As directed by the High Court, the Tourism Department Thursday carried out an exercise to free the Candolim-Baga beach belt of unauthorised beach beds, umbrellas and other encroachments.

Plans by the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) to set up a garbage disposal site has received a major setback, with the Cunchelim Communidade strongly opposing moves to acquire 32,050 sq mtrs of their la

With the High Court directing the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) to stop dumping the city's garbage at its present disposal site at Tonca, there is now nowhere for the city's rubbish to

This year's prolonged winter is likely to affect mango production in the State, according to the agriculture department.

Mormugao Deputy Collector Levinson Martins has convened a meeting on Thursday morning, to discuss the seepage of petroleum products into two wells at Bogmalo. Stating this, Chicolna-Bogmalo Sarpanch Laxman Kavlekar told Herald that Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) officials on Wednesday claimed they had no facilities to store the petroleum that had been pumped out of two wells at Pilmad-Bogmalo. Following a complaint by Mr Kavlekar, the deputy collector had asked IOC officials to remove the petroleum product from the two wells. IOC officials undertook the operations on Saturday, but the seepage continued to take place two days later and Mr Kavlekar alleged that a third well had been contaminated in the village. "IOC officials failed to turn up to pump out the inflammable liquid on Wednesday on grounds that they did not have facilities to store the petroleum product,' Mr Kavlekar said. The sarpanch, however, admitted that the IOC had assured to resolve the problem of storage facilities at the earliest. Mr Kavlekar has now asked IOC officials to allow them to visit all eight tanks located in the naval area, which is close to the affected wells. "I have asked IOC officials to hold a joint inspection of tanks with panchayat members, to clear our doubts on whether the petroleum has seeped from the IOC tanks or from other source,' Mr Kavlekar said.

Days after the loading and unloading of coal at Berths 10 and 11 at the Mormugao Port was stopped by a series of agitations, the Goa Pollution Control Board has shown that both the suspended particulate matter (SPM) and the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in the area are much higher than the permissible limits. The RSPM, which can cause major health disorders, is over 60 per cent higher than the limit. Respirable suspended particulate matter (dust) is defined as particles 10 micrometres in size or smaller (PM10), which can settle in the lungs, causing serious health problems like asthma, lung cancer and heart disease. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) can penetrate the gas-exchange areas of the lungs, and cause high plaque deposits in arteries, vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, leading to heart disease. This happens even with short-term exposure at higher concentrations The very smallest particles

A workshop on agro-based food processing was held at Agnel Ashram and organised by Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Government of India. The programme was attended by a large number of beneficiaries of the REGP scheme who are already self employed in the food processing sector. J M Noronha, General Manager ( Projects) of Agnel Ashram while welcoming the participants exhorted them to take full advantage of all the schemes that the Government offers and requested them to ensure that the quality of the products made by them were of the highest standards. Earlier Fr P M Rodrigues, Superior, inaugurated the workshop by lighting the traditional lamp. Mr Puri, State Director of KVIC also told the participants to ensure that they complied with all the requirements of the Khadi Commision so that they may avail of loans and other facilities as required. Also present were Mr Satpathy from KVIC and Mr Panvelkar from KVIB, besides Fr P M Rodrigues Superior, Agnel Ashram Verna.

Calizz-

The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) is all set to commission its bio-reactor solid waste treatment plant on March 8 which it hopes will temporarily handle the on-going garbage disposal crises in the capital city. According to the CCP, the in-vessel anaerobic technology can scientifically cater to at least 20 tonnes of bio-degradable waste. Presently the bio-degradable waste quantum generated in the city is around 6

While efforts to pump out petroleum products that seeped into two wells at Pilmad Bogmalo have met with little success, Chicolna-Bogmalo Sarpanch Laxman Kavlekar has now claimed that a third well has been contaminated in the village. Mr Kavlekar has stated that IOC officials will visit the well on Wednesday to pump out the petroleum product. Speaking to Herald on Tuesday evening, Mr Kavlekar claimed that petroleum continued to seep into the wells, despite operations by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to pump out the inflammable liquid on Saturday. "I visited the two wells this evening and was surprised to find the same amount of petroleum in the wells. In fact, another well has been contaminated in the village,' said Mr Kavlekar. "On Saturday evening, IOC officials began operations to pump out the petroleum product. The next day, small quantities of petroleum were found in the two wells and residents had assumed it to be residues of the petroleum,' the sarpanch said. When contacted, Ajit Morye, an IOC official at Mumbai, told Herald that IOC officers had alerted the Mumbai office of the continued seepage of petroleum, despite pumping out the liquid on Saturday. "Samples collected from the two wells have confirmed that the petroleum product found in the contaminated wells was not Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF),' Mr Morye said. He, however, admitted IOC officials investigating the cause of the seepage are yet to identify its source. "Bogmalo is no Gulf country. From where would the seepage originate, if not from the eight tanks in the naval area,' asked Mr Kavlekar.

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