GOA

The draft Goa Model Panchayat Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Bye-Laws, 2022, has proposed spot fines and penalties between Rs200 and Rs 10,000 against residential units, commercial establishments and institutions for non-segregation of waste at source, and not maintaining clean surroundings, among others.

The has invited objections and suggestions from the public before finalising the bye-laws.

The panchayat will impose fines for not storing and delivering commercial or domestic hazardous waste as required by the bye-laws, for not storing and delivering household biomedical waste as required by the bye-laws, for not granting access to the premises for inspection, for organising a public gathering or event without an event permit, for littering on roads or streets, for not delivering construction and demolition waste in a segregated manner as specified, for not delivering garden waste and tree trimmings as specified, and for disposal of waste by burning.

The Goa Promotion Board (IPB) has moved to notify 1.3 lakh sqm of private property atDharbandoraas an investment area for a Logistics park being planned by the CMM group. The industries department has moved a notification and has given stakeholders a months time to submit objections and suggestions.

In September, IPB had cleared 11 investment projects, including CMM Logistics Pvt Ltds proposal to set up a logistics park in the state.

The Goa government has decided to lift the ban on transportation of buffaloes into the state.

The government approved the file on Wednesday, and the file has been sent to the district collectors to issue orders on lifting the ban.

The relaxation will be a limited one, permitting traders to import only buffaloes from neighbouring states directly to the government abattoir in Usgao, with no stops in between.

Pointing out that a 30-year-old Education syllabus can no longer be taught to children and youth, chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said theNational Education Policy(NEP), 2020, would be implemented in most educational institutions from the next academic year on a trial basis.

The NEP which replaces the National Policy on Education, 1986, and aims to transform the countrys education system by 2040 could not be implemented during the current academic year due to pandemic-related restrictions, the chief minister said.

As more and more institutes and universities enter the race each year,Goa University’s rank slid to the 96th position at the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2021, declared by the Union Education ministry on Thursday. The state’s lone and government-run university, however, continues to feature in the 100 best university list in the country.
In 2020, GU had improved its rank to 81st position, from 93rd position the previous year in 2019. The university’s best rank of 68th was achieved in 2018.

The competition has been growing stiffer as 4,030 institutes participated in NIRF 2021, which was more than double of last years number. It was heartening though for Goa that some of its government colleges continued to make it to the ranks list in their specific categories.
Goa College of Pharmacy was ranked 56th in the list for 75 best pharmacy institutes in the country. Though given the competition, it was not a surprise that Goa College of Pharmacy came down nine positions over its previous rank of 47. The institute has consistently made it to the best list in its category.

As more and more institutes and universities enter the race each year,Goa University’s rank slid to the 96th position at the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2021, declared by the Union Education ministry on Thursday. The state’s lone and government-run university, however, continues to feature in the 100 best university list in the country.

In 2020, GU had improved its rank to 81st position, from 93rd position the previous year in 2019. The university’s best rank of 68th was achieved in 2018.

The competition has been growing stiffer as 4,030 institutes participated in NIRF 2021, which was more than double of last years number. It was heartening though for Goa that some of its government colleges continued to make it to the ranks list in their specific categories.

Goa College of Pharmacy was ranked 56th in the list for 75 best pharmacy institutes in the country. Though given the competition, it was not a surprise that Goa College of Pharmacy came down nine positions over its previous rank of 47. The institute has consistently made it to the best list in its category.

The studyClean Drinking Water: A Pipe Dream?assessed Goastapwater and found that the potable water supplied to homes is contaminated with microplastics, one of the sources of which could be the PVC pipes.

Microplastics (MP) are particles of plastic that are less than 5mm in size and have been recognised globally as one of the most critical emerging marine pollutants, due to their persistence, ubiquity and toxic potential.

Though plastic Waste Management rules have been in force in the country, public awareness and participation holds the key to improving plastic waste management and the subsequent reduction in microplastic pollution. Various stakeholders, including the , government, civil Society organisations, need to collaborate to bring about change.

Environment minister Nilesh Cabral on Friday said that teams have been constituted to inspect places to verify the objections and suggestions received during the recently held hearings for the draft coastal zone management plan (CZMP).

The teams will submit their technical reports and necessary corrections will be undertaken thereafter. This is my assurance, Cabral said

The minister said that the public will be informed about the places before the teams make their visit.

Though Goa is not a source of plastic production, the tourist hotpot is unwittingly becoming a sink for plastic waste, retired scientist of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, B C Choudhary, said while underscoring the urgency in putting some mechanisms in place to tackle the menace.

The retired scientist said awareness that plastics are not welcome in Goa should begin at places like the , with clear and loud messaging for tourists setting foot into Goa.

Without realizing, Goa, a small place, is becoming a plastic sink. Not a source, but a sink. It should be extremely worrying for the State Government, said Choudhary.

He also said that if the Oceans are not protected from plastic waste, fish itself will soon become a rare commodity. Involve fishermen to get ghost nets back from the sea and compensate them for it. We should also cook our own food as much as possible, as purchased food is again packaged in disposable plastics. We should stop using straws. Though it is something small, it contributes to the waste. Close to 20 billion plastic bottles are disposed of every day. This should motivate us to use reusable water bottles instead, said Choudhary.

TheTravel and Tourism Association of Goahas said that the government has informed it that the states hospitality sector would open fully only after the positivity rate falls under 5%.

TTAG has insisted that tourism has to be started at the earliest with all protocols in place, and that tourists who are vaccinated must be allowed entry into the state freely.

The TTAG has also placed its various demands seeking help for the distressed . The body of hoteliers and tourist trade stakeholders again asked the government that hikes in license fees and registration charges that came into force a few months ago be kept in abeyance till the industry stabilises.