DEMANDS OF THE TEACHERS TO BE MET BY SEPTEMBER 5

August 31:All Goa Secondary School Teachers Association were informed that their demands will be resolved by September 5th by Mr. Atanasio Monserate the Education minister of Goa.

Mr. Monserrate spoke to a delegation of Teachers Association that had approached him to discuss all the issues of the teachers which were pending before him, plus the implemetatin of Part-B. President of the Association Mr. Vithoba Desai said that Bhaskar Nayak, the in-charge of Laptops distribution to the teachers, have assured to distribute the laptops the concerned applicants by September 5th.

The Teachers delegation also thanked the minister for is quick commitment to fulfill their demands. They also expressed their hopes pertaining the fulfillment of their demands and anticipated better co-operation from Mr. Monserrate.

Dessai brought to the notice of the Education Minster that earlier in V Pay Scales teachers were paid Part-B Scales which have to be automatically carried in VI Pay Scales. He informed that while implementing the VI Pay Scales the teachers have been erroneously placed in Part-A Scales which are categorically recommended for untrained and non-teaching category of employees.

The delegation informed the Education Minister and the Education Secretary that the Education Department is discriminating and meting step motherly treatment to the Aided School Teachers. The Minister was informed about the delay in payment of aided school teachers with a requested to direct the Education Department to release Salary, T.A., D.A., Bonus, Arrears and supplementary bills in time.

CARMONA PANCHAYAT SEES UPROAR OVER RAHEJAS

August 31: The protest by panch Orlando Da Silva of Carmona Panchayat against the refusal by the sarpanch to discuss the decision taken by the panchayat to hold inspection of the Raheja property without placing the construction file before the panchayat body caused an uproar at the monthly meeting on Tuesday at the Carmona Panchayat.

This situation reached to such an extent that Mr Orlando Da Silva lodged a complaint with the Colva police alleging that he was abused and threatened by three youth at the meeting. The Colva police registered a case against three persons namely Francisco Fernandes, Denzie Ferrao and Joao Francisco D’Costa under section 353, 504, 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code. At the same time the Carmona Sarpanch Eustaquio D’Costa also lodged a complaint at the police Out Post of Orlim against Orlando for disturbing and disrupting the proceedings.

Orlando in his complaint mentioned that the three persons used filthy language against him. He also added that one of the accused came charging towards him, but was stopped by the police. He contended that the Sarpanch did not allow his request to raise the issue of serving him the inspection notice without placing the Raheja construction file before the body.

Eustaquio said that Orlando brought out a point that was not in the agenda list. He also said that he was ready to discuss the issue after the agenda list was completed. According to Eustaquio, Orlando created uproar and disrupted the meeting. Eustaquio also claimed that he was abused verbally by Orlando. On Orlando’s complaint against the three youth, the sarpanch denied their actions.

THE BIASED AND “TOO TIMID” ACT OF HERALD by Dalia M

The act by Herald suspending all comments suppresses their own voice as free press. Looks like it has shut it’s own voice due to fear. As there was control on the comments section, Herald had the right to either block some of the commentators or warn them. I do not dispute it’s right to take its own decision but this decision seems to be taken due to heavy pressure from the corrupt people.

Herald has been biased in the past and is regarded as the official mouthpiece of the Congress party. Other than that, it is also the voice of some influential people who are known to Mr. Fernandes. Freedom of Press is a cardinal rule for a free society in a democratic country. The timid ways of Herald has exposed itself that it is not the voice of the weaker sections of Goa but the voice of the powerful, the suppressors of democracy.

At 14.00 hrs today, I personally called up Herald office and enquired about the decision not to continue with the comments section. On condition that I should not name the top employee, I was told that there has been pressure from most of the politicians and particular ministers, top police officials, the mining lobby too, that the comments section should be shut “immediately” or face dire consequences that may turn out in several ways to destroy the organisation. I agree personally there have been a few abuses and these abusers should be condemned in all ways. Herald should have given a thought and found that these same abusers are the toys of the politicians whose main aim was to do what Herald did today. These few abusers should have been blocked or given a stern warning. It looks like Herald is more interested in selling hard and dumb copies rather than being bold.

The real tasks of Herald do not consist in policing public opinion, but in freeing it from the suppressors. This can only be done by placing the verdict in the hands of society in its entirety. That was going on well until the fear took over and all active voices against the corrupt politicians, corrupt police were lost once again, this time for good.

Hence, an appeal to NIZ GOENKAR to paste some of the interesting articles or news from different press releases from Goa where we can comment. Viva Goenkara, Viva Niz Goenkar. Long Live Freedom.

POLITICIANS’ DRAMA – LEADING BY EXAMPLE by Diogo Lazarus Pereira (dlp)

Sometimes I find it difficult to understand God. He creates human beings, some handsome or beautiful and some not so handsome or not so beautiful. Then God decides to make some humans intelligent and some not so intelligent. The surprising part is that He turns the not so intelligent into Politicians.

Then the devil comes onto the scene, takes control and corrupt the politicians’ minds to make hay while the sun shines. And gradually these politicians become trained overnight and get so smart that they don’t need God or the devil anymore because by now they have become smart asses and they start making hay even when the sun doesn’t shine.

God makes some people rich and some are left poor, some very poor. Why does He leave some in poverty? I know why. Because if God made everybody rich, there would be nobody left for these politicians to bribe and buy votes. There would be no drama. Honest and real God fearing humans could sit for the elections on their own by spending their own money and win. These corrupt politicians who buy the poor would have nowhere to go. Some of them claim to be God fearing and devout Catholics and that brings me to an incident that took place last Wednesday in the church.

To be frank, I am a catholic brought up to be a devout Catholic through my early years of education and being a boarder in Don Bosco’s, Pangim. After leaving school and as I started growing into an adult, met some other soon-to-be adults. Bad company, good company, whatever. So I cannot say I am an ‘outstanding’ Catholic. I am more or less an ‘out standing’ Catholic. But there was one devotion instilled in me at a very young age by my mother, and that was the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. From a very young age and till today at almost a ripe age, I never miss, under any circumstances, to attend the Mass and Novenas on every Wednesday.

It so happened that last Wednesday I was totally engrossed in the first readings of the Mass, and then came the time for the Priest to read the Gospel. That day’s gospel was on hypocrites. As the priest went on, he read “And Jesus said to the hypocrites gathered near the temple, **You all are like freshly white washed tombs. You look beautiful, pure and so fresh from outside. But inside you are full of rotten bones, worms, filth and stench**” My concentration went hay-wire. My immediate reaction and thoughts were of our Goan politicians who claim to be God fearing. If anyone of the God fearing politicians were attending the mass that day, I am sure the moment they heard those words, they would be glancing left and right to see if any of the congregation was watching them, because they are guilty.

They go to the church cleanly shaven, neatly dressed, nice perfume, but after all they are like those freshly white washed tombs. No conscience, full of rotten filth deep inside. They just want publicity, and our media will support them when they get little pocket money. If you look at these two photographs, they speak for themselves. These heroes from the top lead by example for our own politicos to follow. In another gospel, the previous day, Jesus said, “the first will be last and the last will be first.” Our politicians are always first anytime and any place, be it football match finals, laying foundation stones, inauguration ceremonies, birthday parties, will be the last in God’s Kingdom, even if they are God fearing. The poor, who they are bribing on the pretext of giving them a new lease of life, and then neglecting them to fend on their own, will be first in God’s Kingdom. God bless the poor and also give them good sense not to fall prey to these politicians’ gimmicks in the forthcoming elections.

TRUTH HELD IN BONDAGE OF POLITICIANS by Shyam Sawant, Ponda

History is repeating itself. It happened once before now it has happened again. The voices of truth are being suppressed by the politicians of Goa and by the Goa Police who had the nerves to threaten the HERALD news paper to close down the comments section.

Throughout the world there is freedom of speech in democratic countries. But what about the democracy in India? It is said that India is the largest and biggest democracy in the world. But does that not apply to Goa? Goa is ruled by dictators who cannot be controlled even by the centre. The Goa Police have acted the mafia when they forced the Herald to close down the comments section as they were exposed openly of their misdeeds.

I made my own preliminary inquiries with the Herald where I have several of my good friends working. I got the response that the editor who is a coward was threatened by some politicians and ordered to close down the comments section. According to the sources, Fernandes the editor of the HERALD was threatened with dire consequences if he does not comply. The reason given was their elections campaign was failing as a result of the open exposure of their misdeeds. I have also come to know that this editor of Herald is a CHAMCHA of the politicians. The next surprising news that I got was that the Police from Police Head Quarters called up forcing them not to open the comments section any more. The HERALD has shut down the comments and this time it is for good never to be opened again. The message at the bottom is nothing but hypocrisy.

So my Goans this is the way truth is being tried to be pressed down and not allowed to raise its head. People were getting aware of the situation in Goa and this, the politicians and the police did not like. It is also learnt by me that the Crime branch of Goa Police were calling every now and then to close the comments section. Herald succumbed to these threats and calls. But otherwise also Herald was a biased and aligned with politicians’ news paper.

I am proud of Niz Goenkar and its contribution to the society. People in Goa take my advice. DO NOT BUY HERALD NEWS PAPER anymore. Let us boycott this paper as it is a politicians’ paper and its editor Mr. Fernandes is in the pockets of the politicians. He is a puppet of the corrupt politicians. This article will also be posted by me in the BBC online news so that the world knows what goes in a democracy of India. Let us not lose heart, let us unite and fight against the crook politicians of Goa, corrupt policeman and politically controlled newspapers. GOD BLESS GOA AND THE GOANS not the politicians.

SALGAONKAR MINING GETS APPROVAL FOR RIVER PRINCESS REMOVAL

M/s Salgaonkar Mining Industries Pvt. Ltd. has been given the first preference to remove the M. V. River Princess off Candolim Beach. M/s Titan Salvage and M/s Madgaonkar Salvage were the two contenders for the removal of River Princess, but could not go through as SMIPL was preferred by the Government.

River Princess

The Chief Minister, who heads the State Disaster Management Authority on Monday made his decision to give first chance to SMIPL to remove the vessel even though it was almost finalised in favour of a Singaporean company. Titan Salvage had offered to clear the vessel within six months from the sea at Candolim beach at a tender cost of Rs. 125 crores.

Taking into consideration the opinions of the legal advisors in-principle, the Advisory committee, last week had decided on M/s Titan Salvage as the best option to remove the grounded vessel. But the decision of the SDMA tilted in favour of SMIPL as they offered to remove the vessel free of cost. The High Court will be appraised of it when it takes up the PIL of River Princess Hatao Manch.

The government will also negotiate with the two bidders M/s Titan Salvage and M/s Madgaonkar Salvage, who had been finalised out of the twelve bidders, received by the Tourism Demparment to its tender in March this year. SMIPL had been rejected for not being in consonance with the tender conditions.

M/s SMIPL had made its intention very clear that it was ready to remove the River Princess free of cost. It also released advertisements in the newspapers making allegations against the government saying the government had favoured certain parties in the tendering process. Even though the government has decided to consider SMIPL for getting the vessel of the beach, it will also negotiate with the other two bidders and a meeting has been fixed on Wednesday. MLA Agnelo Fernandes said that the government wants to keep other options ready in the event the proposal of SMIPL does not materialise.

PORTUGUESE PASSPORT HOLDERS HAVE BAD NEWS

If you are a Portuguese passport holder, and your name continues to be on the electoral rolls, you are going to your voting right or any membership of any elected body, the Foreigners Branch has submitted a detailed list of Goan Portuguese passport holders for action under the laws in force.

Around 1000 Goans, who have obtained Portuguese passports during the last three years, face the risk of deletion of their names from the electoral rolls. Based on the report from the Superintendent of Police, Foreigners Branch, Tony Fernandes, the office of the Chief Electoral Office has forwarded copies of the list to the Assistant Electoral Officers across Goa for verification and action.

Records revealed that around 312 Goans had obtained Portuguese Passport in the year 2008. The number swelled to 432 in the following year and around 433 locals acquired the passport so far this year.

A perusal of the names revealed that most of the Portuguese passport holders hail from Tiswadi taluka, comprising the villages of Agacaim, Goa Velha, Merces, Santa Cruz, Taleigao etc.

Even though the Portuguese Passport holders hail from across the State, including villages of pre-dominantly Catholic Salcete, a majority of the holders are from Tiswadi. “We are in receipt of the names of Goans from the Foreigners Branch who have obtained Portuguese passports. The names will be verified before initiating action under the Electors Rules”, informed Assistant Electoral Officer, Margao Paresh Faldessai.

The AEO said that the Booth Level Officers will be entrusted with the task of verifying each and every name of the passport holder before they are struck down from the electoral rolls. In fact, the election branch of the AEO, Margao has started the process of verification of the names based on records submitted by the Foreigners branch.

POLITICIANS’ INVOLVEMENT IN CANSAULIM By Nisha Pereira

The political pressure as well as direct intervention from MLA Mauvin Godinho in the Gonsalves-Dias Gates Project at Cansaulim is shocking and is a direct misuse of Government Machinery. The Minister's PA Ligorio Monteiro is directly involved in contacting Cansaulim villagers who are opposing the Project with all sorts of give-aways to quieten the opposition to the Project.

INDIAN TOURISTS ATTEMPT TO MOLEST A MINOR GIRL

Four Indian tourists attempted molestation bid of a minor girl at Pilerne, Saligao late Saturday evening. Eye witnesses reported that the incident occurred at the local LPG agency warehouse where the girl had accompanied her uncle to get a gas cylinder.

The uncle-niece had arrived at the warehouse at about 3:360 pm and were waiting for the agency to open till 8:00 pm. However the agency personnel did not turn up to release the refill. As they were waiting, a taxi with four Indian tourists stopped to make some enquiries with the girl’s uncle. As he was busy answering their questions, the other tourist took hold of the girl and tried to pull her into the car. However their attempt was thwarted by a passing truck along. The four tourists fearing for their lives fled from there. It was noticed that they had removed the number plates from their car.

The girl and her uncle however refused to file a police complaint, as they had come for a refill of gas cylinder and blamed heavily the agency for the incident. Due to the failure of the agency to open on time they said led to this incident. According to the man, the girl’s uncle it was the same story everyday. People are asked by the agency to be at the warehouse by 3:30 pm but they do not turn up till late hours. No one seemed to be interested to do anything about it.

Another villager, who was stranded from 4 pm onwards said that this was the fourth time that he was there and yet had to go back without a gas cylinder. The villager also said that it was a waste of time and money.

As per rules the agency has to deliver the gas cylinders at home within an area of five kilometers and not cause inconvenience to the people. Even though people tried to contact the agency owner he could not be traced. Such inconvenience specially to the ladies can be bad as there is no security nowadays.

NIZ GOENKAR ADDS: Our Goan ladies are not safe on our very own streets and our very own locality.  The Indian tourists seem to take for granted that there is no law and Goan females can be molested as was done by the invading Indian forces in 1961.

GOA LIBERATED (Debate) - response to Harbans by Gabriel Figueiredo

Debate with Harbans Singh and Gabriel Figueiredo

(Excerpt from the Internet)

Hi Harbans,

Thank you for your comments. As I was born in Panjim in 1955, I have precious little practical experience of the Portuguese era. Therefore, allow me to put forth my views, which have been a little late in coming.
Harbans Singh: an entirely different kind of situation was faced by the Indian Army during the Chinese Aggression of 1962.

Gabriel Figueiredo

Quite true, I expect, when one suddenly finds that equipment, however sophisticated, does not function too well at altitudes and the soldiers, who have been hurriedly dispatched to the frontier are not sufficiently equipped to deal with the cold and altitude. This is precisely the type of situation the Portuguese found themselves in, when the Indian Army suddenly made its appearance on the borders of Goa, ill equipped and overwhelmed.

According to "India’s China War by Neville Maxwell", "The Goa incident reflected the amorphous and subjective processes within which the Indian Government operated. Neither the seizure of Goa nor the forward policy was decided upon in Cabinet. It showed the dualities of India’s attitude toward the use of force: reprehensible in the abstract and in the service of others, but justifiable both politically and morally when employed by India in disputes.

Some politicians were intoxicated by the Goa victory as talks began of driving Pakistan out of Kashmir and forcing China out of Aksai Chin. The Home Minister, Shastri, paralleled the Goa incident with China: 'If the Chinese will not vacate the areas … India will have to repeat what she did in Goa.' … However, the military operation in Goa did not test the capabilities of the troops or their commanders, as the Portuguese put up no organized resistance against the overwhelmingly superior Indian forces. The Army had been experiencing chronic shortage of boots, and half of one battalion went through the operation in canvas gym shoes. Although this was discussed widely in the Army, little came out in India, which called the operation 'our finest hour'. "

"The easy victory over the Portuguese encouraged the hope of similar success against the Chinese. … Although India now had rejected the Chinese proposal for a joint twenty-kilometer withdrawal, China had unilaterally stopped patrolling within twenty kilometers of the bounder. India refused to open negotiations, and steadily pushed forward, first in the middle and eastern sectors and now in the west. ".

For more on this, please visit

http://www.centurychina.com/plaboard/uploads/1962war.htm

Incidentally, this shows that just as Portugal refused open negotiations regarding Goa, India refused to negotiate with China.

Harbans Singh: the balance would have soon tilted in favour of the of the Portuguese had they succeeded in stationing the NATO forces in Goa.

I understand that there were rumours about setting up NATO forces in Goa. So also there were rumours (in India, that is) about supersonic fighters being based at Dabolim. When the Indian air-force bombarded the airport, all that there were on the tarmac were a few transporters and aircraft belonging to TAIP, the one and only Goan civilian airline. So much for rumours.

Anyway, an invasive military action into Goa was not the proper way to have prevented the setting up of a NATO base in Goa. The UN was there to which India could have protested and thus prevent such a thing from happening, and as transpired later on (on 18 Dec1961), India had a very good totalitarian ally in the USSR which could have very well assisted India in keeping the NATO forces away from India -- please remember that a totalitarian country like USSR (which itself had openly practiced neo-colonialism in Poland, Czechoslovakia and other Eastern European countries) had the audacity to hypocritically state on 18 Dec1961, that the "end of colonialism has to come" when it vetoed the draft resolution (S/5033) at the 988th meeting of the UN Security Council, which required the Indian Forces to retreat from Goa, Damão and Diu to their pre-17 Dec1961 positions.

Harbans Singh: Internal political pressures within both India and Goa towards freedom movement could also be contributory factoid perhaps?

"In mid-December 1961, acute tension developed between India and Portugal on the subject of Goa and other Portuguese enclaves in India. It looked as if an invasion of Goa by the Indian military forces was imminent. U Thant sent identically-worded messages to the Foreign Ministers of Portugal and India requesting them to settle the dispute through peaceful means.

This appeal fell on deaf ears and on December 18, Indian troops marched into Goa and completed the takeover of the territory in short order. This left a bad feeling amongst several delegates, who felt that India, a founding-member of the United Nations, had blatantly violated the U.N. Charter." .

This is a chapter in the Frontline article (published by THE HINDU), "In the cause of peace" ( http://www.flonnet.com/fl1623/16231260.htm ). Please note well that the author (C.V. NARASIMHAN) mentions "an invasion of Goa", which is what it was. Not "liberation".

It appears to be documented that "Nehru never forgave himself for yielding to the importunity of Krishna Menon who thought he would not be able to defeat Acharya Kripalani if he fought the Parliamentary elections before integrating Goa into the Indian Union. He even countermanded his orders at the last moment and bade Menon stop taking the field, an order which Menon says in his memoirs he refused to carry out".

Both the above indicate that the internal political pressures were within India, not Goa, and that too the hurry for this naked aggression was due to "electioneering" rather than to any problems in Goa that needed a "liberation".

Harbans Singh: Similar elements in Goa under Portuguese rule must have treated the Goan freedom fighters to the same or even worse atrocities. Any denials?

Please correct me if I am wrong. There were no incidents in Goa of the type practiced by Britain on India, like the massacres, crawl orders and the like. You may cite the Inquisition, as do most RSS-types, but remember that the Inquisition took place at a time when the inquisition was taking place all over the Latinised world, not only in Goa, and that too against the Jews, Christians who openly flouted the teachings (e.g. the nobility) and those who introduced ideas that went "against the grain" of the Church thinking, like Galileo and Nostradamus -- unfortunately, most of the "trials" were conducted by hypocrites. I am not making apologies here, merely stating the context under which one must view those horrible years.

True, there were shootings of the so-called 'satyagrahis' who dared cross the border from Maharashtra into Goa and seize the Tiracol fort. The Portuguese naturally opened fire on them and recovered the fort. Wouldn't you defend your territory?

True again that soldiers based on Anjediva islands opened fire on the Sabarmati which was sailing close. If it came within shooting range, perhaps it came too close? Who knows who might have been on board? So also the Chinese shot down a civilian airliner not so long ago when it transgressed Chinese airspace.

Salazar's answers to anti-government thinkers both in Goa and in Portugal was to get them certified as lunatics and lock them up in prisons or lunatic asylums. True, there were a few people locked up for standing up for Goa and Goans, but no massacres.

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia was even allowed to make his famous speech in Margão on 18th June 1946, and though it is said a policeman put a pistol to Lohia's head, he returned back to where he came from unharmed. And according to Ravindra Kelecar, a freedom-fighter, "Some six or seven hundred people gathered to listen to him. One could never imagine that it would be possible to gather so many people. The police ended up obstructing the session, but the message (of struggle) got through" (translation from a paragraph in "Passagem para a Índia" published on the magazine

section of O Expresso of 8th Dec 2001).

Again, I am not making up for the Portuguese presence in Goa, merely trying to correct the distortions that have come to be bandied about regarding the Portuguese. As we'll see later, the Portuguese, in the last decade of their presence in Goa, did take reasonably good care of Goa, Damão and Diu and their people 'till the very end.

Harbans Singh: You refuse to recognize them as Goans and dub them as "People with Goan parentage and not Goans themselves.

OK. I agree I made a hash of that statement. Allow me to rephrase that. If one has joined a country's armed forces, one's loyalties would definitely lie with that country's interests. Therefore, if a man of Goan parentage joined the Indian armed forces either for economic or vocational reasons, his loyalties would lie with India or else he would be charged with treason. I doubt if that person joined the armed forces with the express intention that one day he would be one of the "liberators" of Goa. His loyalty to the Indian armed forces naturally imply his interests lay with India, not Goa. Besides, "theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die" runs a famous poem.

Harbans Singh: Come on mate! Where do your sympathies lie?

My sympathies lie with Goa and Goans. Goans have been short-changed by Nehru's India. I won't go too much into details of UN Resolution 1541(XV) of the 15th December 1960 as it is beyond my scope to explain it, but I understand that this resolution says: “All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”.  The very next UN Resolution 1542 (XV) http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_183
passed on the same date, includes the territories to which this resolution 1541 ought to apply, and that one includes the territories that came under "Estado da India Portuguesa". India was a signatory to these very same resolutions. Therefore, there ought to have been a plebiscite under the aegis of the UN, to determine:

a) whether Goans wanted to remain with Portugal,

b) whether the Goans wanted to be an independent state

or

c) whether the Goans wanted to join with India.

Were Goans given a choice in the matter? No, Nehru and Krishna Menon decided for themselves what was good for the Goans. Now wasn't that a despotic and autocratic decision on India's part? It is a bit late in the day to redress the situation even if was possible to do so, but at least people must know and realize what happened. No point, as they say, "to cry over spilt milk".

Harbans Singh:Did you or didn't you desire to be free?

Freedom is a relative concept. Am I free to drive as I please? No, I am constrained by laws and regulations. Am I free to talk as I please? No, again there are rules and constraints regulating what I can say and what I cannot say in public.

Was I free pre 1961? To a certain extent, yes. I was. The only thing I wasn't allowed to talk about was to talk against the Salazarist Govt. As for the rest, yes I was allowed to go to school, my parents were allowed to work, have a house, nobody bothered one, and you could even sleep at nights peacefully in relative safety with the windows open. There was no need for bars on windows as you'd see in the same period in Bombay. The Hindus had their festivals like Ganesh and Diwali, the Muslims had their festivals, and needless to state, the Catholics celebrated theirs with equal aplomb.

A Portuguese engineer, Hernani Mourão, who had been posted to Goa in early 1961, writes on the supergoa forum (roughly translated here from Portuguese) "I 'lived' the festival of Divali on the streets, all through the night; there was this gigantic thing mounted on a vehicle and together with drums and noise-makers making a deafening noise… small lamps every where… This night, well past midnight, I woke up, got dressed and went on the street. I was staying at Caranzalem and walked, accompanying that magnificent expression of folklore, until Pangim where, at day-break, when light triumphed over darkness, the demons exploded in such a display of fireworks followed by drum-beats in a dialogue so intense and profound that I still hear today, so well it has been ingrained in my mind!" Now, wasn't that freedom?

Goa was one of the few "colonies" that had representation in the "mother" country. According to Froilano de Melo  "In 1945 Froilano (de Melo) was elected once again as a Member of Parliament to represent Goa in Lisbon. Using his superb oratoric skills he worked assiduously to eliminate the discriminatory Acto Colonial of 1930, which made Goans, second class citizens in Goa. In 1950, after a sustained struggle and against many odds and doubters and opposition, even in Goa, he succeeded in obtaining a new Political Statute for Goa. He was the only independent M.P. for the period 1945-49; all the others being members of Salazar's UNIÃO NACIONAL party.".

The above implies that since 1950, Goans were on par with the Portuguese of the "metropole", something that Indians never enjoyed with the British. Even today, if a Goan, Damanense or Diuense born before 19Dec1961 were to apply for Portuguese citizenship, he would get it. (It is a matter of shame that many Indians have obtained Portuguese citizenship by illegally claiming to have been born in one of these territories before 19Dec1961.)

Harbans Singh: I must ask you to define a Goan! Is he or she an Indian or not?

OK. Let's first define who is an Indian. If you consider a person originating from the Indian subcontinent as an Indian, then all the peoples of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are Indians. However, if you consider those people in a country called India as Indians, then only those who occupy the territories created by the British as India at the time of partition, are Indians.

India, as you very well know (and I mention it for the sake of continuity), was created by the British (along with Pakistan) in 1947, and officially became a republic (with the demolition of the princely states) in 1950. (Kashmir was "neither here nor there". A plebiscite had been promised by Nehru for years, and it hasn't come to fruition as yet.)

Goa, Damão, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli existed as "Estado da India Portuguesa", a semi-autonomous state of Portugal well before 1947. Therefore, Goa and Goans along with the Damaneses and Diuenses had an identity different from British India.

In addition, Goa, Damão and Diu had been under Portuguese influence for over 450 years compared to British India which felt the British influence for only some 200 years. The languages spoken, the laws, and the social environment was totally different in the Estado da India Portuguesa from that of British India. This further adds more distinctiveness to my conclusions that Goans, like the Sri Lankans or the Nepalese, are not Indian.

Harbans Singh: According to the whole world they (Goans) are absolutely Indians! I am sure that this will be the answer from the Goans and even majority of the Portuguese!

Maybe, according to you, but not the whole world. A number of Goans consider themselves as Goans, not Indians.

For further notes on this topic (not by my hand), please see an article "Does Goa belong to India?" at http://www.geocities.com/orthopapism/freeeip.html 

Harbans Singh: I wonder if you ever raised such a demand to free it (Dabolim) of the Portuguese?
I don't know exactly what you mean here. Dabolim was a civilian airport ever since its inception, upto 19 Dec1961. It, along with the airport in Diu, were built by the Portuguese as a means to break the economic blockade imposed on Goa by India, in the early '50s.

This economic blockade, followed by infiltration at the borders by armed people dressed as as Portuguese police (who unfortunately gave the game away as they didn't speak Portuguese or Konkani) who attacked unarmed farmers and mining employees, and others who entered Goa in the guise of "satyagrahis" but intent on sabotaging Goan economy, was an effort to get Goans to revolt against the Portuguese. Sad to say, these plans didn't work too well as the Goans did not revolt.

As you can seen, by preventing foodstuff and other goods from entering Goa, India wanted Goans to starve. The Portuguese "came to the rescue" by importing food and goods and started efforts at making Goa self-sufficient, by importing milch cows from Pakistan, improving agricultural methods, etc. You'd be surprised that Goans did not feel the pinch at all, as all foodstuff was heavily subsidized by the Portuguese so that every poor man could afford to buy food. On the contrary, a few years after "liberation", foodstuff disappeared from the markets, and Goans had to rely on rationing to survive. What an anticlimax!  Please note India is using the same tactics with Nepal today, as it used with Goa in the '50s. If you have the time and patience, please read "Nepal India Relations - A Brief Review" at http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishweekly/spotlight/2002/jan/jan04/opin/ion.htm I may be wrong in comparing Goa to Nepal, but to me the similarities are glaring.

Harbans Singh: Brilliant Idea this! The only flaw in this scheme is that "YOU" may not be the one doing that "commercial" activity. Who might it be this time on? The Portuguese again? How boring!

Looks like you've run out ideas and are resorting to sarcasm. I am not, repeat not interested in business of the type you're thinking of. I am fortunate enough in having a steady job and not in the least interested in making a "quick buck" and getting rich. Neither do I need "properties" and "large houses" to proclaim "how great I am".  I know my worth, and try to stay within the limits of my abilities. Neither am I pro-Portuguese in that I want the Portuguese to come back to Goa, even though I think a closer relationship with Portugal will be beneficial to Goa and would be happy to hear Portuguese spoken in Goa (after all English is also another colonial language). I'd just like the record to be set right from the distortions being the result of "to the victorious the history".

Harbans Singh:We all know that the armed forces are a necessary adjunct to the very existence of a nation

Yes, that's true, and spoken like a true military man. I worked for twelve years as a civilian in the Brazilian Navy, and I know how much contempt a military man holds for the civilian.

Harbans Singh:"Dual Citizenship"

I don't get it. What has dual (or triple for that matter) citizenship got to do with my comments? After all I can stay in one country at a time! And this bothers me in the least. For your information, an Indian citizen is not overly admired or looked upon favourably at most foreign embassies for reasons best known to India and those countries. Telephone calls to India from any other part of the world to India are the most expensive too (e.g. a call from Australia to the UK or US costs $0.15 per min, to India it is $0.95 per min not taking seasonal "specials" into consideration), and I understand it is to do with India's refusal to bilateral telecom agreements.

"Cheers!"

(Courtesy of Colaco.net)

DENGUE AND CHIKUNGUNYA CASES FOUND IN GOA

17 Dengue and 42 Chikungunya cases have been reported within a period of 8 days in Goa. During the week from 21st to 27th August’ 2010 17 dengue and 42 chikangunya cases have been found in Goa.

During the week from 21st to 27th August’ 2010, a total of 85 blood samples of suspected cases of Dengue were tested at the Microbiology Dept. of GMC, out of which 17 samples were confirmed positive for Dengue. These cases are from the following areas (a) UHC Vasco – 2, (b) PHC Corlim – 1, (c) UHC Panaji – 1, (d) PHC Betki – 2, (e) CHC Valpoi – 2, (f) PHC Casaulim – 1, (g) PHC Quepem – 1, (h) CHC Ponda – 4, (i) PHC Sanquelim – 1, (j) UHC Margao – 1, (k) PHC Cortalim - 1. This brings the total number of Dengue cases for the year 2010 from January till date to 94 cases out of the 807 samples tested.

During the week from 21st to 27th August’ 2010, 89 samples were tested at the Microbiology Dept. of GMC, out of which 42 samples were confirmed positive for Chikungunya. These cases are from the following areas (a) PHC Corlim – 1, (b) PHC Bicholim – 4, (c) PHC Aldona – 2, (d) CHC Canacona – 1, (e) CHC Ponda – 14, (f) PHC Marcaim – 1, (g) CHC Valpoi – 3, (h) CHC Curchorem – 7 (i) PHC Betki – 2, (j) PHC Siolim – 1, (k) PHC Colvale – 1, (l) PHC Sanquelim – 1, (m) PHC Curtorim – 1, (n) PHC Balli – 2, (o) PHC Sanguem - 1. This brings the total number of Chikungunya cases for the year 2010 from January till date to 342 cases out of the 833 total samples tested.

The Chief Secretary, Govt. of Goa has reviewed the measures taken during the Core Committee meeting held on August 25, 2010. The District Collectors have been directed to instruct the Deputy Collectors to conduct Block level meetings and involve the local bodies/Municipalities/ Panchayats and other Departments like PWD, GSIDC, Town and Country Planning, Labour Commissioner's office, etc in the control measures and submit action taken report regularly.

(Courtesy Digital Goa)

CARMONA OUT AGAINST THE RAHEJA CONSTRUCTIONS

A war is going on between M/s K Raheja International who is seeking permission for the construction of bungalows without the compulsory ten meter approach road and the Carmona villagers.

Carmona Goa

The 10-meter wide road norm has assumed significance given that the Town and Country Planning Department had made it categorically clear to the Raheja’s at the time of issuing provisional NOC for sub-division of plots that secondary development of the property would be permitted only after acquiring and developing a 10-meter wide road.

When a provisional NOC was issued to the Real Estate Developer for sub-division of the property, Town Planner Rajesh J. Naik had imposed among other conditions that any secondyar development will be permitted only after acquiring and developing of a ten meters road and shall be governed as per the rules in force. Raheja has completed the work on the sub division of the property and hs approached the Carmona panchayat for the construction licence for the bungalows. Estaquio D’Costa, the Sarpanch of Carmona has declared that the panchayat has carried out the inspection of the property on Friday and would forward Raheja’s plan to the TCP Department for their action further. The sarpanch said that they have conducted the inspection and that it was upto the TCP to decide the outcome

It is upto the TCP department to grant the necessary permission to the Rahejas to go ahead with the construction of the bungalows. Meanwhile PWD Minister Churchill Alemao has put up a note directing his officials to acquire land for widening the current road to a ten meters wide road.

Unnamed sources in the TCP have admitted that the provisional NOC of the sub-division of the land was granted to Rahejas based on Alemao’s note issuing directions to PWD officials. The note was put by Alemao on 30th November 2009 and still there appears no change in the width of the road.

The anti mega housing activists from the village are all set for another round of battle, with the activists reminding the TCP to ensure that all conditions imposed on the builder during the granting of NOC for property sub-division are met with.

According to the Panch Mr. Orlando Da Silva the existing approach road is less than five meters when the building norms mandate a ten meters wide road. The villagers have decided to approach the TCP to pressure him not to entertain the construction plan as the conditions for the road are not fulfilled till now.

Initially Raheja’s had mooted contruction of around 612 appartments on the 80,000 odd property facing the river sal at Carmona, but eventually the file was withdrawn due to the agitation from the local people.

FOR THE EYES OF THE GOANS ONLY

LETTERS TO THE HERALD BY GOANS

Don’t encourage beggars by Abhijeet D Naik, Fatorda

On Tuesday, after I saw the Idhar-Uddhar cartoon on beggars, I saw a gang of beggars – five couples with small children – at Fatorda, telling people they needed money for food as their kids didn’t have anything to eat. This has been going on for more than three years now.

What irritated me was that they were allowing the toddlers with them to get wet in the rain, to garner sympathy from people. These people think Goans are suckers. They come to Goa in Volvo bus loads during X’mas and New Year.

I dialed 100. By this time these beggars reached Fatorda stadium junction, and went into a restaurant to eat. The PCR van came and the cops apprehended one couple, while the others escaped.

At the Margao Police Station, the beggars told the PSI that they were ‘Marathi Manoos’ and that the police, being their own, should let them go. I told them that we were ‘Konkani Manees’, not ‘Marathi manoos’. I’m waiting to see what action the police take. I would like to ask people not to part with even a single rupee to these well-off beggars. Instead, simply dial 100.

Why hurt feelings? By Luis Fernandes, Aldona

Niranjan Chodankar of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (‘No freedom to insult’, Herald, 24 August) needs to be appreciated for being open-minded, but also defending his religion. Just because there are nude paintings in the Hindu temples or because it is mentioned in the sacred texts of Hinduism does not give anyone any right to use this to hurt religious sentiments, even if the Supreme Court of India thinks otherwise.

There are many nude paintings in the Sistine chapel. But Christians would be pained if a Hindu painted these as representative of the Christian religion. Neither would Muslims tolerate such a thing. So let us respect others and not lower them.

On the other hand, let’s not forget about the Babri Masjid demolition, the Gujarat and Kandhamal genocides, and the martyrdom of Graham Staines and his little sons, which all point fingers at the ugly side of Hindutva.

Examine your heritage by Caetano Goes London

What does Niranjan Chodankar of the HJS (‘No freedom to insult’, Herald, 24 August). know about painting? The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti should visit Ajanta, Ellora, Khajuraho and Konarak to see Hindu painting and sculpture. Why do they not protest about these sculptures and paintings? By saying Dr Jose Pereira should paint Jesus Christ and Mother Mary in the nude, they prove themselves to be communal. They should leave religion to be practiced only in temples, churches, mosques and homes.

Roman Right by John Rebello, Old Goa / Bahrain

‘Roman Script: Our Human Right’ by Wilson ‘Wilmix’ Mazarello (Herald, 25 August) is all fact. Even after Liberation, we are still being held hostage by our Goan masters, and deprived of our basic right to read and write Konkani in the Roman script. Are some Goans second class citizens in our own state?

Goans – in Goa and worldwide – should not rest till the Roman script is given its rightful place. We want all those who gave their lives for Konkani to be vindicated. Long live Konkani, Long live Goa.

SCARLET KEELING’S DIARY PAGES MISSING

Both the accused Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho told the Goa Children’s court that some pages were missing from the Diary of the victim Scarlet Keeling. The accused filed an application beroer the court that the missing pages be produced in the court.

Accused Placido Carvalho and Samson D'Souza

The CBI investigating the case were asked by the President of the Goa Children’s Court to file a reply to the application of the accused by 3rd September 2010. The diary which was recovered from Scarlet Keeling’s boyfriend Julio Lobo during the investigation is an important material evidence for the prosecution.

Fiona Mackeown had during her cross examination, identified the diary which contained several sketches drawn by her daughter. It was at this point it was pointed out by the defence lawyer, advocate Jose D’Souza about the missing pages of the diary. Fiona also said that she had no idea about the missing pages as the diary was not numbered in her presence. After a preliminary investigation by the Goa Police, the case was handed over to the CBI. Samson and Placido the two accused have been charged with the offence of drugging, raping and leaving her to die on the beach. One more key witness in the case, Murli sagar is yet to be cross examined and that is fixed for 17th September. The witness had deposed before the court a month ago. His cross examination was deferred after Fiona confirmed her dates of the visit to Goa.

WHO ARE TRUE GOANS? by TGF brought to you by Menino Fernandes

An excerpt from the Internet
True Goans are :

1. Individuals of Goan parentage, whether living in Goa or abroad, who feel for Goa and demonstrate their deep commitment towards Goa.

2. Erstwhile non-Goans including the labour force from the surrounding States who have contributed to Goa, and have made Goa their home both physically and emotionally. They have given their heart and sweat to Goa .

True Goans clearly understand the diverse nature of Goan heritage and accept it without an iota of reservation.

The Goan spirit is a composite of Kunbi, Hindu, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, Maratha, Portuguese, Saraswat, Aryan, Dravidian, Rajput, Kannad, Arab, Turk, Jewish, English, Konkani, Marathi, Gujrati, and now Hindi, Malayali, Telegu, Sikh and Punjabi influences.

Even so, True Goans are individuals who will publicly pronounce that they are Goans first irrespective of their lineage e.g. Maharashtrian, Gujrati, Punjabi, Malayali etc.

Mere birth in Goa or long time residence in Goa does not make one a True Goan. It might qualify one for a Goa residency certificate or a Goa ration card, but NOT for being accepted as a True Goan.

For that, an individual would have to demonstrate genuine inbuilt support for Konkani, dekni & dulpods, and Goan cultural events like tiatr, mando festival, zatra and shigmo.

True Goans are also most likely to protest loudly against the derogatory terms used by Maharashtrians & Gujratis to describe Goans i.e. Maka Pao, as also the derogatory Nehru, Brit & many North Indians'-term for Goans i.e. Goanese!.

True Goans will do all in their ability to prevent the further filthification of Goa and the further pollution of Goa's once pristine environment.

Anything less than this total commitment to Goan-ness will indicate that they are anti-Goan or at best are only Paper Goans i.e. Goans of convenience.

Goans have seen horrendous violence which lead to the near obliteration of Buddhist temples, the Vijayanagri Hindus and Golconda Muslims butchering each other for decades, repeated violent Maratha incursions, and the the most horrible Inquisition perpetrated by Right Wing Catholics under the watch of the Portuguese.

And yet, Goans are amongst the most peaceful, happy, fair minded, hospitable but direct, people in the world. Is it because they have seen the worst and learnt a lesson from the violence of others, or the last 200 years of Portuguese rule in Goa were fairly docile or they are inherently a decent people like most Indians ?.

It is most likely, a composite of all the above.

Goans have made the right choice of shunning religion & politics based violence which is threatening to destroy different communities around our world. All of us will benefit from working together. We are different and yet one. We will succeed best if we continue to accept our individual differences and avoid imposing our own language, culture and religious dogmas on others.

We are all good people. We are also intelligent people. We should incorporate the positive qualities of others and shun their negatives .

We, Goans, are after all a perfect example of : OUT OF MANY....ONE PEACEFUL PEOPLE!

FOR THE EYES OF GOANS ONLY

Letters to the Heraldo by Goans

Beware of BJP by Jose Maria Miranda, Margao

There are reports that the BJP is wooing the minorities. It would not be difficult, as the ruling coalition, by its lack of governance, corruption and infighting, seems to be handing over the next government to them on a platter.
But let us not forget that while giving us a fairly efficient administration, the BJP also gave a communal, despotic and aggressive governance, with attempts by its leader to even gag the Press. While people are surely frustrated with the present government, not only the minorities but even broad-minded people from the majority community will certainly not see the BJP as an option. Once bitten…

BJP and minorities by Samir Khan, Mapuca

The news item ‘BJP to tap minority vote to boost base’ (Herald, 23 August) says that BJP Goa desk-in-charge Arti Mehra will interact with the minorities to remove the tag of the BJP being a communal party. Can a leopard change its spots? Can the Sangh Parivar give up Hindutva? The BJP is running short of ideas after it realised that it cannot, any more, use the Ram Mandir plank for votes. The hands of BJP and the Sangh Parivar are drenched in the blood of Muslims, Christians and Dalits. The demolition of the Babri Masjid, the Gujarat genocide, the burning alive of missionary Graham Staines and his two little sons by Bajrang Dal activists, Orissa’s anti-Christian Kandhamal riots; all are still fresh in the mind.

Manohar Parrikar and his brigade have left no stone unturned to pollute the peaceful atmosphere of Goa. If the BJP is voted back to power, its first and immediate target will be the minorities. Minorities and seculars

THE CANSAULIM INCIDENT by Nisha Pereira

The sorry state of affairs that we see in Cansaulim and other villages of Goa is because the builders and the Panchayat members with the backing of the Government of Goa and the Government of Machinery are hell bent on pushing through these housing projects. Corruption and kickbacks are rampant and it is obvious to all how this evil nexus works.

Take the case of the Gonsalves-Dias Gates Project in Cansaulim itself, if one follows the reports it is obvious that there has been a deriliction of duty not only on the path of the Cansaulim Panchayat but also the Town and Country Planning Department and the Directorate of Panchayats with direct intervention coming for MLA Mauvin Godinho who openly has been working to protect the interests of his cousin Aggie Alcacoas.

Sarpanch Jose Manuel Fernandes has not followed on the mandate of the Gram Sabha, records have been fudged and resolutions that have been passed have not been recorded. A stop order that the Sarpanch issued to Aboobakr Shaikh (who is nothing but Aggie Alcacoas man) and then mysteriously disappeared.

Martha Saldhana a Panch member who openly and unashamedly backs Aboobakr Shaikh the builder has been pressuring the Sarpanch along with her stooges like Ferwin Saldanha (better known all over as bonkan bott)and some of the others have consciously chosen to pressurise the Sarpanch to follow their mandate instead of that of the Gram Sabha.

The High Court should order an inquiry into this whole affair in the Cansaulim Pancahayat and this sordid saga of corruption, breach of law, attack on democratic traditions and constitutional rights will be exposed. For the 22nd August meeting the Secretary got himself admitted in hospital as he would have some answering to do.

The villagers opposing this project have been given the run-around by the Panchayat, TCP and even the Directorate of Panchayats. Finally does anyone know where Fr. Valmiki Gonsalves-Dias is? He and his brother Stuart Gonsalves-Dias sit pretty while being responsible for the destruction that they are wrecking on Cnasaulim not just the environment but it's very social fabric. They bear the moral responsibility for all the attacks, intimidation, harassment from aboobakr Shaikh and these goons that are being meted out on the villagers of Cansaulim including that on the old, the weak, the widows, even Fr. Randall Barretto and now Dr Marconi Correia and others that were attacked at the Cansaulim Gram Sabha recently.

There is a God and He sees it all!

PROBE NOT REQUIRED IN ATALA'S MISSING CASE

Goa Police on Wednesday admitted a delay of almost 45 days to issue Look out Circular (LOC) against Israeli drug peddler Yaniv alias Atala Benaim ever since he was missing on July 7. What was the IO doing all the while inspite of knowing that the drug dealer had skipped the bail and just vanished.

Home Minister Ravi Naik talking to Media

Police spokesperson Superintendent of Police Atmaram Deshpande admitted that Atala’s disappearance will damage the police-drug nexus probe. “Atala was called on August 7 at Crime Branch for clarification relating to investigation. By then he had already checked out from the Angels Resort at Porvorim, address which he provided to the police after his conditional release…We have moved for cancellation of his bail at Narcotics and Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Court…” the officer informed reporters today evening, the PRO had denied in the beginning but now admitted that Atala has jumped the bail.

The revelation comes close on the heels of criticisms against police department over Atala’s sudden disappearance. When asked about the delay in seeking LOC against the drug peddler, the officer tried to conceal the reason by stating that the Crime Branch might have been trying to locate him whereas earlier the investigating officer Chandrakant Salgaoncar had said that the missing Atala was not an absconder and they would try to trace him. Whereas Atmaram Deshpande the PRO said “It is quite possible that Investigating Agency (Crime Branch) was making efforts to trace Atala and hence there was a delay in seeking LOC.”

Though there are strong apprehensions that Atala probably escaped from the state soon after he checked out of the hotel he was staying at Porvorim, the police department has launched a massive manhunt and teams have been sent to neighbouring places like Gokarna, Sindhudurg, etc to trace him.

Bhartiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused police officers including Director General of Police Bhim Sain Bassi let Atala jump off the bail knowingly. They also alleged that the home minister was involved in with the drug dealer and the police drug nexus. The NCP too have been at the heels of the home minister and have been constantly demanding a CBI probe into the case along with BJP.Mr Manohar Parrikar opposition leader said that it was almost two months that Atala has been missing and that the police kept silent on it inspite of knowing the fact. Mr. Parrikar also said that they would now approach the high court asking for a CBI probe into the police drug nexus.

Atala has been earlier been convicted of possessing narcotics and over staying, both in 2006. On December 16, 2006 Atala was again arrested by Anjuna police for overstaying his visa and was convicted of overstaying and was sentenced minimal punishment of five days simple imprisonment which he did not serve as he was already in custody during the period. Presently a case of over staying is slammed on the drug dealer.

Though the Goa police have moved the court for issuing look out notices against Atala, who has been missing since last two months, the Home Minister Ravi Naik said that he feels that no formal inquiry is required in his disappearing. Ravi Naik in a press conference said “The police have moved the court for issuing look out notice against Atala. Naik also said that the airports, Foreign Registration Offices have been notified and alerted about the drug dealer Atala. The Home Minister also denied that he had ordered any inquiry into the disappearance of Atala.

“We have approached the NDPS court for cancellation of his bail. But…I don’t think there is any requirement for an inquiry into his disappearance,” he stated. Naik, whose son has been linked to drug trade, said that he was misquoted by media and he never said he would order an inquiry.  Goa's news channel Prudent media had reported that Ravi Naik had ordered an inquiry into the matter.  According to the home minister when reporters spoke to him he only said he would look into it but was misquoted by them saying that he had actually ordered an in enquiry into it. The Home Minister also said that since it was not the failure on the part of the police. To the question whether Atala’s vanishing is serious or no, he replied negatively. As per the home minister Atala’s statement had already been recorded and that he was not arrested for possessing drugs. The conditional bail to Atala was granted by the NDPS court at a hard argument by the defense lawyer Swapnil Nashinolcar. The conditions of the bail prevented Atala from leaving the state and was required to attend the crime branch and the court if and when ordered to do so. (Prudent Media News Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkPxSFq2Ybw&feature=player_embedded )

SINGING FOR THE POPE: SUSAN BOYLE by Menino Fernandes

Scottish singer Susan Boyle said she was "humbled and honoured" to be asked to perform at the Pope's open-air Mass in Glasgow. Boyle is The Britain's Got Talent finalist. She will sing three times at the Bellahouston Park event next month when the The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI visits Britain with his first stop at Scotland. His Holiness the Pope is scheduled to visit Britain in September 2010.

Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle, hails from Blackburn, West Lothian, will perform her signature tune "I dreamed a dream" as well as hymns. Boyle is a practicing and strong Roman Catholic. Pope Benedict XVI will embark on a four-day state visit to the UK, starting in Scotland on 16 September.

Boyle will join an 800-strong choir which will lead the singing at the special Mass starting at 1715 BST. She will also perform to the tens of thousands of worshippers who are expected to attend the celebration. The 49-year-old's final piece will be a farewell song to the Pope as he leaves the park and flies to London to continue his visit.

Speaking from her home, Boyle said: "To be able to sing for the Pope is a great honour and something I've always dreamed of - it's indescribable. I think the 16th of September will stand out in my memory as something I've always wanted to do, I've always wanted to sing for his Holiness and I can't really put into words my happiness, that this wish has come true at last."

The international sensation, who was made famous through the ITV talent show, was approached by Cardinal Keith O'Brien to take part in the Pope's visit. Boyle added: "My family will be there on the day on what will be a very special day for all of us and I hope they will be proud of me."

'Do my best'

On the importance of her faith, she said: "The Pope's visit is a very big event for Scottish Catholics. My own faith is the backbone of my life, I pray and say the rosary each day and am very close to my religion. Boyle said "I am humbled and honoured by this invitation and I hope I can do my best."

Cardinal O'Brien said he was delighted Boyle had agreed to perform for the Pope. "I think it is wonderful that she will have this once in a lifetime opportunity and as her bishop I am hugely proud of her," he added

(Courtesy BBC News)

STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE OF ATALA

The games played by the police and the politicians! It is hard to imagine who is behind whom. How money buys! In a very surprising novelty of the police drug nexus, now the defense council Swapnil Nashinolcar says that his client Atala has severed ties with him and that he is desperately trying to get in touch with him. The strong arguments by Nashinolcar made it possible for Atala to get a conditional bail.

            Atala(left) & Chandrakant Salgaoncar (Right)

According to Nashinolcar Atala used to visit him in the office regularly but since July he suddenly cut off his ties with him. Even though Nashinolcar tried to contact Atala on his mobile, it was found to be out of reach.

On the other hand the police who never bothered to challenge the conditional release of Atala were silent over the disappearance of Atala. Chandrakant Salgaoncar who is believed, by the public in general, to be behind the disappearance of Atala. The question arises as to why Salgaoncar did not challenge the release of Atala. The Goa Police were eager to challenge the release of the former tourism minister but not Atala. Why? Police spokesperson Atmaram Deshpande said that the police will decide the future course of action after getting the details on paper. This is likely a bluff.

The investigating cop Chandrakant Salgaoncar on the other hand says that Atala is not an absconder but only a violator of bail conditions put forth by the NDPS court. He also said that the crime branch searched Atala at the available “ADDRESS” on August 9 but could not be traced. The question is “was the search confined only to the just one available address?”

Atala has disappeared since July 4th and till date the police (Salgaoncar) have not informed the court about it. Salgaoncar also seems to be very relaxed and cool on the disappearance of Atala. DIG Ravindra Yadav said that they were ascertaining facts and would take the appropriate action,

NIZ GOENKAR ADDS: How long will it take to finish the investigation of the case? What should be done to corrupt like Chandrakant Salgaoncar? Who are the mysterious figures behind all this drama?

THE DAY-OIL TANKS IN DANGER by P. Cruz, Vasco Da Gama – Goa

It was about 10:30 hrs; I was in a Barber shop having a shave and hair cut, we heard a loud bang as if someone had dropped a bomb or some terrorist attack. The Barber stopped and myself half shaven, as well as all guys from shop went out.

We saw some smoke coming out from the tanks area and also foul odour in the air, same like kerosene. Every one was terrified and started to look at each others face. After 10 minutes we heard the siren of the fire fighting equipments. I knew something is wrong I cleaned my face of foam and without shave went near the Oil tanks. We could not enter the area, I was just outside as we are not allowed. I stood far away and the police also arrived on the spot. Every one was running and also I saw some people were boarding buses and trucks to go far away leaving everything. I called my home and explained to them be ready in case of emergency. After one hour I asked a police man about the situation, he said everything is under control and there was a small pipe supplying fuel that had blast due to leak. I called home again and said everything is under control and no need to worry. But the smell of the fuel and black cloud frightened the people who started to run. Then the word spread that everything was under control and the people were cool.

Next morning the newspaper gave the news that someone was taping the supply pipe illegally to make a hole and the blast occurred. This guy has done this before so many years and made crores of rupees selling the fuel illegally and lot of people are involved but no action was taken. This time he was not lucky and got caught, but Vasco Town was lucky if this has gone bigger then we would all lost our life and property. There is not even an emergency plan for evacuation and no life support equipments for the people it’s like a time Bomb! After sometime there was a case on this matter, but no result as this also covered up.

From what I have heard at that time the MLA of Vasco, was paid 50 lakhs by this person and 50 lakhs to the Judges, lawyers and also some money to the police for the cover up the case FIR, etc. I do not know where the case has gone I could not see it in the news or hear something, so my informer must be right and this is correct news. Even the present minister is quite, no one knows about this case now. This case is a big one and someone should have imagine the damage to life and property; forget property what would have happened to us. We would have burnt to death or suffocated to death. Now no one cares, where is Tara the lady from Baina the women’s leader, they only come when they get something.