TRIPS ABROAD FOR ALL LEGISLATORS: A 9-member delegation of Goa ministers and MLAs (from all parties) will fly on a tour 12-day tour to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and halt at Hong Kong, to see the latest infrastructure development in some of the developed Asian countries. In fact, all the 40 MLAs will get a chance to visit some Asian country or another, but by the cheapest/economy class air fare, according to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

WILLY'S DISQUALIFICATION APPEALS: The Nationalist Congress Party leader Dr Wilfred de Souza has filed separate writ petitions in the Bombay High Court at Goa against four ministers in the present government, seeking directions from the High Court to the Speaker, to expeditiously dispose off the disqualification petitions filed by the former before the latter within a time frame.

SAFFRONISING EDUCATION: In a little noticed notification published in the official gazette recently, the Goa government has constituted for the first time ever, a 21-member Goa School Education Advisory Board comprising a number of Sang Parivar members and sympathisers. The panel has Education Minster (Chief Minister Parrikar), as chairman, will advise the government on matters of policy related to education in the Goa.

POWER GUZZLERS ABSOLVED: The State government has decided to waive the demand electricity charges of Marmagoa Steel Limited and Mandovi Pellets Limited, totalling about Rs.2.54 crore for six months from July to December 1999, because the two industries were adversely affected due to power shut down by the Electricity department from 6 am to 6 m intermittently during the period.

LIC'S PERFORMANCE: At a press conference in Cavelossim, the chairman of the public sector giant, Life Insurance Corporation of India, G N Bajpai, said that the western zone comprising Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, consisting of 21 divisional offices and 403 branch offices, created history with unparalleled performance with 31,13,120 policies with a sum assured of Rs.2,5107 crore and Rs.812 crore of first premium income.

KILLED BY A SWEET DISH: Samuel Daringal, an undertrial at Vasco's Sada Sub-Jail, succumbed to his injuries suffered while helping the jail authorities in serving breakfast four days ago. The vessel containing boiling hot sweet dish "goddxem" fell over his body, as a result of which he sustained 50 per cent burn injuries.

TWICE SAVED: Chandrakant Naik, a 35-year-old man from Aldona, who tried twice to commit suicide because he was frustrated with life, failed in his attempts. The villagers rescued him when he jumped in a well the first time and the fire brigade saved him when he repeated the suicide bid.

MAID CRIES "WOLF": The police received a telephone saying that a maid working in an Army officers house in the Defence Colony was gang raped by three persons. The caller later phoned that the maid had expired. When the police traced the telephone call, they found that the caller was none other than the maid herself giving a false alarm.

ABOUT BAN ON LIQUOR ADS: The Advocate general, A N S Nadkarni, had submitted a letter to the Panjim bench of the Bombay High Court saying that the government would withdraw a notification related to a change in the Goa Excise Duty Act banning advertising of liquor, following a petition filed by Goa Foundation about three years ago. But the government has not yet taken any steps in this direction.

FACTORS AIDING CRIME RISE DISCUSSED: Politician-criminal-police nexus dominated the deliberations at a seminar held by the Goa Police on the subject "Criminogenic factors and machinery to combat", at Mapusa's Sirsat Hall on June 12, in connection with the Police Week celebrations. Dr Subodh Kerkar said that the institutionalisation of corruption in the police department has resulted in the policy machinery becoming ineffective. Prof Edward D'Lima opined that crime is a form of mal-adjustment, which results due to heredity implications and socio-economic factors. Retired Deputy Supdt of Police Gurudas Zuwarkar highlighted the police functioning in Goa and said that the police are more involved in attending to VIPs rather than attending to crime-oriented jobs.

DRUGS GALORE: Police spokesman Nolasco Raposo says that the police have busted 11 drug supply syndicates and raided marijuana "smoking shacks" at Baga, Anjuna and other hippie hideouts. The police have seized drugs worth Rs.10 lakh in a span of three months and they feel that there is a rise in tourists and youngsters abusing psychotropic drugs at rave parties.

COMMUNAL CLASH AVERTED: A shed was constructed by some Christians over the 100-year-old shrine called "Dhazannacho Khuris" at Palmar Vaddo in Pomburpa recently. However, some members of the majority community objected to the shed alleging that it was blocking the activities of the Hindus at a "ghumti" (small Hindu shrine) nearby. Timely intervention by the government, however, helped diffuse the tension between the two communities.

IIT LINKAGES WITH GOA COLLEGES: "There are no plans to set up an IIT in Goa, but I was invited by the Chief Minister to the State, and we are working out a strategy to set up linkages with the engineering colleges in Goa. The interaction involves an exchange programme for the faculty, where IIT Professors will visit the college and in turn faculty from the engineering college will be sent to IIT Mumbai for training…Training will be given via the net to students interested in answering the JEE (Joint Entrance Exam)," Ashok Misra, Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, said in an interview appearing in "Herald" daily.

SARDINHA FAVOURED PRIVATE FIRM: Former Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha's move to award a contract for the floating of bonds to a private firm of his choice, has been termed as an undue favour indicative of an act of corruption, according to a report by the one-man inquiry commission, headed by former GPSC chairman Arvind Bhatikar.

PROBLEM ABOUT INTERNATIONAL SEMINARS: A circular saying that prior approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs on security is required for international seminars and conferences with foreign participation, is being opposed tooth and nail by academics, who mull protests even as a public interest litigation and a resolution in Parliament are being discussed.

FINACIAL AID TO CHRISTIAN GAWDAS, KUNBIS LIKELY: The State executive committee of the BJP passed two resolutions on June 17-one congratulating the government for showing courage in cracking down on corruption and the other to provide financial assistance to people belonging to the Christian Gawda and Kunbi communities.

PROMOTING SELF-EARNING GROUPS: Doodhsagar Pratishthan, an NGO established on January 15, 2000, aims to generate appropriate rural employment by motivating rural youth, educated unemployed, physically handicapped and especially women, in villages to comanise self-help-groups and to make them self-earning groups. So far more than 60 self-help groups have been comanised and are functioning in Goa's rural areas.

STUDENTS PROTEST AT CM'S CHAMBER: The activists of the ABVP students group tried to barge into the Chief Minister's chamber on June 23, protesting against the fee hike in professional colleges. Displeased with the students' move, Chief Minister Parrikar said that better behaviour was expected from them as they are disciplined students. The Chief Minister also said that the fee hike was minimal and applicable only to fresh students. He expects the hike to bring about a bit of seriousness among students and curb large-scale absenteeism in professional colleges.

CM REGRETS DR MARTINS' ARREST: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar apologised publicly to 82-year-old veteran freedom fighter, Dr Jose Francisco Martins, for the highly objectionable manner in which he was arrested and dragged to the police station by the police over a property dispute. The Chief Minister was addressing the official Goa Revolution Day celebrations at the Azad Maidan on June 18.

SINGAPORE-TYPE ECONOMIC ZONE FOR GOA: Chief Minister Parrikar told presspersons on June 18 that the Goa government has sought the approval for a special economic zone and the Centre seems inclined in promoting a Singapore-type tourism-related centre as a part of the said economic zone.

Amidst noisy protests from the Opposition and a four-hour long debate, the Goa Assembly passed the Goa Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill, 2001, which provides for the appropriation of Rs.218.56 crore from the Consolidated Fund for the State of Goa. This is the second vote on account passed since the one passed in March last year, and happens to be the first recurrence of its kind.

DEMAND TO RENAME TIVIM RLY STATION: Since the Tivim Railway Station is actually located in the Sirsaim Panchayat, the locals along with the sarpanch Dnyaneshwar Kambli have urged the State government to rename the Konkan Railway station as "Sirsaim-Tivim Railway Station".

MALARIA RISE: As many as 2110 cases of malaria have been reported in Goa from January till May this year.

GOA'S MINES TO LAST FOR 30 YEARS MORE: N M Sangode, the Controller of Mines (Indian Bureau of Mines), said that Goa's mining industry will survive for another 30 years at least, given the rich deposits of mineral ore in the region. Sangode, who was in Goa to participate in a workshop, said that the present position of the mining industry is not too bright due to the competition from other countries and the fact that Goan ore is generally of inferior quality. He, however, said that the mining industry is doing well as is evident from the increase in exports.

TEENAGER BURIED UNDER LANDSLIDE: Badsha Panvalle (16) was buried alive in a landslide at Tarir in Rajbag-Canacona while answering nature's call at the foot of a hill. Around 12.45 pm on June 21, a 25-meter high hillock came crashing down with mud, boulders et al. It took five hours for the police to extricate Panvalle's body from the debris with the help of a Poclain crane.

SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOP REALLY: Generally it's the cock or the church bell waking up Goans early in the morning but on June 21, in Ucassaim, it was Roque Barreto, a 26-year-old youth. Totally drunk, Roque climbed up the roof of his house and woke up the entire neighbourhood with his yelling. The roof tiles too took a lot of beating from him and Roque even flung the tiles at his family members and neighbours, until the Fire Brigade was summoned to restore calm.

SIOLIM ON BBC1 TV: Siolim celebrated its popular feast of Sao Joao (John the Baptist). Coincidentally, Rick Stein's Seafood Odyssey on BBC1 at 11 am on June 24 had the major part of the programme centred on Siolim and devoted to several Goan dishes. Rick Stein is a fan of Goa and Goan cuisine and we followed him on one of his trips to Goa where we see him in Siolim by the ferry. Rick demonstrated the use of toddy vinegar and tamarind water. (Lira Fernandes lira@fernandes.u-net.com on GoaNet)

INDIAN TEACHERS FOR BRITAIN: Britain plans to recruit about 1,000 teachers from India for the classes commencing in September next, to meet an acute shortage of teachers.

MARGAO VENDORS SHIFT TO NEW COMPLEX: The South Goa Planning and Development Authority finally opened its doors to business after the fish, fruit and vegetable vendors shifted to the new market complex on June 25.Soon a large number of people clocked at the new market near the KTC stand.

"SHRAMDAN" FOR DAVORLIM CHAPEL: Around 200 people have promised that all the work will be done by them till the completion of the proposed chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary at Zarivaddo in Davorlim. The architectural plan for the chapel has been drawn by architect Lenin Faleiro, elder son of Luizinho Faleiro.

NEW EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX: The Dr T B Cunha Educational Complex built at Altinho in Panjim to house the Colleges of Architecture, College of Music and others, will be inaugurated by Governor Mohammed Fazal on June 29.

BIRLA INSTITUTE FOR GOA: One of India's foremost institutes for technical education--Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani-has plans to set up a new educational centre of international standard in Goa. The institute, to be set up on 175 acres of land granted by Zuari Industries Ltd at Sancoale.

LIBRARY WITH A DIFFERENCE: The Cuncolim Municipal Council Library, which was inaugurated by MLA Arecio D'Souza on September 7, 2000, even before it was completed, does not have a single book and its only guests till date have been stray cows.

OFFICE SHIFTED: The branch of Home Department, dealing with foreigners and citizenship matters, has been shifted to the Secretariat, ground floor, adjacent to the Home Department (general).

TB CUNHA COMPLEX INAUGURATED: Governor Mohammed Fazal inaugurated the newly constructed Dr TB Cunha Educational Complex at Altinho in Panjim, on June 29, in the presence of Chief Minister Parrikar. The complex, which will house the Goa College of Architecture and the Goa College of Music, has been designed by noted architect Sarto Almeida.