MARGAO: The coastal talukas of Mormugao (18.1%) and Salcete (13.7%) in South and Bardez (14.6%) and Tiswadi (9.4%) in North reported majority of the cases of HIV infection in the year 2011.

Demanding the recovery of the national wealth, the Goenchea Xetkarancho Ekvott (GXE) has demanded criminal prosecution of the mine owners and operators involved in illegal mining.

Evkott President Dilip Hegde called upon the government to seize the assets of all mine owners and operators pending the finalisation of the criminal cases and recovery program.

: With the prospects of transporting 25,000 tons of hazardous waste turning out a remote possibility, the Goa State Pollution Control Board on Wednesday has directed the Managing Director of Goa In

MARGAO: Margao Municipal Council’s action on the garbage management seems to be progressing at a snail’s pace.

In fact, the civic body has shown no urgency in finalising an action plan on the door-to-door waste collection till date. While the door-to-door waste collection concept is yet to be tendered, the civic body has till date not yet decided how to go about capping of the existing dumping site at Sonsodo.

PANJIM: The Goa unit of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has decided to file intervention application in the Supreme Court, seeking directives for immediate resumption of all legal mining operations in Goa. The application would be filed on November 2, when the ongoing case would be heard next.

Addressing a press conference, AITUC General Secretary Christopher Fonseca said that Goa Mining Labour Welfare Union under AITUC has been constituted, which would be filing the intervention petition in Supreme Court to put across all the facts affecting livelihood of mining dependent people, with the suspension of mining operations.

MARGAO: In a bid to control air pollution in the port town of Vasco and Margao, the district authorities have outlined a 16-point program to check increasing air pollution in the two towns, with a suggestion to make pollution check compulsory for all vehicles entering the State.

The program was discussed at a meeting chaired by the District Magistrate, South N D Agarwal with representatives of petroleum companies and other agencies, including the RTO and civic bodies.

MARGAO: In an interesting development, the Margao Municipal Council has rejected the request of the Konkan Railway Corporation to exempt the railways from the payment of garbage collection fees.

In fact, MMC Chief Officer S R Kotkwale told the KRC officials that the request for exemption cannot be considered and directed the Corporation to clear the outstanding dues totaling to around Rs 5.49 lakh.

MARGAO: Saying that the village should be protected from soil erosion and other natural calamities, Cavelossim villagers on Sunday told the Captain of Ports not to go ahead with the dredging of mouth of River Sal till the stakeholders submit a detailed report, including Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the project.

The village panchayat has also decided to coordinate with the neighbouring Betul panchayat and other stakeholders how to go about the issue, even as the Captain of Ports has floated a tender to dredge the mouth of the river.

MARGAO: Asserting that his government has no plans to issue new mining leases, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said he has not put a cap on mining activity and left it for the people to take a call on the issue.

“As far as our policy is concerned, no new leases should be given for mining. But, I also believe that all natural resources should be auctioned. The government has not decided to give any new mining lease. When the policy is in place and if there is a proposal for new mining leases, they will be definitely auctioned,” he said.

Demand scrapping of land acquisition

MARGAO: Velim villagers took to the streets on Sunday demanding immediate scrapping of the land acquisition proceedings for the Cutbona fishing harbour project. Armed with placards and banners, hundreds of men and women participated in a protest rally that wend its way from Velim to neighbouring Assolna village with the villagers calling upon the government to respect the their sentiments by scrapping the land acquisition process and not to convert Cutbona into an industrial zone.