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Dancing thru' the night in Goa

Goa is planning to amend the Madhya Pradesh Act, the one adopted by the tourist state in 1997 to control music and noise, in order to allow dances throughout the night.

Though the Madhya Pradesh Control of Music and Noises Act was not judiciously enforced by the authorities for the last three years, the high court in January banned playing of loud music after 2200 hours.

The petition in this regard came from one NGO in view of full-blast rave parties being held round-the-clock along the coastal belt for three to four days, thereby disturbing peace in the surrounding villages, especially in the Calangute-Anjuna belt here.

Since then, the state government has been using its discretionary powers the district magistrates have been given by the court to allow use of music in exceptional cases till 0200 hours, to permit use of music in case of religious ceremonies, weddings or dances held here during Christmas and Carnival festivals.

Chief minister Francisco Sardinha has already expressed unhappiness over the court order, stating that he would get the act amended. "No food is served at any Catholic wedding here before 12 midnight and no dance gets over before 2 am", he admits.

Dr Wilfred de Souza, the sole NCP legislator and former chief minister, has now moved an amendment bill in the ongoing monsoon Assembly session to make it a law. While the court allows use of music till 0200 hours, the bill proposes to extend it till 0400 hours.

The relaxation clause he has proposed allows 'for use of loudspeakers or amplifiers for a period not exceeding three days at a time in specified locality or on occasion of religious festivals and ceremonies generally or in favour of individual for reasons to be recorded in writing'.

Dr de Souza does not agree that this clause could be misused by the rave party organisers to play full-blast high-volume Goa Trance music and disturb the locals as the amendment provides for recording reasons in writing whereas no government could be in favour of such kind of drug parties held in the coastal belt.

But it is also a fact that no such party is organised as a rave party but a simple open air village dance and the permission till 0200 hours is then grossly violated to continue it till next day noon in collusion with the local police and other concerned authorities.

In fact the opposition Congress is presently making open allegations that Sardinha's coalition government, which is also supported by the BJP, is patronizing and encouraging such rave parties and sale of drugs all along the coastal belt.

Sandesh Prabhudesai, Panaji

Mt Kanchenjunga off-limits!

The local authorities in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim have banned expeditions to Mount Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak, for religious reasons, according to press reports.

Seven other sacred peaks in the state have also been placed off-limits as a mark of respect for the religious sentiments of local Buddhists, said the reports in the national press. The 8,598 meter (28,373-foot) Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain after Mount Everest and K-2, is revered by the Buddhists of Sikkim as a guardian deity.

The decision by the Sikkim state government does not completely cut off mountaineering access to Kanchenjunga, which straddles the border with Nepal. Expeditions will still be able to climb the mountain from the Nepalese side.

The ban follows public protests from Buddhist organisations after a 10-member Austrian expedition was given permission to climb Kanchenjunga from the Sikkim side in April this year. Although permission was granted on condition that the expedition halt 100 meters (330 feet) short of the sacred summit, the decision still produced a public outcry. In the event, the Austrians only reached a height of 6,500 meters before bad weather forced them to turn back.

Kanchenjunga has been scaled only four times from the Sikkim side -- first by a British team in 1955. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation said that it supported the Sikkim government's move. "We fully respect their decision, and the fact remains that the mountain is still accessible from Nepal," a foundation spokesman said.

AFP

Hire a vintagecar

Pink City of Jaipur, being developed as a Heritage City with World Bank funding, will have vintage and classic cars plying as taxis on its roads. While a massive drive is on for beautification of the 273 year old town by removing encroachments, broadening of roads and restoration of structures inside the walled city the state tourism department has come up with a novel idea of allowing vintageand classic cars of bye-gone era to be run as taxis for foreign tourists who would pay the fare in dollars.

The transport department has already decided in principle to accept the tourism department’s proposal to allow vintagecars to be used as taxis on a road tax of Rs 100 per month. These cars would be plied on selected routes only to avoid heavy traffic.

The tourism department estimates that Rajasthan must have been having at least 250 vintage and classic cars and many of their owners would be interested in using their prized possession of old beauties as taxis to add colour to the most attractive tourist destination in the country. Former maharajas and maharanis, big jewellers and some garage owners own most of the old beauties. Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur owns a 1931 Bentley while Maharaja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur boasts of having a 1935 Rolls Royce. A jeweller Sudhir Kasliwal possesses a 1931 Studebaker and a 1933 Dodge. He also possesses a Classic 1941 Packard-110.

Similarly Ghani Auto in Jaipur has got a 1938 Dodge and a 1921 Wolsley and Rawat Enterprises has got the 1923 Austin-7. Among the classic car category a 1947 Buick-8 belongs to Yuvraj (Prince) Shivraj Singh of Jodhpur, a 1947 Oldsmobile to Thakur Bhagwati Singh of Barwara, a 1949 Morris Minor to Umakant Pareek and a 1949 Chevorlet to DN Kasliwal of Jaipur. The state government itself possesses a rare 1938 Cadillac car, which is being maintained by the State Motor Garage.

Rajasthan would be the first state in the country to have vintagecars plying as taxis. So far three permits have been issued by the transport department for plying vintage cars as taxis in Jaipur.

However some vintage car owners have expressed reservations about the success of the tourism department’s plan. Only those owners would be interested in running their vintage and classic cars as tourist taxis who have got their own workshops for repair and maintenance of these cars, they say.

Sudhir Kasliwal says that he had no desire to run his old beauties as taxis because every part of these cars is rare and not available in the market. Plying such cars as taxis would certainly cause damage to their parts and the repairs would not be easy. Abdul Hameed of Ghani Motors who has got the first three permits to run old beauties as taxis also concedes that maintenance of these cars is a big problem. Those who keep vintage and classic cars cannot do this. Only those who have their own workshops could venture into the new field. Another owner of vintage cars DN Kasliwal is also not enthusiastic about the tourism department’s proposal.

Rafique Ahmed of Qayum Motors who has two vintage cars says much will depend on the fare fixed by the government for these cars. A spokesman of the transport department said the scheme should click because the decision to allow vintage and classic cars to be run as taxis was taken by the government on a four- year old demand of the car owners. The government had constituted a committee to consider this demand and decided to permit these cars to be run as taxis on its recommendation.

Kamala Bora, Jaipur.

The hotel industry in Goa at large appears totally sore over the new luxury tax structure announced by the state government in March.

While chief minister Francisco Sardinha claims that the hotel industry as well as the tourists would be relieved from overburden of taxes, the non-star hoteliers feel the new proposal would severely affect the industry.

Along with rationalising the old luxury tax structure of five, 10 and 12 per cent to only eight and 12 per cent, the pattern on which taxes would be imposed has also been changed.

The old pattern had the luxury tax fixed on the basis of room tariff with different rates for the three seasons. However according to the new pattern it is now 12 per cent per day for all the hotels classified as three star and above and eight per cent for all other categories. Around 16 hotels coming under the first category which comprises hardly 12 per cent of the total bed capacity in the coastal state.

According to S V Balaram, the president of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa, the star hotels would benefit from it as it would be either three per cent reduction or little similar to what they were paying earlier against other small hotels, who have to pay at least three per cent more with the rationalisation.

Incidentally, thousands of Goans run small hotels and paying guest houses (providing one or two rooms in their own house) all along the Goan coast while most of the star hotels are run by national or international chains. Though those charging tariff below Rs 100 are exempted from it, there is hardly anybody who charges less than this.

The TTAG is also critical of bringing time share agreement or package deal agreement under the luxury tax structure afresh. They would now pay minimum Rs 300 per day while those having any one of the facilities like swimming pool, health club, tennis court, golf course or shopping arcade would be charged Rs 500.

The new luxury tax structure has come into force after tourism being accorded industry status, thereby reducing the power and water tariff. "But there is no much difference than what we were paying earlier if we sum up the whole thing at the end of the day", claims SV Balaram, who plans to meet the authorities shortly.

Sandesh Prabhudesai, Panaji.

Project dolphins to protect dolphins

The Orissa government's agency, the Chilka Development Authority (CDA) is planning to start a conservation project for the rare and endangered dolphins in the country's largest brakish water lake, Chilka Lake in Orissa.

The dolphins at the Chilka lake have been killed in large numbers year after year but unlike Olive Ridley turtles, hardly any move has been made to save them from unnatural death. In the wake of an increasing number of dolphin casualties in the lake, the CDA has given a ray of hope by showing serious concern to conserve them.

The rare dolphins in Chilka lake are facing threat due to increasing prawn culture and use of mechanised boats by the fishermen."Recently over a dozen dolphins, mostly babies, died of suffocation after getting caught in the fishermen nets," experts pointed out and added that these rare dolphins may become extinct if conservation measures did not start soon.

These dolphins,originally found only in the Irrawdy river in Burma, figure in the endangered species list. The environmentalists have been expressing concern for years to save these gentle creatures but nothing concrete has been done till today. According to a report of the forest and wildlife division in Chilka, there are about 240 dolphins who live in different locations of the lake.

The CDA in a bid to start conservation project for dolphins decided to approach the International Union for conservation of nature(IUCN). Besides this, the CDA has submitted a detailed project proposal to the Global Environment fund(GEF) for a long term study of the behaviour and life of the mammals in the lake.

M I Khan

Goa in the rains

After exploiting the whole coastline of golden sand to the fullest extent, Goa now plans to sell 'rain drops' to the nature-loving tourists. "In fact it is the best time for any peace-loving person to come down and enjoy the most pleasant period in Goa", says tourism minister Victoria Fernandes. She has taken personal interest in reviving the old proposal, but with new vigour.

Though Goa comes under heavy rainfall zone recording around 270 cms of rainfall compared to the national average of 88 cms, continuous pouring is witnessed only in June and July while August and September are the months of drizzles with lively sunny atmosphere.

"The temperature is tolerable for any person from any part of the world during monsoons here. In fact August and September are the pleasant months, I would say", quips S R Bajpai, director of the local observatory.

Having total focus on beach tourism, four months from June to September are called 'off season' in the tourist state. The last six years have recorded around 26 per cent domestic tourists and hardly eight per cent foreigners in Goa during this time.

The hotels and restaurants slash down their prices during the monsoons while tariff of taxis are also much cheaper. The tourism department has now decided to encourage the hoteliers to announce special monsoon packages. It was the idea floated way back in 1986 to sell rain drops with advertisements released in various parts of India and even abroad to attract tourists during the slack season. "But having recorded only 10 per cent occupancy, we had no option than closing it within four years", says S S Keshkamat, the tourism director.

The perception appears to have changed now, with the tourism department launching its website, focussing on monsoon tourism in order to attract tourists from all over the world, including the Arab countries.

These will include trips to the Dudhsagar waterfall, visits to forest-clad spots like sanctuaries of Bondla and Cotigao as well as places like Tambdi Surla and Farmagudi, besides the Mandovi river cruise in Panaji.

"Our prime focus however would be on green tourism and indoor amusement", says Fernandes. She has even chalked out long-term plans for promoting indoor games like skating, balling, go-karting as well as a race course for Goa.

Another plan is to promote local feast like Sao Joao held on 24 June and Bonderam feast on Divar island across Old Goa held annually in August. The department also plans to arrange special cultural programmes every Saturday at the Kala Academy complex in Panaji, especially for the tourists.

Sandesh Prabhudesai, Panaji.