Jeet for Deshprabhu

BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: In a move that belittles political party labels, the Nationalist Congress Party and its senior alliance partner in Goa, the Congress on Monday (March 30) cleared the name of former Congress MLA Jitendra Deshprabhu, to contest on the NCP symbol for the North Goa seat.

A joint communique from both the parties was however awaited announcing the candidature of Deshprabhu, whose birthday happens to be today.

NCP national spokesman DP Tripathi in Delhi declared Deshprabhu as the party’s candidate for North Goa seat even as the latter was yet to quit the Congress and join the Sharad Pawar-led party.

When contacted, Deshprabhu who is camping in Delhi told GT that both the parties - Congress and the NCP - would come together and find consensus on this issue.

Asked whether he had been ‘loaned’ to the NCP, Deshprabhu refused to comment, adding however, that both the parties had considered the ‘winnability’ factor in deciding on his candidature.

On Monday morning a meeting of leaders of both coalition partners was held at the Chief Minister’s official residence at Altinho. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, GPCC president Subhash Shirodkar, NCP state president Dr Wilfred de Souza, Speaker Pratapsing Rane, Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco, Education Minister Babush Monserrate, and MLAs Agnelo Fernandes and Nilkant Halarnkar attended the meeting, where Deshprabhu’s candidature was unanimously endorsed, sources said.

After trooping out from the meeting, Dr de Souza said, the NCP will contest the North Goa seat.
He however, refused to divulge the candidate’s name and said the decision on the candidate will be taken by the NCP leaders in Delhi by Tuesday morning.

Deshprabhu found favour and pipped Nirmala Sawant, who had earlier been proposed by the NCP’s legislature wing and the three other MLAs -- Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and his brother Dipak -- who comprise the ‘bloc of six’ formed at the behest of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

What went against Sawant is said to be the stiff opposition to her by the Congress which pointed that she had contested against the party twice, once with the support of the BJP.

Sindhudurg airport will not kill Mopa

BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: It’s not the end of the road for Mopa even if the Maharashtra government’s move to set up an airport at Chipi in Sindhudurg district fructifies, government officials said yesterday.

The process for setting up the international Mopa airport in Pernem taluka would go on, the officials told GT yesterday, citing the Government of India decision already taken to relax the norm of not allowing two airports within a radius of 150 kilometres.

Reacting to reports in a section of the media Director of Mopa Airport, N Mihir Vardhan said, as per the Greenfield Airport Policy, there can be two airports within a radius of 50 kilometre, provided there is justification for distribution of traffic.

Similar views were also echoed by Airports Authority of India’s, D Paul Manickam, who is Director of Dabolim Airport. Manickam told GT that the Government of India had relaxed the norm, which prohibits building two airports within a radius of 150 kilometres.

The proposd Mopa airport is 75 kilometres from the existing Dabolim airport. He also said, the proposed airport at Chipi in Malwan is a domestic airport while Mopa is proposed to be an international one even as both were operationally possible.

Manickam said it is for the private players to assess the financial viability of building the Mopa airport in a scenario where the one proposed at Chipi comes into existence.

Regional Plan: No movement from bottom to top

BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: It appears the crucial ‘Bottom-up approach’ to frame Regional Plan 2021 is in slow motion. As the D-day, April 15 nears, the Taluka Level Technical Team (TLTT) is yet to submit the plans to the Town and Country Planning Department (TCP).

Simply because, they in turn, are yet to receive the plans from the panchayats. So, can the slow and steady win the race?

In an effort to involve people in shaping the destiny of their own state vis-a-vis the planning aspect, copies of Draft Regional Plan 2021 (DRP 2021) were submitted to panchayats through the TLTT. Among others, the TLTT comprises of BDO who is equivalent to the nodal officer of this Team.

In addition, the Town and Country Planning official of the respective taluka also finds place in the Team apart from the Health officer, etc.
“The panchayats have to hold a Gram Sabha for approving the DRP 2021,” says Senior Town

Planner ST Puttaraju. The importance of the TLTT can be guaged by the fact that it has been embedded with almost all powers like control, directions, issuing the kit and inspections.
The kit is distributed through the BDO and it is the BDO -- heading the TLTT in his respective area -- who forwards the plan to the Town and Country Planning Department (TCP).
“Until now, we have not received any plans. All (panchayats) are conducting meetings,” Puttaraju tells GT.

Easing matters further and making the procedure more user-friendly, TCP has opened a ‘Facilitation Centre’ at Maquinez Palace, Panjim. Here, respective officials of panchayats and elected representatives at the grassroot level take appointments to understand their participation in the planning process.

“Members of the Committees, panchayats hold discussions with the officials to understand the system,” claims Puttaraju.

What people at the grassroot level want, by and large, gets reflected in the plan. For instance, until now, the main objections revolve around fields, which have reflected as settlement areas in DRP 2021. People want this to change, to revert back to the status-quo.

In other words, it means villagers want to maintain the fields in their respective villages and abhor them being marked as settlement areas. Many others fear the networking of roads working to the detriment of the village.

“Many feel the roads marked on the plan are new roads. Such roads have existed for many years. Existing roads will be maintained. In case of any planned development (constructions), the necessary setback will have to be maintained,” adds Puttaraju.

BJP fumes at state EC notices

BY A STAFF REPORTER
PANJIM: Has the state Election Commission (EC) committed 'Harakiri'? Either way, the BJP -- at the receiving end of the EC stick -- is far from amused. On the contrary, the party has tried to cane the EC by throwing the rule book at it.
In an interesting duel, the EC has accused the BJP of violating the Model Code of Conduct, and the the BJP has retaliated by denying this charge and seeking to know under what provisions of the Model Code of Conduct has the EC asked the party to submit a 'Detailed Explanation'.

On March 15, opposition leader and state BJP supremo Manohar Parrikar addressed a press conference. He accused Congress of blackmailing the NCP and MGP to support its government. Having declared both its candidates way ahead, the opposition leader perhaps sought to raise the electoral tempo much in advance. On March 19, Former North Goa Collector GP Naik slapped the BJP with its first notice, seeking explanation, after having accused the party of violating the model code of conduct.

Two notices followed on March 23 and another two on March 24. On March 23, South Goa Collector Mihir Vardhan accused the BJP of violating the model of conduct -- based on a newspaper report announcing the BJP successfully conducted an eye camp on March 12. It appeared in a Marathi newspaper on March 22. On the same day, in North Goa, the Deputy Collector, SDO and ARO, Panjim slapped a notice asking it to explain Parrikar's statement at a press conference which read thus: 'BJP will scrap casinos if elected to power.'

On the very next day, on March 24, the EC dispatched two more notices. This time, it wanted the BJP to explain the statements of its state office bearers -- party spokesperson Govind Parvatkar and general secretary (organisation) Prof Subhash Salkar. While Parvatkar accused the Congress of violating the model code of conduct in connection with a display of hoardings, Salkar castigated GPCC general secretary Vishnu Surya Wagh. EC accused the BJP of violating the model code of conduct.

In all its replies, the BJP has denied any violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Identical letters sent by the party in reply to the EC notices explicitly stress on this while demanding to know under what provisions of the Model Code of Conduct has the EC asked the BJP to submit a detailed explanation. "We called on the state Election Commissioner. He expressed surprise and directed us to the Collector. After calling on the Collector, he promised to inquire into the notices sent by Deputy Collector," informed BJP general secretary (organisation) Prof Subhash Salkar.

Contempt notice to Old Goa PI

BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: The Bombay High Court at Goa issued notice to Old Goa Police Inspector Gurudas Gaude for not filing a chargesheet and instead closing the criminal case against the Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane.

The notice was issued in a contempt filed by Aires Rodrigues against the PI for not acting in a proper manner in the complaint of threat to kill filed by him against the minister.

During the hearing Adv Rodrigues pointed out that statement made by Public Prosecutor Winnie Coutinho before the High Court on September 23, last year that the chargesheet would be filed by the police against the health minister was false. He also added and that she was in regular contact with the minister. Vishwajeet Rane.

The social activist alleged that the Old Goa PI failed to file the chargesheet please Rane and this act of contempt was gross, contumacious and interferes with the due course of administration of justice.

Rohit Monserrate gets green signal for holiday abroad

BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: The Children’s Court, Monday (March 30), granted conditional permission to Rohit Monserrate to travel abroad a holiday. The President of Children’s Court Desmond D’Costa this permission only for a period of 45 days and asked Rohit to deposit his passport within seven days after his return to Goa.

Counsel for Rohit, Advocate Arun Bras De Sa assured the Court that his client would abide by the conditions. “He has to submit a copy of his passport, visa and travel ticket before his departure abroad,” the Court ordered.

The 21-year-old Rohit, who was of raping a German minor last year, submitted an affidavit to Court stating he wishes to accompany his parents abroad for a holiday for a period of 45 days form April 20.

The Monserrate family is expected to travel London and Dubai during this period.

On the other hand, the prosecution objected saying that suo-motto petition regarding the same was pending before Bombay High Court at Goa and as such the hearing has been fixed for April 27.

It's Dr Monserrate, not Babush!

TUESDAY TANTRUMS: By Ashley do Rosario
So, what is social activist, Aires Rodrigues, fighting about Education Minister, Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate's educational qualifications for?
Leave alone a Secondary School Certificate, the Education Minister is now flaunting a doctorate and signs his name with the 'Dr' prefix.
Earlier this month, the Archdioceasan Board of Education celebrated the Catholic Schools Day and in commemoration, released a souvenir, which carried four messages. The first was from the Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao. This message, is followed by that of the Bishop Emeritus, Raul N Gonsalves. And then, in that order are those of Babush and the Director of Education, Dr Celsa Pinto.
Nothing wrong that the message of the Taleigao strongman, is interspersed with those of such illustrious personalities as the present Archbishop, the past Archbishop and the current Director of Education. After all, he's our education minister. But, what caught our attention, is that he's signed the message as 'Dr Atanasio Monserrate'.
Could it be an error on the part of Archdiocesan Board of Education, who published the souvenir? Well, inquiries revealed to us that it doesn't seem to be the case. What's printed on the souvenir is a scanned facsimile of the message sent by the Education Minister's office to the souvenir's editorial board. If it indeed is an error, it must have been committed at the Secretariat, by the personnel employed in Babush's ministerial office.
So, until such time as the air is cleared by this office, thanks to the Archdiocesan Board of Education's souvenir, Goans can breathe easy that it's not a non-matriculate (as Aires continues to allege) who is our education minister, but a 'doctor'.

Luizinho's chopper phobia

Now that he's failed to secure for Valanka his lawyer-daughter the Congress' South Goa ticket, PWD Minister, is threatening to name those who 'sabotaged' Valanka's chances. A bird that flew with Churchill from Delhi tells us that at the top of his list is none other than former CM, Luizinho Faleiro, who is the highest in party hierarchy among Goan Congress leaders, at Delhi.
Apart from chopper-hopping from one state to another in the North East, Luizinho, according to Churchill's bird, has also been touching ground at Delhi, to make sure his god-son's sister doesn't get to be the Congress' candidate. Salcetians will have to now brace up for another round of frenzied Luizinho-bashing from the 'kumpar', curtains for the first episode of which he is threatening to raise at the Lohia Maidan today.
But it's not Churchill's antics that's working on Luizinhobab's mind who has almost developed a phobia against chopper-flying in the North-East. According to a first-hand input, Luizinho is being told in constituency after constituency that he lands in the states he's been given charge of by the AICC, that several MLAs have been killed in chopper crashes.
So, if you've been one of those who's heard of Luizinho's chopper-flying sojourns, get ready to now hear how he's discarded this mode of transport which by far is the most convinient in the North-East.