Sunday, October 3, 2010

Goa Blog

Goa Blog

Security lockdown for Commonwealth Games

Posted: 02 Oct 2010 11:48 PM PDT

Referred to as the most trouble-plagued Commonwealth Games ever, all eyes are now on India to see if the sporting event will progress smoothly.Despite facing a lot of flak for its poor preparations leading up to the Games, the Delhi government has reportedly begun pitching for a possible Olympics bid. The authorities are congratulating themselves even before the grand opening ceremony promised by Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, this evening.

Two-hour ceremony

The two-hour ceremony will start with President Pratibha Patil and Britain's Prince Charles declaring the Games open.

Tennis sensation Sania Mirza will not be part of the 619-member strong Indian contingent, but badminton star Saina Nehwal, Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist boxer Vijender Kumar and wrestler Sushil Kumar will carry the baton during the ceremony.

The Indian Home Ministry is taking no chances with security. New Delhi is under a security lockdown with an estimated 100,000 police and military personnel deployed to keep the athletes, visitors and Games venues safe. Ever since foreign governments issued travel advisories highlighting a risk of terror attacks in India during the Games, Home Minister P. Chidambaram has stepped up efforts to plug security loopholes.

Police said security will be extra tight for the opening and closing ceremonies. The Delhi government has used special powers under the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act 1954, to order a shutdown of shops and markets on the opening and closing days. This means that all shops and commercial establishments, including grocery stores and shopping malls, will remain closed today and on October 14.

According to reports, more than 5,800 athletes and officials have already arrived in Delhi. ”With more arrivals scheduled in the coming days, the Games are well on the way to becoming the biggest in history,” Lalit Bhanot, Secretary-General of the Organising Committee, said. The fact that several stars have opted out has failed to deter the organisers, who maintain that more than 6,700 athletes and officials have confirmed their participation in the Games.

Watch it

The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony will kick off at 5.30pm (UAE time) on Sunday. The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony will be telecast live on DD Sports at 5.30pm UAE time (7.00pm India time).

Courtesy: bellevision

Evidence of tiger presence in Goa: Official

Posted: 02 Oct 2010 11:33 PM PDT

There is good news on the tiger conservation front. A top forest department official has confirmed the presence of tigers in the forests of Goa. Additional principal chief conservator of forests Shashi Kumar said the department had indirect evidence of tiger presence in the four wildlife sanctuaries which ring the hinterland of the state. ”There is a possibility of tiger presence in the state’s forest. There is evidence of its presence which will be confirmed through camera trapping method,” Kumar told reporters after a wildlife-related function here Saturday.

Kumar said the indirect evidence was collected during the course of the wildlife census which was conducted in the state’s forests which are contiguous to Maharashtra and Karnataka. The census was carried out with the assistance of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), a central government institute based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Members of the Western ghat conservation panel have already suggested that the forests of Goa should be notified as a tiger reserve, a move which has been resisted by the state forest department in the past. A tiger had also been poached in the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary, about 60 km from here, last year which had resulted in the arrest of three people.

Courtesy: topnews
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