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Most participants walk out of ‘farce hearing’ at Panaji | Goa News – Times of India

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PANAJI: Participants at the public hearing of the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) held at Kala Academy (KA), Panaji, staged a walkout on Sunday deeming the hearing “an illegal meeting in violation of the code of conduct” imposed for the upcoming municipal elections and demanded that another one be held where the citizens get an opportunity to express their views.
The large number of police personnel who were stationed behind the entry gate inside the KA complex restricted a crowd of over 500 people from entering the premises for the public hearing. Nearly 80% of the Dinanath Mangeshkar auditorium where the hearing was held was empty.
The district magistrates had declared that not more than 150 persons would be allowed to participate in the public hearing. Around 100 citizens who had registered themselves were present.
The panelists included director of environment and Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority’s (GCZMA) member secretary Dashrat Redkar, GCZMA members Sujit Kumar Dongre and Mahesh Patil, and translator Damodar Ghanekar. North Goa collector Ajit Roy was the moderator.
The opening presentation by Ghanekar was stopped by the speakers for being “too slow”. The collector then resolved to present it at the end of the day or said it could be collected from the GCZMA office. Just then the electricity failed, leading to boos from the attendees who alleged “that these were tactics meant to delay the hearing”.
Soon after, the crowd inside started arguing with the organisers and demanded that the public hearing be held outside the auditorium, so that all the people could attend.
The police then formed a human chain between the stage and the audience seating area, even as GCZMA officials on the stage tried their best to calm the audience and to start the stipulated five-minute presentations by the speakers.
The ruckus went on for nearly 30 minutes, after which the public hearing commenced with activist Kashinath Shetye lashing out at the authorities for the last-minute change of venue from the Taleigao community hall to Kala Academy. He also hit out at the police force deployed to stop the public from entering. “We are not terrorists here. Let the others in,” he said.
Heritage and social activist Prajal Sakhardande stated that returning officer Gurudas Desai told him that no permission was granted for the public hearing to be held. However, the collector said the state election commission had granted permission.
Goa Foundation director Claude Alvares stepped forward and said that a proper notice of 60 days should have been given instead of calling a meeting that was in total violation of the code. He revealed that the venue was changed owing to a wedding being organised there.
“We have got a lot to say and are yet to go through hundreds of plans that are in grid format. Everyone needs to be heard and the law says that you ought to hear,” he said, while demanding that the meeting be adjourned. He then staged a walkout.
Taking a cue, several participants took to the microphone one by one, lodged their protest and then walked out without sharing their inputs.
Activists Cecille Rodrigues and Roshan Mathias, AAP convener Rahul Mhambre, former NIO scientist Antonio Mascarenhas, architect Tahir Noronha were among the ones that left in protest.
Only a handful of people who stayed back after the walkout gave their inputs.

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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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