Mayura Janwalkar

The Goa Assembly has passed the Goa Bhumiputra Adhikarini Bill, 2021 recognising anyone living in the state for 30 years or more as a 'Bhumiputra (son of the soil)'. What are the provisions of the Bill, and why is the Opposition objecting?

Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane had in May stoked a controversy after he claimed that a drop in oxygen levels in the Covid-19 ward of the government-run Goa Medical College (GMC) in the early hours of the day had led to deaths of several Covid patients.

Pramod Sawant said that the land acquisition for the double-tracking project was being carried out by the Centre and the state government was only facilitating it.

The Congress leadership in the state, however, said they were not aware of such a decision taken by the party high command.

BJP's Nilesh Cabral, power minister of Goa, and AAP's Satyendar Jain, power minister of Delhi, made their cases for or against the AAP's poll promise of free power up to 300 units per household per month in the state.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the state was seeing flooding of this magnitude for the first time. No casualty was reported despite the vast destruction, he said.

The court observed that according to the information furnished by the Goa government, there were orders to re-plant only 13,875 trees while permissions were given to fell 88,978 trees.

The apex court observed that Goa government had filed four review petitions after a delay of 650 days and Vedanta Limited had filed its petitions after a delay of 907 days.

Archbishop Ferrao’s message comes at a time when Goa is faced with a number of issues with environment conservation.

The relics of Queen Ketevan, revered as Ketevan the Martyr, had been taken to Goa where they remained hidden in a church complex until their discovery in 2005.

The National Green Tribunal had, last month, ordered the Goa government to hold fresh public hearings after the Goa Foundation had moved the NGT against the alleged deficiencies in the conduct of public hearings held by the state government on March 7.

The Goa government has extended curfew in the state till July 12, but has allowed relaxations.

Earlier this week, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said that the government is planning to allow entry of fully vaccinated persons into Goa. He, however, said that at this stage this pertained to those coming into Goa for business and not for tourism.

The doubling of the railway line is one of the three projects in Goa that have met with opposition from environmentalists and locals who shaped the ‘Save Mollem’ movement since November 2020.

Disposing of all but one PIL filed by the South Goa Advocates Association related to Covid-19 management, a division bench of Justices M S Sonak and M S Jawalkar said it was neither possible nor advisable for the court to micromanage issues related to Covid-19.

Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had stoked a controversy when he claimed on May 11 that 26 people had died in the early hours of that day in Goa Medical College and Hospital due to drop in oxygen levels and sought a High Court inquiry into the matter.

The state government is expected to file its reply to the 30-page chart of suggestions made by the petitioners. The court will hear the case further on June 17.

The lapse came to light while the health department was reviewing data related to Covid-19 in which some hospitals had reported no deaths.

Cabral now plans to approach Chief Minister Pramod Sawant with more data to get him to consider the proposal again.

High Court of Bombay expected to hear amended appeal on Wednesday

The Department of Registration will carry out the programme in the 15 days between registration and solemnisation of marriages.

In a 527-page judgment, Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, has cited the woman’s sexual relationships in the past, her views on consensual sex, drinking, smoking, among other things.

The state government Thursday pushed for its early hearing, saying “we owe it to our girls” and that the acquittal order is “erroneous in law” and “unsustainable”.

Ruling there was no medical evidence and there were “facts” that “create doubt on (her) truthfulness,” the court said the woman’s messages to the accused “clearly establish” that she was neither “traumatised nor terrified” and this “completely belies” the prosecution's case.