Amended noise action plan of Goa
Goa government has notified the ‘Amended Noise Action Plan’ to purportedly streamline the processes related to curbing noise pollution in the state, as specified before the High Court on April 30. The
Goa
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Dust can kill (editorial)
Days after the loading and unloading of coal at Berths 10 and 11 at the Mormugao Port was stopped by a series of agitations, the Goa Pollution Control Board has shown that both the suspended particulate matter (SPM) and the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in the area are much higher than the permissible limits. The RSPM, which can cause major health disorders, is over 60 per cent higher than the limit. Respirable suspended particulate matter (dust) is defined as particles 10 micrometres in size or smaller (PM10), which can settle in the lungs, causing serious health problems like asthma, lung cancer and heart disease. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) can penetrate the gas-exchange areas of the lungs, and cause high plaque deposits in arteries, vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, leading to heart disease. This happens even with short-term exposure at higher concentrations The very smallest particles
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Agro- based food processing workshop organised
A workshop on agro-based food processing was held at Agnel Ashram and organised by Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Government of India. The programme was attended by a large number of beneficiaries of the REGP scheme who are already self employed in the food processing sector. J M Noronha, General Manager ( Projects) of Agnel Ashram while welcoming the participants exhorted them to take full advantage of all the schemes that the Government offers and requested them to ensure that the quality of the products made by them were of the highest standards. Earlier Fr P M Rodrigues, Superior, inaugurated the workshop by lighting the traditional lamp. Mr Puri, State Director of KVIC also told the participants to ensure that they complied with all the requirements of the Khadi Commision so that they may avail of loans and other facilities as required. Also present were Mr Satpathy from KVIC and Mr Panvelkar from KVIB, besides Fr P M Rodrigues Superior, Agnel Ashram Verna.
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One more well contaminated, claims Bogmalo sarpanch
While efforts to pump out petroleum products that seeped into two wells at Pilmad Bogmalo have met with little success, Chicolna-Bogmalo Sarpanch Laxman Kavlekar has now claimed that a third well has been contaminated in the village. Mr Kavlekar has stated that IOC officials will visit the well on Wednesday to pump out the petroleum product. Speaking to Herald on Tuesday evening, Mr Kavlekar claimed that petroleum continued to seep into the wells, despite operations by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to pump out the inflammable liquid on Saturday. "I visited the two wells this evening and was surprised to find the same amount of petroleum in the wells. In fact, another well has been contaminated in the village,' said Mr Kavlekar. "On Saturday evening, IOC officials began operations to pump out the petroleum product. The next day, small quantities of petroleum were found in the two wells and residents had assumed it to be residues of the petroleum,' the sarpanch said. When contacted, Ajit Morye, an IOC official at Mumbai, told Herald that IOC officers had alerted the Mumbai office of the continued seepage of petroleum, despite pumping out the liquid on Saturday. "Samples collected from the two wells have confirmed that the petroleum product found in the contaminated wells was not Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF),' Mr Morye said. He, however, admitted IOC officials investigating the cause of the seepage are yet to identify its source. "Bogmalo is no Gulf country. From where would the seepage originate, if not from the eight tanks in the naval area,' asked Mr Kavlekar.
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CM warned over attempts to foist SEZs on Goa
The SEZ Virodhi Manch has warned Chief Minister, Digambar Kamat that any attempts by the Ministers in his government or by other vested interests in Goa or by the Ministry of Commerce to foist the SEZs on Goa under any label or force the pace of industrialisation by any other scheme will be resisted by Goans will all their might. In a letter to the Chief Minister, the SEZ Virodhi Manch while appreciating the recommendation to the government of India to scrap all SEZs, including the three notified ones in Goa, has expressed deep concern about recent media reports suggesting that the promoters of notified SEZs should served show cause notices and that they should be invited for discussion on the payment of compensation. The Manch has said the Goa government should flatly refuse to pay compensation to the SEZ promoters. On the contrary, the Manch has asserted that the promoters should be compelled to pay heavy compensation to the people for rampant hill-cutting, land-filling, rock blasting and other destruction carried out on the allotted land without authorisation from the competent authority. "The GIDC has no authority under SEZ Act to issue any permission to do hill cutting or developers. Construction activities have taken place before the SEZs were notified. Hence, all the constructions initiated in the SEZs are illegal', the Manch maintained. Saying that bore-wells sunk by the SEZ promoters at Keri and Verna have affected sub-soil water levels in surrounding areas and that wells and springs have dried up, the Manch said this ecological disaster should be investigated and the promoters made to compensate the respective villagers. Requesting the Chief Minister to instruct the GIDC to cancel the land allotment they had made and to resume the land they had alloted, the Manch said the land can be utilised in the future for purposes only after involving the Gram Sabhas of the local Panchayats in all future procedures for the use of this land. Reminding the Chief Minister about the demand for a CBI inquiry into the fraudulent allotment of land to the SEZ promoters by the GIDC, the Manch said the criminal compliant made with the Goa police is yet to be registered as an FIR. "Such inaction on the part of the government gives reason for suspicion', the Manch said and hoped the government does not force Goans to resort to agitations again to seek justice.
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Zuarinagar locals protest erratic water supply
A group of residents of Marathi Ward, Zuarinagar, confronted officials at the PWD office in Baina on Monday, to complain about the erratic water supply for the last 20 days. Accompanied by local Panch Nilesh Dalvi, the residents confronted Assistant Engineer (AE) M S Kunju and demanded immediate water supply to the affected areas. While threatening to damage the main pipeline, which supplies water to the entire Zuarinagar, the residents have warned an agitation at the Margao PWD office, if authorities failed to restore regular water supply within a specified time. Anticipating the tension situation in the office, Mr Kunju asked Dalvi and a junior officer to accompany him to identify the area affected by irregular water supply. After inspecting the pipeline, which connects the particular area, Mr Kunju assured the crowd that regular water supply would be restored within a week. Mr Dalvi alleged that two PWD tankers, allotted to the area, were seen providing water to the hotel lobby and other influential colonies. Mr Kunju explained that the shortfall in water supply was due to augmentation work at the Salaulim water plant, the altitude of the affected area and the increase in new water connections. He pointed out that the situation was worse last year and the installation of two high capacity pumps had solved the problem to a large extent this year. Refuting these claims, Mr Dalvi sought to know how influential colonies and establishments were provided with regular water supply in the same geographic location.
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Supreme Court judgment on mining leases in Ponda Taluka, Goa
Challenge in this appeal is to the judgment of a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa in Writ Petition no.41/93 filed by the respondents. The writ petition no.41/93 was filed seeking quashing of the orders dated 3rd January, 1991 passed by the Directorate of Mines and Labour and dated 22nd March, 1999 passed by the Secretary, Mines, Government of Goa.
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Natural resource accounting in Goa Phase II: project report
This report contains the "Natural Resource Accounting of Goa State' and the valuation of environment and forest ecosystem of Goa state. In this report basic concepts on environmental accounting and different approaches of valuation are described. More specifically report covers the valuation in the specific sectors viz., air, water, municipal solid waste, and forestry.
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Leopard enters house at Bicholim
A leopard entered the verandah of a house in Lamgao-Bicholim on Thursday, as wild cats have continued to haunt residents of Bicholim taluka. Animal Rescue Squad Chief Amrut Singh told Herald that a leopard entered the verandah of the house owned by one Desai, in an attempt to kill a domestic cat. Officials of the forest department later visited the site on hearing the news. In a similar case, a leopard is believed to have attacked a dog that was tied in the verandah of the house belonging to one Shripati Khedekar at Naiginim-Bicholim. The family switched on the lights at night after hearing a commotion and the wild cat fled under the cover of darkness. The dog was later treated for injuries from the attack. Meanwhile, the forest department has made concerted efforts to catch wild cats who have caused panic in Bicholim taluka. A number of traps have been laid at Lamgao and Kudchirem.
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Govt likely to use 1897 Act to denotify Goa SEZs
A 111-year-old law is one of the key options the government could invoke to handle the challenges arising out of the possible denotification of three Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Goa. Last week, the inter-ministerial Board of Approvals had recommended starting talks with the Goa government on denotifying the three SEZs following strong local protests in Goa last year, creating a precedent that is being closely watched by potential investors in India and abroad. This is because the process of denotification itself is complex and could be long-drawn. The SEZ Act, 2005, does not have specific provisions for denotification. The Act, however, has provisions empowering the central government to issue policy directions to the Board of Approvals (under subsections 5 and 6 of Section 9). This power is derived from the General Clauses Act of 1897, an umbrella law covering all Acts and government notifications passed by the Centre. Section 21 of this Act empowers the government to add, amend, vary or rescind sections in notifications, orders, rules or bylaws issued by it. This means the central government is, on reading the two laws together, empowered to override the SEZ Act to account for measures like denotification. The other two denotification routes are amendment of the SEZ Act through Parliament and through a presidential ordinance. The latter has been ruled out since Parliament is in session and there is nothing to stop the developers of the three SEZs from going to court if the government waits for the session to end. An amendment of the SEZ Act will not only need approval from the commerce ministry, but also may provoke political opposition from the Congress itself. For this reason, the government is unlikely to follow this route. There are, however, some aspects of the denotification that the government cannot escape