CONTRARY TO the claims of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane that he has nothing to do with Karapur Agro Limited, whose registered offices were raided by Income Tax authorities on Wednesday, January 5, 2011, documents in the possession of Goan Observer reveal that Vishwajit P Rane is the chairman cum managing director of the company which was originally set up in 1982 by his father Pratapsingh Rane and his mother Vijayadevi Rane along with his uncle M Y Ghorpade.

The bhandaris of Goa have progressed by leaps and bounds and many of them are part of the creamy layer of society. Should or should not the government withdraw the reservation benefits from this segment of Goa’s bhandaris?

By Gary Azavedo
Rival factions and the government’s failure to address the Muslim community’s need for a larger kabrasthan could cost Digamber Kamat in the next Legislative Assembly elections.
MONTE Dongor, regarded as the stronghold of Chief Minister and Margao MLA Digamber Kamat, recently witnessed tension following a scuffle that broke out between two opposing groups […]

By Anwesha Singbal
Despite protests against the Sanatan Sanstha after two members of their group were killed in a bomb blast meant to detract Narkasur revellers, the Sanstha continues its campaign against Narkasur competitions.
THE SANATAN Sanstha came into the limelight last year after two of its members, Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik, were killed when […]

Leading mining companies continue to illegally encroach on forest land. They have also been accused of cutting down as many as 119628 trees for mining purposes.

It is the rapacious greed of the Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and RTO officials which drove the General Secretary of the All Goa Private Bus Owners Association to blow the whistle on the mega kickbacks scam in the department.

The mining giant, Sesa is in a soup. It is alleged that the mining firm had sought to bribe the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) officials with expensive gifts. These officials were on a three-day visit to the state to attend a public hearing that took place on June 22 following strong opposition by the local residents to the decision of the mining firm to re-commence its operations at Pirna-Nadora in Bardez.

THE AREA under production is declining every year in Goa even as the food prices shoot up every day. The total cultivated area has reduced from 1,72,108 ha in 2006-07 to 1,65,953 ha in 2008-09. The mango crop crashed from 19,280 tonnes in 2006-07 to a mere 7,558 tonnes which is a drop of around 61% in 2008-09. Pineapple, which is an intercrop, has crashed from 5,544 tonnes in 2007-08 to 4,335 tonnes - a drop of almost 22% in 2008-09.

The exploits of tainted police personnel have far outnumbered that of the ‘good souls’ who still exist in the Goa police department with their notoriety crossing all bounds, including that of murder and rape with the victims still awaiting justice in their favour. The recent arrest of the over half-a-dozen cops, including the then Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) PI Ashish Shirodkar and his colleagues, for their alleged involvement in the infamous police-drug dealers nexus has only added to the miseries of the department that ironically has as its motto - “Help Us to Help You.” Porvorim PI Devendra Gad was also recently accused of molesting a woman social activist whilst she was protesting against the state government at the Secretariat, Porvorim on Monday, May 17, 2010.

Even though Porvorim has been reeling under poor water supply for years, the government continues to grant permission to new construction projects, putting further stress on the region’s overburdened infrastructure.