ANC team seizes drugs worth Rs 2 lakh, one held
The Anti-Narcotics Cell of Goa Police on Tuesday arrested a resident of Porvorim, Saneel Krishna Naik (30), with 12.50 grams of heroin and 8.40 grams of ecstasy powder, all worth Rs. 2 lakh in the international market.
According to a press release from the ANC, the accused was nabbed opposite Campal Clinic in Panjim between 2.45 pm and 6 pm.
Will Saptah fair get an extension? MMC to decide
The Vasco traffic cell, Mormugao Municipal Council and the Deputy Collector will decide on clearing the Swatantra Path road as the seven days of the Saptah fair have ended.
Citing low customer turnout, some of the vendors are demanding extension of the fair by a few more days.
When contacted, Vasco Traffic Cell in-charge Shailesh Narvekar said the onus falls on MMC to remove the stalls on the Swatantra Path. Since the barricades have been removed the traffic flow on this thoroughfare may cause accidents, he said.
MMC Chief Officer Jayant Tari MMC made it clear there was no question of extension of the fair. The Deputy Collector’s order on the ferry has to be followed, he added.
Meanwhile, Snehal Prabhu, the Deputy Collector said the MMC will have to take a call on the matter.
The South Goa Collector's order stated that August 8 was the last day of the fair.
Carambolim, Batim & Durga lakes are wetlands
Carambolim, Batim and Durga lakes have made their way into the final notification approved by the Goa State Wetlands Authority (GSWA). The ecosystem from these areas will be preserved and nurtured under the Wetland Conservation and Management Rules 2017.
When GT contacted Dashrath Redkar, Member Secretary of GSWA, confirmed that the said notification for these water bodies has been approved.
He said the notification means no constructions will be allowed in the buffer zones of these wetlands. However, he added, existing houses will be allowed to be repaired and renovated after obtaining the necessary permissions.
DGP says AI important for crime detection and prevention
Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh said artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in crime detection and prevention.
In an interaction with police officers, Singh said the crime rate in Goa was slowly increasing, but at the same time detection has also improved in the last few years.
Speaking to GT, the DGP said the officers were asked to focus on evidence-based policing and not hearsay. At times, the information given by individuals may turn out to be false because people tend to be emotional and biased, he said.
Evidence-based information sourced from laptops, CCTV footage, phones, emails, etc has more weightage and leads to crime detection, he added.
He urged the officers to be people-friendly while on duty.
He said enough budgetary allocation is needed for the infusion of technology so police are in a better position for crime detection and prevention.
Pending works on Varunapuri flyover discussed
A special joint meeting to expedite the pending works on the Varunapuri flyover and exit ramp in Vasco was held on Monday. Mormugao Port Authority chairman, National Highway Authority(NHA), Gammon India Pvt Ltd officials and MLA Krishna Salkar attended the meeting.
When GT contacted Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar, he informed GT that the main aim of the meeting was to get an understanding of the pending work ahead. Connectivity of road to berth number 9 in the Mormugao port was also discussed, he informed.
Salkar cited heavy rainfall for the delay in the work. Also, there were some minor alterations to be done at some places for which design approvals were needed.
“We will be conducting a joint inspection of the flyover work in the next two or three days," he revealed.
Special trains for Vailankanni pilgrimage
South Western Railway (SWR) has announced a special pilgrimage train for those travelling to Tamil Nadu to attend the annual feast of Vailankanni.
Public Relation Officer SWR, Pranesh Koulagi N, informed that the first train will leave from Vasco on August 27 and return on August 28. "The second train, he said, will leave the State on September 2 and will return on September 4. The third train will leave from Vasco on September 6 and return September 8,” Pranesh added.
RTI info: Hearing on Adv Aires's appeal on Aug 19
Secretary of Goa Legislature Secretariat Namrata Ulman, who is also the designated First Appellate Authority under the Right to Information Act (RTI), will on August 19 hear the appeal filed by Adv Aires Rodrigues against the order of the Public Information Officer at the Legislature Secretariat Mohan Gaonkar declining to furnish the information sought by him.
Adv Rodrigues on June 28 had sought a copy of the file notings and correspondence pertaining to the two-day training workshop for MLAs held on June 27 and 28 at the Taj Vivanta and also complete details of the expenditure incurred on the event.
Fire Services accused of allowing high-flame gas stoves at Saptah fair
NGO Goa First has filed a complaint against Vasco Fire and Emergency Services for allowing the use of high-flame gas stoves for cooking at some of the stalls selling food items like gobi manchurian, samosas and jalebis at the Saptah fair in Vasco.
It said the Vasco Fire Brigade has allowed such stalls after knowing the consequences of such accidents. Most of the stalls do not have portable fire extinguishers.