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No means no, local groups tell CEC as it ends Goa visit | Goa News – Times of India

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MARGAO: The Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) wound up its three-day visit to Goa on Saturday with an interaction with NGOs, environment activists as well as political leaders, and heard their objections to the three linear infrastructure projects.
Claude Alvares, the petitioner in the Supreme Court against the approvals granted to the three linear infrastructure projects by the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL), told TOI that all those groups that met the CEC were unanimous in their stand that all the three projects should be scrapped. “No means no – that was the general message. We don’t want any of the three projects, was what was told to the CEC by all of them,” Alvares told reporters after emerging from the meeting.
The anti-project groups told the CEC members that none of the three projects was of any interest or benefit to the state, its people or its economy.
“Our contention is that there cannot be any development in the wildlife sanctuary as animals have a right of way in the protected areas. Our petition in the Supreme court has challenged the power of anybody to do anything in the wildlife sanctuary,” Alvares said.
Asked if he was hopeful of the CEC report going in favour of his petition, Alvares said, “The CEC will function like any other organiSation, depending on what material they have. In this case, the job of the CEC is limited to determining whether the approvals given by the standing committee of National Board of Wildlife headed by union cabinet minister Prakash Javadekar are correct or not.”
Alvares, however, expressed his disapproval over what he called “variations” in the project reports by the proponents as uploaded on their official websites, and what was submitted to the CEC by them during the site visits. Alvares said that in case of the power transmission project at Mollem, the project proponents said that trees would be cut only in a few places where foundations for towers would be laid, when its biodiversity study says that a large number of trees, all those which come within the corridor of the transmission lines, will be axed. In the case of Railways, Alvares said, while the South Western Railway had earlier said a significant portion of the forest would be required to be cleared, it has now proposed to construct tunnels to “save the beauty of Dudhsagar falls.”
“All this is misleading and unreliable,” Alvares said. “The CEC members themselves said that proper facts are not made available.”
The Railway officials, during the CEC’s track doubling site inspection on Friday, had told the CEC that the second track in the entire Dudhsagar area would be laid within tunnels in order to save a considerable number of trees from being axed. “We are trying to incorporate all possible mitigation measures suggested by experts to minimize the impact of the project to the wildlife,” a Railway official said.
Nevertheless, many activists, including Abhjit Prabhudessai of Goyant Kollso Naka, who has been at the forefront of the agitation, and who were waiting for an audience with the CEC on Saturday, had to return disappointed.
Prabhudessai sounded critical over the matter. “Our battle will continue, If we don’t win the battle in the court, we will take the battle to the streets. We will not rest until all the projects are scrapped,” Prabhudessai said.The data gathered by CEC during its visit will be used to produce a report to be presented to the Supreme Court along with its recommendations. Earlier in the day, the CEC visited Mollem, Mormugao Port Trust and Tambdi Surla.
Politicians who met the CEC on Saturday included leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khuante and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco.
The CEC is headed by P V Jayakrishnan with Amarnatha Shetty as member secretary, and Mahendra Vyas as member, along with amicus curiae A D N Rao.

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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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