The central com merce ministry has declined the Goa government's request to denotify the three SEZ's that were granted final approval. The three SEZ's are K Raheja's SEZ at Verna, Meditab Specialities at Keri, and Peninsula Pharma at Sancoale, Goa.

Two months down the line and Goan unemployed youths may still be waiting for a guaranteed job under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. But, introduced in April last, the Rural Development Agencies of both North and South districts are putting in place the logistics required to ensure the scheme takes off without much difficulty.

As per the directives, Tiverem-Orgao panchayat sarpanch along with panchas and residents from Tariwada-Marcel visited a company for an inspection of the effluent treatment plant. On Monday, Sarpanch Sanket Amonkar along with panchas and residents from Tariwada visited the site. "I am satisfied with the work done by the company, since whatever the committee had asked, they have done. But if the company fails to maintain these conditions then a strict action will be taken against them and we would insist to stop the work on the same day,' said Mr Amonkar.

Officer-in-charge at the National Institute of Malaria Research-Goa Dr Ashwani Kumar and Dr Hemant Kumar are upbeat over their experiments with bed nets treated with deltamethrine that have shown excellent results in controlling malaria. Says Dr Ashwani Kumar, "A total of 18 sites were taken up in the experiments out of which at nine places bed nets treated with deltamethrine were distributed. At the nine sites malaria cases have shown a decline, while at the other nine locations where no nets were given the situation has not seen much difference.'

Large-scale felling and transportation of costly timber from the jungle areas have resumed in Sanguem taluka. Though hundreds of teak and other prized trees have been illegally cut and transported from the remote areas of Wadem and Netravali since the last two years, authorities have been silent in the matter. In the past few months, about 25-30 teak trees have been cut and transported to unknown destinations, locals told Herald. The forest department had grown a large number of teak and other trees in the forest areas of Sanguem taluka.

A plastic-free Margao. That's what the Margao Civic body has set out late last year by banning sale of plastic bags in the Commercial capital. Sadly, after repeated failed deadlines, the ban has now been confined to the Civic record books, thanks to the change of guard in the Civic body and the lack of enthusiasm by the Civic babus. It was with great fanfare that then Chief Officer, N D Agrawal ably supported by the Chairperson, Johnson Fernandes announced a ban on the sale of plastic bags across the city from Goa Liberation Day on December 19.

Whether the ruling dispensation listens or not, the advise to the government on Goa's Statehood Day from the historic Maidan is simple

Looks like the State Government needs High Court to remind it that one of its duties is to ensure that the people in Goa get adequate unpolluted drinking water. And, the right to get unpolluted drinking water falls within the ambit of right to life.

Residents of Nuem in Khola village have foiled the move of a mining magnate to restart an abandoned mine in the area, forcing the authorities to apply official seal against lifting of any materials, recently. Even as the opposition was brewing to emerge as a major fall out, timely intervention of Canacona Mamlatdar Vinayak Volvoikar helped in curbing the mining activities trying to raise its ugly head.

As a result of various persuasions by the Government of Goa, the Government of Maharashtra, has decided to stop the work on the Virdi dam. In the second week of May , 50% of the machinery was shifted from the site. A team of officers visited the site on May 21 and observed that only the protection works for monsoon diversion and pre-monsoon measures was in progress, Government of Maharashtra had envisaged construction of dam on Haltar nullah, from 1 km from the point of entry of the river from Maharashtra into Goa.