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South Asian Film Festival in Goa from Fri (June 27) to Mon (June 30)
At Kala Academy, and ESG, Panaji, Goa
http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2008-June/076384.html
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With several arrests made since yesterday there was an eerie calm today. Many
of the villagers came to the city and some working for private companies in
Vasco-da-Gama Panaji and elsewhere went about their daily chores. Schools were
opened but it was only half day later that some of them realised that there was
indeed a call for a bandh. Most establishement in the New Market remained
closed. However some small eateries hotels and a few shops remain opened.
This indeed helped the visitors coming to Margao and citizens of Margao to make
some brief shopping.
The police bandobust was more than adequate. There was the armoured police and
the other top police officials drawn from the various police stations to take
command at strategic positions to avert any trouble.
The head of the religious outfit in Margao who was recuperating in Hospital is
alleged to be a physical education teacher in a minority run school in Verna .
There were several rumours doing the rounds but by and large the situation was
well under control.
Incidentally the dispute which was mainly due to an altercation with two non
goans belonging to the majority community indeed took a communal angle due to
one of them heading the unit at Rumdamol Davorlim Housing board.
When this writer visited the area there was a large contingent of armoured and
other police near the Maruti temple considering that a large number of Hindu
devoutees visit the temple on a Saturday. Life was near normal with most of
the small shops pharmacies and other small establishments remaining open and
transacting business.
According to unconfirmed reports most of those detained were moved to the Sada
sub jail at Mormugao Harbour.
The police force has been housed at the Fatorda stadium. Many of the young
recruits men and women were probably facing their first incident of riot. When
this writer spoke to some of them dressed smartly in their uniforms they gave
an impression that they were raw to the ground realities..
Incidentally this morning a furniture outlet in a make shift shop was set on
fire just about 05 metres from Kanta's hotel at Aquem. The motive of the arson
could not be known when police visited the spot this morning at around 0725.
Bus transport too was near normal for routes going to the villages but there
was a near skeleton movement of buses to Aquem Davrolim etc.
The meeting of the SEZ Virodhi Manch scheduled for tommorrow at 1000 hrs
tommorrow Sunday, 29th July, 2008 stands postponed according to information
made available by the organisers. This was apparently owing to the surcharged
atmosphere.
It appears that the situation will normalise though some political parties
could take advantage of this situation to put the present coalition and the CM
in tight situation. Political developments at the Centre with the left parties
intending to pull out and the Samajwadi Party bailing the UPA in the nuclear
deal is being keenly watched. The move of the Progressive Democratic Front to
pull out support to the INC in Jammu and Kashmir is another development. The
BJP has already drawn its first list for the mid term poll and the Congress
High Command too has asked its units to gear uip for eventual polls.
Hence Mr . Digamber Kamat will need to do some tight rope walking as any wrong
move could add to the opposition bait to oust the government and hasten fresh
elections. Meanwhile the INC with one short after the sudden demise of its
Pale MLA Mr Gurudas Sawal and a Home Minister Mr Ravi Sitaram Naik recuperating
in Bethora Ponda after a heart surgery do not augur well the numbers for a
coalition which will soon witness the monsoon session come July - August 2008.
As of now the citizens of Margao feel that Mr Kamat has come down heavily on
the warring factions and not only averted a backlash of either communities but
successfully averted the BJP from taking advantage of the situation as it did
in the last commuinal outburst.
Meanwhile it is still not clear the motve of the present incident though many
around Rumdamol Davorlim do not agree that eve teasing as is reported in most
of the local media is the motive.
GODFREY J. I. GONSALVES,
BORDA, MARGAO, 403 602, GOA. (INDIA)
+91 98221 58584 (24 HRS)
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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