Verna to get ‘spiritual’ museum: Minister Subhash Phal Dessai

Times of India | 17 hours ago | 22-10-2022 | 04:40 pm

Vasco: Minister for archives and archaeology Subhash Phal Dessai on Friday said that the state government is looking to set up a state-of-the-art museum at Mardol, Verna, as part of its spiritual tourism plans.Phal Dessai, who was speaking to reporters after his visit to the Mahalasa Narayani temple at Mardol in Verna, also said that all religious structures in the state that are over a century old will be considered for classification as archaeological protected sites by the state government. “We will see to it that these old treasures of Goan heritage and culture are restored,” he said. The minister said that the government also plans to introduce spiritual tourism soon. “The Mardol museum will inform locals and tourists about Goa’s rich tradition and culture,” Phal Dessai said.He said that the Mahalasa Narayani is an ancient temple and has been rejuvenated through the efforts of architects and the management and trustees of the temple.

Read more

Share:

Similar News

Power outages: Festival of lights kicks off with no lights

Times of India | 5 hours ago | 23-10-2022 | 04:23 am

Times of India

5 hours ago | 23-10-2022 | 04:23 am

Panaji: Residents and tourists began the Diwali season without power supply on Saturday. After assuring citizens of a power cut-free Diwali, citizens in Bardez and Tiswadi were seriously inconvenienced with power outages. Despite the tourism season kicking off, the North coastal belt faced hours of power cuts. “Festival of lights with no electricity... Super job by the electricity department,” a social media user said. The problem persisted in other parts too. “Diwali season started with a seven-hour power cut,” said a resident of Kakoda-Curchorem. People complained of a power cut of more than two hours without any prior notice in the vicinity of Mapusa. Residents of Siolim, out of frustration, visited the power department. However, the department had no answers with the locals alleging that it called for a shut down to lay electricity poles in a particular area. Tourists too were inconvenienced. “Siolim has a big power cut today. We are tourists and are greatly inconvenienced,” a tourist said. “It went in the morning and we were sure power supply would be restored at night but it was cut off again at night,” a woman from the affected ward of Siolim said. The power department said the Tivim-Ponda 110kV feeder tripped and was recharged. Besides, the 11 kV Colvale feeder and 11 kV industrial feeder were found faulty due to heavy rain and lightning, it stated.

Goa: MLA Michael Lobo seeks Amit Shah’s intervention in UK e-visa issue

Times of India | 1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 08:06 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 08:06 am

PANAJI: Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has written to Union home minister Amit Shah requesting him to intervene in restoring the e-visa facility for UK nationals. "The impact on Goa's tourism industry is crippling, especially in this post-Covid recovery phase," Lobo has said. Recently, the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) had said that Goa's tourism sector could possibly see losses to the tune of Rs 80-100 crore due to delays in issuance of visas to UK travellers, while Goa's charter tourism season begins in October. Lobo said that the e-visa facility not being available has also hit the Indian diaspora in the UK. "I have been receiving a number of requests from many of those impacted to take this up with your good office for early redressal. It is, therefore, my humble submission that the e-visa facility may be considered for restoration to accord relief to our diaspora in the UK at the earliest," Lobo said in his letter to Shah. The discontinuation of the e-visa facility is 'causing untold hardships to incoming tourists as well as people travelling to their native places in Goa and the rest of India from UK', Lobo has said.

‘Tourists will move to other states if Goa doesn’t keep up’

Times of India | 1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 08:04 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 08:04 am

PANAJI: Tourism minister Rohan Khaunte has warned that if Goa tourism does not get its act together with regards to watersports activities and break the chain of touts, tourists will move to the beach belts of Karnataka and Maharashtra in the coming years. Every state with a coastline is developing its beaches and offering services for tourists, Khaunte said, referring to the opposition to the proposed jetty policy. The purpose of the jetty policy, he said, is to streamline watersports activities, stop illegalities at jetties and break the command of touts. "We must see the way Malvan is picking up. Tourists seeking quality service and wanting to enjoy watersports will start going to the coastal districts of neighbouring states if we do not have things in order," he said. Recently, when the tourism department had a meeting with watersport operators regarding the proposed jetty policy, they complained that touts operating from Goa hotels offer packages inclusive of watersports activities in Malvan. The minister who has been raising his voice against touts and illegal operators since he took charge of the tourism department, said stakeholders here will realise their folly after tourists move to locations in neighbouring states. "Touts and illegal operators will not lose anything, but we will and they will shift their base to where the business is," he said. Besides Malvan, Khaunte said, Karwar is also being developed. With the help of central funding every state which has a coast is trying to do something to attract tourists. "Tourism is on the agenda of every state which was not the case earlier. Even states such as Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand which are known for coal mining, are turning towards tourism," said Khaunte.

Goa: As tourism sector gears for Diwali visitors, beach shacks ready for biz

Times of India | 1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 08:02 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 08:02 am

PANAJI: Some operators have set up beach shacks while the remaining will be up and ready to operate by next week in time to cash in on the Diwali crowd. Footfalls were low this week but shack operators are of the opinion that the numbers will swell next week. Conventionally, Goa sees a rise in domestic footfalls during the Diwali vacation, the period also marks the beginning of the charter season, though the scenario during the past two years was different due to the pandemic. The season's first charter is slated to arrive from Kazakhstan on October 26. Charters from Russia will start arriving in Goa from November 2 and those from the UK from November 6. "Not all have erected shacks in South Goa beaches yet, but we expect them to be in place by next week. However, negligible footfalls this week has worried operators," president of the Goa Shack Owners Welfare Society (SOWS), Cruz Cardozo said. A beach shack operator in North Goa said that, with fewer tourists, operators have grown anxious. Popular beach stretches normally see a steady flow of tourists with Calangute, Candolim and Baga grossing highest numbers. Cardozo said that North Goa's beaches receive more tourists than those in South Goa. Cardozo said that they were concerned about 30-odd shack allottees who were denied permissions by the tourism department to set up shacks for having failed to pay the last two seasons fees. A few have received messages from the tourism department in the past three days asking that they pay the pending licence fees within two weeks. "We had asked for three weeks to pay the arrears. Some allottees did not put up shacks during the past two seasons due to the pandemic and had also not paid licence and other fees. We had requested the government that they be permitted to start operations this season if they paid the last two seasons' fees," Cardozo said. The SOWS president said they would request the tourism director next week to grant allottees an additional one week to pay the fees.

Vendors upset as Chicalim p’yat removes pandal

Times of India | 1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 04:20 am

Times of India

1 day ago | 22-10-2022 | 04:20 am

Vasco: Tension ran high at Chicalim on Thursday after the panchayat dismantled a pandal near Chicalim junction which was used by women self-help groups to sell Diwali fare.Vendors, who were part of the Diwali Bazaar, told TOI, “We set up a pandal every year for Diwali to sell sweets and other homemade products, supported by the department of rural development. Previously, we have not been asked for any permission by the Chicalim village panchayat.”“The government speaks about Swayampurna Goem on one hand but is unfair to women who want to venture into business making them self-sustainable,” said a vendor. Former sarpanch Sebastiao Pereira said, “I want to question chief minister if this is Swayampurna Goem.”

More News

Latest News