Goa 123 updates

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Goa Blog

Nagaland police to probe human trafficking case in Goa

Posted: 19 Oct 2010 09:49 AM PDT

Nagaland Police will arrive here tomorrow for investigation into the human trafficking case that was unearthed after raiding a beauty parlour in Porvorim, near here, police said. A team of senior officers from Nagaland police will take statement of the girls and meet investigating officers during their visit tomorrow, they said. Nagaland State Commission for Women (NGSCW) has already initiated an enquiry into the human trafficking episode and has asked its counterpart here, Goa State Commission for Women, to send a detailed report to it. Six girls from Nagaland and five from Mizoram were rescued during a raid on October 9 on a beauty parlour at Porvorim. Six persons including a lady owner of the parlour were arrested and later released on a bail.

Courtesy:IBN

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Goa Blog

‘Hippies, bad tourism ministers are poor adverts for Goa’
Goa Hindu Group Now to Target Narakasur
‘Paa’ and ‘3 Idiots’ in Indian panorama section of IFFI

‘Hippies, bad tourism ministers are poor adverts for Goa’

Posted: 19 Oct 2010 06:11 AM PDT

Hugh Gantzer, one of India’s first travel writers, shoots straight from the hip. Little wonder that, at a travel fair here, he gunned for hippies, backpackers and even ‘rubbish tourism ministers’, saying they were sullying Goa’s image as a top tourist destination.

Gantzer, a seventh generation Anglo-Indian, raised a lot of eyebrows at the just concluded International Travel Mart (ITM) Goa for his no nonsense report card on the state of Goa’s tourism.

‘A tourism minister is an ambassador of tourism for your state or the country. And when Goa has a tourism minister who is involved in all kinds of shady deals, that is the worst kind of advertisement for this destination,’ the former Indian Navy commander told IANS.

In his mid-70s now, Gantzer has written nearly half a dozen travel books and lent his voice to nearly 60 travel documentaries.

He said the sensational sexual assault and death of British teenager Scarlett Keeling at Anjuna beach two years ago had already got Goa a lot of bad press in Britain, a country which contributes to half of Goa’s foreign tourist population of 500,000.

‘The negative publicity Goa had been receiving after the British girl’s death was on the wane, but now this minister fellow has messed things up further as far as Goa’s image is concerned,’ said Gantzer, a tourism industry expert who resides in Musoorie.

Gantzer was referring to former tourism minister Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco, a Nationalist Congress party (NCP) legislator who was forced to step down after facing a slew of criminal charges, which included culpable homicide, money laundering, bigamy, and assault.

Gantzer, who has been tracking tourism trends throughout the country, said it was time Goa bade goodbye to hippie- and backpack-oriented tourism, which first put Goa on the global tourism map nearly 40 years ago.

‘I have been criticised for saying this, but Goa has to say goodbye to the hippies and

backpackers. This class of tourism inevitably is associated with drugs and that never makes for a healthy spectacle,’ Gantzer said.

‘Goa has moved on. Tourism in Goa should move on too. Goa needs to aim for the high spending tourists. The authorities have to decide between volume or value tourism. It’s a small state. Volume will further put a stress on the state’s resources,’ he said.

Illustrating, Gantzer said young Israeli backpackers who make a beeline to India and follow the Goa-Rajasthan-Himachal circuit immediately after their compulsory military stint were not a healthy tourism advert at all.

‘I have nothing against Israelis. But in the army, they are trained to hate dark skinned Arabs. And they carry their mindset when they come here. It completely puts off other tourists and can create tensions between them and the locals,’ he said.

Gantzer also said the manner in which coastal land is being sold to Russians and other foreign nationals is deplorable and the trend needs to be arrested, if possible, by enacting legislation.

‘Goa must protect its natural resources if it has to protect its tourism. Inaction by the government is really deplorable. The government needs to act and stop sale of such large tracts of land to foreigners if the state needs to protect its identity and tourism, both,’ Gantzer said.

Courtesy:Sify

Goa Hindu Group Now to Target Narakasur

Posted: 19 Oct 2010 03:43 AM PDT

A Hindu right-wing group, whose members have been accused of the Margao blast at a function to slay demon Narakasura on Diwali eve last year, plans to launch a campaign against the “glorification” of the mythical monster.

“Our campaign is against glorification of Narakasur. We want that Lord Sri Krishna who killed the demon should be glorified,” Sanatan Sanstha managing trustee Virendra Marathe told reporters Tuesday.

As part of Diwali tradition in Goa, nearly every residential hub hosts a popular parade on Narak chaturdashi day, when loud and large effigies of Narakasur are dramatically ’slayed’ by another effigy of Lord Krishna which is more sedate and smaller.

Like the more popular and more conventional Ram-slaying-Ravan scenes which are enacted in several other parts of India on Dussehra, symbolising the victory of good over evil, Krishna’s slaying of the mythical Narakasur is also meant to convey a similar sentiment.

Marathe claims that the several ‘Narakasur-slaying’ competitions, which have mushroomed over the years, had turned commercial in nature and ended up glorifying the demon (evil), instead of Krishna (good).

“We are not against Narakasur effigies, but we want that their size should not be larger than life,” he said.

The Sanatan Sanstha trustee said the campaign will be peaceful and educative.

“We will not be alone. We are being supported by several like-minded organisations like the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti,” he said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its charge sheet filed earlier this year, pinpointed that the main aim of the Diwali-eve blast last year in Margao, 30 km from here, was to create fear in the minds of people attending the Narakasur celebrations.

Two Sanatan Sanstha members (also called sadhaks or seekers) died in the blast Oct 16 last year when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded accidentally even as they were ferrying it to a crowded area where the Narakasur-slaying was being held.

Thirteen members of the Sanatan Sanstha have been formally charged in the case.

Courtesy:Daijiworld

‘Paa’ and ‘3 Idiots’ in Indian panorama section of IFFI

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 09:30 AM PDT

Bollywood hits, “Paa“, “3 Idiots” and “Tere Bin Laden” are among the five Hindi films that form part of the 26 feature films selected for the Indian Panorama section of this year’s International Film Festival of India next month in Goa.

The feature films were chosen by a 10-member jury headed by filmmaker N Chandra after previewing 140 movies. The festival will be held from November 22 to December 2. The inauguration of Indian Panorama will be on November 23.

The Panorama also forms the basis for sending Indian films to internationalfilm festivals all over the world.

Courtesy:ITV

Monday, October 18, 2010

Goa Blog

Supreme Court grants Centre 3 weeks in Goa, Karntaka water row

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 08:14 AM PDT

The Supreme Court today granted three weeks to the Centre for notifying the constitution of a tribunal to hear the water dispute between Goa and Karnataka on the construction of Kalasa Banduri project across the Mandovi river by the latter.

A bench of Justice Mukundakam Sharma and Justice AR Dave told additional solicitor general (ASG) Haren Rawal that if steps were not taken for notifying the tribunal it would be forced to pass appropriate orders.

“We may have to pass an order if you don’t do it,” the Bench told the ASG after the latter sought three weeks time on the issue.

The Centre had earlier told the apex court that it would constitute the tribunal but today when the matter came up for hearing it again sought three weeks forcing the apex court to pass the direction.

Goa, in its suit filed through counsel A Subhashini, has contended the project contemplated by Karnataka in the inter-state river of Mandovi involved diversion of water outside the basin, which was not permissible.

The state argued any extraction of water by the upper riparian state of Karnataka would deprive the inhabitants of Goa of drinking water and consequently affect their rights.

It said the project was aimed at transferring the waters outside the basin, which was clearly against the national water policy as it would result in the flow of the river being curtailed, hampered or stopped.

Goa wanted the Centre to immediately constitute a Mandovi River Water Disputes Tribunal for adjudication of the dispute.

Karnataka has, however, rebutted the argument claiming that the proposed diversion of water was only 7.56 tmcft annually, out of the total availability of 180 to 220 tmcft as estimated by Central Water Commission.

It took the plea that trans-basin diversion of water from the surplus Mandovi basin to the deficit Krishna basin for meeting drinking water supplies was permissible under the rules.

It sought dismissal of the suit on the ground that Goa had not made out any prima facie case for seeking stay on the execution of the project.

Courtesy:DNA

Goa Law panel drafting Title Guarantee Act

Posted: 18 Oct 2010 07:24 AM PDT

The Goa Law Commission is drafting a new ‘Title Guarantee Act’ for Goa whereby the buyer or holder of a property will hold a certificate as final proof of ownership of that property.

Goa Law Commission chairman Ramakant Khalap told TOI that the new Act will be on the lines of similar Acts in developed countries. While bestowing final ownership to a person, the ‘title’ will also serve as an insurance whereby in case of faulty registration of a property, the original owner will get compensation.

Khalap said the new law should eliminate lots of litigations in Goa because presently almost every civil suit in Goa pertains to land disputes; title, boundary, area, etc. “It is a very ambitious project which the state government must take up. We are presently in consultation and will formulate the law by December,” Khalap said.

He explained that Goa had an old Portuguese system under which every piece of land was given a description number and against that description number, the records very clearly stated to whom the particular property belonged. For revenue, another number was given. That record maintained the subsequent transfer of titles either from one person to another or by succession. There was a beautiful flow of titles, which could be made out by resorting to those records under the Portuguese laws.

But later Goa brought in the land revenue code and all properties were surveyed. The properties were given survey numbers, but the old cadastral survey numbers and the old land records were not taken into consideration. In a way, the new land revenue code, was enacted for the purpose of enabling the government to collect revenue from the property. So the title was not looked into at all, Khalap said.

As a result, a piece of property which had a definite survey number under the old Portuguese system either got merged with the neighbouring property or got sub-divided into different other properties and a chaotic situation appeared.

Khalap said that the occupant’s name or names which you find today in the land records, prepared under land revenue code may or may not be the owner, they may or may not be real occupant. If one obtains a survey record prepared under the land revenue code, what one gets is an indication of area of the property and an indication of the name of the person who is supposed to be current occupant; it does not say who the owner is.

The survey record suggests the name of a tenant if there is a tenant’s column. If anyone challenges that record today, that challenge has to be taken up to the court for a final decision. As a result, in Goa today, no piece of land can be certified as belonging to a particular person. There is no guarantee whatsoever, about title of any piece of land in the state of Goa, Khalap said.

Lawyers undertake what they call the ’search’ and they give a conclusion that in his opinion that property belongs to so and so. But that is also a report which is a perception of the lawyer examining the title. Khalap said, “If I buy a piece of land and obtain a certificate or sale deed registered and I flaunt that certificate that the property belongs to me, it is not final.”

He said that under the new law the government will give a certain number of days or months to register one’s claim on a property; whether one accept what is recorded in the survey records as true or not. A close scrutiny will establish real ownership. “When you do this exercise, I feel that out of 100 title holders, at least 40 to 50% people will respond and lots of land ownership issues will be sorted out forever in Goa,” Khalap said.

Courtesy:TOI

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Goa Blog

India Australia ODI Sunday In Goa
Goa bypolls: CISF personnel deployed at Valpoi
Karnataka ban gives fillip to sand extraction in Goa

India Australia ODI Sunday In Goa

Posted: 17 Oct 2010 04:59 AM PDT

The first match of the one day international series between India and Australia has been rained off.

The game in Kochi was abandoned without a single ball being bowled at the Nehru Stadium after the pitch was saturated by a deluge of rain on Sunday morning.

Fans will have to wait until Wednesday before the next meaningful action with the second match at Vishakapatnam.

The third and final one day game is due to take place on Sunday in Goa.

Australia are keen to do well in the one day series after losing the Test series 2-0.

Courtesy: Sport360

Goa bypolls: CISF personnel deployed at Valpoi

Posted: 16 Oct 2010 09:53 PM PDT

Valpoi assembly constituency goes to the bypolls on Monday. Electioneering ended on Saturday evening for the byelection where health minister Vishwajit Rane seeks to retain his assembly seat in a straight fight with the BJP’s Santosh Halarnkar. The byelections were forced because Rane, who had won the Valpoi seat as an independent in the 2007 assembly elections, resigned as MLA and minister on June 24 to join the Congress party. He was however re-inducted into the cabinet on the same day. Rane had to get re-elected to the legislative assembly within six months.

North Goa district collector and district election officer Mihir Vardhan told TOI that all preparations for the byelections have concluded. Vardhan said 2 companies of Central Industrial Security Force ( CISF) personnel have already arrived in Goa and deployed to the polling stations to maintain security. The polling officials will report on Sunday.

Vardhan said 5 mobile squads of excise officials are touring the Valpoi constituency round-the-clock to prevent the distribution of liquor for wooing voters. Meanwhile, the office of the chief electoral officer has banned the hiring or procuring or use of vehicles by a candidate or his agent for free conveyance of the voters to and fro from the polling station. Termed as “corrupt practice”, it shall attract a fine which may extend to Rs 500. The order will be in force on the polling day October 18 from 8am to 5pm.

The CEO has also enforced the directions of the Election Commission of India that no person shall be allowed to either carry or use phone in the 100 metres perimeter of polling stations.

Courtesy: TOI

Karnataka ban gives fillip to sand extraction in Goa

Posted: 16 Oct 2010 09:45 PM PDT

The ban imposed by the Karnataka government on “export” of sand to Goa coupled with growing demand from the construction industry have been a blessing in disguise for the sand extractors in the state who have quickly jumped to cash in on the opportunity and taken to “vigorous” excavation of sand to meet the growing demand and at the same time increasing its rates. The mines director, Mr Arvind Lolienkar told The Navhind Times that the sand excavation has started after the monsoon break adding that his department issues permission to the excavators after collecting fee of Rs 24,000 from each of them. He informed that the licence for sand extraction was valid for a year.

Workers in canoe extract sand from a river at Amona

Another official of the mines department informed that following the ban imposed by the Karnataka government the demand for sand excavated by the locals have gone up manifold as a result of which many Goan sand extractors have jumped to derive advantage of the arising situation. He, however, said the demand for sand has not been quantified yet. He also said that with the rains almost stopping the construction activities have begun on a war-footing and the demand for sand has increased.

An official of the public works department, Mr M D'Souza informed that the price of sand has increased from Rs 2,800 for five cubic metres to Rs 3,500. He also said the prices of other construction materials have also gone up. The PWD official further said that laterite stones, which were sold at Rs 11 to Rs 12 each till some time ago, now cost between Rs 14 and 15, while the prices of mud bricks have jumped from Rs 3 to Rs 5.50 each. The price of cement bags has also risen sharply from Rs 220 per bag till sometime ago to Rs 310, he added.

A civil contractor, Mr Ashok H informed that the sand extractors were making best use of the situation arising out of the ban on sand export from Karwar. He further said that a slight premium was being charged by the sand suppliers in case the sand supply was urgent. A substantial quantity of the sand was imported from the neighbouring district, he added.

Courtesy: Navhind Times

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Goa Blog

Casinos Steal Show for ITM-Goa, Govt Says Otherwise
Goa IFFI 2010: 26 Feature and 19 Non-Feature Films Selected for Indian Panorama 2010
Goa looks at PPP in tourism sector

Casinos Steal Show for ITM-Goa, Govt Says Otherwise

Posted: 16 Oct 2010 05:56 AM PDT

In a sharp contrast to the show put up for the maiden International Travel Mart (ITM), Goa today said that it does not want to promote the Casinos as a tourism attraction. Goa Tourism Development Corporation's Managing Director Nikhil Desai today said that the Goa government does not try to promote casino in its official communication.

The ground reality at the ITM which began in the state since Thursday is different. Huge makeshift facility put up at the erstwhile D B Bandodkar ground has Casino stalls right at the entrance followed by pavillions of other participants. The major casino operators in the state including 'Casino Royale', 'Casino Carnival', 'Chances Casino' and others have displayed their gaming tables right at the entrance of the ITM.

Goa is the only state to have off-shore Casinos which have become bone of contention after ships mounted with the gaming equipments refused to leave Mandovi river waters in Panaji city. Desai said that the casinos will have to follow certain guidelines based on which they are allowed to operate in the state. Talking to reporters after the seminar, Desai said that the stalls were allotted on first-cum-first-serve basis. "Government is not spending anything on promoting Casinos. They are legally operating in Goa and hence we have given them the space," added.

The MD was participating in the seminar held during the event, this aftenoon which was participated by representatives from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala states. Managing Director (MD) of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) Kiran Kurandkar said that the Maharashtra government is not inclined towards promoting Casino-related tourism Karnataka on the other hand said that to have or not to have casinos is a bigger question as other state agencies are also involved in the process.

Courtesy: daijiworld

Goa IFFI 2010: 26 Feature and 19 Non-Feature Films Selected for Indian Panorama 2010

Posted: 16 Oct 2010 05:37 AM PDT

The selections for Indian Panorama of International Film Festival of India – 2010 have been finalized. A 10-member Feature film jury headed by Shri N. Chandra selected 26 feature films after previewing 140 films over 20 days.

The selected films are as follows :

Sr No,Name of the Selected Films,Language,Director's Name

1.Tere Bin Laden,Hindi,Abhishek Sharma

2.Mummy & Me,Malayalam,Jeethu Joseph

3.Achin Paakhi,Bengali,Anjan Das

4.Pail Te Sumbaran,Marathi,Gajendra Ahire

5.Jhing Chik Jhing,Marathi,Shishir Kulkarni

6.Vihir,Marathi,Umesh Kulkarni

7.Abohomaan,Bengali,Rituparno Ghosh

8.Makaramanju,Malayalam,Lenin Rajendran

9.Moner Manush,Bengali,Goutam Ghose

10.Kaal Chilambu,Malayalam,M.T. Annoor

11.Elektra,Malayalam,Shyama Prasad

12.Kanasemba Kudureyaneri,Kannada,Girish Kasaravalli

13.Athma Kadha,Tamil,Premlal

14.I Am Kalam,Hindi,Nila Madhab Panda

15.Aidu Ondola Aidu,Kannada,V.K. Prakash

16.Angadi Theru,Tamil,G. Vasanta Balan

17.Prasthanam,Telugu,Deva Katta

18.Wake up Sid,Hindi,Ayan Mukerji

19.Just Another Love Story,English,Kaushik Ganguly

20.Ami Aadu,Bengali,Somnath Gupta

21.Paa,Hindi,R. Balakrishnan

22.3 Idiots,Hindi,Rajkumar Hirani

23.Raavanan,Tamil,Mani Ratnam

24. Mee Sindhutai Sapkal,Marathi,Ananth Narayan Mahadevan

25.Shabari,Kannada,Baraguru Ramachandrappa

26.Swayamsiddha,Oriya,Sudhanshu Mohan Sahoo

In the Non-feature films category, a 5-member jury headed by Shri Siddharth Kak saw 97 films over 7 days and selected the following 19 films:

Sr No.,Name of the Selected Non-Feature Films,Director's Name

1.Incurable India,Umesh Aggarwal

2.Leaving Home,Jaideep Varma

3.Motorbike,Radhika Murthy

4.My Daddy Strongest,Suresh Triveni

5.Surang,Anurag Goswami

6.Going the Distance,Tiainila Jamir

7.Mr. India,Haobam paban kumar

8.KalS. Manjunathan

9.Dhruva Natchathir,amAravind Subramanian

10.Seshasha,Dip Bhuyan

11.Numit Tadri,Suvash. E

12.Rupban,Supriyo Sen

13.Journey To Nagaland,Aditi Chitre

14.Germ,Snehal Nair

15.Achtung Baby,Sanjeev Sivan

16.Courtroom Nautanki,Chittaranjan Tripathy

17.The Victims,Nabakumar Khagokpam

18.Aval,Prasanth Kanathur

19.Shyam Raat Seher,Arunima Sharma

The National Award-winning Best Non-Feature Films of 2008 and 2009 – AFSPA 1958 and The Postman, respectively – are the other two films which have gained direct entry into the Non-feature films list of Indian Panorama.

The Indian Panorama selections will be first screened in the International Film Festival of India - 2010, from 22nd November – 2nd December, 2010 at Goa. The inauguration of Indian Panorama would be on 23rd November, 2010.

Courtesy: pib

Goa looks at PPP in tourism sector

Posted: 15 Oct 2010 08:06 PM PDT

The Goa government will chalk out its path ahead for building tourism-related infrastructure and facilities using the public-private partnership (PPP) model. This was announced on Friday by Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) managing director Nikhil Desau. He was speaking at a joint-panel discussion at the ongoing ITM-Goa 2010 with Travel and Tourism Association of Goa spokesperson Ralph de Souza, and senior office bearers from travel and tourism associations across India.

“There has been strong lobbying and demand in Goa for tourism-related infrastructure projects, and we have decided that the government will play the role of facilitator and cheer the private sector to improve tourism in Goa,” Desai said.

He pointed out, “The private lobby is asking for a marina and a convention centre. We also need to have theme parks and adventure sports. For this the private sector has access to capital and human resources and it enjoys flexibility. Private entrepreneurs can sustain these projects and ensure their continuity.” ”We have already set the ball rolling and will soon come out with something concrete,” Desai added.

The GTDC MD further said that while Goa’s greenery is much appreciated by tourists, the challenge is to convert one-time visitors into repeat clients. “For this, we need them to carry back home a good experience and image about Goa,” said Desai. De Sousa, who is also chairman of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (GCCI) committee on tourism, said that tourism in Goa initially started as a people’s movement.

“When the nature children came here in the 1960s-70s, it was the locals of Anjuna and Vagator, Calangute and Baga Beaches who offered their houses and even converted stables into makeshift accommodation. The government played its part by providing law-and-order. It is this informal PPP model that helped Goa evolve to what it is today,” de Souza said. He added that the private sector has expertise, dynamism and profit motives which are driving forces to achieve success in any project. “The government can help the project follow rules and regulations, while acting as a facilitator and see that the project does not go off-track,” he said.

Courtesy: TOI

Friday, October 15, 2010

Goa Blog

Shimla Filmmaker on Goa International Film Fest Jury
Dil Chahta Hai saved Goa tourism post 9/11 gloom
It’s Hollywood for Rahul now
State Governments should not claim Central Scheme as their own and misguide people: Goa MP
Goa Science Centre will organize an exhibition on nanotechnology

Shimla Filmmaker on Goa International Film Fest Jury

Posted: 15 Oct 2010 08:59 AM PDT

Award winning documentary filmmaker, Vivek Mohan has been selected onto the national jury for short-listing documentary films out of an entry of over 100 films that would be screened at the 41st International Film Festival of India at Goa.

"It's a great honour as well as a responsibility to be on the jury for selecting the films for the Goa film festival," said Mohan, who shuttles his time between home at Shimla and workplace in Mumbai.

The Goa IFFI is scheduled to be held from 22nd November to 2nd December, in which about 19 documentary films as part of Indian Panorama are proposed to be screened. Indian Panorama usually is the focus of the foreign visitors which invites the participation of national films all regions and languages for the year made by panels of eminent filmmakers associated with the cinema is based on thematic and aesthetic excellence of the films without any attempt to regional representation.

The films are provided with the English sub titles before being screened and also sent to foreign film festivals and bilateral cultural exchanges. In between, Mohan award winning film 'Malana' is to be screened at the upcoming Dusherra Festival in Kullu valley.

Courtesy: himachal

Dil Chahta Hai saved Goa tourism post 9/11 gloom

Posted: 15 Oct 2010 08:51 AM PDT

Bollywood blockbuster ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ bailed out Goa tourism after the 9/11 terror attacks in New York, a tourism official said Friday. The Chairman of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Ralph de Souza said at the International Travel Mart (ITM) Goa that the joint promotion of Goa with ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ helped the tourism industry reap in profits, particularly at a time when prospects of the industry were bleak following the terror attacks.

The official spokesperson for the tourism and travel industry in the state was speaking during a panel discussion on private public partnership in tourism. ’We invested Rs.3 crore in the ‘Dil Chahta Hai‘ campaign by promoting the film’s first release on a popular television channel. It was a tremendous hit. We roped in early nearly Rs.30 crore profit,’ he said.

Largely shot in Goa, the Aamir Khan starer is seen as a cult film, which tracks down the story of three friends.

Courtesy: sify

It’s Hollywood for Rahul now

Posted: 15 Oct 2010 07:18 AM PDT

Delhi-based designer Rahul Singh is all set to make his debut on the big screen soon. And it is quite big, as Rahul will play an important role in a Hollywood movie “Open My Heart Wide”.

Rahul has just completed shooting for the movie and is now back in Delhi. He tells us, “The movie is about human trafficking. I am playing the role of an Indian don who is settled in Goa and runs a big mafia gang and a brothel. This movie is about a young spoilt American who comes to India and how his life changes for ever.” He adds, “Interestingly, I have also done the styling for the movie.”

So, how was the whole experience? “It was like a dream come true. Frankly, acting was never a planned career, it just happened all of a sudden. My main passion is designing clothes and it will always remain close to my heart. I shall never give that up,” he says. So when is the movie slated for release? “The shooting of the movie is already over and now, most probably, the movie will release by February next year. I’m sure the audience will love it as it is a very young and realistic movie. After “Slumdog Millionaire”, I’m sure this movie will be a big hit and the Indian as well as the international audience will love watching it.”

Courtesy:TOI

State Governments should not claim Central Scheme as their own and misguide people: Goa MP

Posted: 15 Oct 2010 02:47 AM PDT

State Governments should implement Central Schemes with honesty, without tempering with them and also without calling the schemes as their own said Mr Shantaram Naik M.P. at Sacorda on Friday.Mr Naik who was speaking as the Chief Guest at a function organized by Public Information Bureau, Goa as part of Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign, to propagate government schemes said that there is a tendency with some State Governments to rename Central Schemes and implement them as their own, so that, credit should not go to the Congress led UPA government. Mr Naik said PIB's role, in making the people aware, as to from where each of the rupee spent for their welfare comes, is all the more.

Shri Shantaram Naik M.P. inaugurating Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign at Sacordem. Also seen in the photograph are Dy. Director, Media and Communication Shri Dilip Deshpande, Sarpanch Smt. Yogita Naik and Smt. Vijaya Naik of PIB.

Mr Naik said that Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is a revolutionary scheme , and that, it is the duty of the social organization to point out to the law enforcing agencies about the illegal siphoning of the funds and the corruption involved. Mr Naik said that availability of the text of schemes along with the forms on all government websites is a must for easy access of the people to the schemes but unfortunately ,it is not happening.

Mr Naik said that there is a need for a legislation to government the implementation of Government Schemes both at Central and State levels which would provide for various mandatory stages of process and fixing up of responsibilities.Mr Naik said it is unfortunate that implementation of schemes worth crores of rupees , with the exception of MGREGC which is regulated by law, are managed by issuing circulars and that projects are implemented by following PWD manuals which have no head or tail.

Mr Naik said that very soon Parliament is going to pass a law on whistle blowers which will be quite useful to minimize corruption in the implementation of government schemes, wherever it takes place. At the outset, Shri Dilip Deshpande, Dy.Director, Media and Communication Officer ,explained the object of the campaign. Sarpanch of Sacorde Panchayat Gayatri Naik welcomed the guests. Smt Vijaya Naik of PIB proposed a vote of thanks.

Goa Science Centre will organize an exhibition on nanotechnology

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 08:04 PM PDT

Goa Science Centre, Miramar, will organize an exhibition on nanotechnology from October 16 to November 14. Vivek B Kamat, director of technical education and principal of Goa Engineering College, will inaugurate the exhibition at 11am on October 16. Free osteoporosis detection camp: Abbott India Private Ltd, in association with Trimurti general hospital. will organize a free osteoporosis detection camp on October 16 at Trimurti general hospital, Gogol, Margao, between 9am and 1pm. For more information and registration contact Anirudha S Deshmukh (Tel: 09503912241).

‘An evening of classics’ at KA: A 30-member chamber orchestra will perform at Kala Academy (KA), Panaji, on October 15, at 7.30pm, at KA’s Dinanath Mangueshkar Kala Mandir. ‘An evening of classics’ is being organized by Kala Academy in collaboration with the Bangalore School of Music. Majorda consumer forum meet: The monthly meeting of the Majorda-Utorda-Calata residents and consumer forum will be held on October 17, at 10.30am, at St Anthony’s High School, Majorda. Issues to be discussed include road safety and traffic management, increasing crime rate, Konkan Railway subway etc.

Exhibition cum sale of photographs: Sunaparanta - Goa Centre for the Arts, in association with ‘Photography Onthemove’, will organize ‘Glimpses of Ladakh’, an exhibition-cum-sale of photographs, from October 18 to 24 between 11am and 7pm at Sunaparanta, Panaji.

Courtesy: TOI

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Goa Blog

Goa: MoU for IFFI 2010 signed
ITM-Goa, International business-to-business Mart Kicks-off
Goa: All set for Waves 2010
Navratri celebrations in Goa
Goa Police to Enquire into SP’s Boat Ride

Goa: MoU for IFFI 2010 signed

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 07:11 AM PDT

A memorandum of understanding was signed on Wednesday between the Union information and broadcasting ministry and the state government as regards to the hosting of 41st International Film Festival of India to be held here from later half of November 2010.

The chief executive officer of Entertainment Society of Goa, Mr Manoj Shrivastava informed The Navhind Times that the MoU was signed by Mr S M Khan, director in the Department of Film Festival on behalf of I&B ministry, and Mr Narendra Kumar, the secretary for information and publicity department, on behalf of the Goa government.

He, however, expressed his inability to give further information as the MoU but went on to add that the details of the MoU would be made public by Mr Khan during his visit to the state on Thursday.

Courtesy: Navhind Times

ITM-Goa, International business-to-business Mart Kicks-off

Posted: 14 Oct 2010 06:55 AM PDT

Goa's maiden international business-to-business travel and trade mart ITM - Goa 2010 was inaugurated at Panaji on Thursday October 14. Over 200 national and international buyers travel and trade industry honchos and tourism board members descended onto the shores of this coastal state. Chief guest, Dr S S Sidhu, Governor of Goa inaugurated the trade mart. Pradip Madhavji, former chairman, Thomas Cook India and Honorary Consul in Mumbai for the New Zealand Consulate delivered the key note address.

ITM-Goa which aims to boost tourism related business in the state is jointly promoted by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) and the state department of tourism, India Tourism, Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). Chief minister Digambar Kamat, tourism minister Nilkant Halarnkar, and leader of opposition Manohar Parrikar, MLA and chairman, Goa Tourism and Development Corporation (GTDC) Shyam Satardekar, mayor of CCP Carolina Po, chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava and secretary tourism Dr M Modassir among others were present on the occasion.

A power packed event, ITM-Goa saw a hosted buyer-seller interactive sessions during business hours at the mart, panel discussions, knowledge-sharing sessions, networking dinners and FAM trips. Over 80 participants will showcase their services and network with industry associates over the next four days. ITM-Goa 2010 has confirmed participation of buyers from over twelve countries including Singapore, South Africa, Canada, UK, Italy, Poland, Russia, UAE, Thailand and Brazil among others.

Knowledge sessions with industry stalwarts on west coast tourism, investment opportunities, branding Goa and adopting the public private partnership (PPP) model to boost tourism will be some of the key highlights at ITM-Goa. Goan artists presented cultural programmes on the inaugural day.

Courtesy: daijiworld

Goa: All set for Waves 2010

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 12:46 PM PDT

From October 14-16 at BITS Pilani, Goa Campus organizes Waves, its annual cultural extravaganza. With the theme "Viva la Vida," this year's edition is a celebration of life itself.

For three days, however, we at BITS plan to step back from this existence, and appreciate life for what it is - an adventure, a roller coaster of emotion and opportunity - in a massive carnival. We invite you to join us.

War of DJs and Raindance to be held on 14th of October.

Performing this year, on 15th of October will be renowned singer Shafqat Amanat Ali, all the way from Pakistan.

Also, on the third day that is on 16th of October, we have one of the most creative and talented bands on the Indian music circuit: Thermal and a Quarter.

Waves also provides the perfect platform for college students from all over the country to showcase and sharpen their talents with a barrage of innovative events and workshops. Events such as Natyanjali, Fash P, Mr. & Ms. Waves, Sea Rock etc are being organised.

Navratri celebrations in Goa

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 11:11 AM PDT

Navratri celebrations that began with the 'gathasthapana' are being held on a grand scale at various places in Mapusa. Pandals have been erected at various locations where cultural activities will be held along with the Dandiya Raas. The main attraction however like every year is the Durga puja celebrated by the Bengali communities alongside the Navratri celebrations by the Shri Durga Puja Seva Samiti.

The president of the Bengali Communities Association, Mr Sayad Raju says that the five day Durga puja at Mapusa organised by this association has been going on for the last four years. Besides Mapusa, this puja is also being held by the community at other cities in Goa. 11 workers are presently working around the clock to finish work on the idols of Durga Mata, Ganesh, Karthike, Lakshmi, Saraswati made of hay and clay and a replica of a Bengali temple. "Last year we had incurred an expenditure of Rs 8 lakhs and this year we expect to incur an expenditure of around Rs 5 lakhs. Though this is the Navratri period we in Bengal celebrate Durga puja five days prior to Dussehra, the same is followed here too" he informed.

Durga puja in Bengal is considered to be a grand festival where all Bengalis come together. "In Mapusa, the Durga puja celebrations will get off to a start from October 13 after the inauguration ceremony at the hands of Aldona MLA, Mr Dayanand Narvekar" states Mr Raju.

The programme of all five days includes Garba dance, shaptami puja, asthami puja, mahanavami puja, dashami puja, bali dan, shosti puja, bhog nivedan etc. The Ghat sthapana will held at 10 pm on October 13.

Meanwhile Navratri celebrations have already begun at another pandal erected by the Shri Durga Mata Puja Seva Samiti. Divulging further about this event, its president, Mr Ramakant Pandey said that for all these nine days, various cultural activities will be held before the immersion which will finally take place on October 17." Though we may be from some other state we consider ourselves Goans and for this reason we along with all Goans come together to celebrate Navratri for all nine days with a prayer to goddess Durga to bless Goa, said Mr Pandey. He said that Goans who turn up at this venue on all nine days outnumber those from other states or other communities and therefore he says that this is a celebration more of the Goans.

Courtesy: Navhind Times

Goa Police to Enquire into SP’s Boat Ride

Posted: 13 Oct 2010 10:41 AM PDT

Goa Police have initiated enquiry after its senior officer was found fishing in a sophisticated boat meant to guard state’s coast. Superintendent of Police (Anti Narcotic Cell) Veenu Bansal was photographed by a local newspaper while angling in a boat that belongs to Goa Marine Police force.

The photograph also shows Bansal’s guests enjoying a day out wearing lifejackets meant for Goa Marine Police force. A senior police officer stated that the department has initiated an enquiry in the matter. ”We have taken note of it. I can not tell you more than this,” Police spokesman Atmaram Deshpande told reporters today.

When contacted, Bansal refused to comment stating that only Director General of Police will be able to make comment on the issue. Bansal, an Indian Police Service Officer, heads the crucial Anti Narcotic Cell which recently hit headlines in the police-drug peddler nexus case.

Courtesy: daijiworld