Eye on Fontainhas, TCP department ropes in Corporation of the City of Panaji for its conservation efforts

Times of India | 5 days ago | 06-08-2022 | 04:55 am

PANAJI: Given the need to preserve and conserve Fontainhas, sometimes known as Goa’s “Latin quarter”, the town and country planning (TCP) department’s conservation committee has decided to rope in the Corporation of the City of Panaji while drawing up conservation plans. TCP minister Vishwajit Rane chaired a meeting of the conservation committee on Friday, where chief town planner Rajesh Naik and other members were present. “We discussed involving other departments wherever necessary. The corporation will be made part of the conservation exercise as a majority of the conservation areas are located in Panaji,” said Rane. He said that the conservation committee will draw up specific bylaws pertaining to conservation issues, while the civic body will deal with the application and implementation of the bylaws. This is not the first time that the conservation committee has been asked to frame guidelines for areas demarcated as conservation zones. In 2018, the TCP department had directed the committee to frame a heritage policy for the state, with the aim of framing architectural guidelines about the nature of houses in conservation areas. A street signage policy was also proposed but never saw the light of day. “A technical subcommittee will develop guidelines for the project submission. They will develop guidelines for signage, street furniture, and so on, and their recommendations will be presented to the TCP board members at the board meeting scheduled on August 11,” said Rane. Rane has directed the conservation committee to initiate pilot projects for the development of conservation areas, while paying special attention to existing road width in relation to outline development plan provisions. “The committee will be given funds to carry out these plans,” said Rane. “With the conservation committee having an aesthetic impact, we are confident that with the cooperation of the people/stakeholders, we will effectively implement the decisions discussed.”

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Goa: St Francis of Assisi church joins 100 monuments across India to be lit up

Times of India | 23 hours ago | 10-08-2022 | 06:32 am

Times of India

23 hours ago | 10-08-2022 | 06:32 am

PANAJI: As dusk falls, the towering 17th century church of St Francis of Assisi at the world heritage site of Old Goa looks resplendent in the colours of the tricolor. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has illuminated it as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The church with a three-tier facade built in 1661 and a convent that now houses the ASI’s archaeological museum and portraits gallery registers hundreds of footfalls daily. Set against the backdrop of an extensive green garden, it has its back to Se Cathedral, which was once considered the largest church in Asia. “The church has been illuminated since August 1 as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” an ASI official said. It is the only monument in Goa to be selected. A hundred monuments have been illuminated in the colour of the country’s flag across India. The colourful lighting is also part of the celebration to mark administering of 100 crore Covid vaccinations in the country. The monuments include some of the world heritage sites such as Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort, Fatepur Sikri in Agra and Golconda Fort in Hyderabad among other monuments. Social media was abuzz with photographs of the St Francis of Assisi Church, though one post wrongly referred it to as the Se Cathedral.

Protest at Old Goa temporarily suspended till weather improves

Times of India | 1 day ago | 10-08-2022 | 02:40 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 10-08-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: Volunteers of the Save Old Goa Action Committee have temporarily suspended their ongoing satyagraha owing to heavy rainfall warnings. The volunteers are protesting the illegal structure in the world heritage site of Old Goa and demanding its demolition. The protest had completed 223 days till July 5.“Due to heavy rainfall, it has been very windy and we want to avoid any potential disastrous situation,” said the committee’s treasurer Hugo Gonsalves. “We will resume the agitation when the weather condition improves.”The agitation was initially suspended on a temporary basis for three weeks owing to the extended rainfall warning. However, with the progress of monsoon and increase in rainfall, the suspension has been further postponed, indefinitely.The Save Old Goa Action Committee will attend a hearing in the matter of the illegal bungalow on August 17 at the directorate of panchayats in Panaji. TOI had earlier reported that citizens across Goa expressed their disapproval over the illegal construction by holding protests and large gatherings in solidarity with the activists leading the protest.The protestors had also started an indefinite hunger strike from November 23, 2021, onwards demanding that the government revokes the licenses and demolishes the illegal structure.On a daily basis, the protest would see about seven to eight protestors at the site, at the precincts of St Cajetan Church, with a bigger crowd showing solidarity on the weekends.

TMC demands strict enforcement of ban on LED fishing

Times of India | 2 days ago | 09-08-2022 | 04:59 am

Times of India

2 days ago | 09-08-2022 | 04:59 am

Panaji: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday demanded that the state government must enforce the ban on LED fishing to safeguard marine ecology. The TMC has also demanded that fishing trawlers should not be allowed to fish close to the shore as such a practice can hamper the spawning and breeding of fish.TMC Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro had raised a question regarding the fish catch and the data provided by the Centre shows an average drop of 8000 tonnes per year over the last five years. “A drop of 8000 tonnes per year is not small for Goa where fish is the staple food,” TMC functionary Trajano D’Mello said.The TMC official said that the Goa government does not have patrol boats to monitor how fishing activity is conducted and it also does not have a mechanism to check if trawlers have installed LED lights.

Former ZP member held for theft of laterite stones worth Rs 1.4cr

Times of India | 2 days ago | 09-08-2022 | 04:58 am

Times of India

2 days ago | 09-08-2022 | 04:58 am

Ponda: Former zilla panchayat member Govind Gaonkar, 49, was arrested by Ponda police on Monday for the theft of laterite stones worth Rs 1.4 crore. Assistant geologist of department of mines and geology, Panaji, Jeetendra Veluskar had filed a complaint with Collem police on July 25 following a raid on a laterite stone quarry in Mollem, Dharbandora, allegedly run by Gaonkar. “The complaint states that Gaonkar has committed a theft of laterite stones from the quarry for the last several years. The case has been transferred to Ponda police station,” Ponda PI Vijaykumar Chodankar said.On July 30, Gaonkar had applied for an anticipatory bail at additional district and sessions court, Margao. However, it was denied on Monday.He has been booked under provisions of the IPC and the Minor Mineral Ore Act. He would be produced before a Ponda court on Tuesday, PI said.Gaonkar was ZP member from Dharbandora during last term and now his wife is representing the constituency. He has also been Dharbandora sarpanch in the past.

State sees slight drop in temperature

Times of India | 2 days ago | 09-08-2022 | 04:47 am

Times of India

2 days ago | 09-08-2022 | 04:47 am

Panaji/Ponda: With the change in weather conditions, there has been a slight drop in the maximum temperature in Goa. The India meteorological department (IMD) recorded the state’s maximum temperature at 28C, a drop by one degree since Sunday.“With prevailing cloudy weather, the temperature will more or less vary. The temperature values are therefore a bit lower since Sunday,” IMD scientist Rahul M said.The increase in rainfall has been attributed to a well-marked low-pressure area off the coasts of north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha. With its intensification into a depression and west-northwestward movement in the coming days, an increase in rainfall is likely over Goa on Tuesday as well.Light to moderate rainfall occurred at most places in the state on Monday with the southwest monsoon being normal over Goa. From 8.30am to 8.30pm, Pernem recorded 27mm rainfall, Mapusa 9.5mm, Panaji 5mm, Mormugao 6mm and Margao and Old Goa,both received 9mm of rainfall.Anmod ghat witnessed heavy rain and a landslide occurred on Monday bringing down boulders. The highway was partially affected.Squally weather with wind speed reaching 45-55 km/hour gusting to 65 km/hour is likely to prevail along and off South Maharashtra-Goa coast on August 9 and 10. Strong wind with speed reaching 45-55 km/hour gusting to 65 km/hr is likely to prevail over the South Maharashtra-Goa on August 11 and 12. Fishermen have been advised not to venture along and off coast during this period.

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