NON GOAN GETS 5 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR POSESSION OF FAKE NOTES

The Margao district and sessions court sentenced one Mohamed Saifulla Sheikh, to undergo five years simple imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs 5,000 on charges of possessing counterfeit currency notes. The court had held him guilty under Section 489C of the IPC (possessing counterfeit currency notes). However, he was acquitted from the charges under Section 489A (counterfeiting currency notes) and 489B (using as genuine counterfeit currency notes). According to the prosecution, Vasco police had arrested Sheikh and his accomplice, a minor, with fake currency with a face value of Rs 3 lakh on September 5, 2008. The accused were taken into custody following a complaint lodged by a medical store owner near Vasco railway station who alleged that fake notes were exchanged by one of the accused at his store. Police suspected that the notes were printed in Pakistan and smuggled to India through West Bengal.

20 GRAMS OF COCAINE WORTH Rs 1 LAKH SEIZED IN CALANGUTE IN GOA

Anti-narcotic cell personnel have seized 20 grams of cocaine worth Rs 1 lakh from a local drug peddler in Calangute. During interrogation the peddler exposed a bigger racket involving a Nigerian, who the police allege is a dealer in narcotic drugs. Police said that Abhijit Mandrekar, 20, from Calangute was arrested for selling drugs . Police said that during interrogation, Mandrekar revealed that he had purchased drugs from a Nigerian dealer, whom he could easily recognise. The police had reached Nagao road when the Nigerian crossed them on scooter and Mandrekar recognised him. ANC cops chased the Nigerian Sam alias Nwabuwanne Nwachukwu but he gave cops the slip.

NON GOAN MAN GETS 2 YEARS IMPRISONMENT IN COUNTERFEIT NOTES CASE

Assistant sessions court, Panaji sentenced Dulal alias Babu Rai, a native of West Bengal, to rigorous imprisonment for two years on charges of possessing counterfeit currency notes with face value of Rs. 1.89 lakh at Ponda in 2008. The prosecution had alleged that following a tip off , the police had conducted a personal search of the accused on October 10, 2008 and found him in possession of 278 currency notes of 500 denomination with face value of Rs 1.39 lakh. Subsequently, the next day, the police conducted a raid in his room and seized 100 counterfeit notes of 500 denominations with face value of Rs 50,000 and also attached genuine notes of Rs 20,000. During the hearing of the case, a witness also deposed and alleged that the accused had offered to sell him fake notes with face value of Rs 50,000 in exchange for cash of Rs 10,000. Police inspector Manjunath Dessai submitted the evidence against the accused before the court. The public prosecutor, Pratima Vernekar, argued that the accused had committed a serious offence by trying to sell the fake notes. She also sought an order from the court to forfeit the genuine currency notes of Rs 20,000, attached from the accused, in favour of the government. Assistant sessions judge, Irshad Aga, held that there is ample evidence on record to show that the accused intended to use the fake currency notes. "Recovery of so many notes from his personal search and from his residence are circumstances which comply to infer that the accused intended to use the said notes as genuine". the judge observed. While convicting and sentencing him under section 489C of Indian Peanl Code , the judge ordered forfeiture of the genuine notes worth Rs 20,000 in favour of the government while holding that offences pertaining to fake currency notes are on the rise and "such offences are to be dealt with a heavy hand".

HOLD GSPCB HEARING SERIOUSLY : DELHI HIGH COURT TELLS UNION MINISTRY OF ENVIROMENT & FOREST

The Goa State Pollution Control Coard’s six simultaneous public hearings on five different mines at Sanguem in 2007, has led the Delhi high court to ask the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to take corrective steps and hold the hearings in seriousness. NGO Utkarsh Mandal had approached the court and sought the quashing of an order issued by the MoEF in 2007 granting environment clearance to Panduranga Timblo Industries (PTI) for renewal of its mining lease at Rivona. During the hearing the scheduling of public hearings by GPSCB in respect of five mines (including that of PTI) on January 31, 2007 at 11 am at Vithal Devasthan at Sanguem came under the court’s scrutiny. While setting aside the order passed by MoEF granting the environmental clearance to PTI, a division bench comprising chief justice Ajit Prakash Shah and justice S Murlidhar observed, “We find from the notice of the public hearing in the present case that as many as six public hearings were scheduled in regard to the projects (including PTI) by GPSCB on the same date and time and at the same venue.” The court also noted that it is a matter of concern that the requirement of public hearing under the EIA notification has been taken so lightly by the MoEF. “We expect the MoEF to immediately issue necessary instructions in this regard so that public hearings in terms of the EIA (environment impact assessment) notification dated 14th September 2006 take place with the seriousness which they deserve.”

NEPALI MAN ARRESTED WITH 3 KG OF CHARAS AT THIVIM JUNCTION IN GOA

A Nepali national was arrested with 2.92 kg of charas at Thivim . Anti narcotic cops arrested Motilal Bahadur, 20, with 2.92 kg of charas worth Rs 2.92 lakh near Thivim junction. He has been remanded to 7 days police custody.

HOTEL CHAINS MAKING A BEELINE FOR GOA

The credit squeeze and worldwide economic slowdown appear to have not affected Goa's hotel industry. The hospitality sector, in fact, is going through a sort of boom with project proposals for at least eight five-star hotels and resorts under various stages of completion. Seven of these have been registered with the department of tourism over the last few months. Sources say that strengthening of Goa as a major tourist destination has induced global hospitality majors like Grand Hyatt, Hilton and Shangri La to acquire properties in Goa. Also Attila Hotels and Oberoi Hotels and Resorts coastline. Thirty-six new hotel and guesthouse projects have been registered with the tourism department over the last six months. "More than 30 new hotel and guesthouse projects have come up in Goa. They are registered with the tourism department. Another eight five and five-star deluxe hotels are in the pipeline. "This shows that tourism in Goa is on an upward trend and the economic slowdown that is happening at present is a temporary phenomenon," Lyndon Monteiro, vice-chairman, Goa Tourism development corporation (GTDC) said.

GOA GOVT DEMOLISH RUSSIAN OWNED HOTEL IN MORJIM

Goa government has demolished a portion of a hotel owned by Russian nationals in the state for violating CRZ law. The construction at Goa's Morjim beach had gathered much political debate in the Legislative Assembly with state environment minister Aleixo Sequeira conceding his inability to demolish the construction due to "non-cooperation by district administration." Certain structures in the resort, owned by True Axis company, were violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) law and were ordered to be demolished by Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA). The firm comprising of two Russians - Rashid Valiulin and Ana Litvinova - on its Board of Directors (BoD), received demolition notice from GCZMA a year back. But the notice remained unexecuted forcing the district collector to issue another notice in December, last year, which resulted in the demolition of controversial structures. Officials said that the issue had attained serious proportion as, despite being termed illegal by the state authorities and minister assuring the demolition on the floor of the House, certain political interference had managed to stall the demolition. The district administration brought down the construction on 3 january 2009.