News Analysis India

Tag: Goa

  • Goa govt to move HC against Tarun Tejpal’s acquittal in rape case: CM Pramod Sawant

    By PTI
    PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said the state government will challenge in the high court journalist Tarun Tejpal’s acquittal in a 2013 rape case by a district court here.

    A sessions court at Mapusa on Friday acquitted Tejpal of sexually assaulting his former female colleague in an elevator of a five star resort in Goa.

    Talking to reporters, Sawant said, “We will not tolerate any injustice to be meted out to the women in Goa.

    We will challenge the district court’s order before the high court soon in this case.”

    He said he has personally discussed the issue with the public prosecutor and the investigating officer in the case about challenging the verdict in the high court.

    Sawant claimed that there was enough evidence against the accused.

    The Goa police had registered an FIR against Tejpal in November 2013, following which he was arrested.

    The Goa crime branch had filed a charge sheet against Tejpal, who has been out on bail since May 2014.

    He faced the trial under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 376(2)(f) (person in a position of authority over women, committing rape) and 376(2)k) (rape by a person in a position of control).

  • Tourist hub Goa reports high positivity, mortality

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI:  Goa is the only state in the country to have registered more than 50% positivity rate in the second coronavirus wave, overburdening the health infrastructure, and leading to the death of more than 2,000 people. The mortality in Goa is 1.49% against 1.54% in Maharashtra and 1.11% all-India average. The Bombay High Court of Goa has slammed the state government over Covid patients’ death due to lack of oxygen.

    Digambar Kamat, former Goa CM and the leader of the Opposition, says the BJP-led government has lost the moral right to remain in power. He said the deaths occurred because the government was unable to arrange hospital beds, medical oxygen and other health facilities. “This is nothing but murdering the people. We kept demanding enforcement of a lockdown and mandatory RT-PCR tests for those who stepped out of their houses. But they kept ignoring us, which has resulted in 2,000 deaths,” said Kamat.

    He said the government was on record having admitted that they failed to supply oxygen to patients, killing 75 people in just four days.  “We demand chief minister Pramod Sawant and his health minister Vishwajit Rane must step down,” Kamat said. Sumit Naik, a senior journalist from Goa, told this paper that the state government went horribly wrong on many fronts, starting from taking political decisions to ignoring warnings of health experts.

    He said after the first wave, Goa rather than remaining on alert, opened all its doors to tourists. “The virus spread in such a huge manner that the state government looked helpless. The deaths due to lack of oxygen are unprecedented,” said Naik. “In the midst of the pandemic, the CM and the health minister were engaged in an internal political tussle,” he said.

    The differences between Sawant and his health minister were on imposition of a lockdown and making the RT-PCR mandatory from outsiders. While the CM was more worried about the economy than the lives of the people, the health minister went in the opposite direction. “This changed the focus of the government. The government moved only when the people started posting pictures of the horrible conditions of Covid patients in hospitals,” Naik said.

    In Goa, the number of Covid cases started rising from May 1. From 2,303 cases being registered, the count almost doubled to 4,100 on May 7.  On May 2, the positivity rate was 42 % with 52 deaths while on May 5 and May 6, the positivity rate went up to 51.6% and 51.5% respectively with 71 and 58 deaths respectively. Dr Shivanand Bhandekar, Dean of Goa Medical College, said the situation soon went out of hand as the Goa Medical College and Hospital received 900 patients against its capacity of only 350 beds. 

  • Cyclone Tauktae: Goa CM speaks to Amit Shah regarding damage caused, assured of complete support

    By ANI
    PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Monday spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the impact and devastation caused by the Tauktae cyclone in the state.

    “Spoke to the Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji regarding the impact and devastation caused by the Tauktae cyclone in the state of Goa,” said the Goa CM in a tweet.

    He further said that the Home Minister inquired about the damage and assured of full support to the state.

    “Hon’ble HM inquired about the widespread damage caused by the cyclone in the state and assured full support of all Central agencies to the State for returning to normalcy. We will provide all necessary assistance to Goans impacted by the cyclone,” he added.

    The Goa CM also held a virtual meeting and directed all the State Government Departments to work on war footing to restore essential services and also assess the damage in detail.

    Earlier on Sunday, the Chief Minister had said that two deaths were reported in Goa due to the cyclone.

    The cyclone, which nearly touched Goa, has caused as lot of damage in the state.

    ALSO READ | Cyclone Tauktae: CM Uddhav Thackeray reviews situation; over 12,000 people shifted in Maharashtra

    “More than 500 trees have fallen. There were major road blocks also. Around 100 major houses and 100 minor houses were damaged. Huge damage has been caused to the electricity department. The fire department, Home department, PWD department, and electricity department along with the disaster management team have been working since morning. I believe it will take two days to streamline everything. The power supply is disrupted. Roads are blocked. We are clearing the main road first,” said the chief minister.

    “By the grace of God, our COVID hospitals’ power supply was not interrupted,” he added.

    The Chief Minister further announced that the families of the deceased will be provided support from the disaster relief fund.

    ALSO WATCH:

    Speaking about the cyclone, he said: “We have to be alert for another two days. The cyclonic winds will continue on May 16 and May 17. The major impact has been on Bardez in North Goa and Mormugao in South Goa.”

    Earlier, the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) had stated that Cyclone Tauktae is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm within the next 24 hours and that it will cross the western coast of Gujarat in the early morning of May 18.

    Thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas along its western coast as Tauktae is expected to make landfall in Gujarat. IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra informed that the cyclone is very likely to cross the Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district.

  • Cyclone Tauktae: Goa sets up control rooms, NDRF team in state

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government has put in place various measures in view of the IMD’s warning about cyclone Tauktae, officials said on Saturday.

    Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) comprising 22 personnel has reached the state, and control rooms are also set up at the district and taluka level, which would remain functional round-the-clock.

    As per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) prediction, Konkan and Goa are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on May 15 and 16 as the weather condition is very likely to intensify into cyclonic storm Tauktae.

    The Goa Fire and Emergency Services said it has kept its personnel ready to tackle the situation.

    “We have kept our force ready to face any kind of eventualities arising out of the cyclone,” its director Ashok Menon told PTI.

    ALSO WATCH:

    The Emergency Services, with its force of 800 personnel, have taken proactive steps in this regard, he said.

    “The cyclonic winds and rains that lashed the state on Friday did not cause much damage,” Menon added.

    The disaster management response forces of the state’s two districts – South Goa and North Goa – led by the respective collectors, held meetings on Friday to check the preparedness.

    According to officials, the impact of the cyclone is likely to be less severe given that a curfew is in place in the state till May 24 due to the coronavirus situation.

    State Ports Minister Michael Lobo said the entire beach belt in this tourist state is currently empty.

    “Due to the curfew, all the restaurants and regular activities in the coastal belt are shut. People are also not allowed to move on the beaches.

    This will help in ensuring that the impact of the cyclone remains minimal,” he said.

    Sanguem tehsil in South Goa witnessed several incidents of falling of trees due to cyclonic winds on Friday.

    In a video message, the chief minister said, “Lifesaving machinery on beaches has been activated under the state Tourism Department”.

    He said the NDRF is working in coordination with state departments including Electricity, Water Resources, and the Disaster Management Cell.

    Sawant said the state has already issued directions to various sectors including Fisheries.

    Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea for the next three days.

    He asked people living in the coastal belt and near banks of rivers to remain alert and take precautions.

    “A communication plan with early warning and alarm has also been activated. State Ports department has alerted all ships,” the CM added.

  • All adults in Goa to be given Ivermectin drug irrespective of COVID status: Health Minister Vishwajit Rane

    By PTI
    PANAJI: All people above 18 years in Goa will be given Ivermectin drug irrespective of their coronavirus status to bring down mortality, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Monday.

    He said patients will be given Ivermectin 12 mg for a period of five days as expert panels from the UK, Italy, Spain and Japan have found a statistically significant reduction in mortality, time to recovery and viral clearance in COVID-19 patients treated with this medicine.

    “I have given instructions for immediate implementation of prophylaxis (action taken to prevent disease) treatment,” Rane said.

    ALSO READ | Ivermectin prophylaxis leads to 73 per cent reduction in Covid infection: AIIMS-Bhubaneswar study

    The minister said this treatment would not prevent COVID-19 infection but it can help reduce the severity.

    “The Ivermectin 12 mg tablet will be made available in all the district, sub-district, PHCs, CHCs, sub-health centres, rural dispensaries for people to collect and start treatment immediately, irrespective of any symptoms or anything,” Rane said.

    Goa on Monday recorded 2,804 new cases of coronavirus, taking its tally to 1,21,650, while 50 more fatalities pushed the toll to 1,729, a health official said.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • Open COVID-19 centres for differently-abled: Goa government urged

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government has been urged to set up special COVID-19 centres in the state for people with disability and their family members.

    Demand has also been made to prioritise vaccination for persons with disability in the age group of 18 to 45 years and to administer jabs at home for those differently-abled who have no one to take them to health centres.

    “We are receiving complaints from persons with disability and their family members that COVID hospitals and care centres are not accessible for persons with disability, the staff is not sensitised to handle persons with disability and the family members are not allowed to stay with the special children,” Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) chief Avelino De Sa stated in a letter written to State Commissioner for Persons with Disability.

    DRAG is an NGO working for the cause of differently-abled people in the state.

    “We request you to direct concerned authorities to open special COVID centres (one in each district) of at least 15 beds capacity for persons with disability and their family members,” the DRAG said.

    These COVID centres should be equipped with oxygen and ventilator facilities, De Sa added.

    As of May 7, Goa’s COVID-19 tally stood at 1,12,462 and the death toll was 1,557, health officials had said.

  • Goa cafe drug bust: Nigerian national held along with accomplice

    By PTI
    PANAJI: A Nigerian national was arrested on Sunday in a drug bust carried out jointly by the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Goa police in Anjuna in the northern part of the state, an official said.

    Accused Tiger Mustafa was on the run since a cafe was raided in Arambol beach on May 1, he said.

    “Tiger Mustafa and a man identified as Cajitan Fernandes, who hid the former while he was absconding, were arrested on Sunday.

    The raid on the cafe on May 1 had yielded 58 grams of amphetamine, 15 blots of LSD, cocaine, mephedrone, heroin and ecstasy.

    We had arrested the cafe’s caretaker Ranbir Singh at the time,” the official said.

    Mustafa, a Nigerian national, was heading the drug peddling network operating out of the cafe, he added.

  • Lockdown to continue in Goa’s tourist hotspots: Minister Michael Lobo

    By PTI
    PANAJI: Tourist hotspots like Calangute and Candolim in North Goa will continue to be under lockdown, even as the government has lifted the lockdown in other parts of the state, Ports Minister Michael Lobo said on Monday.

    Goa, a popular tourism destination, reported an extremely high COVID-19 test positivity rate of over 50 per cent last Thursday, following which the state government imposed the lockdown from April 29.

    The lockdown was lifted at 6 am on Monday.

    However, Lobo told PTI that the lockdown will continue in the tourism belt of North Goa district to break the chain of the viral infection.

    “We are going to continue a strict lockdown in the villages of Calangute, Candolim and Arpora-Nagoa,” Lobo said.

    The panchayats of these three areas, which are very popular among tourists, have passed orders to continue the lockdown to curb the spread of the infection, said the MLA from Calangute.

    Local administration will ensure proper availability of the essential commodities for people living in these areas, Lobo said.

    Currently, there are 1,611 active COVID-19 cases in these areas, as per the state health directorate.

    Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said the lockdown imposed in Goa on April 29 will be lifted at 6 am on Monday.

    He also said the COVID-19-induced restrictions will remain in force in the state till May 10 during which various commercial establishments will remain closed and political and social gatherings will be banned.

    On Sunday, Goa’s coronavirus caseload went up by 2,030 to reach 95,385 on Sunday, while 52 deaths pushed the toll to 1,274, as per official data.

  • COVID-19 surge: Congress wants extension of lockdown in Goa

    By PTI
    PANAJI: Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly Digambar Kamat on Sunday said the four-day lockdown imposed in the state needs to be extended in view of the “grim situation” in the coastal state.

    Following a very high test positivity rate, Goa went into a lockdown on Friday and it will remain applicable till 6 am on Monday.

    All essential services have been exempted from the curbs. In a statement issued here, Congress leader Kamat claimed people of Goa are scared in the wake of the “unstoppable rise” in COVID-19 cases and the increasing number of deaths.

    “As the situation is grim, extending lockdown with strict enforcement is the only option left,” he said. He demanded that the BJP-led state government announce a Rs 100 crore package for the marginalised sector to minimise the effect of the lockdown.

    He also said the need of the hour is to hand over the COVID-19 management to a “task force of experts from the civil society and the Army”.

    The task force must be empowered with financial powers to take decisions in the best interest of the people, he said.

    “Enough is enough, let us not play with the innocent lives any more,” Kamat stated. He said once the monsoon season starts, things will become more challenging.

    “We need to anticipate frequent power cuts, road blockages and flooding which will seriously affect COVID-19 management,” he said.

    Kamat also said vaccines against COVID-19 should be procured on a war-footing and the first dose should be administered to all eligible people by mid-July this year.

    On Saturday, Goa recorded 2,303 new coronavirus infection, taking its caseload to 93,355, while 54 deaths pushed the toll to 1,222, as per official data.

  • Goa unable to start COVID vaccination for people above 18 due to lack of doses

    By PTI
    PANAJI: The Goa government could not start the drive to inoculate the 18 to 45 age group in the state on Saturday due to unavailability of vaccine doses.

    Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the state has placed an order for doses with the Pune-based Serum Institute of India.

    ALSO READ | Goa goes into Covid-19 lockdown mode; test positivity rate at 50 per cent

    “People should not rush to health centres as the vaccination for those in the age group of 18 to 45 years is yet to start. It will begin once we procure vaccine doses,” he told reporters.

    The vaccination drive for people above 45 will continue as per schedule, he added.

    The coastal state, a tourist hotspot, is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases and has been reporting around 3,000 infections every day over the last five days.

    More worryingly, as of Friday, it was recording an extremely high test positivity rate of over 50 per cent.