NGT reserves order on beach resort

Posted on November 5, 2016 by crtgoa9020

The National Green Tribunal has reserved its judgment on Friday after hearing the final arguments over two days in a matter of an appeal filed by Cansaulim villagers against Competent Automobiles, New Delhi.

Advocate Norma Alvares, with advocate Rossueau Rodrigues argued on Thursday and Friday on behalf of the Cansaulim villagers on the issue of the environment clearance claimed by the respondent and amendment made by ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) for setting up a 226-room starred beach resort in the eco fragile zone at Arossim, Cansaulim beach.

The final hearing continued on Friday as advocate Dhruv Mehta and advocate Ninad Laud argued on behalf of Competent Automobile and two more lawyers argued for MoEF, Delhi.
Cansaulim Arossim Cuelim Civic and Consumer Forum along with Cansaulim villagers action committee had filed the appeal before NGT Pune.

The respondent lawyers argued that the project has been stalled since 2006 onwards due to litigation at various judicial levels. They alleged that the panchayat had sent their file back without granting the construction licence.
Posted in Beaches of Goa | Leave a comment

Goa to host 15 int’l travel bloggers

Posted on November 4, 2016 by crtgoa9020

Goa Tourism will welcome 15 international travel bloggers in November to showcase the rich cultural diversity, history, food, adventure and luxury experience in Goa. The event being billed as #Escape2Goa partners with social enterprise, Leave UR Mark, and digitally reaches 4.5 million people across 30 countries, in five languages and eight different social media platforms.

 The 15 bloggers are Brian Baldrati from Brazil, Nicola Easterby from Australia, Brendan Van Son and Scott Rankin from Canada, Claudia Ayuso, Maria Cadepe and Melo from Spain, Kirsten Alana and Erin Marie from United States, Sofiya Benzakour from Morocco, Bouchra Benhalima from Dubai, Nienke from the Netherlands, Emilie Franzo and Megane from France and Alex Tienda from Mexico.

“We are excited to have bloggers experience Goa’s rich cultural heritage which travelers will find to be a cove of hidden treasures. Through food and nature the bloggers will share authentic firsthand travel tips and showcase Goa in unique ways,” said Nikhil Desai, managing director of Goa Tourism Development Corporation.

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Tourist influx, bridge construction continue to choke Porvorim roads

Posted on November 4, 2016 by crtgoa9020

Goa needs good infrastructure which is currently so amiss. Instead of wasting tax payers money on pipe dream projects the government should put the money in proper infrastructure.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Tourist-influx-bridge-construction-continue-to-choke-Porvorim-roads/articleshow/55233417.cms

The ongoing construction work on the third Mandovi bridge has made traffic jams in Porvorim a regular feature over the last couple of years. With the arrival of the tourist season and visitors pouring in, the jams have become inevitable.

Many citizens took to social media this week to complain about the inconvenience to locals due to the daily jams, unknown to Goa otherwise. Other netizens asked that the work on the Mandovi bridge be expedited. The ongoing construction has further narrowed the road.

Users of the NH 17 along the Porvorim-Panaji route spend up to 45 minutes to an hour every day to cover the roughly eight-kilometre stretch that constitutes the Porvorim area.

 The jams are expected to continue till the first week of January as is seen annually in recent years with outstation vehicles, tourist taxis on duty and rent-a-cabs adding to the congestion.
Massive trailer trucks ferrying vehicles to automobile showrooms during peak hours added to the traffic problem on Thursday.
To escape the chock-a-block NH 17, many people took the Betim route which in turn led to the Betim ferry being congested. Traffic movement is bumper-to-bumper which often leads to accidents, arguments between car owners, further adding to the chaos.

The lack of an alternate route worsens the situation. The two Mandovi bridges are the only routes available to residents of Mapusa, Sangolda, Saligao, Candolim, Calangute, Baga, Porvorim, Pilerne, Verem to Panaji.

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New beach shack policy to be unveiled next week?

Posted on November 3, 2016 by crtgoa9020

Yes delaying the release of the policy the government has played into the hands of the hotel lobby

The new beach shack policy is likely to be unveiled next week to pave the way for allotment of 367 shacks. The tourism department has received 1,023 applications and the allotment will be done through a lottery system, but only after the three-year beach shack policy receives an approval of Goa coastal zone management authority (GCZMA) and the state cabinet.

GCZMA’s first meeting since its reconstitution, last week, is scheduled on Friday. A tourism official said they cannot be blamed for the delay in releasing the new policy. “The beach shack policy has been long ready, but could not be released for want of approval from GCZMA,” he said.

 This is probably the first time that the policy has been delayed by two months. Beach shack operators are unable to erect shacks and have already made their displeasure clear to the tourism department. While there has been a steady flow of tourists – both domestic and international – since the beginning of the season in mid-October, they have failed to reap benefits.
The beach shack policy has to be drafted in consultation with GCZMA, and though the tourism department invited applications from shack operators, much before the release of the beach shack policy; it was with a rider that allocation of shacks will be done only it is sanctioned by GCZMA.
Ninety per cent are reserved for experienced shack operators and 10% for new applicants. The tourism department may have to amend the policy, if demanded by GCZMA, but a GCZMA official said the new policy will be accepted in all probability as it is similar to the previous one.
Posted in Shack Owners Welfare Society - SOWS Goa | Leave a comment

Parulekar’s comments draws NGT’s ire

Posted on November 3, 2016 by crtgoa9020

The NGT has shown Parulekar his rightful place.

The National Green Tribunal has taken a dim view of Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar’s alleged comments blaming the Tribunal for delaying the allotment of shacks.

Disposing a petition seeking that Parulekar be acted against for showing disregard and contempt for the Tribunal, NGT on Wednesday stated that it “deprecates” Parulekar’s attitude.

“We would like to deprecate such attitude of politicians who are supposed to lead the citizens in service of the nation. Rather than engaging themselves in blame-game, they should engage themselves in introspections which may save the nation better,” NGT noted.

The Tribunal, however, stopped short of initiating contempt proceedings against him saying that they are involved in the “serious work of delivering environmental justice. “As such we do not wish to engage ourselves in the business of correcting politicians and wasting our time and energy,” the Tribunal said while disposing the petition.

Petitioner Aleixo Arnolfo Pereira had approached the court, pointing to news clippings that quoted the Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar who blamed the National Green Tribunal for the delay in allotment of shacks

The same day, NGT while hearing an application to implement its orders with regard to private shacks, directed Goa State Coastal Zone Management Authority not to grant any new permissions to any shack owner who is yet to demolish his shack and has not complied with the directions given by GCZMA.

Earlier, petitioner Aleixo Pereira in an affidavit had submitted photographs of several structures of private shacks still standing replete with cement floors.

The Advocate General sought two weeks to resume and complete the demolition of these shacks.

GCZMA had earlier this year cancelled all permissions given by GCZMA for private shacks and had sought that all the shacks be demolished as they were given sans a carrying capacity and sand dune mapping study which were made mandatory by the NGT back in 2014. The court also initiated action against GCZMA officials for failing to implement its orders.

– See more at: http://englishnews.thegoan.net/story.php?id=25009#sthash.9Z3cChhL.dpuf

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Golden Globe’s casino license: will it be granted?

Posted on November 3, 2016 by crtgoa9020

The government will bend all the law in its books to accommodate the casinos.

 

Will Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited get its casino licence anytime soon? No, if sources from the government’s home department are to be believed.

the goan I network
PANAJI   
Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited has sought to restart its casino business in the State, this time with a different vessel that they have leased from another party.   
“Since they are starting almost afresh, we have to complete several formalities including police verification of the parties concerned. If one factors in the fact that there is litigation pending, the question of receiving the license anytime soon will not arise,” sources have said.   
The news comes even as Golden Globe Hotels Private Limited gave an undertaking to the High Court that it will not operate its casino till the next hearing even if it is granted a license. The hearing is on a petition filed by lawyer activist Aires Rodrigues against the granting of licence to the company.   
Rodrigues has challenged the license saying that the company paid their dues after the time limit it had pledged they would pay the government as well as it being against the casino policy of the government.   
Golden Globe Hotels used to earlier operate the vessel Casino Mint that didn’t commence operations in the State.   
The government advocate informed the court that no license has yet been issued to the new casino.   
The vacation judge of the Bombay High Court at Goa Justice Mahesh Sonak today adjourned hearing on the petition to November 15.   
Earlier, the matter came to light after AAG Adv Lawandetold the Bombay High Court at Goa that in case the Golden Globe Hotels and Sanket Kandoi deposit the amount so demanded, the government will consider the application 
for further renewal of the casino licence from the year 2016 as well as the substitution of the vessel on the basis of prevailing law.

– See more at: http://englishnews.thegoan.net/story.php?id=25021#sthash.QIypikvL.dpuf

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