Panaji locals poke holes in GTDC’s plans for city

Times of India | 8 hours ago | 21-10-2022 | 04:12 am

Panaji locals poke holes in GTDC’s plans for city

Panaji: The ongoing projects being executed by Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC), along Panaji’s DB Road, will lead to a loss of valuable waterfront land, congestion and chaos in the state capital, said residents of Panaji in a meeting with tourism minister Rohan Khaunte. The residents, who were accompanied by Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate, requested the minister to keep the projects on hold till detailed deliberations were held on the project impact. One of the major concerns of the residents is how the government proposes to deal with the traffic generated by two million visitors that GTDC expects to visit the proposed ropeway project linking Reis Magos fort with Panaji. “The government is unable to deal with the current parking requirements or regulate traffic generated by current activities,” said citizens, who came together under Save Panaji banner.The citizens said that Panaji already suffers from congestion and chaos due to poor traffic management and haphazard parking. They added that privatisation of public recreational land along the waterfront by casinos is detrimental for the capital.They said that the tender for commercial activities at the former Mandovi Riveira Quarterdeck is vague and gives opportunities for all kinds of commercial activities. Khaunte reportedly assured the locals that the riverfront area opposite Hotel Mandovi will be used for a restaurant and a public garden where events can be held.Meanwhile, the Save Panaji group intends to start collecting inputs on the issues affecting the city, complaints and other concerns which need to be resolved by the state government. The citizens intend to hold public discussions, walks and workshops to raise public awareness and “create a dialogue” between policy makers and the citizens.

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First charter from UK set to arrive in Goa on November 6
Times of India | 4 hours ago | 21-10-2022 | 07:46 am
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PANAJI: After a gap of two years, the first charter flight from the UK will land in Goa on November 6. Last season, Goa did not receive charters from the UK, the state's one of the traditional markets. A senior official of Le Passage to India confirmed that TUI Airways will start its Goa operations with the first flight on November 6. Goa is scheduled to receive the first charter of the tourist season on October 26 from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Operators are keeping fingers crossed even as the latest development suggests that the time taken to process visa applications will be reduced and enable travellers to continue with their plans for holidaying in India. In the last few days, Indiabound British travellers have cancelled bookings due to visa issues. As of now, TUI Airways will operate one flight a week. It reduced its flights from four to one after people started cancelling booking due to difficulties in securing appointments at visa centres. A tweak in visa rules by the Indian government requires an applicant to appear in person at visa centres. The UK citizens are not eligible for e-visas which has also been a major hurdle for travellers who are keen to travel to India. Tourism stakeholders in the state have petitioned the government several times over the last one and a half year, to include the UK too, in the list of countries whose citizens are issued e-visas. Trade body, Travel and Tourism Association (TTAG), last week estimated that the loss of business to Goa’s tourism industry could be Rs 80 to 100 crore even if 10,000 bookings were cancelled.

First charter from UK set to arrive in Goa on November 6