he is not complaining. “I am happy to be alive and I now feel healthier,” says Michael.
What is BMI?
Body Mass Index (BMI) indicates body fatness. It is calculated by dividing a person’s body weight by the square of one’s height. For example, if you weigh 52 kilos and your height is 5 ft (1.52 mtrs), your BMI is 23.111 {BMI = weight (kilos)/height (sq m)}.
BMI categories: Below 18.5 - Underweight 18.5 to 24.9 - Normal 25 to 29.9 - Overweight 30 & above - Obese
The Big Fat Goan Story
Surgery could help too
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Bariatic surgery, a procedure in which the stomach is shrunk to reduce food intake, is gaining popularity in Goa. In the last six months, seven such operations were carried out at a Margao hospital. Three patients were Goans, the rest foreigners. Michael Fernandes (name changed on request) was the first Goan to go under the bariatic scalpel. “I was 132 kg and could hardly stand. After the surgery, I lost 34 kg and am more active,” says the 37-year-old. Adding that he feels “healthier today than I ever did in my teens”, the insurance agent says the weight loss helped him “land a job of my choice”. There are three types of bariatic surgeries—laparoscopic gastric banding (lap band), gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. These are decided depending on individual problems. “For a morbidly obese person (with a BMI above 40), bariatic surgery (that costs between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh) is the only solution, as there is a 50-60% weight loss,” says Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan, bariatic surgeon at Apollo Victor hospital. However, the surgery is not without complications. “Nearly 20% develop vitamin B deficiency and have to take vitamin tablets for life. Some also become anaemic, if they are not careful about their diet,” he says.
Michael agrees that he has to be careful about his diet and can’t smoke or drink. But he is not complaining. “I am happy to be alive and I now feel healthier,” says Michael.
What is BMI?
Body Mass Index (BMI) indicates body fatness. It is calculated by dividing a person’s body weight by the square of one’s height. For example, if you weigh 52 kilos and your height is 5 ft (1.52 mtrs), your BMI is 23.111 {BMI = weight (kilos)/height (sq m)}.
BMI categories: Below 18.5 - Underweight 18.5 to 24.9 - Normal 25 to 29.9 - Overweight 30 & above - Obese
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Bariatic surgery, a procedure in which the stomach is shrunk to reduce food intake, is gaining popularity in Goa. In the last six months, seven such operations were carried out at a Margao hospital. Three patients were Goans, the rest foreigners. Michael Fernandes (name changed on request) was the first Goan to go under the bariatic scalpel. “I was 132 kg and could hardly stand. After the surgery, I lost 34 kg and am more active,” says the 37-year-old. Adding that he feels “healthier today than I ever did in my teens”, the insurance agent says the weight loss helped him “land a job of my choice”. There are three types of bariatic surgeries—laparoscopic gastric banding (lap band), gastric bypass and gastric sleeve. These are decided depending on individual problems. “For a morbidly obese person (with a BMI above 40), bariatic surgery (that costs between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh) is the only solution, as there is a 50-60% weight loss,” says Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan, bariatic surgeon at Apollo Victor hospital. However, the surgery is not without complications. “Nearly 20% develop vitamin B deficiency and have to take vitamin tablets for life. Some also become anaemic, if they are not careful about their diet,” he says.
Michael agrees that he has to be careful about his diet and can’t smoke or drink. But he is not complaining. “I am happy to be alive and I now feel healthier,” says Michael.
What is BMI?
Body Mass Index (BMI) indicates body fatness. It is calculated by dividing a person’s body weight by the square of one’s height. For example, if you weigh 52 kilos and your height is 5 ft (1.52 mtrs), your BMI is 23.111 {BMI = weight (kilos)/height (sq m)}.
BMI categories: Below 18.5 - Underweight 18.5 to 24.9 - Normal 25 to 29.9 - Overweight 30 & above - Obese
Silent killer stalking Goans
Silent killer stalking Goans
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Goan adults are far more overweight than other Indians and this is causing a serious concern among health professionals. And when it comes to being obese, Goan women outdo the men.
The percentage of women who are overweight or obese is 27, much higher than the all India figure of 14.8%. The men are not far behind though, with 20.8% of Goan men being obese or overweight, again higher than the all India percentage of 12.1. This has been revealed by the Health Intelligence Bureau report, 2007, of the Directorate of Health Services.
The year of reference for the data is 2005-06 and it reveals the nutritional status of adults (age 15 to 49).
“Obesity is a growing disease among Goans. It is a silent killer,” said Dr Digambar Naik from Vrundavan Hospital, Mapusa. Naik added that 60% of the patients above the age of 40 who come to the hospital are obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30.
“Abdominal obesity is a problem in Goa and about one-third of the adult population is obese,” said Dr Rufino Monteiro from Vintage Hospital, Panaji.
A person with a BMI between 25 and 35 is deemed obese or overweight and those with BMI of 35 and above are considered to be morbidly obese.
“The socio-economic status in Goa being the highest in the country, we have the additional burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular ailments and cancer, which are linked to sedentary lifestyles that lead to obesity,” said Goa Medical College’s preventive and social medicine associate professor Dr Jagdish Cacodcar.
Sedentary lifestyle causing obesity
Panaji: Goans are more obese than other Indians, a study by the directorate of health services has revealed.
The problem lies in the lifestyle of the people. “We have a sedentary lifestyle, with not much physical activity. Besides, we are increasingly eating junk food that is adding to the problem,” said Dr Wiseman Pinto, head of the Pathology department, GMC.
Doctors said that obesity has to be controlled in childhood or it leads to pyscho-social problems, cardiovascular problems, endochrinal diseases, pulmonary, gastro-intestinal, muscular skeletal problems and even cancer in adulthood.
“With morbid obesity, majority of the organs collapse,” said Panaji based physician Dr Oscar Rebello. However, there has been no specific study in the state to show that obese people are more susceptible to hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke and arthritis than healthy people.
Leading heart specialist Dr Uday Khanolkar, who daily sees about four new patients with heart ailments, said that though obesity is an independent risk factor for heart ailments, there are also other common risk factors such as age, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, genetic predisposition and consumption of cholesterol rich foods.
However, there is some good news. “Some 70% of overweight persons can return to normal weight with exercise and diet. However, the other 30% move from being obese to morbid obesity and develop complications related to obesity” said Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan, bariatic surgeon at Apollo Victor hospital, Margao.
June 26, 2008, The Times of India , Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Goan adults are far more overweight than other Indians and this is causing a serious concern among health professionals. And when it comes to being obese, Goan women outdo the men.
The percentage of women who are overweight or obese is 27, much higher than the all India figure of 14.8%. The men are not far behind though, with 20.8% of Goan men being obese or overweight, again higher than the all India percentage of 12.1. This has been revealed by the Health Intelligence Bureau report, 2007, of the Directorate of Health Services.
The year of reference for the data is 2005-06 and it reveals the nutritional status of adults (age 15 to 49).
“Obesity is a growing disease among Goans. It is a silent killer,” said Dr Digambar Naik from Vrundavan Hospital, Mapusa. Naik added that 60% of the patients above the age of 40 who come to the hospital are obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30.
“Abdominal obesity is a problem in Goa and about one-third of the adult population is obese,” said Dr Rufino Monteiro from Vintage Hospital, Panaji.
A person with a BMI between 25 and 35 is deemed obese or overweight and those with BMI of 35 and above are considered to be morbidly obese.
“The socio-economic status in Goa being the highest in the country, we have the additional burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular ailments and cancer, which are linked to sedentary lifestyles that lead to obesity,” said Goa Medical College’s preventive and social medicine associate professor Dr Jagdish Cacodcar.
Sedentary lifestyle causing obesity
Panaji: Goans are more obese than other Indians, a study by the directorate of health services has revealed.
The problem lies in the lifestyle of the people. “We have a sedentary lifestyle, with not much physical activity. Besides, we are increasingly eating junk food that is adding to the problem,” said Dr Wiseman Pinto, head of the Pathology department, GMC.
Doctors said that obesity has to be controlled in childhood or it leads to pyscho-social problems, cardiovascular problems, endochrinal diseases, pulmonary, gastro-intestinal, muscular skeletal problems and even cancer in adulthood.
“With morbid obesity, majority of the organs collapse,” said Panaji based physician Dr Oscar Rebello. However, there has been no specific study in the state to show that obese people are more susceptible to hypertension, diabetes, heart attack, stroke and arthritis than healthy people.
Leading heart specialist Dr Uday Khanolkar, who daily sees about four new patients with heart ailments, said that though obesity is an independent risk factor for heart ailments, there are also other common risk factors such as age, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, genetic predisposition and consumption of cholesterol rich foods.
However, there is some good news. “Some 70% of overweight persons can return to normal weight with exercise and diet. However, the other 30% move from being obese to morbid obesity and develop complications related to obesity” said Dr Rajkumar Palaniappan, bariatic surgeon at Apollo Victor hospital, Margao.
June 26, 2008, The Times of India , Goa edition
ANUJ JOSHI MURDER
ANUJ JOSHI MURDER
Joshi killer had burgled his house 4 times
Accused Claims His Intention Was Not To Murder, But To Demand Rs 50,000
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Somnath Shelar alias Raju Samanth, who has confessed to the gruesome and baffling murder of restaurateur Anuj Joshi at his house, barely a few yards from the Calangute police station, had burgled Joshi’s house four times before he
was arrested for the crime in October 2005.
However, a police complaint was lodged only once by the deceased.
Shelar was arrested on June 7, 2008 by the Calangute police for murdering Joshi on July 2, 2006. Police officials said that Shelar, after he was arrested in October for theft at Joshi’s house, was sent to eight months judicial custody.
“After his release, Shelar left for Pune and for 10 days was sleeping at the Pune railway station,” said an officer from the Calangute police.
Though Shelar is a resident of Memanwadi village in the Daund taluka of Pune, he has not visited his home since last eight years.
Police officials said that after 10 days, Shelar returned to Goa and few days later bought a kitchen knife from Mapusa.
“He claims that his intention was not to murder Joshi, but to demand Rs 50,000 from him by threatening with a knife,” said police.
They said that Shelar went to Joshi’s house on the night of July 1, but seeing the watchman, changed his plans and went to the woods near Joshi’s house to rest.
“He returned on the morning of July 2 at 6.30 am. On seeing Joshi sleeping, he tried to open the cupboard. When Joshi woke up and tried to confront Shelar, he hit him on the head thrice with an adjustable spanner, before he collapsed on the floor. Then he slit his throat with the kitchen knife,” the police said
Shelar’s crime doesn’t end here. The police said that he then tried to destroy evidence by washing the bloodstained clothes he wore and cleaning the knife.
“He left the clothes to dry in the room, wore one of Joshi’s bermuda pants and tshirt and escaped from the house at 7.30 am with Rs 10,000 and the victim’s mobile phone,” the police said.
Incidentally, in 2005 Shelar had also stolen Rs 10,000 and a mobile from Joshi’s house.
Joshi, 43, was found lying dead on the first floor bedroom of his hillside bungalow with his throat slashed on July 2.
Joshi had returned home around 3.30 am after closing “The Bar”, a very popular pub and watering hole in Baga for tourists as well as locals.
“After murdering Joshi, he went to Mapusa and caught a bus to Pune and from Pune went to Mumbai. Though we had sent our team to Pune we couldn’t trace him as he was hiding in Mumbai,” a police official said. The police team from Calangute was in Pune for 15 days.
According to the police, a month after Joshi’s murder, the accused, was picked up by the Pune police for burglary and he was sent to Yerawada jail, Pune for ten months.
“He befriended others with similar criminal backgrounds and started indulging in burglary along with them after his release from jail. Everytime after committing a burglary he would come to Goa with his group for holidays,” said a police official.
However, the third trip proved unlucky for Shelar as the Goa police had got information about his activities in Pune and were keeping a watch on him.
Shelar was caught on the very day he arrived in the state in a jeep along with his three friends.
“It is a gang of four members, between the age group of 19 and 25 and all of them are involved in criminal activities in Pune and Goa,” the Calangute police said.
June 26, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Joshi killer had burgled his house 4 times
Accused Claims His Intention Was Not To Murder, But To Demand Rs 50,000
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Somnath Shelar alias Raju Samanth, who has confessed to the gruesome and baffling murder of restaurateur Anuj Joshi at his house, barely a few yards from the Calangute police station, had burgled Joshi’s house four times before he
was arrested for the crime in October 2005.
However, a police complaint was lodged only once by the deceased.
Shelar was arrested on June 7, 2008 by the Calangute police for murdering Joshi on July 2, 2006. Police officials said that Shelar, after he was arrested in October for theft at Joshi’s house, was sent to eight months judicial custody.
“After his release, Shelar left for Pune and for 10 days was sleeping at the Pune railway station,” said an officer from the Calangute police.
Though Shelar is a resident of Memanwadi village in the Daund taluka of Pune, he has not visited his home since last eight years.
Police officials said that after 10 days, Shelar returned to Goa and few days later bought a kitchen knife from Mapusa.
“He claims that his intention was not to murder Joshi, but to demand Rs 50,000 from him by threatening with a knife,” said police.
They said that Shelar went to Joshi’s house on the night of July 1, but seeing the watchman, changed his plans and went to the woods near Joshi’s house to rest.
“He returned on the morning of July 2 at 6.30 am. On seeing Joshi sleeping, he tried to open the cupboard. When Joshi woke up and tried to confront Shelar, he hit him on the head thrice with an adjustable spanner, before he collapsed on the floor. Then he slit his throat with the kitchen knife,” the police said
Shelar’s crime doesn’t end here. The police said that he then tried to destroy evidence by washing the bloodstained clothes he wore and cleaning the knife.
“He left the clothes to dry in the room, wore one of Joshi’s bermuda pants and tshirt and escaped from the house at 7.30 am with Rs 10,000 and the victim’s mobile phone,” the police said.
Incidentally, in 2005 Shelar had also stolen Rs 10,000 and a mobile from Joshi’s house.
Joshi, 43, was found lying dead on the first floor bedroom of his hillside bungalow with his throat slashed on July 2.
Joshi had returned home around 3.30 am after closing “The Bar”, a very popular pub and watering hole in Baga for tourists as well as locals.
“After murdering Joshi, he went to Mapusa and caught a bus to Pune and from Pune went to Mumbai. Though we had sent our team to Pune we couldn’t trace him as he was hiding in Mumbai,” a police official said. The police team from Calangute was in Pune for 15 days.
According to the police, a month after Joshi’s murder, the accused, was picked up by the Pune police for burglary and he was sent to Yerawada jail, Pune for ten months.
“He befriended others with similar criminal backgrounds and started indulging in burglary along with them after his release from jail. Everytime after committing a burglary he would come to Goa with his group for holidays,” said a police official.
However, the third trip proved unlucky for Shelar as the Goa police had got information about his activities in Pune and were keeping a watch on him.
Shelar was caught on the very day he arrived in the state in a jeep along with his three friends.
“It is a gang of four members, between the age group of 19 and 25 and all of them are involved in criminal activities in Pune and Goa,” the Calangute police said.
June 26, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
‘Good governance requires consistency’
‘Good governance requires consistency’
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Upset with the arbitrary behaviour of the state government regarding the SEZ issue, Cipla officials said that the move to scrap the notified SEZs in the state would have an adverse impact on the investment climate in Goa.
“We believe that good governance requires consistency in policy and that once you declare a policy and people have acted on that, it is wrong to reverse it and cause difficulties and losses to investors,” said Amar Lulla chief executive officer of Cipla Ltd., Mumbai.
Reacting to the government’s decision to withdraw the allotment of land and their submission to the high court of Bombay at Goa that the government has lifted the stop work order issued to Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, which was setting up a SEZ in Keri, Ponda, Lulla said, “We will have to take steps as are legally advised. This can’t be the end of the road for us, as we have already invested close to Rs 200 crore in the project.”
He said that they had invested in Goa pursuant to the government policy inviting development of SEZs. “The whole purpose was to set up a dedicated SEZ for pharma units. This would have brought substantial investment and employment benefits to Goa.
Further, the units were to be non-polluting and putting no infrastructure burden on the State. The idea was to set up a world class pharma park in Goa,” he said.
Meditab, that was allotted land at Keri, Ponda for setting up a pharma park/SEZ had approached the court stating that the chief secretary of the state, J P Singh had threatened them. They were allotted 12,32,000 sq mts land by Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) on April 28, 2006 and a year later, on April 10, 2007, the development commissioner, ministry of commerce and industry, GoI notified the area as SEZ for sector-specific pharmaceutical industries.
In May 2007, Meditab allotted two plots of land to Cipla Ltd to set up its units for manufacturing aerosol. Trouble started from November 22, 2007, when people started objecting to the Meditab SEZ project.
Lulla said that many strongly believe that the SEZ movement is a politically motivated movement and is not one which is reflective of the views of the majority of the people of the state.
“The SEZ is clearly in the public interest and the opponents are misinformed and misguided. The Goa government is legally and constitutionally bound to implement the SEZ policy which was a validly notified policy and on the basis of which we have acted and incurred huge costs and liabilities. The attempt by the government to change its stand is unjustified and illegal,” he added.
June 26, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Upset with the arbitrary behaviour of the state government regarding the SEZ issue, Cipla officials said that the move to scrap the notified SEZs in the state would have an adverse impact on the investment climate in Goa.
“We believe that good governance requires consistency in policy and that once you declare a policy and people have acted on that, it is wrong to reverse it and cause difficulties and losses to investors,” said Amar Lulla chief executive officer of Cipla Ltd., Mumbai.
Reacting to the government’s decision to withdraw the allotment of land and their submission to the high court of Bombay at Goa that the government has lifted the stop work order issued to Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd, which was setting up a SEZ in Keri, Ponda, Lulla said, “We will have to take steps as are legally advised. This can’t be the end of the road for us, as we have already invested close to Rs 200 crore in the project.”
He said that they had invested in Goa pursuant to the government policy inviting development of SEZs. “The whole purpose was to set up a dedicated SEZ for pharma units. This would have brought substantial investment and employment benefits to Goa.
Further, the units were to be non-polluting and putting no infrastructure burden on the State. The idea was to set up a world class pharma park in Goa,” he said.
Meditab, that was allotted land at Keri, Ponda for setting up a pharma park/SEZ had approached the court stating that the chief secretary of the state, J P Singh had threatened them. They were allotted 12,32,000 sq mts land by Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) on April 28, 2006 and a year later, on April 10, 2007, the development commissioner, ministry of commerce and industry, GoI notified the area as SEZ for sector-specific pharmaceutical industries.
In May 2007, Meditab allotted two plots of land to Cipla Ltd to set up its units for manufacturing aerosol. Trouble started from November 22, 2007, when people started objecting to the Meditab SEZ project.
Lulla said that many strongly believe that the SEZ movement is a politically motivated movement and is not one which is reflective of the views of the majority of the people of the state.
“The SEZ is clearly in the public interest and the opponents are misinformed and misguided. The Goa government is legally and constitutionally bound to implement the SEZ policy which was a validly notified policy and on the basis of which we have acted and incurred huge costs and liabilities. The attempt by the government to change its stand is unjustified and illegal,” he added.
June 26, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Goa;Youth form 40% of HIV patients
Youth form 40% of HIV patients
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: HIV/ AIDS has been found to have a profound impact on teens and young adults and nearly 40% of new HIV infections and almost one-third of the global total of people living with the disease are aged between 15 and 24.
In Goa, about 23% of the detected HIV cases in 2007 belonged to the age group 15-29, said Goa State AIDS Contol Society (GSACS) project director Dr Pradeep Padwal.
Dr Padwal said that while more than one-third of the females infected belong to the age group 15-29 in the state, about one-fifth of the infected males belonged to this age group.
“Males and females were almost equally infected in the age group 15-29, whereas in the higher age groups the proportion of males around 70%,” he said.He was speaking at a media consultation programme ‘A coordinated response to HIV/AIDS in Goa- Building partnerships with the media’ on Tuesday, which was organised by Zindagi, a state network of people living with HIV in collaboration with Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) under the aegis of Indian network of people living with HIV.
Dr Padwal said, “The government has taken good measures to effectively control the epidemic in the last ten years and the HIV spread has plateaued in the last three years.”
Observing that HIV /AIDS which was considered as a
male disease two decade ago, is now distributed almost equally among male and female, he said that more than one-third of the females infected during 2007 in Goa were in the age group 15-29 as compared to less than one-fifth of the infected males.
He said that women are more vulnerable than men to HIV infection because of biological, economic, social and cultural factors. “Male-to-female transmission is 2 to 17 times higher than vice versa. While the proportion of females to total HIV cases detected was about 35.7% in 2007, it ranged between 10 to 12 % during 1995-98,” Dr Padwal observed.
Goa along with Gujarat and Pondicherry are moderate prevalent states and trends indicate that HIV spreads from urban to rural areas and from high-risk groups (HRG) to low risk group (LRG).
“The time lag for the infection to spread from HRG to LRG is 3 to 5 years, as the infection will spread from CSWs to their clients that act as the bridge population and then to wives/ other sexual partners of these clients during the period,” he said.
According to him, the future course of the epidemic will largely depend on efforts in preventing HIV infection among young people.
“For this we have to form strategies to help young people to protect themselves, access to sound information, help to build skills for living, provide a safe and supportive environment as well as quality health services including counseling and also there is a need for special skills and ways of communicating with children,” said Dr Padwal.
To catch people young, the director of GSACS believes that schools are important channels.
“Teachers are the key people who influence children’s behaviour and easy accessibility of young children in different age group to impart age appropriate knowledge,” he added.
June 25, The Times of India, Goa edition
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: HIV/ AIDS has been found to have a profound impact on teens and young adults and nearly 40% of new HIV infections and almost one-third of the global total of people living with the disease are aged between 15 and 24.
In Goa, about 23% of the detected HIV cases in 2007 belonged to the age group 15-29, said Goa State AIDS Contol Society (GSACS) project director Dr Pradeep Padwal.
Dr Padwal said that while more than one-third of the females infected belong to the age group 15-29 in the state, about one-fifth of the infected males belonged to this age group.
“Males and females were almost equally infected in the age group 15-29, whereas in the higher age groups the proportion of males around 70%,” he said.He was speaking at a media consultation programme ‘A coordinated response to HIV/AIDS in Goa- Building partnerships with the media’ on Tuesday, which was organised by Zindagi, a state network of people living with HIV in collaboration with Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) under the aegis of Indian network of people living with HIV.
Dr Padwal said, “The government has taken good measures to effectively control the epidemic in the last ten years and the HIV spread has plateaued in the last three years.”
Observing that HIV /AIDS which was considered as a
male disease two decade ago, is now distributed almost equally among male and female, he said that more than one-third of the females infected during 2007 in Goa were in the age group 15-29 as compared to less than one-fifth of the infected males.
He said that women are more vulnerable than men to HIV infection because of biological, economic, social and cultural factors. “Male-to-female transmission is 2 to 17 times higher than vice versa. While the proportion of females to total HIV cases detected was about 35.7% in 2007, it ranged between 10 to 12 % during 1995-98,” Dr Padwal observed.
Goa along with Gujarat and Pondicherry are moderate prevalent states and trends indicate that HIV spreads from urban to rural areas and from high-risk groups (HRG) to low risk group (LRG).
“The time lag for the infection to spread from HRG to LRG is 3 to 5 years, as the infection will spread from CSWs to their clients that act as the bridge population and then to wives/ other sexual partners of these clients during the period,” he said.
According to him, the future course of the epidemic will largely depend on efforts in preventing HIV infection among young people.
“For this we have to form strategies to help young people to protect themselves, access to sound information, help to build skills for living, provide a safe and supportive environment as well as quality health services including counseling and also there is a need for special skills and ways of communicating with children,” said Dr Padwal.
To catch people young, the director of GSACS believes that schools are important channels.
“Teachers are the key people who influence children’s behaviour and easy accessibility of young children in different age group to impart age appropriate knowledge,” he added.
June 25, The Times of India, Goa edition
TIMES IMPACT
TIMES IMPACT
Vishwajit’s balm for patients
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: Doctors at the Goa Medical College and hospital will now have to ensure that the medicines they prescribe to patients admitted at the hospital are available at the hospital pharmacy.
“All GMC department heads have to check with the GMC pharmacist about the availability of medicines and then prescribe them to patients,” said health minister Vishwajit Rane. If a particular medicine is not available in the GMC pharmacy, the hospital will have to procure it, and not the patients, as was the practice so far. This is to
ensure that patients admitted at GMC don’t have to spend money on purchasing drugs.
“It is necessary for us to evaluate the free medicine scheme. There are reports in the newspapers and I have also come across complaints from patients admitted to GMC and also from their relatives that they have been forced to purchase medicines from outside, though the government gives medicines free to all patients admitted in the hospital. This is happening despite the government sanctioning about Rs 5 crore annually for free medicines,” said Rane.
TOI had reported on Saturday that despite the an increase in the budget allocation for medicines from Rs 200 lakh in 2003-04 to Rs 500 lakh in 2006-07, medicines were scarce at the GMC pharmacy. TOI had also spoken to doctors who admitted that there is not just a lack of drugs and basic amenities like gloves and cotton, but that patients are asked to purchase these.
GMC medical superintendent Rajan Kuncolienkar has been appointed as the nodal officer to ensure that the inpatients get medicines free. AT YOUR SERVICE
Govt for 24-hr
pharmacy
at GMC
Panaji: The health minister Vishwajit Rane said on Tuesday that the doctors at the Goa
Medical College and Hospital will have to ensure that the medicine they prescribe to patients admitted at the hospital is available at the hospital pharmacy.
“evaluation of the availability of medicines would be done on a weekly basis,” said Rane.
“If necessary, the medical superintendent shall procure the medicines in order to ensure that the patients do not have to go out and purchase
medicines. This is to ensure that the common man seeking treatment at the GMC is not put to any hardship,” said Rane.
Rane said they are considering making a provision for a 24-hour pharmacy at GMC and also suggested that the two district hospital — Asilo at Mapusa and Hospicio at Margao — may tie-up with private chemists to provide medicines round the clock to patients.
The director of health services has been asked to ensure the availability of medicines in the two district hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Yatri Niwas at the GMC complex would be inaugurated on Thursday and the new nursing college would be commissioned on July 4.
The health minister said that he has asked the director of health services Rajnanda Dessai to consider starting a course in home nursing at the nursing college.
The GMC is also set to get its own housekeeping staff, besides female security for women admitted in the female wards. “We have already tendered for the same,” Rane said.
25 June,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Vishwajit’s balm for patients
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: Doctors at the Goa Medical College and hospital will now have to ensure that the medicines they prescribe to patients admitted at the hospital are available at the hospital pharmacy.
“All GMC department heads have to check with the GMC pharmacist about the availability of medicines and then prescribe them to patients,” said health minister Vishwajit Rane. If a particular medicine is not available in the GMC pharmacy, the hospital will have to procure it, and not the patients, as was the practice so far. This is to
ensure that patients admitted at GMC don’t have to spend money on purchasing drugs.
“It is necessary for us to evaluate the free medicine scheme. There are reports in the newspapers and I have also come across complaints from patients admitted to GMC and also from their relatives that they have been forced to purchase medicines from outside, though the government gives medicines free to all patients admitted in the hospital. This is happening despite the government sanctioning about Rs 5 crore annually for free medicines,” said Rane.
TOI had reported on Saturday that despite the an increase in the budget allocation for medicines from Rs 200 lakh in 2003-04 to Rs 500 lakh in 2006-07, medicines were scarce at the GMC pharmacy. TOI had also spoken to doctors who admitted that there is not just a lack of drugs and basic amenities like gloves and cotton, but that patients are asked to purchase these.
GMC medical superintendent Rajan Kuncolienkar has been appointed as the nodal officer to ensure that the inpatients get medicines free. AT YOUR SERVICE
Govt for 24-hr
pharmacy
at GMC
Panaji: The health minister Vishwajit Rane said on Tuesday that the doctors at the Goa
Medical College and Hospital will have to ensure that the medicine they prescribe to patients admitted at the hospital is available at the hospital pharmacy.
“evaluation of the availability of medicines would be done on a weekly basis,” said Rane.
“If necessary, the medical superintendent shall procure the medicines in order to ensure that the patients do not have to go out and purchase
medicines. This is to ensure that the common man seeking treatment at the GMC is not put to any hardship,” said Rane.
Rane said they are considering making a provision for a 24-hour pharmacy at GMC and also suggested that the two district hospital — Asilo at Mapusa and Hospicio at Margao — may tie-up with private chemists to provide medicines round the clock to patients.
The director of health services has been asked to ensure the availability of medicines in the two district hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Yatri Niwas at the GMC complex would be inaugurated on Thursday and the new nursing college would be commissioned on July 4.
The health minister said that he has asked the director of health services Rajnanda Dessai to consider starting a course in home nursing at the nursing college.
The GMC is also set to get its own housekeeping staff, besides female security for women admitted in the female wards. “We have already tendered for the same,” Rane said.
25 June,2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Landlords defend sale to non-Goans
Landlords defend sale to non-Goans
We Have The Right to Dispose Our Properties To The Highest Bidder
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: As activists demand that the sale of land to outsiders at exorbitant prices be banned, thereby stopping the rape of Goa by builders, land owners or bhatkars in Goa believe they have the right to sell their land to the highest bidder.
“The price of land has gone up because there is a demand. Today we are a capitalist society and if anyone wants to keep the land for Goans then they should purchase it at market value from landlords and preserve it,” said Agostinho Proenca, a land owner from Calangute.
Proenca doesn’t see any reason over people cribbing about landlords selling land at hefty prices.
“Check out the cost of living in Goa. Who would sell land or for that matter anything at a lower price. As a seller I am not interested in what a buyer or a builder does with the land. There are government agencies in place in Goa to check on these issues,” added Proenca.
Victor Albuquerque, chairman and managing director of the Alcon Victor Group, said, “If the price of land is high, then the price of flats also naturally increases. Nowadays, the cost of the land is almost equal to the cost of the construction of a multi storeyed building.”
“There are prime properties like Dona Paula where the cost of constructing the bungalow is less than the cost of the land,” he added.
Landlords believe that it’s not the seller who should be blamed if a Goan buyer can’t afford the rate of land.
They also feel that holding on to the land is risky. Landlords complain that it is becoming extremely difficult to maintain the land; for one, there are encroachers, problems with tenants, and mundkars out to ‘grab land’ from landlords.
“There is no justice. If you retain your property, a mundkar could encroach and neither the panchayat nor government helps. The only option is either to sell off the property at the price the mundkars demands or approach the court. I don’t have time to follow up matters in the court, so I am developing buildings in the vacant plots,” says Dr A J Cardoso, a landlord from Santa Cruz.
While tenants are actual tillers of an agricultural land, mundkars are those who looked after the property for the bhatkar over generations.
“The general feeling amongst bhatkars is that after the Mundkar and Tenancy Act, landlords have been suppressed and so they feel cheated. So when you get a higher price you should sell the property,” said Alba Sequeira, a land owner from Siolim.
However, she said that she would prefer selling her plot to a Goan, provided they are willing to pay what she called a ‘moderately high’ sum.
In the past year, opposition against sale of land to foreigners and even Indians, alleging that the price of land has skyrocketed to such an extent that it has become unaffordable for a middle class Goan to purchase a house or land in the state, has grown.
Interestingly, given a choice, not many would like to sell their plots to non Goans, but rue that more than often the locals are not willing to pay the price.
“I prefer selling my land to Goans, but I also sell it to non Goans settled in Goa, if they are willing to pay the price,” said Vishnudas Kare from Gogol, Margao.
Some landlords argue that if Goans can travel, work, purchase land, build houses and settle anywhere in the country or the world, others too have a right to settle in the state.
“I will definitely sell my property to a person who pays a higher price and completes the transaction legally. Can we stop another Indian from buying property in Goa? Haven’t Goans purchased property and built homes in Mumbai and rest of the country and abroad,” added Savio Mendonca, a landlord from Siolim.
June 23, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
We Have The Right to Dispose Our Properties To The Highest Bidder
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: As activists demand that the sale of land to outsiders at exorbitant prices be banned, thereby stopping the rape of Goa by builders, land owners or bhatkars in Goa believe they have the right to sell their land to the highest bidder.
“The price of land has gone up because there is a demand. Today we are a capitalist society and if anyone wants to keep the land for Goans then they should purchase it at market value from landlords and preserve it,” said Agostinho Proenca, a land owner from Calangute.
Proenca doesn’t see any reason over people cribbing about landlords selling land at hefty prices.
“Check out the cost of living in Goa. Who would sell land or for that matter anything at a lower price. As a seller I am not interested in what a buyer or a builder does with the land. There are government agencies in place in Goa to check on these issues,” added Proenca.
Victor Albuquerque, chairman and managing director of the Alcon Victor Group, said, “If the price of land is high, then the price of flats also naturally increases. Nowadays, the cost of the land is almost equal to the cost of the construction of a multi storeyed building.”
“There are prime properties like Dona Paula where the cost of constructing the bungalow is less than the cost of the land,” he added.
Landlords believe that it’s not the seller who should be blamed if a Goan buyer can’t afford the rate of land.
They also feel that holding on to the land is risky. Landlords complain that it is becoming extremely difficult to maintain the land; for one, there are encroachers, problems with tenants, and mundkars out to ‘grab land’ from landlords.
“There is no justice. If you retain your property, a mundkar could encroach and neither the panchayat nor government helps. The only option is either to sell off the property at the price the mundkars demands or approach the court. I don’t have time to follow up matters in the court, so I am developing buildings in the vacant plots,” says Dr A J Cardoso, a landlord from Santa Cruz.
While tenants are actual tillers of an agricultural land, mundkars are those who looked after the property for the bhatkar over generations.
“The general feeling amongst bhatkars is that after the Mundkar and Tenancy Act, landlords have been suppressed and so they feel cheated. So when you get a higher price you should sell the property,” said Alba Sequeira, a land owner from Siolim.
However, she said that she would prefer selling her plot to a Goan, provided they are willing to pay what she called a ‘moderately high’ sum.
In the past year, opposition against sale of land to foreigners and even Indians, alleging that the price of land has skyrocketed to such an extent that it has become unaffordable for a middle class Goan to purchase a house or land in the state, has grown.
Interestingly, given a choice, not many would like to sell their plots to non Goans, but rue that more than often the locals are not willing to pay the price.
“I prefer selling my land to Goans, but I also sell it to non Goans settled in Goa, if they are willing to pay the price,” said Vishnudas Kare from Gogol, Margao.
Some landlords argue that if Goans can travel, work, purchase land, build houses and settle anywhere in the country or the world, others too have a right to settle in the state.
“I will definitely sell my property to a person who pays a higher price and completes the transaction legally. Can we stop another Indian from buying property in Goa? Haven’t Goans purchased property and built homes in Mumbai and rest of the country and abroad,” added Savio Mendonca, a landlord from Siolim.
June 23, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Scarlett Keeling Case;Julio fears arrest, files anticipatory bail plea
SCARLETT KEELING CASE
Julio fears arrest, files anticipatory bail plea
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: British teenager Scarlett Keeling’s friend in India, Julio Lobo, a resident of Siolim, has filed an anticipatory bail application before the children’s court on Monday fearing his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Julio in his application said that he fears that he would be falsely implicated in the case.
The CBI officials who are presently in Goa to investigate the rape and murder of the British teenager had interrogated Julio on June 20.
Julio in his bail application has alleged that the officials who searched his house on Saturday took away his aunt’s torch stating that he had used the torch when he was on the beach near
Lui’s shack - in front of which Scarlett’s body was found - inspite of him insisting that he never went in search of the deceased teenager.
He has also said in his bail application that at present the CBI officers have for the first time taken on a new attack against him by claiming that he was on the Anjuna beach on the early morning of February 18, 2008 - the day on which Scarlett was found dead - with a torch and as such had met the girl around the time at which she died.
A notice has subsequently been served to the CBI and the matter will be heard on June 27, 2008.
Besides, another of the accused in the case, Placido Carvalho alias Shana Boy, has also made an application before the children’s court stating that a passport size photo of his seized by the CBI should he returned to him or that the investigating agency should be directed not to make, maintain or distribute any copies of the said photograph.
The matter will be heard on July 4, 2008.
June 24, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Julio fears arrest, files anticipatory bail plea
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: British teenager Scarlett Keeling’s friend in India, Julio Lobo, a resident of Siolim, has filed an anticipatory bail application before the children’s court on Monday fearing his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Julio in his application said that he fears that he would be falsely implicated in the case.
The CBI officials who are presently in Goa to investigate the rape and murder of the British teenager had interrogated Julio on June 20.
Julio in his bail application has alleged that the officials who searched his house on Saturday took away his aunt’s torch stating that he had used the torch when he was on the beach near
Lui’s shack - in front of which Scarlett’s body was found - inspite of him insisting that he never went in search of the deceased teenager.
He has also said in his bail application that at present the CBI officers have for the first time taken on a new attack against him by claiming that he was on the Anjuna beach on the early morning of February 18, 2008 - the day on which Scarlett was found dead - with a torch and as such had met the girl around the time at which she died.
A notice has subsequently been served to the CBI and the matter will be heard on June 27, 2008.
Besides, another of the accused in the case, Placido Carvalho alias Shana Boy, has also made an application before the children’s court stating that a passport size photo of his seized by the CBI should he returned to him or that the investigating agency should be directed not to make, maintain or distribute any copies of the said photograph.
The matter will be heard on July 4, 2008.
June 24, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Search on for Scarlett’s Israeli friend
Search on for Scarlett’s Israeli friend
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: The CBI officials who are in Goa to investigate the alleged rape and murder of Brit teenager Scarlett Keeling have been searching for an Israeli boy who was friendly with Keeling before she met Julio Lobo.
Police officials reveal that Keeling had met the boy soon after she had come to Goa and he had also helped her mother, Fiona Mackeown around soon after Keeling’s body was found. However, highly placed sources reveal that the Isareli has already left the country.
It is learnt that the CBI raided Lobo’s house and took a torch and few papers, including a paper from Julio’s aunt’s diary in which she had written a name “Fiona” (which is also Scarlett’s mother’s name) and a phone number written in pencil. Top officials reveal that the CBI also questioned Lobo about his relationship with Keeling and asked him whether he went searching for Keeling on the early morning of February 18, 2008 when the British teenager was allegedly drugged, raped and murdered on the Anjuna beach.
During the initial stages of the investigation, police officials had informed that the main accused in the case, bartender Samson D’Souza had left Scarlett in the water to die, after he saw someone approaching towards them with a torch.
Besides, sources revealed that the CBI also raided Shanaboy’s house on Saturday and questioned him again on his role in the murder. “The accused has been asked to come to our office at Altinho on Monday,” sources in the CBI confirmed.
June 23, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Panaji: The CBI officials who are in Goa to investigate the alleged rape and murder of Brit teenager Scarlett Keeling have been searching for an Israeli boy who was friendly with Keeling before she met Julio Lobo.
Police officials reveal that Keeling had met the boy soon after she had come to Goa and he had also helped her mother, Fiona Mackeown around soon after Keeling’s body was found. However, highly placed sources reveal that the Isareli has already left the country.
It is learnt that the CBI raided Lobo’s house and took a torch and few papers, including a paper from Julio’s aunt’s diary in which she had written a name “Fiona” (which is also Scarlett’s mother’s name) and a phone number written in pencil. Top officials reveal that the CBI also questioned Lobo about his relationship with Keeling and asked him whether he went searching for Keeling on the early morning of February 18, 2008 when the British teenager was allegedly drugged, raped and murdered on the Anjuna beach.
During the initial stages of the investigation, police officials had informed that the main accused in the case, bartender Samson D’Souza had left Scarlett in the water to die, after he saw someone approaching towards them with a torch.
Besides, sources revealed that the CBI also raided Shanaboy’s house on Saturday and questioned him again on his role in the murder. “The accused has been asked to come to our office at Altinho on Monday,” sources in the CBI confirmed.
June 23, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
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