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fennel checks out cWg village
IN BRIEF ‘Peepli Live’ goes to Oscars! Peepli Live has been selected as India’s official entry at the 83rd Academy Awards to be held in US next year in 2011. — (PTI)
The Voice of Goa — Since 1900 panjim, Saturday, September 25, 2010 c o m m o n W e a lt h g a m e s 2 0 1 0 . . . pa g e 2 0
australia, kiWis confirm, england athletes arrive
PM pulls up ministers for CWG mess AGENCIES NEW DELHI, SEPT 24
With the countdown beginning for the Commonwealth Games and in the face of international criticism after pictures of the dismal state of the Commonwealth Games Village were splashed world over, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday stepped in to clean up the Games mess. Cracking the whip on cabinet colleagues, including Sports minister M S Gill and Urban Development Ministry Jaipal Reddy, the Prime Minister directed them to stop passing the buck on Friday during a Cabinet meeting in New Delhi for the delay in the preparation for Commonwealth Games. During the meeting Singh told the ministers that the time to blame each other was over. He reportedly told them that it was now one country, one games, one government and that time was now running out. Singh also sent a strong message to Gill, who famously made light of the delays in the Games preparations in the past, by drawing parallels with an Indian monsoon wedding, asking him to behave like a Sports Minister of the country. Singh then crit-
SHWETA KAMAT PANJIM, SEPT 24
Khagendra Thapa, who is expected to be the world's shortest man next month when he turns 18, looks at Miss Nepal 2010 Sadichha Shrestha and two runners up in Kathmandu on Friday. Thapa and Miss Nepal pageant winners were nominated as goodwill ambassadors. Thapa will carry the message: "Shortest man in the world from the highest mountain in the world invites you to visit Nepal.
Russian firm moves to save four properties in Goa
Alert Mumbai cop catches Goa thief
representing the firm told Herald. He said State Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava will also be petitioned informing about the case pending in Delhi-based appellate. “No action should be taken until judicial decision in this matter comes”, Varma said. True Axis company, which claims to be an Indian entity, has two Russian partners holding its hundred per cent shares. The investment by Russians – Valiulin Rashid and Leonid Beyzar, has come under Directorate of Enforcement scanner. The DE after its inquiry had
An alert traffic constable here on Thursday caught a man who had robbed his employer of Rs 20 lakh in Goa. ‘Traffic constable Shankar Salunkhe from the Matunga police station traffic division was on duty near Dadar (East) station when he saw a few people running behind a man. Sensing something serious, Salunkhe ran and caught him. The man identified as Sameerulla Rafique Katachi was allegedly involved in the theft of Rs 20 lakh from his employer Satish Beg in Goa.
VIBHA VERMA PANJIM, SEPT 24
The Russian firm facing possible confiscation of its properties in Goa has now decided to seek a stay on Government’s action through Foreign Exchange Regulation Authority appellate. The lawyer for True Axis Resorts Private Limited, whose four properties at Morjim are under confiscation process, said the appeal against the confiscation is already pending with the appellate. “We will ask for a stay on Government’s action as the matter is subjudice”, Vikram Varma,
ruled that the purchase of property was in violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act and hence should be confiscated. The State Cabinet last month had decided to move ahead with the confiscation of four properties owned by the firm valued at Rs 1.26 crore. Varma said that foreign direct investment is allowed in hospitality sector and since the amount is less than Rs 20 crore, there is no requirement of RBI clearance for the same. He said the company was floated with authorized capital (Continued on page 10)
HERALD CORRESPONDENT MUMBAI, SEPT 24
Warring parties must find Ayodhya solution: Sri Sri HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, SEPT 24
As the nation is experiencing tremors of tension with the verdict on the Ayodhya title suit likely to be pronounced shortly, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living (AOL) movement, says any solution to the 500-year-old festering problem has to come through a settlement between the warring parties. Both sides should work to arrive at “comfortable” solution. That solution cannot come through the court verdict alone. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who arrived in Goa on Friday evening to preside over ‘Anandotsav 2010’ at Colva Beach on Saturday, spoke to the media here. Maintaining that Lord Ram is not just a Hindu God but the cultural identity of the entire nation, he also spoke of exploring ‘Ayodhya’ from the tourism point of view.
De-addiction centre in Goa
Countries other than India, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, which have a mythological link to the ‘Ramayana’ and Lord Ram, have already done this. “But we have not cashed in on this,” he pointed out, even as he maintained that many Muslims do not feel any
stars’ pull out Will not affect debut: sania
Security fears scuttle Goa’s Doppler plans
Asking Gill to behave like a sports minister and criticizing Reddy for sloppy work at the stadia, Prime Minister told both to stop passing the buck. It’s now one country, one games, one Government and time is running out, he said. icised Reddy for sloppy work at the stadia, Games V illage, cleanliness and the fall of bridge near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The image of the bridge collapsing on Tuesday had sparked off fears among the visiting international teams of the lack of safety. Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy was told by the PM to get his act together. The Prime Minister sources say has been very upset with the utter lack of coordination among the ministries and agencies. He told his cabinet colleagues on Friday that “the time to blame the other is now over. It is now one country, one games, one Government and time is running out”.
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The Goa Chapter of the Art of Living Foundation has proposed to start de-addiction centre in the State, besides expanding educational and humanitarian works, HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said while speaking about his plans for Goa. He said it is important to uplift the inner spirit of those who over-indulge in alcoholic spirits. The AOL Goa Chapter has 30 trained teachers, who will work to expand the programmes of the AOL.
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An exclusive interview with HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
attachment to the Babri Masjid, and basically want peace to prevail. Asked whether the peace mis-
sions of the AOL foundation are not working as there is so much ongoing strife in the country, he said there are so many instances of Maoists giving up the path of violence, as also some terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. However, he said, what AOL does is just a drop in the ocean; definitely much more needs to be done. Sri Sri also offered to work on a peace mission in J&K, with co-operation from others, to bring about calm in the Valley. To a question about whether a mere breathing exercise can bring peace and stop people from marching towards devastation, he said breathing is linked to the thought process and helps to eliminate negative tendencies. “People are able to think calmly,” he said, adding that people are much more aware today which, was not the case some years ago.
Plans for a Doppler radar to be installed at Indian Meteorological Department’s office at Altinho, Panjim seem to have been scuttled due to security reasons. The radar brought to Goa in April, this year and supposed to be installed by the onset of next monsoon is likely to be shifted to some other place as it has a ‘Made in China’ tag. Sources in IMD Mumbai stated that Union Defence ministry has cited security reasons for not letting this radar to be installed on the western coast. “There are apprehensions that China has installed some chip in the radar, which can send all the information from the coast to the parent country”, he said. Goa was one amongst the few coastal States which was banking on the Doppler radar for exact weather forecast. The IMD-Mumbai had bought 12 Doppler weather radars in May, 2009 from Beijing Metstar Radar Cooperative Ltd, or Metstar, which were to be installed at places like Mumbai, Delhi, Agartala, Mohanbari, Paradip, Bhopal, Nagpur, Patna, Lucknow, Karaikal, Patiala and Goa. The officials now claim that Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
Doppler radars can provide information about rainfall, cloudburst, cyclone, heavy winds… three hours in advance. However, apprehensions were that China has installed some chip in the radar which can send all the information from the coast to the parent country. made radar would be installed at the Goa facility. But the exact date for the new equipment is not fixed. Sources also disclosed that the radar at Mumbai, also a China-made one, was shifted to Delhi and BEL radar was being installed there. However, when contacted, Goa IMD in-charge K V Singh said he had not received any official letter over the matter and refused to comment. “It won’t be worth to comment on the issue as the decision has to be taken by higher authorities”, he said. (Continued on page 10)
Govt nod for coastal security PTI NEW DELHI, SEPT 24
Aiming to strengthen country’s security along the coastline, the Government today approved a Rs 1,100 crore coastal security scheme to be implemented from April 1, 2011. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cleared the Home Ministry’s proposal for implementing the second phase of coastal security scheme. Under the scheme, the Centre, with the help of States having coastline, proposes to set up more coastal police stations, purchase high-speed boats, recruit security personnel and procure high-tech gadgets. Under the first phase of the coastal security scheme, the Centre set up 73 coastal police stations, 97 check posts, 58 outposts and 30 operational barracks, equipped with 204 vessels and vehicles in the nine coastal States, four coastal Union Territories. After the 26/11 Mumbai attack, which was carried out by Lashker-e-Toiba terrorists who came from Pakistan taking the sea route, the Government has been emphasising on securing the country’s 7,517 km coastline. The Supreme Court order on Ayodhya is also understood to have figured at the CCS meeting. The CCS is also believed to have discussed the situation in Kashmir. An All Party Delegation led by Home Minister P Chidambaram had visited the state earlier this week.
Goa churches, convents get central boost HERALD CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI, SEPT 24
The Centre is promoting renovation and upgradation of old churches and convents in Goa and the Goa circle of the Archaeological Survey of India has already spent Rs 3.32 crore in the last three years, Tourism Ministry claimed on Friday. It said the Goa Government has separately incurred an expenditure of Rs 4.11 lakh on renovation of St. Jacinto
Church at Vasco during 2009-10. Also in progress is an Integrated Development of Infrastructure for Heritage and Hinterland Tourism in Goa at a cost of Rs 43.09 crore sanctioned to the State Government in 2008, the ministry said. It pointed out that implementation of projects is the responsibility of the concerned State Governments while the ministry monitors the progress of implementation.
Of course now things are getting better at Commonwealth games. Nothing has collapsed in last 24 hours...