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Goa
News Clips
by
Joel D'Souza & Fred Noronha
British
charters arrive
The season’s first arrival of 592 tourists in Goa
by two separate charters on October 12 to a traditional
welcome heralded the commencement of what is projected as
a season of plenty by the tourism sector. The first flight
‘Monarch’ touched down at 2.30 pm at the Dabolim
airport with 360 tourists while 232 more landed, an hour
later. With an endeavour to make Goa round-the-year tourist
destination, the Tourism department has launched and extensive
and vigorous promotional campaign. The mood is definitely
buoyant in Goa’s hospitality industry, and every hotel,
restaurant and other service folk are gearing up to greet
the boom, which they missed sorely last year. More charters
from other countries are expected towards October-end, and
the number of estimated charter flights are put between
600 to 700.
Computer
in every goan home
Just recently Power minister Digambar Kamat, while extolling
the virtues of the cyber age scheme being implemented in
Goa, said that under the scheme of the government expect
to reach each and every household in Goa with a computer
each during the next five years. He was speaking as chief
guest after inaugurating a seminar on “Cyber Laws
and Cyber Crimes” organised by the Law Graduates Guild
at Nanu Resort in Betalbatim yesterday. Of course, one has
to take such pronouncements with a pinch of salt. For many
middle class and poor families, the computer would mean
much less than a television or even better living conditions.
Even quite a few students, who have been allotted computers,
are yet to avail of the benefit, wondering whether they
should make the initial payment, however, low it may be.
Fine
monsoon
Despite its sluggish start, the monsoon of 2003 has been
an average one with 2699.6 mm rainfall so far. It’s
almost a month now since the last good shower. The Goan
rice cultivator appears quite content this year, with a
good harvest. It is harvest time in Goa, and the place is
full of farm labourers from Karnataka. Unless the labourers
come to reap the harvest, the paddy from the field won’t
reach the ‘koddo’ (granary) in the Goan house
anymore.
Sky
bus metro
October 15 was a momentous day for Konkan Railway Corporation
when Nitish Kumar launched the “Sky Bus Technology”
in Margao. Rajaram revealed that Rs.70,000 crore work order
has been bagged by the KRC globally. In India itself it
is Rs.25,000 crore. Expression of interest has been overwhelming
within the country with States interested in the sky bus
metro for 15 cities. Of this Andheri to Ghatkopar, Cochi,
Chenai, Pondicherry, Ahmedabad and Pune are under consideration.
KRC managing director, B Rajaram, said the introduction
of the Sky Bus will redefine the entire transportation scenario
in the near future. It will change urban travel as it will
be safer as well as faster. It will cost 50 paise per km.
Rajaram informed that Goa will be the first state to benefit
from this technology. With the KRC foreseeing that projects
worth Rs.70,000 crore will materialize in the next few years,
the total royalty working to a whopping Rs.7000 crore, the
Goa government would share 20 per cent of the royalty, with
the balance 80 per cent going to the KRC.
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