OWNERSHIP OF "RIVER PRINCESS": Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the Goa Assembly on Monday that efforts are on to assume the ownership of the grounded "mv River Princess" off Candolim-Sinquerim coast and that it would take the necessary steps to float and dispose off the vessel accordingly.

TOURIST TRAFFIC: The attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, tension on Indo-Pak border, Gujarat riots and the drought in the country, were the four prime reasons cited by Tourism minister Francisco Xavier Pacheco for the decline in foreign tourists in 2001. Pacheco said in 1999, in all 9,60,114 domestic and 2,84,298 foreign tourists visited the State, where as in 2001, 9,76,804 domestic tourists and 2,92,709 foreigners came to Goa. In 2001, the number of domestic tourists was 11,20,242 and foreigners 2,60,071.

ISLANDS FOR TOURISM: Forest Minister Vinay Tendulkar agreed to look into the request made by Santa Cruz MLA Victoria Fernandes to promote the twin islands in the Mandovi estuary opposite Ribandar-Sao Pedro, as tourist spots.

PIRLA'SWOODEN BRIDGE: In the absence of a culvert at Kazur ward of Pirla village in Quepem taluka, villagers, particularly school-going children risk their lives in crossing a "nullah" in the village via a wooden bridge to proceed to their school and back home.

MOPA AIRPORT MORE BENEFICIAL TO MAHARASHTRA: The South Goa Member of Parliament, Mr Ramakant Angle, yesterday reiterated his stand over the new airport at Mopa saying that it is not a feasible option for the State. The MP said the location of Mopa is on the Maharashtra boundary and would be more beneficial to the neighbouring State, rather than Goa.

NAVY ADVICE MAY SINK MOPA AIRPORT: If the government heeds Indian Navy's advice, it may find that there is little need to spend an estimated Rs.800 crore on a new airport. Speakers at a seminar on "Strategies for Goa Airport: Privatisation/Alternatives" felt that upgradation of machinery for faster handling of passengers and baggage, spacing out of some flights in a packed two-hour schedule and testing of the Dabolim airport's peak capacity would make a new airport (Mopa) almost redundant.

MUSEUMS IN GOA: Minister for Archives and Archaeology Ramkrishna Dhavlikar informed the House that the State had four museums, of which two (the Christian Art Museum in Old Goa and the Museum of Pilar Seminary) were privately run-museums and the other two (the Museum of Archaeological Survey of India at Old Goa and Goa State Museum) were government museums.

STATISCS DAMN MOPA AIRPORT: While the speakers at a seminar on August 19 asserted that Dabolim was adequate to handle air traffic for the State, provided its infrastructure was upgraded and sophisticated space-saving machinery acquired, figures (from Airport Authority of India) indicate that it accounts for only 1.09 percent of the country's international air traffic and 1.75 per cent of the domestic flights. Dabolim has been placed ninth after Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkatta, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Ahmedabad.

DABOLIM IS WORST, UNDERFUNDED: "If the government were to heed the advice of foreign tourists, who have to endure the totally unnecessary wait upon arrival and departure, they would
best listen to the Navy. The more comfortable the tourists are made, the more likely they are to return. At the moment Dabolim is about the worst under-funded 'airport' that I have encountered on my travels around the world!" (writes "Smith, Barry K" barry.smith@atkinsglobal.com in a message to Goacom News Clippings.)

MIDDLE-EAST TOURISTS: Tourism Minister Francisco Pacheco told the Goa legislative assembly that the State was making a concerted effort to tap new tourism markets like the Middle-East.

CHARTERS FROM RUSIA, ISRAEL: The Tourism Minister, Fr Francis Xavier Pacheco, told the State legislative assembly on August 21 that the government had no information about the exact number of charter flights to land in Goa during this year's tourist season but informed that charter flights from Russia, Israel and Gulf countries would arrive during this season.

TOURISTS HURT: More than 24 passengers (from Gujarat) were injured when a mini bus, in which they were traveling, went off the road after it was dashed by a truck, at Farmagudi yesterday afternoon.

BRIDGE OVER TIRACOL: Mandrem MLA Laxmikant Parsekar's resolution urging the government to build a bridge between Kiranpani and Aronda in Maharashtra on a 50 per cent cost sharing basis was accepted by the House.

GOA-NEPAL TOURISM CORRIDOR: The Ambassador of Nepal to India, Dr Bhekh B Thapa, stressed on the need to establish a Goa-Nepal tourism corridor, wherein the tourists could visit both Nepal and Goa, thus finding best of both, mountains and sea. Dr Thapa said this at the inter-active session on "The Current State of South Asia" organised by the International Centre, Goa, on August 25.

CRAZY FOREIGNER: A drug crazy foreigner, who claimed to be unhappy about the Internet facilities provide with a cyber café, went on a rampage and assaulted the shop's owner and escaped from the scene, in Panjim.

MASTER PLAN FOR DABOLIM AIRPORT: The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called upon the State government to take the initiative in formulating a Master Plan for the Dabolim Airport. This, GGCI says, should take into consideration factors such as the peak capacity of the airport, short and long term investments to be made, land requirements, privatization of management of the airport and infrastructure requirements.

FOREIGN STUDENTS: Foreign students, studying at Goa University, have urged the university to ease admission formalities so as to encourage more foreign students to come and study in Goa. They also have suggested to the university to launch a web site, providing comprehensive information about the administrative and academic modalities.

"FROOTI GANG" STRIKES AGAIN: After a gap of two months, the "Frooti gang" struck again on Wednesday with a 20-year-old boy, Basu Kumar of UP, falling prey to the conmen, when he was on his way to Goa by Goa Express train. A 3-member gang offered him a pack of fruit juice, which put into a deep slumber, and decamped with Rs.10,500 from his suitcase.

IN SUPPORT OF MOPA AIRPORT: "I am a strong champion of the Mopa site. It is strategically located. It would have the benefit of the industrial, sugar, daily belt of Belgaum, Sangli, Kolhapur, Miraj and the Sindhudurga tourism district. It is wrong to say that only north Goa hospitality business would benefit form the Mopa airport…From Mopa a monorail service could connect to an inland water transport facility on Chapora river from where hovercrafts or motor-launches would transport passengers and goods at high speed to any northern or southern coastal destination." (Nandkumar Kamat in Zest-NT)