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O HERALD O
The Voice of Goa — Since 1900 Visit us at: www.oheraldo.in panjim, Wednesday, december 1, 2010 postal reg. no. Goa 101 price rs. 3.00
Sports: BCCI’s decision to terminate Royals stayed Pg 16 SC questions CVC tenability The Supreme Court virtually questioned the tenability of Chief Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas supervising the CBI’s probe into the 2G spectrum scandal as he himself was Telecom Secretary at the relevant point of time. – (PTI)
Business: SUV owners must pay market price of diesel Pg 13
(air surcharge rs 2.00) pages 16+4
India: Sreeram to sing for Pg 7 Narnia 3 movie
SEZ land Scam gEtS muRkiER Pratapsing Rane’s role comes to light
SURAJ NANDREKAR PANJIM, NOV 30
The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) land scam continued to get murkier with the information revealing that the then chief minister Pratapsing Rane too had recommended helping the SEZ promoters to get land in the State. Herald on Tuesday had exposed a note by the then industries minister Luizinho Faleiro directing the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) to allot land to Meditab Specialities Pvt Ltd at Keri. This paper has evidence that the same note was also signed by the then chief minister Pratapsing Rane. Moreover, another letter in possession of Herald reveals that the K Raheja Corp Pvt Ltd had written to the then CM on April
11, 2006, asking for allotment of land for IT/ ITES/ Biotech or other services. “We express our keenness to be a part of the initiatives taken by the Government of Goa towards promoting information technology, biotechnology and other services,” the letter by Raheja reads adding “we take this opportunity to introduce ourselves as one of the leading real estate developers in the country, catering to the requirements of IT, retail and hospitality industry in various cities in India.” Three days after the letter was received, Rane has put a remark to the managing director GIDC “Please help these people”. Not only this, the then chief minister has also signed another note forwarded by the GIDC MD for allotment of land even before
Rahejas walk out of Gujarat SEZ SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT PANJIM, NOV 30
Rahejas letter
We express our keenness to be a part of the initiatives taken by the Government of Goa. …we are one of the leading real estate developers in the country, catering to the requirements of IT, retail and hospitality… the then chief secretary could go through it. SEZ promoter Peninsula
Rane’s note
Three days after the letter from K Raheja Corp Pvt Ltd asking for allotment of land for IT/ ITES/ Biotech or other services, Rane put a remark to the managing director GIDC “Please help these people”. Pharma Research Centre Pvt had written to the then chief minister on March 13, 2006, asking
Even as they were demanding ‘compensation’ for so-called losses incurred in their cancelled IT/ITES Special Economic Zone (SEZ) scheduled to have been set up on around 4 lakh sq metres of land at Verna, top Mumbai real estate developers Rahejas have been making plans to abandon similar SEZs that they claimed they wanted to set up elsewhere. (Continued on page 10)
for land for setting up Export Processing Zone for R & D Centre Bio-Technology Park at San-
coale following which the GIDC MD moved a note for the allotment of land to the company. What is shocking in this is that the then chief minister had signed the note even before it went to the chief secretary. While CM signed it on March 13, the CS signed it on March 14, 2006. Ironically, the chief secretary has put an interesting comment on the letter. “There are no Export processing Zones allowed by the GOI, only SEZs are allowed for which a consultant is being appointed and a project report in this regard will be sent to the Union Commerce Ministry for approval of SEZ”, the then CS said. “…MD GIDC may examine all the implication on file and send it. If the said company desires (Continued on page 10)
no diktat to mhadei tribunal, goa told
Bansal, Gupta shunted to Arunachal HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, NOV 30
HERALD CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI, NOV 30
Ministry of Home Affairs in an order today transferred red Goa Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) Superintendent of Police Veenu Bansal and Director of Industries Garima Gupta to Arunachal Pradesh. Joint Secretary (Personnel) Y M Maralkar confirmed the development. (Continued on page 10)
TAKING THE SILK ROUTE: Models display Indian silk sarees at the INIFD Goa fashion show presented by Cinema Couture 2010 in association with ESG in Panjim on Tuesday. Photo by Rozario Estibeiro
Govt failed to keep plans for public scrutiny: GBA HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, NOV 30
The Goa Bachao Abhiyan on Tuesday said the Government had not acceded to its demand of keeping the finalised plans for public scrutiny for 30 days prior to notification. It chided the Government further saying attempts by it to get the CDs containing notified regional plans of Pernem and Canacona had borne no fruit and it finally managed to get the same from someone else. It is now holding a discussion on the notified plans on December 5 at Institute Piedade Hall, here, at 10.30 am, where it has invited concerned citizens to see the plans and share their view points. GBA Convenor Sabina Martins maintained the officials at the Town and Country Planning De-
None of the villages of Pernem and Canacona received the finalised village plans, even though the Government announced immediate implementation of the same. The GBA will now hold discussion on notified plans on Dec 5. — Sabina Martins
partment claimed the CDs containing the notified plans were exhausted. “When asked for the village plans of the notified talukas, we were quoted a price of Rs 400 per village plan that worked out to Rs 8,000 for taluka plan of Pernem which comprises 20 villages”, she observed. Martins said the maps were
also not uploaded on the website and charged further, “None of the villages of the two talukas have received the finalised village plans, even though the Government announced immediate implementation of the same. The villagers are expected to go to the taluka office to pursue this matter”. The Convenor has expressed her displeasure over discarding of the VP3 status of 50 FAR (floor area ratio) that was given to the panchayat in the draft RP 2021. This has been done without informing the people, she stated. She said many villages had opted for lower FAR to protect their identities by avoiding rapid urbanisation. “Many villages have been placed in ODP areas without their consent making a mockery of the so-called participatory
The Old Goa Church authorities have taken a serious view of some stall keepers jumping the Basilica of Bom Jesus wall to use the tap water facility in the church premises during the novena days being celebrated in preparedness for the feast of St Francis Xavier. The authorities on Tuesday said even though the Government has put up some 20 to 24 mobile toilets in the area for the novena days the same wasn’t enough and more needed to be done to see that everything was managed in a professional manner. The church authorities maintained lakhs of people throng Old Goa during the novena masses in preparation for the feast of St Francis Xavier, but the international heritage area
had a few mobile toilets to cater to such a big number of devotees. Rector Fr Savio Barreto said what was adding to the problem is a regular feature of stall keepers crossing over a wall of the Basilica of Bom Jesus on the Gandhi Circle side and entering the church premises to have bath. Fr Barreto maintained it is so unruly to see these men, mostly
The terms of reference of such tribunals are never laid down as the tribunals being judicial bodies are free to frame the issues in dispute.
Hindi-speaking, bathing in their underclothes when devotees are converging to attend church services in the morning. The panchayat, I think, has to do more to take care of the sanitation because we are situated in an internationally recognised heritage site, he asserted. The main coordinator for the novena masses, Peter Viegas, observes there is no harm in the traditional stall keepers coming in and using the tap water facility near the Basilica, but these migrants have scant regards for sanitation and decency. “This year, too, we are having the same problem. If the toilets set up in the area are enough then why do we have these men jumping over the church wall and entering inside,” he questioned. Viegas said since we have (Continued on page 10)
PTI NEW DELHI, NOV 30
The CBI today booked Lalit Bhanot and V K Verma, two top aides of CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, for criminal conspiracy and cheating in connection with alleged irregularities in a Rs 107 crore contract with a Swiss time-keeping company. Bhanot, OC Secretary General, and Verma, Director General, were charged under sections 120B IPC (criminal conspiracy), 420 IPC (cheating) and various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act besides Switzerland based firm Swiss Timing Ltd and other unknown persons, a CBI spokesperson said. The agency carried out searches at 11 premises in the national capital region including residences of both Bhanot and Verma besides some other officials including R K Sacheti, Joint Director General (Coordination) and Sangeeta Welingkar, member of the Games Image and Look Group. The agency claimed that “voluminous incriminating” documents have been recovered during the searches. “It is alleged that the accused officers abused their official position and entered into criminal conspiracy with a Switzerlandbased company and other unknown persons to cheat the Government of India in awarding contract to the said company for acquiring Timing, Scoring and Result (TSR) System at exorbitant rates of Rs 107 crore thereby causing huge loss to the Government”, the spokesman said. He said the Expression of Interest (EOI) was published announcing that only the Swiss firm met the laid down criteria. “Subsequently, Request for proposal (RFP) was issued on October 1, 2009. This was surreptitiously amended on October 4, 2009 thereby making the bids even more restrictive.
— Pawan Kumar Bansal
cally laid down by the Government in case of the Commissions set up under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, but not in case of the tribunals constituted for settling the inter-State disputes. It is left up to the tribunals to frame the appropriate issues, he added. Naik had earlier written to the Water Resources Minister that the tribunal will not serve any purpose if proper terms of reference are not framed to meet Goa’s objections to the Karnataka project.
(Continued on page 10)
Security issues come to fore at Old goa HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, NOV 30
The Centre on Tuesday ruled out any instructions to the Mhadei river water tribunal constituted at the Supreme Court’s instance to settle the water dispute that has arisen between Karnataka and Goa. Goa MP Shantaram Naik had approached the Water Resources Ministry to fix the terms of reference of the tribunal to ensure the water flow into Goa from the Mhadei river is not obstructed by the dams Karnataka is building on its tributaries Kalsa and Bhanduri. His plea was, however, politely turned down by Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, pointing out that the terms of reference of such tribunals are never laid down as the tribunals being judicial bodies are free to frame the issues in dispute. Bansal said his ministry will forward all the representations it had received to the tribunal, but it will be for the Goa Government to approach the tribunal to frame the appropriate issues regarding its objection to the Karnataka irrigation project. Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat was to attend the meeting convened by Bansal in his Parliament House chamber at the instance of Shantaram Naik, but he could not make it to Delhi
and hence the latter pleaded Goa’s case at the meeting. Water Resources Secretary U N Panjiar and Commissioner A B Pandya, who is dealing with the Mhadei project, attended the meeting and responded to various queries of the Congress MP. Panjiar explained that the terms of reference are specifi-
CBI lodges cases against 4 Kalmadi aides
ec.10 1st to 5th D
We'lll not make any impact there, Sir!! It's already being attacked by politicians, police, drugs, builders...