Goa Blog

GOA - Holiday Beach State of India

‘Timeless Moments’ At Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa

July 2, 2009 – 6:26 pm

Is the summer too hot? Do you think the scorching sun is making your life miserable? Are you searching for a place to find solace? Well, your search ends here. Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa is the place to be in. Just to the south of Velsao Beach is the beautiful stretch of Arossim Beach where you can go to rejuvenate in Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa. A bit on the resort: To the discerning traveler, it redefines comfort, for a couple it provides intimate settings and attentive service. For the Spa Enthusiast it is the ultimate sanctuary to rejuvenate and relax. With this Park Hyatt Goa unveils its Holiday Offer ‘Timeless Moments’– a blissful experience for you and your loved one.

Valid until 30th September 2009, ‘Timeless Moments’ is priced at Rs. 7,700/- for ‘Park Rooms’ on single and double room occupancy and Rs.9,200 /- for ‘Park Deluxe’ and 10,700 for Sea View . It is inclusive of buffet breakfast, lunch, dinner at the Village Square, and airport transfers in an air-conditioned coach. Voted as the Best Spa in India by India Today Travel Plus Readers’ Choice Survey 2008-2009, experience the serenity in 36,000 sq. ft at Sereno Spa, the complete wellness destination present holistic treatments with a blend of unique therapies inspired by ayurvedic and yogic traditions. Offering guests a special discount of 10% on spa therapies combined with complimentary consultation with our expert team of doctors.

The offer presents guests with discounts on laundry along with complimentary facilities like use of fitness centre, wet spa areas and yoga classes. Also, your kids could partake in a several creative and sporty activities at Camp Hyatt.

Courtesy: oneindia

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Goa to raise marine commando squad, says minister

July 2, 2009 – 6:20 pm

In a bid to counter sea-borne terror, Goa Police is in the process of setting up a marine commando squad, state Home Minister Ravi Naik said Thursday. Naik told reporters at the police head quarters here that the marine commando squad was one of the ways in which terror attacks emanating from the sea like the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai could be thwarted. “We are starting the force soon. We have called for volunteers who will be trained by special marine agencies like the Coast Guard and the Indian Navy for this specialized task. Goa keeps receiving terror threats like the one we received just a couple of days ago. We need a proper response mechanism in place,” Naik said, adding that a 365-day coastal alert was now emerging as a necessary scenario for the state.

Police officials said that the marine commandos would have high speed interceptor boats, which would be used to criss-cross the shore off Goa and the state’s internal waterways. “We have already received two boats from the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and nine more fast speed interceptor boats will be delivered to us this year,” a senior police official said. The announcement of the marine commando squad comes on the heels of the inability of Goa Police to start an anti-terror wing, with the proposal being stone walled by the finance department, for paucity of funds.

Director General of Police Bhimsain Bassi admitted that the proposal was pending with the state government. The tourism industry in the coastal state received a major jolt last year after reports of Goa being on the terror radar during the peak seasonal months of November, December and January this year, when a majority of the 2 million tourists, both domestic and foreign, visit the state.

Courtesy: thaindian

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Hunt on for Goa NCP chief

July 1, 2009 – 5:33 pm

The NCP in Goa will soon get a new chief with its central leadership considering a few names for the post which fell vacant last month, party sources said here. NCP General Secretary and Union Minister Praful Patel will visit the state, where the Sharad Pawar-led party shares power with Congress, later this week to hold discussions with the local leaders on the issue, they said. The party’s state unit is without a President after Wilfred D’Souza, along with 30-odd executive members, quit the party on the eve of its foundation day on June 10.

The 77-year-old former CM had challenged the existence of the NCP, saying the party was formed on the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, which has now become a non-issue. As the party hunts for a new state chief, names of former Minister Sangita Parab and Congressman-turned-NCP leader Jitendra Deshprabhu are among the probables for the post. “I will go by what my leaders decide,” Deshprabhu said, when asked about his prospects of being appointed to the coveted post.

Courtesy: indopia

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Machines to sieve dirt from Goa’s sand

July 1, 2009 – 12:35 pm

Mechanized beach cleaning is set to be introduced in Goa. Tourism minister Francisco “Mickky” Pacheco told TOI on Monday that open tenders for the purpose will be called for within the next month. Since mechanized beach cleaning is capital intensive, it will be taken up in a phased manner over three years, by when the entire coastline of the state will be mechanically cleaned. To begin with, just two stretches, one each in North and South Goa, will be taken up. Pacheco said initially an eight to ten kilometre stretch of the most crowded beaches generating high quantities of waste will be selected for cleaning. He also said beaches which do not permit access to the machine due to difficult terrain will be cleaned manually, but scientifically.

Pacheco said that this year, besides cleanliness, he has taken into account the scientific disposal of collected garbage. Importantly, garbage will be segregated at source and the contractor will not be allowed to dump the collected garbage just about anywhere. “Under the department’s supervision, the collected garbage will be treated and disposed off in a scientific manner,” Pacheco said. Lyndon Monteiro, officer on special duty to the tourism minister said that the beach cleaning machine is designed to sweep beaches in many parts of the world, including the beaches of Mumbai and Chennai. The machine can clean an area of 20,000 square metres in an hour. “It picks up even the smallest objects from the sand like cigarette butts. It does not affect the sand pattern or cause any environmental hazards but leaves the beach clean,” Monteiro said.

Monteiro said that the major problem faced in beach cleaning in the last few years was not the cleaning itself, but the disposal of the collected garbage. To overcome this problem the tourism department will introduce certain norms in the beach shack policy from the coming season. Much of the garbage is generated by the beach shacks and talks have already been initiated with individual shack owners, collectively with the shack owners’ welfare society and with the coastal village panchayats. “Everyone has been forthcoming in their suggestions. Everyone has been cooperative,” Monteiro said.

It is learnt that another reason why mechanized beach cleaning is being undertaken in a phased manner is due to the paucity of funds. Another successful initiative of the tourism department, the beach safety management programme ran into problems because although the department wanted to draw money from the contingency fund for the programme, it did not materialize. Meanwhile, the department also wants to extend the beach safety management programme, executed by Dhristi, to another two coastal stretches, one each in North and South Goa. Last season, the beach safety programme was tried out on the Velsao-Benaulim stretch in the South and the Sinquerim-Baga stretch in the North. Sources said the beach safety programme is likely to be extended this season to the beaches of Vagator, Anjuna, Miramar, Bogmalo and the stretch from Varca to Cavelossim.

Courtesy: TOI

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Goa enacts law to kick out ragging

July 1, 2009 – 12:29 pm

Students indulging in ragging will not go scot-free, from now on, as Goa Governor Dr S S Siddhu has given his accent to Goa Prohibition of Ragging Bill 2008 and the same has been notified as an Act. Dr Siddhu made an announcement to this effect at the Silver Jubilee celebration of Goa University held at the Kala Academy, on Tuesday. Dr Siddhu said with the enactment of the law, the managements of educational institutions have a primary responsibility to implement the Act, effectively. However, the onus rests on parents and guardians to advice their wards to behave sensibly with their juniors, he felt.

The governor said there was a steep increase in ragging in educational institutions, some of which had even resulted in loss of lives and in some other cases it caused tremendous psychological trauma to victims. The spread of this menace was indeed worrisome, he noted. He said the Act was more relevant at this time of the year when educational institutions were gearing up fornew academic year.The anti-ragging Act was pending approval since 2007. It authorises heads of the institutions to file fact-finding reports and makes them abettors in ragging if they fail to take cognizance of complaints pertaining to the act which leads students to commit suicides. Congratulating Goa University for its entry into Silver Jubilee year, Dr Siddhu urged teachers to be conscious to the needs of students and make themselves more accountable to their jobs. Also, the educators have to be innovative to meet the day-to-day challenges in the field of teaching, he opined.

On the occasion, Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, P Balaram, exhorted the university to grow bigger and better institution. Balaram, a Padmashree awardee, said that there should be reward for good performance and negative markings for non-performance in educational institutions. But, no such system exits presently, he rued. He said many of the institutes have become rigid as most of the postings were of permanent nature. This doesn’t augur well for educational institutions because they cannot undergo change, he said. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat assured the university of Government assistance, after the vice chancellor highlighted the fund crunch it was facing.

-Herald, Goa Daily

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Goa: Get Rid Of Garbage

June 30, 2009 – 11:31 pm

The wheel has come full circle. Sanjit Rodrigues, who as commissioner of the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) had initiated the chaka chak campaign during the tenure of Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister, is back as the boss man at the CCP. I remember being present at an interaction with leading citizens on eliciting if not enthusing citizens, or rather residents, of Panaji to cooperate in solving the problem of garbage disposal, which had assumed threatening proportions then as now. Sanjit very eloquently stressed that without the cooperation of the residents, the problem of garbage could not be solved. It is very simple. Garbage did not come out of thin air. It is the citizen or the resident and the families living in Panaji who generate garbage. So much so, they have an obligation to not only support but actively participate in solving the literally mounting problem of garbage disposal. It was in the interest of residents to actively participate in garbage disposal because if garbage accumulates, it is them and their children and their grandchildren who will be vulnerable to the entire range of diseases, ranging from malaria to filaria to dengue to gastroenteritis.

Robins take to Goan roads

June 30, 2009 – 10:07 pm

To strengthen police presence all over the state and to improve the response to distress calls received at police control rooms(PCR), motorcycle patrols - code named Robins - will now be located at various strategic locations (bases) in Goa. DGP Bhimsen Bassi, while launching the Robins on Monday, said that these motorcycles will also patrol specified areas (beats), and will halt briefly at other important locations (halting points) “for crime prevention and control”.

While pointing out that initially 30 new motorcycles will be introduced for integrated beat patrolling’. police said that these motorcycles will be under the operational control of PCR, “whereas the local police shall have the administrative control”, since the staff for the same will be drawn from the police station. But this move has upset those heading certain police stations, as they complained of being short staffed.

Robins: Goa Police

Bassi said, “Police presence is a must. If the policeman is going to lie down in a barrack or sit at a police station, then the response time is going to be slow. It’s a tough job, as they have to be on a motorcycle for eight hours, despite rain, dust, sun and heat.” However, soon after the launch, sources in the police said that the Robins may not be able to walk the talk.

It was pointed out that each Robin is expected to cover about a stretch of 70 to 75 km stretch at least once in a shift almost on a daily basis, while the fuel alloted for every vehicle is 50 litres a month. Sources said that presuming that each motorcycle has a mileage of about 70 km per litre, then within a fortnight the Robins would run out of fuel. But police spokesperson SP A V Deshpande said, “The fuel quota allotted to the Robin vehicles is adequate. In case a situation arises wherein they need more fuel, then the same will be provided.”

Courtesy: TOI

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Graft charges influenced my decision to quit: Dr Jindal

June 30, 2009 – 9:38 am

The decision of Goa Medical College dean, Dr Viney N Jindal took most in the medical fraternity by surprise. The Navhind Times caught up with him on Monday evening to know the reasons behind his decision to seek voluntary retirement. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Dr Jindal.

What are the reasons for your sudden decision to seek voluntary retirement from service?
My decision to seek benefit of voluntary retirement scheme was for personal reasons. I have been dean of the GMC for the over three and half years. During this period because of my commitment to the office of the dean I have not been able to perform much of neurosurgery, which is my passion. As I do not expect any reduction in workload of dean’s office, I thought of quitting and going in for private practice so that I could pursue my passion for neurosurgery.

Was that the only reason for your quitting or were the charges of corruption and inefficiency that appeared in a section of the media that made you quit?
I have given prime of my life to the GMC and have always worked dedicatedly in setting up the neurosurgery department and bringing it to the present level. The GMC is among the few medical colleges in the country to offer MCI recognised post-graduate (MCh) course in neurosurgery. Here I would like to state I too have self-esteem and was hurt by the allegation. My decision to quit was also influenced by the unfounded charges of corruption and inefficiency against me.

What has been the response from your colleagues and friends to your decision to quit the GMC?
It has been mixed response, while most of my friends at GMC as well as outside have requested me to reconsider my decision on quitting as the dean; the others have expressed happiness that I would be available for neurosurgical consultations and operations. They also feel that my expertise in neurosurgery is going waste and that it should be put to good use in treating the patients with neurosurgical problems. Here I would like to state that I am overwhelmed by the response from my colleagues and general public.

You have been at helm of affairs of GMC for quite sometime. What are that problems ailing the GMC?
GMC in my opinion is one of the best equipped hospitals in the country. The government of Goa is spending a large amount of money on it. However, there are procedural delays because of which the GMC has not been able to come up to the expectations of public. Goa being a high literate state, the expectations of the people from GMC are very high. While this is a good stimulus for development of GMC at times we feel handicapped in not being able to match up to these expectations.

How do you think that your services could be utilised as a neurosurgeon and as administrator?In most hospitals there is a dichotomy of responsibilities and functions of administrators. The dean is responsible for the academic part, i.e. medical college and looks after teaching while responsibility of management of hospital largely lies with medical superintendent. The duties and responsibilities are usually very well defined and also the accountability is fixed accordingly. In such a situation the dean has sufficient time to attend to clinical work in addition to his administrative responsibilities. This model is followed in all good institutions like AIIMS (New Delhi) and PGI, Chandigarh.

What happens if the government rejects your VRS application?
In that case I would have no option but to go by the government decision, as I cannot afford to press for resignation because I would be losing all the service benefits.

-Navhind Times, Goa daily

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BSNL launches its wireless broadband service in Goa

June 29, 2009 – 6:53 pm

Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) today announced the full scale commercial launch of its wireless broadband service in Goa. The company, which is India’s state-owned and largest telecommunication provider, targets to cover 10,000 customers in Goa in the first phase.

“We have partnered with US-based Soma Networks Inc for supply of vital equipment required to provide seamless broadband service to the customers,” said Chandra Prakash, chief general manager, Maharashtra-Goa Telecom Circle.

He added that the BSNL has inked an agreement with Soma Networks for such a facility in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat also. The goal is to deliver affordable and high quality service to enterprise and urban customers and also provide access to low cost education and healthcare services through e-governance, Prakash said.

The company has currently installed 25 towers, which will provide signals to the service. With the customers like Sesa Goa already on their list, the BSNL expects whoopping response for this service, which according to them, will change the speed in which people browse. He said that in the next three years, the BSNL intends to cover 100 million people in Maharashtra and Goa through this service.

Courtesy: businessstandard

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Goa to have Tribal Welfare Department Soon

June 29, 2009 – 2:43 pm

Coming out with a good news for the scheduled caste and tribe communities in the state, Goa chief Minister Digambar Kamat on Sunday June 28, announced that for the welfare of these people a separate ‘tribal welfare department’ will be established very soon in the state and that thereafter, the Tribal Commission will be formed. He was speaking at a programme held at Ponda.

Speaking in the capacity of the chief guest at the first S T Vikasa Parishad, organized by United Tribals Association (UTTA) in association with the department of Information and Publicity, at Farmagudi Ponda, the Chief Minister said that establishing this department will help this community to develop.

Ramesh Tawadkar, MLA and convenor of UTTA was present on the occasion. He further assured them that the government will sincerely work to solve the problems and try to meet the demands of ST community. He promised them that the state will actively pursue issues concerning their welfare, wherever the union government is also involved, expeditiously.

The establishment of the tribal welfare department and S T commission will help to cease the problems faced by this community and will help in various aspects, he said further and appealed to UTTA to finalize the model best suited for them, before establishing the S T Commission, for which he said that a cabinet decision has already been taken by the government.

The Chief Minister admitted that in spite of having been conferred the status of ST in 2003, enough efforts were not made to resolve the issues and mitigate the woes of this community. He took credit for the positive outlook his government is having on this issue, towards working for the improvement of the living conditions of the weaker sections of the society.

MLA Ramesh Tawadkar in his speech, said that the first ever S T Vikasa Parishad in Goa will mainly focus on education, tribal sub-plan, social empowerment and land issues. Tawadkar also demanded that a Tribal Rehabilitation Centre be established in Goa for the empowerment of ST people and also urged for the proper implementation of the Tribal Forest Act. Prakash Velip, president of UTTA, welcomed the gathering and Govind Gawade, co-convener, proposed vote of thanks.

Courtesy: Daijiworld

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