Latest news with #Monserrate
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Employment policy for pvt sector on anvil, says Babush
Porvorim: Revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate said govt is in the process of drafting an employment policy for the private sector. He noted that creating reservations in the private sector is unconstitutional and asked Centre to clarify the source of Goa's unemployment data. He said that show-cause notices have been issued to companies operating in Goa that have not advertised jobs in the state, and cases have been filed. He also said govt has written to Union govt to provide an additional model career centre in South Goa. 'A task force committee has been constituted to draft an employment policy in the private sector,' he said. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said a labour mandi would be established to regulate the earnings for daily-wage workers. Monserrate addressed a range of other matters in the House. He indicated that govt is contemplating linking the Aadhaar number with the survey number so that any issues related to land will sound an alert. He also said govt is in the process of streamlining the procedure to regularise structures. On ease of doing business, he said govt has started a single-window system to grant permissions. Moreover, he said, to make processes easy for citizens too, most of the revenue department's services are now online, and he envisions making the department citizen-friendly so that people can avail themselves of the services under a single platform. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Wir haben Potenzmittel getestet - das sind die Top 5 in Deutschland Apotheke Regional Undo Monserrate said govt is in the process of finalising the policy to shift scrap yards and is identifying lands to relocate them. On another front, he said obtaining GI tags for 12 products is at various stages. Speaking on the third district, Monserrate said govt is in the process of finalising it. The state cabinet last week granted approval for the creation of the district consisting of Sanguem, Dharbandora, Quepem, and Canacona. On the issue of solid waste management, he said a facility will be set up at Sonsoddo.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Zuari land scam amount enough to pay govt's debt: Vijai
Porvorim: Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Friday claimed that the Zuari land scam amounts to Rs 50,000 crore and it would have cleared govt debt. However, govt maintained its stance that there is no scam in Zuari land. Sardesai said that revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate has spoken extensively about the Zuari land scam, but nothing has been done by him, and now it is turning into a significant scam. He said that the House passed an amendment to the Goa legislative diploma no. 2017. He further explained that the objective of the amendment is to ensure that the purpose for which the comunidade land was given cannot be changed. The Fatorda MLA said that the purpose of giving land to Zuari Agro Chemicals Limited and/or Zuari Industries Limited and/or any of their subsidiaries was not to create plots. 'Land was not given so that Lodha should make plots or any other should make plots. 50lakh sqm land was given to create employment through industrialisation,' Sardesai said. Sardesai demanded that Monserrate should assure him that he will not issue any sanads for those plots. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Offer Valid for the First 100 Bookings Only Birla Estates Learn More Undo 'You have brought the law in 2024 and tell me now that you are breaking the same law in love of Zuari,' Sardesai said. In response to the question, Monserrate stated that this law does not apply to Zuari as it was prospective and not retrospective. Sardesai argued that the 'aforamento' cannot be changed. Monserrate countered that Zuari land has already been sold as they are the owners of the said Monserrate was seeking advice from a former advocate general, and when the advice was not in his favour, he went to another advocate because he wanted to sell it to Zuari. 'This is the biggest scam in modern Goa history,' Sardesai said. He claimed that Goa could have been debt-free with Zuari money. 'Rs 50,000 crore scam. Law was brought after it was sold to Zuari. You have brought the law after land was given to Zuari,' he said. Monserrate insisted that there is no scam, and the law was brought to prevent such occurrences in the future. Chief minister Pramod Sawant stated that they introduced the law after the Zuari incident. 'Our govt has not done Zuari scam,' Sawant said.
Hindustan Times
21-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Inspectors to be deployed at Panaji heritage sites to monitor tourist decorum
Panaji: The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) will deploy municipality inspectors at Goa's tourist heritage areas to maintain decorum among tourists, mayor Rohit Monserrate said on Saturday. Residents of Panjim's heritage neighbourhoods San Tomé and Fontainhas said that they are facing issues because narrow streets are blocked by impromptu photoshoots, noisy tourists peeking into people's homes, urination in the streets (Saumya Sharma/HT) Monserrate, who attended a council meeting on Friday, said that, as a trial, an inspector would be deployed along with a team of workers. 'As of now, we will deploy an inspector there with some workers. Just to maintain some kind of decorum. The tourists are quite unconcerned about the lives of these people,' he said. 'We can just request them. It is not that these areas are all commercial. We still have a lot of residents living there. We will try and if this doesn't work then we will come up with a different solution,' he added. Residents of Panjim's heritage neighbourhoods San Tomé and Fontainhas, referred to as the Latin quarter, said that they are facing issues because the narrow streets are blocked by impromptu photoshoots replete with professional equipment, noisy tourists peeking into or entering people's homes, urination in the streets, etc. Requesting a streamlining of traffic and parking in heritage areas, the residents said the presence of police or wardens might help regulate crowds in the area. Monserrate had assures action last year after a delegation of residents called demanded solutions to 'mass tourism' that has 'transformed their peaceful neighbourhood into a noisy and intrusive' experience. The outcry had came in the backdrop of a clash between locals and tourists who were doing a photoshoot along a narrow street, during which a resident threatened the tourist group with a stick after they refused to leave when asked to do so. The Latin Quarter, which dates back to the 1800s when Goa's capital was shifted from Old Goa to Panjim, is today home to around 3,500 residents, a majority of whom are senior citizens. The neighbourhood also hosts heritage guesthouses, restaurants, cafés, as well as schools, offices, and other establishments.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Rental bikes, cars causing accidents, killing taxi biz, scrap them: Goa minister Atanasio Monserrate
Panaji: Goa's taxi owners and union leaders gathered in large numbers outside the Junta House to protest against the draft Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. Hundreds of them queued up to submit their objections against the guidelines, which they see as favouring app-based taxi firms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido. While the taxi operators tried to put pressure on the transport department, ministers and local MLAs, revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate refused to buy into their argument. 'The rent-a-car and rent-a-bike operators are creating a nuisance. Today, all sorts of accidents are taking place, and people are dying because of rent-a-bike and rent-a-car. No one seems to be talking about it,' said Monserrate. 'Let us stop rental bikes and cars totally.' App-based taxi services and cab aggregators will help streamline the taxi business, but the best solution would be to halt all rental vehicle services, which are 'killing the taxi business' for local Goans, he said after meeting taxi owners from Panaji, Taleigao and St Cruz. 'All parking spaces in Panaji have been occupied by rent-a-cab operators. It is the failure of the transport department. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The director should take care of this first. I challenge the transport department to look into this," said Monserrate. Taxi operators said that their biggest concern about the aggregator policy is that it will eat into their business and reduce their income. The taxi operators also said that the app or an aggregator cannot guarantee customers in far-flung areas such as Sanguem and Bicholim. Given the number of taxi operators lined up to submit their objections, the transport department set up a dedicated counter on the footpath outside the building to accept the inputs and suggestions. 'We have set a target to submit 6,000 to 8,000 representations. Our brothers will continue to submit their suggestions over the next two days,' said Chetan Kamat, a taxi operator. Meanwhile, Monserrate urged the taxi operators to keep 'an open mind' and try out the taxi aggregators before rejecting the govt's proposals. 'Their apprehension is that they will not get business. Let the department tell them about the pros and cons,' he said.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bainguinim waste plant seeks govt nod to float 4th tender
Panaji: While politicians locked horns over a new solid waste management plant at Bainguinim, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has approached govt for approval to float a new tender for setting up the plant. Once govt approves the proposal, a request for qualification (RFQ) will be floated for the fourth time. A fresh tender would be floated for a 250 TPD (tonne per day) the waste management plant at Bainguinim. 'Once approved by govt a fresh tender would be floated,' a senior officer said. The Rs 200 crore public-private partnership (PPP) project will be built on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis, wherein the plant infrastructure will be erected by the concessionaire along with operations and maintenance for a period of 10 years. The facility will be based on recycling and sorting lines, segregation, bio-methanation, and composting systems. The bidding process for the PPP project will be divided into two stages. In the first stage, the RFQ stage prospective bidders will be shortlisted. In the second and final stage or the request for proposal (RFP) or invitation of financial bids, the shortlisted bidder will be given the RFP. In 2008, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) acquired land at Bainguinim to set up the waste management plant, and in 2017, the land was handed over to the GWMC. The GWMC held a public hearing, and the environmental clearance was also obtained. At the time, the corporation also invited RFQs for the proposed plant. In Aug 2021, all three bidders in the first tender were disqualified, as none were found eligible. Recently, Union minister for state and North Goa MP Shripad Naik urged govt to shift the plant from Bainguinim, considering the sentiment of the people. Waste management minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate and Cumbharjua MLA Rajesh Faldesai were disputing over the setting up of the waste management plant at Bainguinim. Making it clear that the location of the project will not be changed, the Panaji MLA said that he was not sure if Faldesai would be there as an MLA when the project was inaugurated. 'He (Faldesai) will be there to lay the foundation stone (for the plant), but I am not very sure if he will be there to inaugurate it,' Monserrate said. 'We are firm that the plant will come. He was asking me for the last two and a half years, and I was telling him that the plant will come. He was ensuring that the plant did not come. He is trying to protect his people, and I don't want to comment on that. The plant will come up at Bainguinim,' Monserrate said. After Monserrate predicted the political future of Faldesai, the Cumbharjua MLA said that Monserrate will not get re-elected in the next assembly election.
