Goa, Portugal sign MoU for water, sewage management
Panaji, Sep 29 : The MoU between the Portuguese Environment Ministry and Goa Public Works Department (PWD) will help Goa manage its water resources better, Portuguese Environment Minister Joao Pedro de Matos Fernandes said on Saturday.
The signing of the two-year long arrangement is a significant move to work in tandem to develop common initiatives for water supply and waste water management in the state, Goa's PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said at a function organised here.
"I think the MoU will be really important for both countries. 20 years ago Portugal had exactly the same problems that Goa is facing today.
"Portugal is very proud of what we have done in our country. We have invested about 10 billion euros during the past 20-25 years and we can now see the results of this investment," Fernandes said.
The prime ministers of both India and Portugal had identified water and waste management as priority areas for bilateral co-operation and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) is in sync with the vision of the top leaders of both states, he added.
The MoU proposes technical partnership in areas of water supply operation and energy efficiency, resource valorisation, waste water and sewerage planning, management and technological solutions, asset management procedure and standards, energy management operational workflows, operational data and information management.
Dhavalikar also said that as part of the MoU, assessment of two of the biggest water treatment and supply plants at Selaulim and Opa would be undertaken apart from considering ways and means of removal of manganese from the water processing facilities, which results in stoppages every now and then.
"The signing of the MoU at this juncture is nothing but consolidation of a true partnership and we should not miss out on this opportunity for sustainable development," he added.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
