‘P’yat involvement can help boost Goa’s image’

Times of India | 1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte has welcomed the action taken by the Calangute panchayat, saying “cleansing up of illegalities” has begun with the help of a civic body.Khaunte said that such action would help the state to improve the image further and attract “good tourists”.“Appreciate the strong action by Calangute panchayat with the support of the CM against dance bars. Direct involvement of panchayat and the local community can help eradicate such infamous menaces that tarnish the image of Goa tourism,” he said on Tuesday.He said the tourism department has always said that the “cleansing” can be achieved only with the support of other departments such as home, panchayats, etc. Hence, it is to be appreciated that some panchayats are coming forward to take the Goa Tourism objective forward, he said. “If all the related departments play their role efficiently, it will bring a big change,”he said.Describing it as a good beginning, he said that the CM has also issued directions to the police and added that things are moving in the right direction. tnn

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Deliberations on alternative medicine for animal welfare at ayurveda expo

Times of India | 11 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Times of India

11 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: Aside from discussions on the advances in ayurveda, experts and researchers will formulate policies for the development and propagation of ayurveda, including the use of alternative medicine for animal welfare, said the organisers.The deliberations will be held at the 9th World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo which will be attended by 5,000 delegates from India and 60 other countries. The four-day event will also see over 200 industry players showcase their contribution to alternative medicine.“This provides a platform for future development of policies for the propagation of ayurveda for the world,” said secretary general of the World Ayurveda Congress and professor at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) Anup Thakar. “The best academicians, delegates, ayurveda practitioners and experts will debate during plenary sessions. The demand for ayurveda has increased manifold across the world.”The event aims to prepare a roadmap to promote ayurveda as a reliable, scientific and alternative healthcare system. “Goa has a lot of potential for ayurveda. The way Kerala has used branding and promotion, Goa has a big opportunity to make ayurveda a strong point for wellness tourism and boost its economy,” said Thakar.Director general at the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) Rabinarayan Acharya said that for the first time, a dedicated two-day conclave on veterinary ayurveda will be held on the sidelines of the expo where scientists and professors will share scientific research in the field of animal healthcare.Deputy director of the Ayush export council Ashutosh Shrivastava said that in order to increase export of Ayush and alternative medicines, 50 buyers from foreign nations along with regulators from other nations have been invited for the conference. “We will get them connected with Indian exporters and manufacturers. There will foreign drug regulators who will bring in information about their practices so that India can see how to meet their standards,” said Shrivastava.

HC directs govt to provide info on pound keepers at civic bodies

Times of India | 11 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Times of India

11 hours ago | 08-12-2022 | 02:40 am

Panaji: Hearing a petition to address the issue of stray cattle on Goa’s roads, the high court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday directed the director of municipal administration to inquire with all municipalities regarding pound keepers that are supposed to assist in the management of stray cattle, and submit details.The HC called on the director of municipal administration to submit an affidavit with the status of posts of pound keepers, including whether they have been filled.“The director of municipal administration should also furnish data of the work done, if any, by this pound keeper in the last six months,” stated Justices Mahesh Sonak and Bharat P Deshpande.Counsel representing Mapusa and Cuncolim municipalities, S D Padiyar submitted to the HC that every municipality has post/posts of pound keepers and referred to Sections 268 and 269 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968.The high court is hearing a petition filed by senior citizen Kabir Gama Roy who went to court highlighting the authorities’ inaction to implement the order of the high court dated April 2, 2007 of impounding cattle.In his petition, he had submitted that the animal husbandry department is the facilitator for impounding of stray cattle by panchayats and municipalities as mandated by their acts, and added that the order dating back to 2007 of the HC mandated that the secretary of animal husbandry to monitor implementation of the scheme.He stated that very few of the panchayats and municipalities executed MOUs with gaushallas, with some reporting harassment by authorities, and the animal husbandry department unnecessarily holding up applications for grants and disbursements indefinitely despite HC directions. He petitioner stated that these be efficaciously disposed of in a time-bound frame without unwarranted delays.His petition also highlighted the brutal deaths of stray cattle. .

Now, CCP says feast fair deferred, not cancelled

Times of India | 1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 07:40 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 07:40 am

Panaji: A day after the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) said it would not hold the Panaji feast fair at the Church Square due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state capital, mayor Rohit Monserrate announced that the fair’s dates have been revised, and that it will be held later.“We cannot have the fair during the PM’s visit due to security reasons. But we have been planning to hold it on December 12 or 13 — three to four days after his visit,” the mayor said.“There was a negative police report advising us not to hold the fair at the Church Square because we cannot have vehicles parked on the road at that time. The PM’s visit, unfortunately, coincides with the feast fair, so we couldn’t do anything about it,” he said, adding that the suggestion to host it along the Mandovi promenade was also not feasible.CCP commissioner Agnelo Fernandes had earlier told TOI that even Patto was being considered as an alternative location, but that the plan was scrapped owing to its distance from the Panaji church. Now, however, the CCP has changed tack taking into consideration the livelihoods of the small vendors who participate in the annual fair.

Ponda man held for circulating child porn

Times of India | 1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 04:51 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 04:51 am

Panaji: Goa police on Tuesday arrested a 35-year-old Ponda resident, Gajendra Tadadiker, for allegedly circulating child pornographic material on social media. Since the last couple of days, they had been keeping a close watch on IP addresses accessing child pornographic sites.“When tracking the IP addresses of those repeatedly visiting child pornographic sites, we identified seven locations where such activities were taking place. Accordingly, a team consisting of cybercrime, crime branch and district police was formed and searches were conducted at seven locations across the state,” crime branch superintendent of police (SP) Nidhin Valsan said.He said that out of seven IP addresses, they did not find anyone at five locations, but the team found persons at Panaji and Ponda. During the inquiry, no child pornographic material was found with the person at Panaji, but they found evidence against the Ponda resident.“When we checked Tadadiker’s browser history, we found him visiting child pornography sites and also found evidence of him transmitting the same. The accused used to share child pornographic material on Facebook and had been blocked,” Valsan said.As part of cyber patrolling, the cybercrime police are keeping a watch over illegal activities by cyber criminals. In September, CBI had conducted a search at one location in Goa in connection with two cases related to downloading and circulation of child sexual abuse material. However, they did not get any evidence against the person. The search was part of the nationwide crackdown at around 59 locations.

Goa’s first mgmt plans for protected areas in final stages of completion

Times of India | 1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 04:47 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 07-12-2022 | 04:47 am

Panaji: The very first management plans, as required under the Union environment ministry’s norms, for five of Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries and one national park are in their final stages of preparation. Once approved, the plans will be in force for 10 years. Each plan will lay a blueprint for the protected areas’ wildlife habitat management, soil and moisture conservation, protection of sanctuary area, eco-development and eco-tourism, and biodiversity enrichment plantation.“There is already a management plan in place for the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Chorao. The management plan for Bondla is nearly ready and will be submitted for approval soon. The Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary plan is in the last stages of preparation. The Mhadei and the Netravali wildlife sanctuary management plans are set to be completed soon and the plan for Mollem national park and wildlife sanctuary is in advanced stages of preparation,” said the chief conservator of forests for Goa, Saurabh Kumar.The state forest department had engaged local experts who have prepared the plans with inputs from the deputy conservator of forests from each of the areas concerned. While the Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary plan has been prepared by Nandkumar Sawant, the management plans for Cotigao and Netravali wildlife sanctuaries have been prepared by Manoj Borkar. Sawant and Borkar are both senior academicians.Principal investigator at Goa University, Nitin Sawant, is preparing the management plan for Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, while Sujeet Kumar Dongre of the centre for environmental education is drawing the plans for the Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park at Mollem.“The management plans will cover all features of each sanctuary area like its topography, humidity, rainfall patterns, soil, flora and fauna while recording endemic and flagship species present there. The sources of water will also be detailed. Based on this, we will be able to plan better where fruit-bearing trees or palatable grasses need to be planted, where to create artificial waterholes, and what soil and moisture conservation measures are needed,” said Kumar.Goa’s wildlife sanctuaries were notified in the late 1990s but did not have management plans until now as required under central government norms.“Having a management plan will also help in seeking funds from the Centre for various projects. The plans will even guide us in aspects such as carrying capacity for eco-tourism and how to involve locals in eco-tourism projects. Extensive and intensive groundwork has been carried out by the experts to prepare the management plans with our deputy conservator of forests,” said Kumar.Though the management plans will be in force for 10 years from the time each is approved, a review every 3-4 years is important, he said, “for rearrangement of descriptions and prescription of different work components, deletion of unnecessary items and addition of different activities on the basis of outcomes”.

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