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WEEKEND UPDATES
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WEEKEND UPDATES

Jan 03- Jan 09, 2026, WEEKEND UPDATES January 2, 2026 , by

JUSTICE REBELLO APPEAL

FORMER Chief Justice of the Allahabad high court Ferdindo  Rebello has issued an appeal to the people of Goa to come together to fight the destruction of the environment. In his People’s Charter Justice Rebello demanded that no hills should be developed irrespective of the gradient. All laws which permit change of zone should be repealed with retrospective effect. No further development should be allowed which has not been or continued. All development should be subject to the principle that the developer must pay for any damage to the environment. No development of plots in villages unless the carrying capacity is considered. All officers/architects/surveyors who file false notes and reports should be subject to criminal and disciplinary action. All casinos on the Mandovi river should be removed. Justice Rebello has offered to join the people of Goa in preserving the unique identity of the state.

MAGESTERIAL ENQUIRY ON BIRCH

ON the basis of the magisterial enquiry in the inferno at the nightclub Birch by Romeo at Arpora, the panchayat secretary has been sacked. Action has been recommended against the Arpora sarpanch for issuing NOCs without due process. The Pollution Control Board officials who recommended the NOC should be placed under suspension and disciplinary proceedings should be started. Show cause notices are to be issued to officers concerned in the fire and emergency department.

BANNED NIGHTCLUBS OPEN AGAIN

ALL the six odd nightclubs which were shut down in the wake of the inferno at Birch by Romeo nightclub at Arpora were functioning at full strength on New Year’s eve.  It is claimed that the Calangute MLA Michael Lobo permitted them to re-open as it would cause huge losses if they had to remain shut.

Significantly, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant apparently did not insist on enforcing the ban. The Director of Fire & Emergency Services Mr Nitin Raikar has made it clear that the banned clubs had not been given permission to function on New Year’s eve.

KHUSHAVATI DISTRICT

A THIRD district for Goa has been formed in addition to the existing north and south Goa districts. The Kushavati is named after the river which flows through the taluka of Sanguem , Canacona , Quepem and Darbandora, which will part of the new district now. One of the consequences will be that south Goa will be dominated by migrants after the formation of the third district. The south Goa collector will hold charge of the four taluka which are part of the new Khushavati district.

LOK BHAVAN’S CHANGEOVER

THE Lok Bhavan of Goa has initiated two institutional measures at the commencement of the New Year 2026 with a view to further strengthen internal administrative processes and governance mechanisms.

The New Durbar Hall within the Lok Bhavan premises has been renamed as Zuari Hall. This is because the nomenclature “Durbar” is historically associated with colonial-era administrative practices. The renaming of the hall, drawing inspiration from the Zuari river, reflects Goa’s natural and cultural heritage and is in consonance with contemporary democratic values and constitutional principals.

Lok Bhavan has also undertaken implementation of a paperless administrative solution through reactivation of the existing e-Pass system, in conjunction with a newly developed internal software platform titled “Deepastambh.” The platform has been developed in-house by Lt Cdr Abhishek Dhiman, ADC to the Governor, with the objective of   eventually eliminating paper usage in administrative functioning,  while simultaneously enhancing institutional security through automated processes, transitioning from manual systems, and minimizing operational discrepancies.

The Deepastambh platform is designed to integrate the e-Pass system originally developed in 2019, thereby enabling a unified digital framework for processing appointments, approvals, access control, file movement, internal movement management, and inter-departmental coordination within the Lok Bhavan premises.

The operation of this integrated digital system is expected to result in improved administrative efficiency, enhanced record management, and strengthened institutional oversight. The system is currently under trial stage.

ASTURI 2026 HERE!

THE GCCI Women’s Wing is all set for its grand 2-day ASTURI exhibition taking place on January 3 & 4, 2026 at the Azad Maidan, Panjim. The fair is being powered by GSRLM DRDA and the inaugural ceremony will see the presence of chief guest, actress Varsha Usgaonkar, along with CCP Mayor Rohit Monserrate, Premraj Shirodkar (director, RD & GSRLM), Pratima G Dhond (president, GCCI) and many other guests of honour. It may be remembered that ASTURI is one of the most anticipated annual events offering a platform to entrepreneurs to showcase and promote a diverse range of products. The exhibition brings together local as well as participants from the neighboring states, celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

ASTURI  event is open to the public from 10 am to 8pm on both days. Be sure to catch up with the itinerary of program and competitions lined up including a healthy dessert competition, fancy dress competition and a comedy show by John D’Silva. The second day sees a drawing competition for children in three categories, an antakshari duet competition, a zumba session and the crowning  of ASTURI Queen 2026. For more information contact Sandra Fernandes,  chairperson of GCCI-WW.

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