A long wait ends: Mopa takes off today as first flight set to land

Times of India | 3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

PANAJI: The long wait for Goa’s second international airport to start operations ends on Thursday, as the first commercial flight is all set to touch down at the Manohar International Airport, bringing passengers from Hyderabad. The Indigo flight 6E 6145 will land at 9am, followed by flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, and Chennai. Go First will also commence flights on Thursday, bringing in passengers from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Mumbai.The first flight will be welcomed with a traditional water gun salute to mark the historic occasion. However, taxi operators from Pernem could mar the aviation milestone. Developed at a cost of around Rs 2,870 crore, the GMR Group will operate the Mopa airport through its subsidiary, GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL).“We are fully prepared to commence domestic operations at the Manohar International Airport and Indigo and Go First will be commencing flights on the first day. We are fully geared up to welcome the passengers that are coming and those who will be departing from here,” said Ranganathan Venkata Sheshan, the president and chief executive officer of GGIAL.GGIAL plans to roll out the red carpet on the first day, offering live music and a tour of the airport to the first fliers. “As an airport operator, we have done all that is required to ensure that the passengers have a pleasant experience. Besides this, our airline partners, Indigo and Go First, are making sure that all requisite things are in place to give the passengers a good experience,” said Sheshan. Low-cost carrier IndiGo was the first to announce flights from Mopa, with 12 daily and a total of 168 weekly flights to eight major cities in the country. Mopa will be IndiGo’s largest ever new station launch, a move that aims to cater to the increasing demand for flights to Goa. The existing Goa International Airport at Dabolim will continue to operate, and IndiGo said it will continue to offer flights to Dabolim. Inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on December 11, Mopa will provide direct connectivity to North Goa’s tourist belt and the state’s buzzing nightlife. However, concerns about connectivity with the airport, which is at least an hour away from Calangute, Panaji, and even more from Margao, persist. Taxi operators from Pernem have been protesting for the past few days, demanding a yellow-black taxi counter and objecting to the Goa taxi app introduced by the Pramod Sawant government.Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) has said that it will operate electric buses to ferry passengers from Mopa (GOX) to Margao via Panaji. Starting from 8am, a 49-seater electric bus will depart from the new airport, while buses to the airport will commence as early as 4am from Margao. KTCL will also operate buses from Sinquerim and Calangute to ferry tourists to the airport. “All the arriving passengers will be given a red carpet welcome on arrival with music and band. All passengers who are about to board and who are arriving will be given an opportunity to see the airport and will then be given connecting transport,” said Sheshan.Flights to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh will start from Friday.Centre nod to airport name:The Union cabinet has given a ex-post facto approval for naming of Goa’s second International Airport at Mopa, as ‘Manohar International Airport – Mopa, Goa’, as a mark of tribute to late Manohar Parrikar, former defence minister and four-time Goa chief minister.

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Manohar international airport to get special blue cabs only for Pernem taximen

Times of India | 3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

Times of India

3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

PANAJI: The Manohar International airport, Mopa, will have taxis of a different colour — blue — to “avoid confusion”, said minister of transport Mauvin Godinho. The airport will have the special taxis in addition to app-based taxis and other modes of transport.“These cabs will be painted blue in colour and will be very unique in our tourism state. These will operate from the Mopa airport and will be only for the Pernemcars,” he said. In addition, there will be app-based taxis and six electric buses run by the Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) to ferry passengers. “So far 50 taxis have registered with us. Enough taxis and KTC buses are going to be there to transport passengers from the airport. Additionally, we will be launching the blue cabs along the lines of the yellow-black taxis. We are floating an expression of interest (EOI) for interested operators to register,” Godinho said. He said that the separate colour will help regulate the taxi service and help users identify the airport’s taxis. The transport minister also warned tourist taxi operators against making attempts to disrupt the operations at Mopa.“If someone tries to play mischief, we have taken enough care to maintain law and order. We will come down with a very heavy hand. Gone are the old days where they used to force their wheel on others,” he said.

Manickam Tagore to be Congress Goa desk in-charge

Times of India | 3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

Times of India

3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

Panaji: Manickam Tagore on Wednesday was appointed as All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Goa with immediate effect by relieving him of his similar charge in Telangana.He replaces Dinesh Gundu Rao who served as Goa desk in-charge since September 2020.Goa Congress unsuccessfully fought the last assembly election under Rao. After the party’s debacle, some Congress functionaries had vented their ire against Rao and then state Congress president Girish Chodankar.While Congress’ strength reduced to 11 in the House of 40 members, a few months later, eight of its MLAs dumped the party and joined BJP, leaving it with just three legislators.Chodankar stepped down after the assembly election results, taking moral responsibility for the party’s loss.Sources said that the party has entrusted Tagore with the new responsibility mainly with a focus on the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, and in particular, to retain the South Goa seat.

Mamlatdars to face action for land fraud

Times of India | 3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

Times of India

3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

Margao: CM Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that the government will deal with an iron hand in cases of encroachments on government lands, and strict action, including suspension, will be taken against mamlatdars found guilty of inaction in such cases. “If anybody encroaches on government land henceforth, the mamlatdar concerned will be held responsible for it. Mamlatdars are custodians of government lands. If there is illegal mining happening in government land or somebody building a house on government land, the mamlatdar should monitor such cases through his talathi and take immediate action. Else, the government will take action against the mamlatdar,” Sawant said after chairing a meeting with revenue officials.Pending cases of regularisation of houses, however, will be fast tracked, he said. To address issues concerning storage of matriz records and archeological documents, Sawant said that steps will be taken for centralization and digitization of the documents.

Activists, opposition ask CM Pramod Sawant to convince Centre to withdraw DPR nod or resign

Times of India | 3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

Times of India

3 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 04:40 pm

PANAJI: Activists and environmentalists have begun to galvanise people to oppose the Centre’s decision to approve the detailed project report (DPR) for the Kalasa-Bandura project, which will permit Karnataka to divert water from the Mhadei river basin.Activists issued an ultimatum to chief minister Pramod Sawant, demanding his resignation if he cannot convince the Centre to withdraw the approvals granted to Karnataka. The activists have also announced that they will launch an agitation under the Save Goa Save Mhadei banner from January 16 to put pressure on the Centre. Goa’s opinion poll is remembered on January 16.“I appeal to the Goa chief minister to issue an ultimatum, and if by January 16 he cannot get the approval for the DPR withdrawn, then he must resign. He must make this bold statement,” said former ABVP member and Progressive Front of Goa leader Hrudaynath Shirodkar.The Trinamool Congress also held a token protest at Azad Maidan, where they slammed the Centre for ignoring Goa’s concerns.“Goans need to come on the road and start protesting because the BJP has betrayed the state for the sake of their party, for the sake of electoral gains in Karnataka. The Centre and the Goa government have taken Goans for granted,” said TMC joint convener Samil Volvaikar.Volvoikar said that TMC will back any organisation or NGO that launches an agitation to create awareness about this issue.Historian and heritage activist Prajal Sakhardande urged Goans and political parties to unite under Save Goa Save Mhadei to put pressure on the Centre and on the BJP. “The chief minister still has a chance to prevail on the Central government... all parties, everyone should come together now,” said Sakhardande.TMC’s South Goa chairman Jorson Fernandes said that the party will “fight to protect Mhadei river”.“Shripad Naik has said that he is ready to resign, but Sawant has not said anything like this. What is the BJP government in Goa doing? Sawant should respectfully resign on January 16 and if he does not, then we will launch an agitation,” said Shirodkar.Meanwhile, social activist Xencor Polji appealed to the Kannadigas who live in Goa to petition the Karnataka government not to go ahead with the Kalasa-Bandura project.

Germany: Climate activists block streets in Berlin

The Indian Express | 5 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

The Indian Express

5 hours ago | 05-01-2023 | 02:40 pm

Members of the Last Generation group have vowed to continue “disrupting everyday life” in pursuit of climate action. This latest demo comes after the move by the Extinction Rebellion UK group to stop riotous protests.Climate activists blocked several streets in Berlin on Wednesday, with city police taking measures to contain the protest. The Last Generation group has vowed to continue “disrupting daily life” to the achieve the aims of greater climate action and awareness.What happened in the Berlin protest?Members of the Last Generation environmentalist group set up barriers on Invalidenstrasse near the Museum of Natural History, restricting access to one of the lanes. The protest occurred around 8 am local time CET (7 am UTC i.e. 12.30 pm IST).In response, the German authorities say they took action to prevent the activists from vandalising the street in front of the Transport Ministry. A police spokesperson said they stopped the protesters from using jackhammers on the road surface.“The daily grind is taking us straight to climate hell over freshly tarred and paved roads. We can’t let that happen,” Last Generation said on Twitter, referring to the jackhammer activities.Nine people also blocked a ramp onto the Sachsendamm highway in Berlin, near the Friedrich-Gerlach bridge. That action was contained by authorities in about 45 minutes.The Fridays for the Future group, associated with activist Greta Thunberg, has also announced a protest in Berlin later on Wednesday that is expected take place in front of the Economic Affairs and Climate Action Ministry. The demonstration will raise awareness towards energy company RWE’s plans to demolish the village of Lützerath for lignite mining purposes.The different approaches of Last Generation and Extinction RebellionLast Generation has previously staged protests at venues such as museums, stadiums and airports. Last Generation members have also caused mayhem by throwing food at treasured paintings both in Germany and other European countries.The UK-based Extinction Rebellion group has said it would cease disruptive demos for now in order to gain support among the British public.“As we ring in the new year, we make a controversial resolution to temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic,” Extinction Rebellion UK said Monday, on the first day of 2023. The group said its current methods were failing to achieve results, as CO2 emissions increase.The UK government is also weighing more severe punishments for climate activists, putting pressure on groups such as Extinction Rebellion.

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