MARGAO: Dispelling rumours that he was ditching the Congress campaign activity in Goa, former Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar today told a local news outlet that he was only invited for the Lohia Maidan function at Margao, which he attended.

Girish told the news outlet that he was not invited for the other function in North Goa.

After his presence was not visible at the North Goa function, his detractors and some Congress persons were quick to point out on social media that after being denied the ticket for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, Chodankar has made himself invisible at party events.

The Goa unit of the Indian National Congress today launched their poll campaigns in North and South Goa with much fanfare and a show of strength, with their MLAs and other opposition leaders and MLAs including those from the Aam Aadmi Party and their alliance partner Goa Forward Party being present.

BENAULIM: Social worker and youth leader from Benaulim, Warren Alemao has started moving around the constituency with his volunteer teams canvassing for the Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha polls. Polls in Goa will be held on the 7th of May.

“More than six of his teams are working in the constituency. We are working and supporting the Congress candidate. Our workers are proudly displaying the Congress party symbol as we believe in the Congress ideology,” said one of Warren’s team members.

According to Warren’s team, the South Goa alliance candidate is a Congressman and is contesting on the Congress ‘hand’ symbol. We are working and displaying the Congress symbol in our activity and house to house visits.

According to Warren, they are going door-to-door. “We do not want to make a big show-off. We believe in quiet one to one outreach to the villagers of Colva, Seraulim, Benaulim, Varca, Orlim, Carmona and Cavelossim which make up the Benaulim constituency. We do not believe in uploading photos on social media or sharing them on WhatsApp. We want to convince the people of this constituency that the Congress is the right party and the candidate selected by the party is the best choice for them,” he said, adding that merely visiting churches and temples is not on his agenda.

“We believe in talking to the people at their level and understanding their problems,” Warren said.

According to residents of Colva and Varca, Warren’s team have made visits to most of the families in the village. “Yes they came to us and talked to us about the Congress candidate,” a villager said.

Warren is targeting a lead of 12,000 votes from the Benaulim constituency alone. “I do not know about the rest of Salcete, but we are confident of getting a 10-12,000 lead from Benaulim. The Congress candidate is known to most people and we are working hard. Right now our teams are explaining to the villagers why we need the Congress. Tourism has gone to the dogs and the number of foreign tourists coming to Goa are falling every year. Local taxi drivers are losing business each year as new APPs take over the traditional taxi business. The coal and mining problems have plagued villagers in the South. Coal dust pollution is harming villages in South Goa. Double-tracking is another major issue. The ruling party in Goa and at the Centre is not concerned about the problems of villagers.  Environment, Climate Change, Global Warming – all this is equally important as compared to Roti, Kapda aur Makan,” Warren explained, adding that there is a lot of pressure on him not to support the INDIA alliance.

“Some people do not want me to support the INDIA alliance. I am getting calls everyday. There is a lot of pressure but I will not give up. I will fully support the Congress and the Congress candidate,” Warren said.

PANAJI, (PTI): Aam Aadmi Party’s Goa unit president Amit Palekar and three others appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday for questioning in connection with a money laundering case.

Sources said all four of them were called for questioning in connection with the money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, in which Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and some other AAP leaders have been arrested. The ED had summoned Palekar, AAP leader Ramrao Wagh and two others – Dattaprasad Naik and Ashok Naik for questioning. Dattaprasad and Ashok are leaders of the Bhandari community in Goa, while Wagh had contested the 2022 Assembly polls on an AAP ticket.

Palekar arrived at the ED office here at 12.10 pm, while the three others reached there before him at 11.15 am. Before entering the agency office, Palekar only said, ”I have been summoned. I will talk to you all after I am back.” But others refused to talk. The ED has alleged that the AAP became a major beneficiary of proceeds from the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. (PTI)

MARGAO: Tourism-related businesses in South Goa including water sports, tourists taxis, shacks, hotels, restaurants, pubs and discotheques have noted a 15 to 20 percent slump in business (North versus South Goa statistics) this year as compared to the average over the last 10 years, the Economy and Environment Think Thank – Centre For Promoting Indian Economy (CPIE India) has said, based on a survey of about 200 establishments in North and South Goa, over three months, December 2023 to February 2024.

According to CPIE India, except for December, the drop in tourism-related business in South Goa is noticeable and can be attributed to the changes in travel patterns of tourists, particularly those from North India who make up a huge chunk of domestic tourists to Goa.

Prof Sushant Joshi who has also authored a report on the pollution in the river Sal for the CPIE India, said the main reason is the competition from the MOPA airport, which is restraining tourists to stay within the North Goa area and more and more tourists are not venturing out to the South as they find it very expensive to travel back to the MOPA airport from South Goa. In fact, Prof Joshi noted that the cost of travel for a couple (two persons) from Palolem in South Goa to the MOPA airport is sometimes more expensive than the flight tickets itself.

According to Prof. Joshi, tourists who come into Goa via the MOPA airport and have to return back via MOPA again do not venture out to South Goa. Earlier, the situation was different as the Dabolim airport was mid-way and as traveling from Benaulim to Dabolim is not as expensive as travelling from Benaulim to MOPA.

“According to a rough estimate based on predictive modeling, we find that about 20 percent of domestic tourists who would have also visited locations in South Goa, have restricted themselves to the North, as their arrivals and departures were from the MOPA airport,” Joshi explained, adding that this trend will grow as airlines shift their operations to the new airport.

“Next year it may be 25 percent and in 2026, it may be 30 percent, unless the South (South Goa) ramps up its tourists attractions and ensures a cheaper transport system from the North to South. In fact, hotels in South Goa should combine forces and offer tourists private luxury bus shuttle services at reasonable rates to and from MOPA airport to South Goa. This will help reduce the cost of travel and draw hordes of tourists to the Southern part of Goa,” Joshi said.

South Goa social worker Warren Alemao

According to Social Worker and Youth activist from Benaulim in South Goa, Warren Alemao, tourists who come to Goa via the MOPA airport prefer to stay and travel to spots in the North Goa area only as they have to return back via MOPA. The same applies to foreign tourists. More and more tourists are confining their itinerary to North Goa as any way there are a lot of tourist and entertainment options available in the North. Earlier, tourists who wanted privacy, peace and quiet would travel to South Goa for a few days (or weeks) and also visit North Goa to enjoy the nightlife and fun.

“The situation has changed drastically this year and will go downhill as more and more airlines shift out their operations to the MOPA airport,” Prof. Joshi opines.

He is seconded by Warren Alemao who agrees that tourism-related businesses in South Goa could take a bit hit if more airlines shift permanently to the North. Warren, who has worked extensively supporting self-help groups (SHG) in villages in South Goa says there is a noticeable impact even in the village economy due to the reduced business in the region.

“Right now only 2-3 airlines have shifted their base to MOPA. However, if more of them shift, businesses in South Goa will have to shut down,” Warren says, adding that there should be an embargo on airlines shifting to MOPA, unless there is substantial increase in air traffic to sustain businesses at both airports.

“Yes there will be a greater increase in air traffic and arrivals and departures over the years, but that is still about 3-5 years away. For the next 2-3 or 5 years, businesses in South Goa will have to be prepared to lose business, till the tide turns and airline arrivals increase with the overall increase in traffic volumes,” Joshi explains.

NEW DELHI: Well-known social worker and women’s rights activist from Goa, Shreha Dhargalkar was honored by the Book of World Records, USA for her contributions in the field of social work and support for underprivileged women in Goa.

She was presented with a plaque and a certificate by the Book of World Records, USA.

According to a press note, Shreha was honored with the coveted award for her association with women’s rights, support programs for the underprivileged, particularly women and children.

The Awards are governed and decided upon by a jury of independent social work practitioners to recognize the hard work and positive impact that social workers have on the lives of vulnerable children, women, families and adults.

The aim of the Award is to recognize and celebrate the challenging work that qualified social workers do day in, day out, and highlight their achievements, said Bryan Jr Adams (President) in a press note, which was sent to us today.

The press note mentions that Shreha Dhargalkar is a good social worker who is able to really connect with the local people and support them to pursue a better life and is definitely someone who deserves to be recognized and honored. She is always out on the field, finding creative and impactful ways to support people.

According to Shreha, she is honored to receive the award and said the real winners are the people of Goa who have supported her efforts all over the years.

PANAJI: There is nothing to worry about Covid in Goa this festive season as all the reported cases of the new sub-variant are quite old and the patients are all cured, the health authorities in the coastal state and party destination reiterated on Friday.

As reported earlier in an attempt to stem the negative press the Goa government on Thursday had said that the state has reported a total 19 cases of JN.1 sub variant of COVID-19, but all the cases are old and inactive and the patients are mostly cured and out of danger. The same clarification was repeated once again on Friday.

State epidemiologist Dr Prashant Suryavanshi told news agency PTI on Thursday that all the cases of JN.1 sub variant traced in Goa are now “not active” as they are old cases and have crossed the window period.

He said that during genome sequencing this varient was found in the samples collected from the suspected patients. “All those with this variant were having mild symptoms. They have recovered by now. These samples were collected over time,” Suryavanshi said via a press statement.

As of Thursday, the state has 16 active cases of COVID-19 with four new cases detected in tests during the day. A total of 193 samples were tested for the virus on Thursday, as per the bulletin issued by Directorate of Health Services.

Meanwhile, Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO chief scientist, addressed concerns about the new JN.1 Covid-19 variant, stating that there’s no immediate need for alarm as it’s categorized as a variant of interest and not of major concern. “We are closely monitoring the spread of the new variant,” Swaminathan said.

Recently classified by the WHO as a variant of interest separate from its BA.2.86 lineage, JN.1’s overall risk remains low based on existing evidence and data from different affected nations, as emphasised by the global health body.

PANAJI: A Goan model of Portuguese descent, Pearl Angel D’souza will be honoured by a Lisbon, Portugal-based non governmental organisation (NGO) for her active help in the slums of Dharavi and Govandi in Mumbai. More details are awaited and we will keep you posted on the award to be presented to her.

D’souza whose family originally hails from Navelim in South Goa, is of Portuguese descent, but shifted to Mumbai when she was barely a year-old. She studied in Mumbai and took up work with a media organisation, before getting into acting and modelling.

Now, the 31-year-old besides pursuing her acting and modelling career in Mumbai, is very actively involved in social work, providing free tuition to street kids and kids living in slum pockets.

Pearl who is a big fan of the popular reality show on Colors – Bigg Boss, hosted by Salman Khan wants to continue both – her acting profession as well as her social activities for which she devotes 4-5 hours daily.

She has done a few web series for OTT (Over The Top) platforms and even featured in some ad films. She did a cameo role in the Maneesh Singh-directed film Green Terror. Besides, she has done dozens of print ad and catalogue shoots, but focused on social work during the Covid pandemic, as other avenues were shut during the lock down.

PANAJI: While the Goa regional bureau of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier issued an alert for light rain and thundershowers in parts of Goa till May 5, the date has now been extended till May 7. A private weather forecaster said showers could be expected in parts of the coastal state till 8 or 9 May.

According to a media report, earlier, the warning was issued only up to May 5. Light rain and thundershowers are expected at isolated places on May 5, 6 and 7. The IMD attributed the reason for the unseason showers to a cyclonic circulation over south interior Karnataka and adjoining Tamil Nadu and neighbouring areas.

“The trough or wind discontinuity from southwest Madhya Pradesh to south Tamil Nadu across Marathwada and interior Karnataka persists, and now extends up to 1.5 km above mean sea level,” the IMD said in its report.

Meanwhile dry weather prevailed over the state on Wednesday, with haze reported at isolated places in both the districts. The IMD said haze was likely at isolated places on May 4 as well. However, no major change in maximum temperature is likely for two days, and a fall by around 1°C is expected on day three, the weatherman stated.

Pre-monsoon showers are expected in Goa from May 15 or 20 onward and a slight fall in daytime temperatures could be expected across the State from end-May, a long-term forecast said.