Minute books of managing committee since 2006 eludes the investigating team
PANAJI
High priority given to tracing these minute books received a prominent mention in the remand application submitted by Economic Offence Cell (EOC) of Goa Police before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Panaji while seeking seven days police custody for GCA president Chetan Desai, secretary Vinod Phadke and treasurer Akbar Mulla on Thursday.
However, it has now come to light that not even one of the minute books, which have recorded the business of managing committees of GCA from 2006 till date, is in the possession of the investigating team so far.
From 2006 till 2012, GCA was presided over by Dayanad Narvekar. After the 2012 GCA election, Vinod Phadke was elected as GCA president while Chetan Dessai was elected Secretary.
It is on record that, Desai sent official letter to the outgoing GCA president Narvekar asking him to hand over all the official material including the minute book maintained during his tenure.
What happened with these minute books and whether they were handed over to the ascending committee or whether they are missing has yet to be discovered, sources from the police informed.
Dr Shekhar Salkar took over from Phadke as the president of GCA on November 22, 2014 and remained in office till June 30, 2015.
It has been learnt that a few weeks before his tenure ended, Salkar wrote to Desai and Phadke asking them to refund Rs 26 lakhs with 18 per cent interest to the GCA on or before June 16, 2015 or else the said amount would be shown as outstanding against their names in the GCA records.
In a letter he wrote to each of them in June 2015 alleging ‘personal financial benefit’, the then president Salkar stated, “It has come to our notice that during your tenure for season 2008-09, one payment form of cash was made to the vendor named as Hako Engineering from Mumbai dated May 28, 2008 and the amount was to the tune of Rs 26 lakhs.”
It was further stated that the payment shown in cash book has been cross checked with the particular vendor and that they have denied receiving any such cash payment from GCA.
Several official communications were later exchanged between Desai and Salkar after Salkar stepped down as the president. Desai sent emails to Salkar asking him to hand over the minute books and 20 cheque books which were allegedly collected from the YES Bank, Panaji along with related documents of GCA.
Later on August 5, Salkar lodged a police complaint at Bicholim police station .
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Cancer of digestive organs proves
to be deadliest in the State
the goan I network
PANAJI
This may be hard to digest for Goans. Malignancy of the digestive system is recorded to have claimed maximum number of lives in the segment of deaths due to cancer. According to a report, cancer of the stomach, livers and esophagus registered the highest number of deaths.
Certification of Cause of Death report for the year 2013 released by the Office of the Registrar General, India and Ministry of Home Affairs, Vital Statistics Division states that, 917 persons died due to cancer. Of these, 290 (193 male and 97 female) were claimed by malignant cancer of digestive organs.
The report that classifies cancer as neoplasm lists 78 persons as having died due to cancer of the stomach. Malignant neoplasm of liver and bile ducts came second in the category with 61 deaths.
Cancer of the genitourinary organs including ovary, prostate and urinary tract totaled 147 deaths. Breast cancer accounted for 85 deaths while Leukemia accounted for 31 deaths. Oral cavity deaths accounted for 116 deaths.
Cancer of respiratory organs was also high with as many as 121 deaths caused due to it. Cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lung totaled 90 deaths.
Diseases of the blood and blood forming organs and certain diseases of the immune system totaled 69 deaths.
In case of state machinery, however, though the cancer registry has been created, a constant and continuous updating of the cases in the state has not been happening. The Directorate of Health Service (DHS) who is in charge of maintaining the registry has not maintained an updated list of causes of cancer in the state. While the report looks at those who died of cancer, the number that have survived and are in remission has not been addressed.
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Defence colony residents meet CM, don’t want sewage plant
the goan I network
PANAJI
A delegation of residents of Defence Colony at alto-Porvorim called on Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar in a bid to coax him not to allow an upcoming sewage treatment plant in their vicinity given that it is in a populated area and would be a health hazard and cause environmental damage.
The delegation of around 30 persons, many of them senior citizens and retired defence personnel have asked that the plant be shifted elsewhere.
To buttress their case, they have cited the fact that the treated water will be released into a creek at the bottom of the plateau and that it will “adversely affect the marine ecology, flora and fauna.”
“Fish from the creek will either die or could be poisonous post consumption,” the residents said in their memorandum.
They also pointed that the sludge will be stored at the site for drying before it is sold as manure and that it “will be an active hub for breeding of mosquitoes.”
“Needless to say the entire area will have a foul smell which we residents will have to be forced to endure once the plant is set up,” the residents have said.
Speaking to The Goan, a resident who emerged from the meeting said that the CM has promised them that the plant would have to be shifted out and that he would not pass the file when it comes to him for approval.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar himself remained unavailable for comment on the meeting.
Speaking to The Goan earlier in the day, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte said that the residents of Defence Colony were briefed and were even given a presentation on the plant and were briefed about it over the last few weeks.
“The plans were approved several months ago. A request for the land was made with the Kadamba Transport Corporation exactly one year ago. It is surprising that one arm of the government wants to oppose development being planned by another,” Khaunte told The Goan referring to the KTC’s rejection of the Sewerage Infrastructure Development Corporation of Goa Ltd. proposal to have the KTC land for the sewage treatment plant.
“Sudin Dhavalikar is the Chairman of the SIDCGL as well as the Minister of Transport, which is the parent department of the KTC. The same person is proposing on one side and rejecting on the other,” he said.
He condemned the Chief Minister for giving the Porvorim residents an audience. “The same chief minister is unwilling to give an audience to the Britona Villagers Forum who have been wanting to meet him over the issues of a casino, for several months now,” Khaunte said.
Based on a letter by Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte, who suggested that using the unused KTC land would be quicker because it didn’t involve acquisition and was government land lying unused.
