SHIRODA: Students and businessmen alike in several villages in the Ponda and Dharbandora taluka are bothered by the extremely poor mobile network and internet connectivity in their area, a pressing problem that was highlighted by the Shiroda People’s Forum during the 2022 assembly polls.

Parts of Shiroda, Nirankal, Bethoda, Panchwadi and even localities in Borim are greatly affected, with students having to trek up to open spots on higher ground where there is weak mobile network available.

According to social worker Mithil Ulhas Dessai, “this problem has been going on since the last 5-6 years. During the time of 2G and 3G mobile services till 2015, while the rest of Goa enjoyed basic internet services on their phones, these areas had no internet at all. Residents of Nirankal had to come out on the main road to even make a normal phone call on their keypad phones. Many times the BSNL network – the only service provider in the area – was down and people had to depend on landline phones for communication.”

In the 4G and 5G era too, the same problem persists. While most parts of Goa are enjoying 5G services, residents in Nirankal, Codar also spelt as Kodar, Conxem,  Panchwadi and parts of Dabal village of Dharbandora taluka, have no access to fast internet (4G or 5G) on their mobile phones. Many times, there is no connectivity at all, while during the few minutes when the network works, the speed is so slow that even a normal text email takes at least 10 minutes to go through, Mithil said.

Students and businessmen in neighbouring villages of Marcaim, Priol, Querim, Verem-Vagurme and Borim are also affected due to lack of internet connectivity and these problems have been going on for years, social forum Goenkarancho Awaz said in a statement.

According to Goenkarancho Awaz, localities with the worst connectivity in the taluka are in the Shiroda assembly constituency – Paz, Nirankal, Torla, Panchwadi; the Marcaim assembly constituency – Parampai, Karnzale, Ladewado and Malwado, and the Priol assembly constituency – Kunkolim, Magilwada-Priol, Kokanwado-Karmale,  Nallem-Keri, Velkashi and Verem-Wagurme – this has been highlighted time and again over the last 4-5 years, but no solution was upcoming.

“People just accept their fate. In other parts of India, people come out on the roads and protest, but here in the villages of Goa not a sound of protest is heard,” said Mithil Dessai.

Due to the non-existent connectivity, many villagers do not invest in smartphones and are using only keypad phones. Villagers working in Ponda city or Margao or other parts of Goa, which have better connectivity and broadband facility can use the smartphones only in their offices, but the phones are useless when they get back to their homes.

Promises over the years, by various officials and MLAs to better the situation have remained unfulfilled and even basic Wifi services which were committed by the government in these villages are still non-existent, while India continues to talk about the digital age and Digital India, Goenkarancho Awaz said.

BENAULIM: In yet another incident of canine aggression, a Bollywood and Marathi film actor Jayshree Gaikwad was bitten by a stray dog at the Benaulim beach. The incident occurred last week when Jayshree was visiting Goa along with a group of friends and was attached by a pack of hyper-aggressive stray canines, who chased her and her friends along the beach without any reason or provocation.

She sustained bruises and cuts on her legs including a deep bite. She was given first aid and then rushed to Mumbai for further treatment. Her trip to Goa ended on a sour note, thanks to the ever-growing stray dog menace on Goan beaches.

Not too long ago, in the month of May, three tourists including a 56-yr-old American woman and two Indian women from Ghaziabad and Mumbai, both in their thirties fell victim to dog bites at the Benaulim beach. All three were attacked as they were strolling on the beach.

Benaulim and Colva beaches have emerged as hotspots for stray dog menace and the issue of stray dog aggression on beaches was raised in recent Gram Sabha meetings of villages on the Salcete coastline. Villagers complain that locals as well as tourists have been at the receiving end of stray dogs trying to charge at them.

On reaching Mumbai, Jayshree said she was disappointed with the lack of medical help on Goan beaches. “The incident occurred at around 7 pm and there were quite a few people on the beach. But there was no medical support system, or first aid and we had to go to a doctor at Margao. We took the first flight available out of Goa the same day as we were greatly disappointed with the lack of good medical facilities in the vicinity of beaches,” Jayshree told media persons in Mumbai.

MARGAO: With the mood of the voters in South Goa clearly evident to all after the Lok Sabha polls and on a larger plane, the mood of the nation at a glance, former Qeupem MLA Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar is possibly trying to head back to the Congress, say sources and political observers in Goa and Delhi.

A big victory for the Congress team was the lead they secured in Babu’s constituency Quepem for the Lok Sabha polls. While the INDIA Bloc candidate polled 12,721 votes, BJP’s candidate Pallavi Dempo polled 11,937, giving the Congress candidate a lead of 784 votes, in spite of the BJP and Babu going out of their way to woo voters, using every trick in the book.

This was also a feather in the cap of Quepem Congress MLA Altone D’Costa who had previously defeated Babu – the then sitting MLA and Dy CM in the State Assembly election in 2022. Finally, Babu has realized that the Quepem voter is more inclined to the Congress, unless the BJP can work some real magic in the constituency.

In the past, Babu won from Quepem with a huge margin as the Congress MLA candidate, but he tasted defeat at the hands of D’Costa, who was contesting the 2022 Assembly elections for the first time on a Congress ticket. When Babu lost in 2022, Altone was a fresher in politics, but had worked hard in the constituency for nearly a year, building toilet blocks, repairing houses and the works – all with his own funds.

While the Sanguem BJP MLA Subhash Phal Dessai alleged that the ex-Quepem MLA Babu had worked against the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls, it is true that BJP karyakartas cold-shouldered both Babu and his wife Savitri Kavlekar both in Quepem and Sangeum.

Now, if sources are to be believed, Babu has sent feelers to the Congress high command in New Delhi and is trying to set up a meeting with two of his ‘close friends’ who will represent him and the Gandhi family or possibly the Congress President.

While the Congress high command has not responded to his overtures, Babu has realized he may not be able to win in Quepem on a BJP ticket. He is also trying for a Congress ticket in Sangeum for 2027, but for now is keeping everything a closely guarded secret, with only two or three of his closest friends in the know.

In a new development in Sanguem, young social worker Mithil Ulhas Naique Dessai has also thrown his hat into the ring and has launched a series of events to convince the voters of his genuineness and dedication.

SANGEUM: The Global Centre for Human Health & Research (GCHHR) – a non-profit organization, claims it has detected micro plastics and other pollutants, including chemicals used as pesticides in ground water sources and other water bodies in Sangeum and the neighbouring villages.

The GCHHR conducted several tests after obtaining water samples from various water bodies in the Sangeum belt during the months of April and May after suspicions of water contamination and complaints from locals in the area.

According to Prof. Ashley de Melo, one of the experts with the GCHHR who surveyed the Sangeum hinterland and conducted tests on samples from several ground water sources and water bodies including wells, during the summer months of April and May this year, the presence of micro plastics and other pollutants was much higher than the normally acceptable levels and definitely something that demands serious attention.

“Even though Sangeum is in the mining belt of Goa, this is the first time we have found micro plastics and pesticides in ground water samples in Sangeum, both in urban and rural localities. We had conducted similar tests in 2020 and the situation was much different,” Prof de Melo said, adding that seepage of sewage and waste into the water table is a major issue in the area.

According to social activist and youth leader Mithil Ulhas Naique Dessai from Sangeum, the natural resources of the locality are getting polluted due to the seepage of sewage into the groundwater system. Traditional groundwater aquifers are now mixed up with surface sewage creeping into the lower level water storage which holds accumulated rain water. The presence of micro plastics and other pollutants in groundwater in Sangeum is a cause for concern, Mithil said.

With the threat of water pollution taking a slow and silent toll on human life, Desai is organizing a mega Health Camp in Sangeum in July to screen for hidden diseases like pre-diabetes or developing cardiac issues.

The mega Health Camp is organised by Mithil in association with the GCHHR and a citizen’s group “We Sangekars”, and will offer over 100 free tests including HbA1c (Blood Sugar), LFT (Liver), RFT (Kidney), ECG, GST, Hb (Hemoglobin) and others. The tests would be available to all residents of Sangeum on a first come first served basis and would require re-booking to confirm testing slots.

“The news about groundwater contamination is a cause for concern and we are organizing this medical camp to help our Sangekars to screen themselves for hidden ailments and other health issues,” Mithil said.

The GCHHR report also mentions the increase in the presence of various kinds of microbes and bacteria in the water. “Twenty years ago, one could directly drink the water from many wells in Sangeum, but today it’s impossible to do so. The groundwater reservoirs are contaminated to such an extent that drinking water from most wells is dangerous,” claims Mithil.

BENAULIM: Local leaders of the Congress and AAP met secretly on Friday evening and discussed the Benaulim ZP by-polls to be held later this month. The meeting took place after Congress Goa desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare said the Congress favors continuance of the INDIA alliance in the State.

While one group within the Congress is in favor of continuing the alliance with the AAP post the Lok Sabha polls and in accordance with coalition dharma wants to leave the Benaulim ZP seat to the AAP, another group led by youth leader and social worker Warren Alemao wants the Congress to go alone for the ZP polls. There is a similar rebel lot in the Benaulim AAP unit which does not want to bed with the Congress for the ZP polls.

Congress sources said any decision by the Congress to contest the Benaulim by-poll alone may send a wrong signal to the other opposition parties that the Congress only wanted their support for the recently-held LS polls.

“The party is cautious because any decision to field a candidate in Benaulim merely days after the Lok Sabha polls could be seen as unethical by the Alliance members,” said a senior South Goa Congress leader, adding that elections are due in Maharasthra for the State Assembly polls in about four months and the INDIA alliance would like to present a combined opposition to the BJP-led NDA alliance in the neighbouring state. Similarly, in Maharashtra polls to several Municipal Corporations and other Municipal and local bodies are long overdue and may by held by the end of this year and a combined opposition will be required if the BJP is to be kept at bay.

The Goa leadership will hold consultations and seek inputs of the Benaulim Congress leaders and workers before taking a final decision in a day or two. The Congress in Benaulim seems to be divided with one group wanting to continue the alliance, while the group led by Warren Alemao wanting to go it alone.

Alemao who has been working very aggressively in Benaulim for the last several months is confident of winning the Benaulim ZP by-polls without the help of any other party.

“The Congress leadership will clear the party’s stand on the Benaulim by-poll issue before the Lok Sabha election results on June 4,” said another party leader.

By-polls for the Benaulim Zilla Panchayat were announced following the disqualification of Aam Aadmi Party member Hanzel Fernandes after his caste certificate was declared null and void by the High Court on technical reasons.

Meanwhile, Warren Alemao who is the cousin of Congress LoP Yuri Alemao, on Friday opposed any alliance for the Benaulim ZP by-polls on the grounds that the AAP Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas and the AAP ZP member Hanzel Fernandes have done nothing for the constituency.

“The Congress must regain lost ground in the constituencies of Benaulim, Nuvem, Velim and Navelim which were its traditional strongholds. In order to keep its soul alive in Benaulim, the Congress must go solo and not give up the ZP seat to the AAP,” Warren said.

He also warned that a front will be formed in Benaulim to take on the AAP, if the Congress does not field its own candidate for the ensuing by-poll.

In fact, Warren told the media that he is ready to work and make sure the Congress candidate is the next ZP representative of Benaulim constituency, if the Congress party decides to put up its own candidate.

“We do not need an alliance for ZP elections and that’s the opinion of the people of Benaulim as the AAP MLA and AAP ZP representative have done zero development in the Benaulim constituency. We are waiting for the Congress party to decide if they want their soul to remain in Benaulim otherwise a front will be created and will start working in Benaulim,” he said in a written statement on Friday.

MUMBAI: Bringing some relief from the scorching heat, Mumbai, Thane and adjoining areas on Monday afternoon received heavy rains accompanied with dust storm, lightning, gusty winds and thunder.

However, in most parts there was only a drizzle, while some other parts got some decent rain. Dust storms were present at most parts of Mumbai’s western suburbs, including Goregaon, Malad and Borivali.

The Regional Meteorological Center has issued yellow alert for Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. These regions are very likely to receive thunderstorm accompanied with lightning & gusty winds (30-40kmph) at isolated places.

According to the weather department, Mumbai will receive light rain and thunder showers at certain places.

Whereas, an orange alert has been issued for Pune, Satara, Sangli, Nashik, Kolhapur, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Jalna and Parbhani districts.

“Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning, gusty winds (50-60 kmph, hail are very likely at isolated places,” said weather forecast.

“Heavy to intense rain ahead for the next 2 hours in Thane & Palghar, Kalyan, Badlapur and interiors. Advisable for residents to stay indoors. Wind speeds will be very high and massive near 40-50 kmph. More intense rain in the interior,” posted Rushikesh Agre, an independent meteorologist on X.

Some districts of Marathwada are likely to witness thundershowers at many places, and gusty winds (40-50 kmph), light to moderate rain.

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday thanked Lord Hanuman as he stepped out of Tihar Jail on interim bail and sought people’s support in his ”fight against dictatorship”.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener was granted interim bail till June 1 by the Supreme Court earlier in the day.

He walked out of the prison in the evening amid dhol beats and sloganeering by AAP workers and leaders.

Standing through the sunroof of a car, Kejriwal then addressed AAP workers and supporters amid slogans of ‘Jail Ke Tale Toot Gaye, Kejriwalji Chhoot Gaye‘.

Beginning with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai‘, ‘Vande Mataram‘ and ‘Inquilab Zindabad‘, the Delhi chief minister said, ”I am fighting against dictatorship with all my might but 140 crore people (of the country) will have to come together to fight against it.” He further said that he would visit the Hanuman temple at Connaught Place at 11 am on Saturday and address a press conference at the AAP office at 1 pm.

”I am feeling great to be with you. I had told you that I would come out soon… First of all, I want to pay obeisance to Lord Hanuman. I am among you because of the blessings of Lord Hanuman,” Kejriwal added.

The AAP leader also thanked people for their love and blessings and asked them to come together to fight against dictatorship.

”I want to thank you all. Crores of people of the country sent their blessings to me. I want to thank the Supreme Court because of which I am here,” he added. (PTI)

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate Tuesday claimed in the Supreme Court that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal who stayed at the Grand Hyatt – a seven star luxury hotel in Goa, ran up bills running into several lakh during the 2022 Goa Assembly elections.

This amount is inclusive of food and beverages consumed by Kejriwal and other AAP leaders who joined him for meetings at the Grand Hyatt, the agency told the court.

A division bench of the SC was hearing Kejriwal’s plea for interim bail.

The ED also said it had evidence to prove that Kejriwal’s stay at the luxury hotel was partly paid for by another person, also an accused in the excise liquor policy case.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, stated that Kejriwal’s stay at a hotel during the 2022 Assembly elections in Goa was partially paid for by another accused Chanpreet Singh, who was arrested in the case on April 12.

The Enforcement Directorate alleged that Singh was the man who managed all funds and payments for the Aam Aadmi Party’s election campaign in Goa.

“We have found that Arvind Kejriwal stayed in a 7-star hotel called Grand Hyatt during the Goa elections,” Raju told the court. “And at that time, part of his bills were paid by the general administrative department of Delhi government, but part of it was paid by Chanpreet Singh.” Raju also alleged that Kejriwal used public funds of the Delhi government for political purpose during the 2022 state polls in Goa.

The SC is likely to pronounce its order regarding interim bail for Kejriwal to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls on 10th May. Delhi will vote on 25th May in the 6th phase of the Lok Sabha polls.