A beach eye view

Celebrated artiste Subodh Kerkar has presented half a kilometre of installations at Miramar beach, Panaji, as part of the celebrations of th...

Celebrated artiste Subodh Kerkar has presented half a kilometre of installations at Miramar beach, Panaji, as part of the celebrations of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa. Eighteen innovative installations have been created on the beach using tonnes of sand, thousands of shells, two thousand electrical bulbs, eight kilometers of wire and over a thousand terracotta objects.

‘Cones’ is an installation with fifty cones made of sand, which are lighted up, creating an ethereal effect.

Surangini on celluloid

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has been currently the darling of Bollywood industry with all praising him for the perfect arrangements at International Film Festival of India. His list of admirers include Dilip Kumar, Shabana Azmi and Mira Nair, who even offered him a role in her film.The response of the crowd, film producers, directors and leading personalities allied to film industry has been terrific.

Story continues below this ad

But the Central Government has remained non-committal on declaring Goa as permanent venue for hosting IFFI every year. Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy has said that the Centre is yet to decide, much to the surprise of all here in Goa.

White sandy and dangerous

Sexual exploitation has once again raised its ugly head in Goa, despite the fact that the state government has formulated a Children’s Welfare and Protection Act two years ago. Last week, foreign tourists allegedly sexually exploited two minor children at Colva beach in South Goa. These were children of migrant labourers . According to NGOs, the police has failed to enforce the law against these offenders.

Tourism Minister Mathany Saldanha has been slow to react. He has stated that children will not be allowed to wander on the beaches and the government has also promised to provide police protection on the beaches.

A good cop? Sack him!

The Central Government has warned the state government over the shunting out of state DGP Amod Kanth.

Story continues below this ad

DGP Kanth put his foot down on obeying the Government’s diktat. It is learnt that Kanth stopped vehicles carrying BJP workers during the Poingunim by-elections, he refused to appoint the officers as per the instructions of the ministers and even proceeded to charge-sheet the two ministers involved in ransacking a hotel belonging to a Congress leader.

In response, Chief Minister Parrikar by an order issued from the Under Secretary relieved the DGP from the state administration unceremoniously and told him to report to Delhi. The Chief Minister has been quoted in the press that the DGP had ‘‘violated’’ service rules therefore it became necessary to transfer him before IFFI began. The Union Home Ministryis not amused and has written to the State Government seeking clarification on the issue. As Congress rules in the Centre and BJP in Goa, the stage is set for a Centre-state stand-off.

‘Violence in Nepal is heart-rending’: PM Modi expresses concern as KP Sharma Oli resigns

India1 hr ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed worry about the turmoil in Nepal and stressed the need for peace and stability. The Nepal Army and security officials called for dialogue to restore order amidst growing protests and the resignation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The Indian government issued a safety advisory for Indian citizens, advising against travel until the situation improves.

View all shorts

Live Blog