Saturday, September 4, 2010

Goa Blog

Goa Blog

Goa’s smallest wildlife sanctuary rich with avian guests

Posted: 04 Sep 2010 03:20 AM PDT

Goa’s smallest wildlife sanctuary is becoming a big attraction for migratory birds besides being home to over 100 winged species. A survey at Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary has revealed that the reserve, spread over 8 sq km, hosts 115 bird species, including those who migrate here from far off places, volunteers have claimed. Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN), an initiative of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), conducted the survey at the protected forest land, 40km from here, last month in collaboration with the state Forest Department. “The count, which revealed presence of 115 species, included migratory birds like black mapped oriole, greenish warbler and forest wag tail,” Parag Rangnekar, an IBCN volunteer, told PTI.

The sanctuary also houses a mini zoo, which is being renovated at a cost of Rs 20 crore. Volunteers have noted an increase in the presence of grey jungle fowl, threatened by hunting for food and habitat loss. Rangnekar said IBCN had taken up the survey for the first time in Goa to “ascertain the exact number of bird species and their trend in the state’s wild”. Volunteers will regularly collect data over the years to keep a track of varieties and change in patterns, he said.

Courtesy: ibnlive

Illegal mining in Goa cannot be brought to book

Posted: 03 Sep 2010 09:35 PM PDT

In an indirect criticism of the state government, a top official of Sesa Goa (SG) - a Vedanta Resources-owned mining company based in Goa - Friday said it was virtually impossible to fight illegal mining in Goa because of ‘issues faced in pursuing such matters’. Speaking at a function on ‘Mining and human rights’ here, Prasun Mukherjee, managing director of SG, admitted that Goa was affected by illegal mining but also added that SG had made several efforts to nab those involved in the trade and the efforts to bring the culprits to book were ’stonewalled’. ‘Whenever we have caught such (illegal) cargo, we have faced issues while pursuing the matter,’ said Mukherjee, pointedly adding that he would not like to comment any further on the issue of illegal mining, which according to government figures has become a Rs.4,000 crore industry in the last four years.

Mukherjee, whose SG is the biggest mining outfit in the state - exporting nearly 20 million tonnes of ore - also said that the ‘due process’ required to bring the illegal ore dealer to book, simply could not be fulfilled in Goa. ‘If I caught someone stealing ore in the past, there were issues faced in pursuing the matter. I will not say anything more. I will leave it there,’ Mukherjee said. Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar and civil society groups have accused Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who is also the minister for mines, of shielding the illegal mining industry, which, according to documents tabled in the assembly, amounted to 18 percent of the total ore export of nearly 40 million tonnes annually.

Courtesy: sify

Two arrested for duping 40 job seekers from Goa

Posted: 03 Sep 2010 06:52 PM PDT

The Economic Offences Wing  (EOW) of the city police, with the help of a web hosting company, recently arrested two persons accused of duping several job seekers from Goa to the tune of Rs 20 lakh. The amount is likely to go up, a police officer said, adding that they were now on the lookout for another accused in the case. The arrested accused have been identified as Pankaj Mistry alias Paresh Bhatia (40) and Shekhar Sharma alias Saifuddin Wajid (40), both school dropouts. The wanted accused has been identified as Sudhanshu Kashyap. “The accused had placed advertisements in a local newspaper, offering jobs as crew members of Singaporean sh ip,” said inspector Ramchandra Lotlikar.

“The advertisement stated that a firm, Arpita Trade Link Pvt Ltd, was looking for young boys to work as crew members. The accused asked applicants to mail their resumes to info@arpitatradelink.com and later, called the candidates to their Kandivli office in Mumbai for an interview,” said a police officer.

After the interview, the accused asked the victims to deposit Rs 40,000-Rs 60,000 in a bank account, claiming as processing fee. They were also told when their flight would depart from Sahar airport, the officer said. When the victims came to Mumbai, they found that the company’s office was shut. “The accused had switched off their cellphones. We had no details from which we could trace the accused,” said an officer.

The police learnt about Arpita Trade Link’s website and its link with www.mtmmanagement.sg. The EOW then approached the cyber crime cell for help. “We first traced the Internet Protocol address of the server on which the emails were sent. We found out that the website was Indian. The web hosting company informed us that the buyers of Arpita Trade Link’s domain name had also purchased domains and web space for Amardeep Trade Link Pvt Ltd, Blue Ocean, Avdhan Trade Link and Supreme Multi- Trade Company. “After shutting their Kandivli office, the accused floated Global Services in Rajasthan. A police officer, posing as a job seeker, approached the accused and arrested them. We recovered Rs 2.88 lakh, a laptop, 13 passports, a CD drive and hard disks,” said an officer.

Courtesy:TOI

Congress Leaders in Goa Congratulate Smt.Sonia Gandhi

Posted: 03 Sep 2010 10:06 AM PDT

Shri.Digambar Kamat, Chief Minister of Goa, Shri.Shantaram Naik, Rajya Sabha M.P., Dr.Ulhas Parab, Vice Chairman, Khadi and Village Industries Board, Mr.Altinho Gomes, General Secretary, GPCC, Mr.J.T.Vaz, The State Chief Organizer of Congress Seva Dal and others CONGRATULATED Smt. Sonia Gandhi for getting elected unanimously for the forth term as CONGRESS PRESIDENT.

She has achieved Distinction of becoming longest serving President of Indian National Congress since its inception in 1885.

HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS!!!

FROM GOA BLOG AND ITS TEAM TO SMT.SONIA GANDHI.
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