www.goacom.com DAILY GOA NEWS CLIPS: 13 APR 2007

Ex-GMC students serve government ultimatum
PANJIM: April 12: Former students of Goa Medical College including renowned medical practitioners from Goa have served and ultimatum of April 30 demanding the withdrawal of the decision to hand over the heritage structure of old GMC building at Campal on lease for commercial purpose including for a mall, failing which they have threatened to come on the streets along with heritage lovers. The issue has gained momentum as more then 200 medical practitioners from the State have signed the protest letter to oppose the above decision of the government. [H]

NGO calls for revocation of lease deed
MARGAO, Apr 2: Lok Shakti has asserted that the government's move to let out the heritage precincts of old Goa Medical College building to a Delhi-based firm should be opposed by all Goans. Lok Shakfti General Secretary Shridhar Kamat said the government should not be allowed to commercially exploit the heritage structures and called for revocation of the lease deed at the earliest. [H]

GOA TOON by ALEXYZ

Shop owners oppose shopping mall at old GMC
PANJIM: The Panjim Municipal Market Association has expressed their apprehension that they would lose their business if a shopping mall is set up in the old GMC building in Panjim. [GT]

Ornaments worth 73 lakh robbed at Candolim
MAPUSA: Unidentified thieves entered Ashoka Jewellery shop at Marcusvaddo, Candolim, during early hours yesterday and lifted jewellery worth Rs.73.1 lakh, including gold ornaments and diamond-studded gold watches. [GT]

Petrol dealers withdraw stir
NEW DELHI: After an assurance from the Petroleum Ministry, petrol pump owners yesterday called off their proposed two-day strike that was to begin today. "The government has assured us to set up an interim committee by May 1 to look into our demands of a five per cent margin on invoice value," FAIPT president Ashok Badhwa, told reporters here. [GT]

'Dabbawalas' turn management gurus
PANJIM: Shakti (strength), Bhakti (devotion) and Yukti (idea) - this is the mantra of the globally acclaimed Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust, whose members are better known as "Dabbawalas". On their maiden visit to Goa, two representatives of these "Dabbawalas" lectured students on their work and what makes them the perfect example of efficiency and time management at the Sri Institute of Management Studies, Margao. "We supply, 2,00,000 tiffins daily through the local train network and for short distances, we travel by bicycle. Our main strength is team work as there are 5,000 employees, who are not so well educated, and yet do their work with dedication and perfectly. They collect, deliver and sort out tiffins at different stations and then again make a return journey with the previous day's empty tiffin," said Trust President Raghunath Mege in his presentation. [Arti Das, GT]

99 live bullets recovered at Khariwada
VASCO, Apr 12: The Vasco polie today recovered 99 abandoned live bullets (ammunition) lying in the sand at Khariwada seashore. According to available information, one Mr Jacinto Gurjao of Khariwada informed the Panaji PCR about the bullets, who in turn intimated the vasco police. [NT]

"River Princess" salvage work 75% over: Willy
PANJIM: Whether the "MV River Princess" will see another monsoon remains to be seen with officials claiming that 75 per cent of the salvage work has been complete. Speaking to GT, Dy CM Dr Wilfred de Souza said that the Indian Registrar of Shipping, consultant appointed by the government, had informed him that the salvage work was satisfactory. However, when asked when the ship would be refloated and towed away, Dr de Souza declined to give any time frame. [GT]

Give us 10 seats or we go with others: State NCP to Congress
PANJIM: The Nationalist Congress Party yesterday threatened to forge an alliance with other secular parties if the Congress failed to allot 10 seats to it in the forthcoming Goa Assembly elections. NCP observer for Goa, Gurunath Kulkarni, said the party's proposal to the Congress for 10 seats should be "discussed and debated" seriously. [GT]

Shirish files complaint against Narvekar, Alva
PANJIM: The mystery, whether Health Minister Dayanand Narvekar and Congress observer in Goa Margaret Alva are involved in the Mapusa duping scandal continues as the main accused, Shirish Naik, after doing a volte face in the fast track court sometime back, giving them a clean chit, has now gone and lodged complaints against them and others with the Superintendent of Police. [GT]

2 killed in mishap
PANJIM: A rider and a pillion rider were killed after the scooter on which they were travelling collided against an oncoming truck at Senaulim, Verna, yesterday noon. The victims have been identified as KisanTari, 27, and Pedro Paulo Fernandes, 45, both residents of Divar. [GT]

"Political Process in Goa" and Voting at Elections
PORVORIM, Apr 13: In the series of History Hour sessions, Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Alto Porvorim, will host a talk by Dr. Aureliano Fernandes on April 19 at 05.30 pm. All elected governments in Goa since Liberation, except one, have been coalitions. Their coming to power with narrow majorities shows that citizens are cynical about political parties in Goa. How do we as a cynical electorate vote in this election? These and other issues relating to ‘Political Process in Goa and Voting at Elections’ will be explored by Dr. Aureliano Fernandes, Reader & Head of the Dept of Political Science, at Goa University. He has been teaching at Goa University for 10 years. With a PhD on Cabinet Government in Goa, he is a keen analyst of evolution of the Political Process in Goa in the context of Post Colonial Politics. [deliom@dataone.in]

It's all about money, honey
The Diocesan Society of Education, the largest network of schools after the Goa government, is also the only private organisation with a largest network of Primary schools teaching in the Konkani medium. In fact, the DSE has more Konkani medium primary schools than even the Goa government! It seems to have forgotten the pedagogy behind the shift to the Konkani medium in the 16 years since June 1992. Instead of correcting its position, it would rather abandon it. The cross is too heavy to carry. [Miguel Braganza, GT]

Pale villagers trap a leopard
PONDA: A trap had been laid fro the wild boar, but villagers in Tali, Pale, were in for a wild surprise to find a more ferocious visitor - leopard - cooling its heels in it here yesterday. [GT]

'Make video database of prominent Goan artistes'
PANJIM, Apr 12: A condolence meeting held to mourn the death of Konknni music stalwart Frank Fernand suggested sustained efforts to make a video database of prominent Goan artistes, who are still alive, which could be archived for future reference and remembrance.[H]

Animation film festival
PANJIM: Kala Academy, in association with the Films Division (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the Department of Information and Publicity, will organise a short film, documentary and animation film festival at the Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir, from April 28 to May 2. A total of 25 short duration films produced and directed by Goans in addition to another 50 such films from Films Division will be screened during the course of the festival. [GT]

GT staffer bereaved
PANJIM: Sharda Shantaram Naik, mother of GT staffer Laxman Naik, died after a brief illness at her residence at Sadashivad, Karwar, yesterday. She was 72. [GT]

A R T N O W

"Aparanta", GTDC's mega art expo at Old GMC complex
PANJIM, Apr 13: "Aparanta", considered as the biggest ever art exhibition held in Goa to date, was opened for the public on April 11 at the Old Goa medical complex. Goa Tourism Development Corporation has put together this mammoth exhibition curated by renowned art critic/curator Ranjit Hoskote, to celebrate 25 years of its existence.
"Aparanta" features 20 of Goa's best known artists including Antonio e Costa, Querozito de Souza, Hanuman Kambli, Alex Tavares, Chaitali Morajkar, Giraldo De Souza, Liesl De Souza, Nirupa Naik, Pradeep Naik, Rajan Fulari, Rajendra Usapkar, Yolanda de Souza, Santosh Morajkar, Siddharth Gossavi, Subodh Kerkar, Shilpa Mayenkar, Sonia Rodrigues Sabharwal, Viraj Naik and Wilson De Souza.
Work by Yolanda Sousa Besides the creative work of contemporary artists, on display are rare paintings by legendary artists - Francis Newton Souza, Vasudeo Gaitonde, Angelo Fonseca, Laxman Pai and Antonio Xavier Trindade. Goa-trained artists like Baiju Parthan and Vidya Kamat besides charming photographs by India’s leading photographer, Dayanita Singh, also forms part of the memorable exhibition.
MORE "APARANT"-RELATED PICS AT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/52243088@N00/

"A journey together"
PANJIM, Apr 6: On the heels of a very successful exhibition - Alexyz's "Laughter & Tears" - Gallery Attic has been exhibiting the drawings, etchings and painting by well-known artist couple Santosh and Chaitali Morajkar since April 7, 2007, from 10 am to 7 pm (except on Sundays) till April 26. [GoaNewsClips]

CID unable to present warrant, claims Roosevelt's lawyer
MARGAO: Terming the cheating case registered against his client, Roosevelt Alemao, as a "political game", Adv Mike Mehta on Thurday claimed that he had visited the Criminal Investigation Department's Crime Branch police station on Wednesday, where the police officers were unable to produce it. [GT]

Churchill threatens Davorlim bandh
MARGAO: Demanding the immediate arrest of all those involved in the assaults of his supporters, South Goa MP Churchill Alemao yesterday issued a 24-hour deadline and threatened to stage a bandh in the Davorlim-Dicarpale village today, April 13. [GT]

Safe helmets factory gutted in fire
BELGAUM, Apr 12: The Safe Helmets factory at Hanuman Nagar, opposite the Ganapati Temple, here, was gutted in a fire late Monday evening. Though there was no casualty as the factory closes at 6 pm, the manufacturing unit bore the maximum brunt as almost all the raw material and the helmets were destroyed. [H]

Govt announces free travel for disabled on KTC buses
PANAJI, Apr 12: Acting on the points mentioned in last year's budget speech made by the Chief Minister, Mr Pratapsing Rane, about providing better transport facilities to disabled persons, the Kadamba Transport Corporation is now offering free travel concession to physically-challenged commuters. [NT]