goanet-digest Monday, May 27 2002 Volume 01 : Number 4023
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In this issue:
[Goanet] NEWS: 'Unconventional' candidates liven Goa polls
[Goanet] Preserving the Environment.
[Goanet] HEY RAM SCREENED - NO BAN ON THE FILM
[Goanet] HEY RAM SCREENED - NO BAN ON THE FILM
See end of digest for information on subscribing/unsusbcribing.
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Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 15:41:57 +0530 (IST)
From: Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] NEWS: 'Unconventional' candidates liven Goa polls
'Unconventional' candidates liven Goa polls
By Shiv Kumar, Indo-Asian News Service
Panaji (Goa), May 26 (IANS) After years of funding politicians, Goan mining
magnate Anil Salgaoncar decided to plunge into the election battle himself.
"Over the years, I have spent enormous amounts of money on politicians of
different parties who have done nothing for the mining industry," says
Salgaoncar, head of Goa's biggest mining company and a candidate in
Sanvordem, a rural area where he has his mines.
Salgaoncar is one of 15 "unconventional" candidates in the race for the
40-seat Goa assembly that goes to the polls Thursday.
The others include a beer baron, a singer, a recruiting agent who has sent
scores for jobs in the Middle East, alleged operators of illegal gambling
parlours, moneylenders and builders.
Most of these candidates are contesting as independents. The regional United
Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) are
backing some of them.
Beer baton Monte Cruz is making a comeback in politics after 10 years. The
break was well spent consolidating his Belo brand of beer and obtaining a
bottling deal with United Breweries.
Contesting under the UGDP-MGP banner, Cruz hopes to defeat the incumbent
Congress legislator Luis Alex Cardoz.
"All the boys in the area are working for me," says Cruz, who is plying his
dedicated ban of 200 campaign workers with chicken biryani and Belo beer.
In the same constituency singer Ulhas Buyao is entertaining the voters with
spoofs on Goa's leading politicians. Like Salgaoncar, Buyao says: "I had
backed several politicians in Goa, but am now I'm contesting for myself."
Recruiting agent Mickey Pachecho is using his business clout to the hilt in
the campaign. Due to his formidable reputation acquired by sending hundreds
of youths to the Gulf and the West for jobs, young people are flocking to
his election meetings at Benaulim in south Goa.
At his street corner meetings, the proceedings are sober. Only the hundreds
of T-shirts distributed among voters thronging the meetings indicate the
kind of money Pachecho -- who is taking on veteran politician Churchill
Alemao -- has poured into the campaign.
Campaigning has turned aggressive, with many candidates plying voters with
food, drink and freebies. In a state where bars dot the landscape, watering
holes in various constituencies have been earmarked exclusively for workers
of different political parties.
"Some nights there is no beer available anywhere in parts of Goa," says a
bar owner from Margao town, Goa's main business area.
One candidate reportedly gave away 25 motorcycles in a constituency with
less than 25,000 voters. A big landlord with enormous muscle at his disposal
has been accused of distributing hundreds of mobile phones in his
constituency. Another builder is reported to have repaired the houses of
voters.
Though every candidate can spend only Rs.300,000 on the elections by law,
the limit is easily exceeded.
"Though there have always been such candidates, this is the first time so
many of them are spending so much to make an impact," says a police officer.
But Election Commission officials say they have not noticed any candidate
exceeding the spending limit.
The main battle in this tiny coastal state of 1.3 million people is,
however, between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition
Congress. There are 210 candidates in the fray for the 40 seats.
- --Indo-Asian News Service
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 21:14:10 +0530
From: Goa Desc <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] Preserving the Environment.
*****************************************************************
Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service
& circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network
(GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*****************************************************************
- ------------------------------------------------------
PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT
- -------------------------------------------------------
THIS has reference to the proposed sports city in the open stretch
between Santa Cruz and Panaji. The site proposed for the purpose
is located adjoining the four pillars, popularly known as Char Khambe
which are half way on the road to Santa Cruz. Physically, the site acts
as a buffer between the hectic urban environment of Panaji and the
serene village environs of Santa Cruz.
The place, a part of the unique Goan landscape, is very fragile and
irreplaceable in nature and any thoughtless human intervention
can cause drastic and irreparable consequential damage in the long run.
The site is a low-lying tidal flood plain and is part of the natural drainage
pattern during the rains on account of the surrounding topography.
The marshy wetland is a host to mangrove vegetation which plays a
definite role in the maintenance of vital ecological balance.
The place is also a popular habitat to a wide variety of local and
migratory birds
and is a bird-watcher's delight. It is quite common to find researchers
and bird lovers from distant countries here, with their cameras trained.
This place finds mention on the Internet along with the Karmali lake,
Chorao, Mayem lake and others in Goa.
The proposed sports city spread over an area of about 2.75 lakh square metres
is supposed to house a multipurpose stadium and other facilities for indoor
and
outdoor games, parking plaza, club house, and so on. An activity of this scale
would require the level of the area to be raised with mud filling and would
disrupt
the delicate environmental balance. With the natural tidal basin disrupted,
water will be fed elsewhere along the river bank rendering other rich areas
useless.
A disruption in the natural drainage pattern will cause flooding during the
rains
in nearby settlements of Panaji, Santa Cruz and Merces. Furthermore, to raise
the level by approximately 1.5 metre, almost 4,00,000 cubic metre of mud,
which is about 80,000 truck loads, would be needed. This would obviously
be met by cutting of hills leading to destabilisation of slopes, landslides
and environmental damage on another front.
Over the centuries, the place has co-existed with the needs of the
villagers nearby.
The place has been utilised beneficially through a very intriguing, complex
and intrinsic system of sluice-gates to control the entry and exit of water.
For generations the place has supported traditional human activities
like salt-pans, prawn-farming and paddy fields which provide means
for self-employment and livelihood today. Retaining and strengthening
these traditional economic bases is a basic step towards self-suffficiency
and prosperity.
Any new alternate employment would provide only a temporary compensation
and will create dependency for livelihood in the long run. The need of the day
is self-sufficiency which only time-tested means will provide.
The drastic change of land use involved will be like opening floodgates.
It will take no time for the entire green area from Santa Cruz to Taleigao
and Merces to be converted into a concrete jungle.
The rapid and uncontrolled urbanisation will alter the micro-climate
and ruin the ambience of the villages which will eventually have further
adverse environmental, social and economic consequences.
Finally, is a sports facility of such massive proportions really required
for Goa?
We already have a number of facilities around which could well be revived
and maintained with the financial resources involved in this proposed project.
It would be worthwhile to provide proper training at the existing facilities
at a cost much less than that involved in the said activity which certainly
is an unwanted strain on the public exchequer in terms of its construction
and maintenance in the long run.
Last but not the least. For the villagers of Santa Cruz, the Char Khambe
with its beautiful surroundings, traditional salt-pans and green fields
have become an inseparable part of our lives forming our identity.
This short-sighted and ambitious project with its ecologically irreversible
consequences and catastrophic effects is not justifiable
in the name of development and certainly not acceptable.
RAJESH KENKRE, Santa Cruz
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Listening Post THE NAVHIND TIMES 27/5/02 PAGE 8
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=======================================
GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE
Documentation + Education + Solidarity
11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507
Tel: 252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Working On Issues Of Development & Democracy
=======================================
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 10:59:16 +0530
From: "albertina almeida" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] HEY RAM SCREENED - NO BAN ON THE FILM
PRESS RELEASE
'HEY RAM" SCREENED - NO BAN ON THE FILM
The controversial 'banned' film allegedly proscribed by the State's Chief
Electoral Officer Arvind Ray was today screened at the Multi-Purpose Hall
next to the Women Police Station at Old GMC Complex at Panaji by Bailancho
Saad.
The Saad spokesperson Sabina Martins stated that this was done after it
became clear that no written order, instructions or gazette notification has
been issued by the Chief Electoral Officer prohibiting the screening of the
Film. Saad activist Madhuri Rao stated that earlier this morning, a twelve
member delegation of Bailancho Saad, a women's collective visited the CEO
Office at Altinho, with a representation which representation had drawn
attention to the fact that the casette promotes communal harmony and peace
and that suppression of the same is a gross violation of the fundamental
freedom of speech and expression.
Discussions with Assistant Electoral Officer J. Pai revealed that no written
orders regarding the Film HEY RAM and the Magazine Communalism Combat had
been issued by the CEO. The Saad pointed out that in effect, this means that
the screening of the Film and the circulation of the Magazine Communalism
Combat is not prohibited in any way and the public were misled by the State
at the instance of instance of the vested interests. Consequently, a
screening was organised which was well-attended. Copies of the Special Issue
of Communalism Combat titled Genocide 2002 were also sold at the screening.
albertina almeida
for Bailancho Saad
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 10:59:28 +0530
From: "albertina almeida" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Goanet] HEY RAM SCREENED - NO BAN ON THE FILM
PRESS RELEASE
'HEY RAM" SCREENED - NO BAN ON THE FILM
The controversial 'banned' film allegedly proscribed by the State's Chief
Electoral Officer Arvind Ray was today screened at the Multi-Purpose Hall
next to the Women Police Station at Old GMC Complex at Panaji by Bailancho
Saad.
The Saad spokesperson Sabina Martins stated that this was done after it
became clear that no written order, instructions or gazette notification has
been issued by the Chief Electoral Officer prohibiting the screening of the
Film. Saad activist Madhuri Rao stated that earlier this morning, a twelve
member delegation of Bailancho Saad, a women's collective visited the CEO
Office at Altinho, with a representation which representation had drawn
attention to the fact that the casette promotes communal harmony and peace
and that suppression of the same is a gross violation of the fundamental
freedom of speech and expression.
Discussions with Assistant Electoral Officer J. Pai revealed that no written
orders regarding the Film HEY RAM and the Magazine Communalism Combat had
been issued by the CEO. The Saad pointed out that in effect, this means that
the screening of the Film and the circulation of the Magazine Communalism
Combat is not prohibited in any way and the public were misled by the State
at the instance of instance of the vested interests. Consequently, a
screening was organised which was well-attended. Copies of the Special Issue
of Communalism Combat titled Genocide 2002 were also sold at the screening.
albertina almeida
for Bailancho Saad
------------------------------
End of goanet-digest V1 #4023
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