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Buried in coal: A mantri’s business & non-payment of cess | Goa News – Times of India

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PANAJI: Every day, lines of trucks leave Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) laden with tonnes of coal meant for the steel plants in hinterlands of Karnataka. But most of these trucks have quietly slipped away with coal, neither paying the cess to the state government nor making an entry in the registers of MPT.
The cess that has accumulated between 2014 and 2018 has gone up to nearly Rs 208 crore and the state government was forced to send notices to as many as 19 companies involved in the import and transportation of coal through Goa.
At the core of the problem lies a business enterprise with links to urban development minister and Mormugao MLA Milind Naik.
Three independent sources told TOI that Naik is the biggest beneficiary as he has got a contract for transporting coal to steel plants and industrial units in Karnataka.
A port official said a large chunk of the contract for coal transportation has been given to Mayuresh Transport Services. The company in turn subcontracted trucks registered in Karnataka to transport the coal to industrial units in the neighbhouring state. Some of these trucks, said the MPT official, were not registered with the state government.
The port currently has leased five of its 11 berths to the Jindal Group, Adani Group and Vedanta Group, who together handle 6-8 million tonnes of coal per year.
While JSW’s South West Port Ltd transports coal on train wagons and Vedanta moves coal through barges, the Adani Group depends on trucks to transport coal across the state to Karnataka.
A trade notice issued by MPT lends credence to the allegations levelled by local activists and the opposition about illegalities in coal transportation. MPT has issued the notice to Adani Mormugao Port Terminal Private Limited (AMPTPL), Mormugao Stevedores Association and Mormugao Ship Agents Association.
“It has been reported that different transporters and operators are carrying coal or coke and other cess payable commodities from Mormugao Port Trust to different states without registering at the office of the concerned authority,” said the trade notice.
Congress vice-president Sankalp Amonkar alleged all stevedoring contracts (loading and unloading of cargo from ships) at MPT are given to Milind Naik. “Mayuresh Transport, which transports coal for Adani, has links with Milind Naik,” alleged Amonkar.
But Naik rubbished those allegations and brazened it out.
“Those are not my trucks and that is not my company. Even if they are my trucks and if it is my business, then what is the problem. It is not illegal to have a business,” said Naik.
Naik admitted that he runs a stevedoring agency at the port, M N Constructions, but said all his business activities are legitimate.
“If they can prove the allegations, then I will quit. Simply making allegations does not work, let them prove it. Take the support of the law, investigate and prove,” said Naik.
Another official said in order to avoid paying cess to the state government, cargo could be split up in smaller consignments and transported on different dates.
“Let’s say a company imports 20,000 tonnes of coal and splits the bill of entry into two for 10,000 tonnes each. Cess will be paid on 10,000 tonnes but the same documents will be shown for the other 10,000 tonnes. It is possible,” said the official.
The transport department also wrote to MPT to ensure that trucks that are used for coal transportation are registered with the directorate of transport.
Under section 93 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, any agent or company that transports goods needs to obtain a licence and pay a Goa Rural Improvement and Welfare Cess to the state government.
“All transporters or operators and concerned agencies are hereby directed to register and obtain a licence from the concerned authority and subject to such conditions prescribed by the state of Goa,” said deputy traffic manager S Shinde in the trade notice to AMPTPL.

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Broke Swiggy guy walks 3 km to deliver food, Social media helps him find better job. Heartwarming story is viral

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Social media can be a wondrous place at times. While on most days, its ugly face is on display, on days like today, it sets examples of the power of kindness. In a social media post, a LinkedIn user shared how a delivery executive, in need of money and a better job, bagged one after the users on the platform came together to help the person out.

Priyanshi Chandel, Marketing Manager at tech company Flash, shared an incident about a Swiggy delivery agent who had come to deliver food at her residence. When she asked the late and out-of-breath delivery person, identified by her as Sahil Singh, about what happened, he told her that he had no transport and had to walk 3 km to deliver the order.

He also said that he was out of money and had nothing left to pay his landlord too. Singh told her that he was not looking for money from her but requested her to help him bag a job. He said that he had a degree in Electrical and Communication Engineering, and had worked with Byju’s and Ninjacart before. He had to move back to Jammu during the pandemic.

“I have not eaten for a week, just drinking water and tea to get by. I am not asking for anything, please if you can find me a job, I used to make 25k before, I am 30 years old, my parents are getting old and I can’t keep asking for money from them (sic),” Chandel quoted saying.

She also shared his marksheets and contact number for people to help. His details shared show that he is a 2018 BTech graduate from Mewar University, and completed his schooling from the Jammu and Kashmir state board.

After she shared the details, the comments section was filled with people who stepped up to help. While someone recharged his Yulu account so that he did not have to walk around to deliver food, someone offered a place to stay. Many offered to help him with his applications, while some offered jobs too.

Chandel, later on put an update on the post, and said that he received a job.

However, so far it is unclear what job he has received.

2023 has so far been a year of job losses, an eventual outcome of the pandemic and increased hiring by tech companies. For instance, the SSC MTS 2023 recruitment exam that took place in Uttar Pradesh in May saw over 55 lakh applications for Group D jobs. Numerous candidates who applied for positions such as peon, watchman, gardener had educational backgrounds like BTech, MBA, and Master’s degrees.

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Goa CM, NRI Commissioner writes to MoEF for help in safe return of Goans from Ukraine

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Panaji: Goa chief minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Thursday urged Union Minister for External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar to help in safe return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

Sawant tweeted “we are concerned about the Goans in Ukraine who are considering to return to India in the light of ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. I request Union Minister for External Affairs @DrSJaishankar ji for help in the safe return of Goans. I am keeping track of the situation.”

The chief minister’s tweet comes hours after Goa’s NRI Commissioner Narendra Sawaikar wrote to the Union External Affairs ministry seeking help in return of Goans who are in the Ukraine.

“Many Goans are currently residing in Ukraine due to various purposes including higher studies and due to the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, I have started receiving requests for help and assistance from them to return back to India,” Sawaikar wrote.

The Commissioner further wrote in the letter that advisories have already been issued by the Ministery of External Affairs to Indians currently in Ukraine and our Indian Mission in Kyiy is currently handling the matter.

“Striking note of urgency, the Government of India has recently asked the family members of Embassy officials in Ukraine as well as students and citizens whose stay is not vital , to leave the Eastern European nation amid it’s raising tensions with Russia,” the letter reads.

Sawaikar wrote that the Goans in Ukraine are in touch with this office as they are anxious to temporarily return till the situation normalizes.

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Election Commission announces polling dates and counting days for Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 states

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On Saturday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 States, namely, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

While briefing the media, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra informed that the elections in the poll-bound States will commence from February 10, 2022, to March 7, 2022. Elections in the State of Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in 7 phases, followed by Manipur with 2 phases. Elections in Goa, Uttarkhand and Punjab will be conducted in a single phase.

According to the Election Commission of India, the votes will be counted on March 10, 2022. ECI informed that all physical campaigning will be ceased until January 15, 2022, in light of the rising cases of Coronavirus.

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