Latest news with #Monserrate
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Rental bikes, cars causing accidents, killing taxi biz, scrap them: Goa minister Atanasio Monserrate
Panaji: Goa's taxi owners and union leaders gathered in large numbers outside the Junta House to protest against the draft Goa Transport Aggregator Guidelines, 2025. Hundreds of them queued up to submit their objections against the guidelines, which they see as favouring app-based taxi firms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido. While the taxi operators tried to put pressure on the transport department, ministers and local MLAs, revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate refused to buy into their argument. 'The rent-a-car and rent-a-bike operators are creating a nuisance. Today, all sorts of accidents are taking place, and people are dying because of rent-a-bike and rent-a-car. No one seems to be talking about it,' said Monserrate. 'Let us stop rental bikes and cars totally.' App-based taxi services and cab aggregators will help streamline the taxi business, but the best solution would be to halt all rental vehicle services, which are 'killing the taxi business' for local Goans, he said after meeting taxi owners from Panaji, Taleigao and St Cruz. 'All parking spaces in Panaji have been occupied by rent-a-cab operators. It is the failure of the transport department. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The director should take care of this first. I challenge the transport department to look into this," said Monserrate. Taxi operators said that their biggest concern about the aggregator policy is that it will eat into their business and reduce their income. The taxi operators also said that the app or an aggregator cannot guarantee customers in far-flung areas such as Sanguem and Bicholim. Given the number of taxi operators lined up to submit their objections, the transport department set up a dedicated counter on the footpath outside the building to accept the inputs and suggestions. 'We have set a target to submit 6,000 to 8,000 representations. Our brothers will continue to submit their suggestions over the next two days,' said Chetan Kamat, a taxi operator. Meanwhile, Monserrate urged the taxi operators to keep 'an open mind' and try out the taxi aggregators before rejecting the govt's proposals. 'Their apprehension is that they will not get business. Let the department tell them about the pros and cons,' he said.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bainguinim waste plant seeks govt nod to float 4th tender
Panaji: While politicians locked horns over a new solid waste management plant at Bainguinim, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) has approached govt for approval to float a new tender for setting up the plant. Once govt approves the proposal, a request for qualification (RFQ) will be floated for the fourth time. A fresh tender would be floated for a 250 TPD (tonne per day) the waste management plant at Bainguinim. 'Once approved by govt a fresh tender would be floated,' a senior officer said. The Rs 200 crore public-private partnership (PPP) project will be built on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis, wherein the plant infrastructure will be erected by the concessionaire along with operations and maintenance for a period of 10 years. The facility will be based on recycling and sorting lines, segregation, bio-methanation, and composting systems. The bidding process for the PPP project will be divided into two stages. In the first stage, the RFQ stage prospective bidders will be shortlisted. In the second and final stage or the request for proposal (RFP) or invitation of financial bids, the shortlisted bidder will be given the RFP. In 2008, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) acquired land at Bainguinim to set up the waste management plant, and in 2017, the land was handed over to the GWMC. The GWMC held a public hearing, and the environmental clearance was also obtained. At the time, the corporation also invited RFQs for the proposed plant. In Aug 2021, all three bidders in the first tender were disqualified, as none were found eligible. Recently, Union minister for state and North Goa MP Shripad Naik urged govt to shift the plant from Bainguinim, considering the sentiment of the people. Waste management minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate and Cumbharjua MLA Rajesh Faldesai were disputing over the setting up of the waste management plant at Bainguinim. Making it clear that the location of the project will not be changed, the Panaji MLA said that he was not sure if Faldesai would be there as an MLA when the project was inaugurated. 'He (Faldesai) will be there to lay the foundation stone (for the plant), but I am not very sure if he will be there to inaugurate it,' Monserrate said. 'We are firm that the plant will come. He was asking me for the last two and a half years, and I was telling him that the plant will come. He was ensuring that the plant did not come. He is trying to protect his people, and I don't want to comment on that. The plant will come up at Bainguinim,' Monserrate said. After Monserrate predicted the political future of Faldesai, the Cumbharjua MLA said that Monserrate will not get re-elected in the next assembly election.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Bodega brothel' near schools in AOC's red-light district shut down without her help, local leaders say
QUEENS, N.Y. — A well-known local brothel near two schools in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's red-light district has been shut down by the NYPD after months of advocacy by local leaders who say the progressive lawmaker did nothing to help them close it. Nicknamed the "bodega brothel" by locals, the establishment was operating on the second floor of a local bodega just off the Roosevelt Avenue strip in Queens, where prostitutes are known for openly soliciting sex on sidewalks, local Democratic district leader Hiram Monserrate told Fox News Digital. Video from inside the brothel reveals five cramped, makeshift rooms divided by wooden panels and shower curtains, each just large enough to hold a bed. Aoc's 'Red Light' District Overrun With Prostitutes As Locals Call Out Mia 'Squad' Member The bodega is located across the street from two public schools, and students have been forced to walk past the sex workers outside the brothel on their way to and from class for months. An hour before Ocasio-Cortez's town hall earlier this month, Fox News Digital observed children walking by with their parents as three women stood outside. On Monday, the NYPD removed the beds from the brothel and padlocked its makeshift wooden door. Read On The Fox News App Monserrate, who led the campaign to shutter the location, stood outside and praised the police for acting. "The shutting down of the 'bodega brothel' was long overdue, but it finally got done," said Monserrate, who also toured the brothel and described the sleazy state of the quarters. "This place is clearly unsightly and unsanitary, and, quite frankly, disgusting," said Monserrate, a former Democratic state senator and council member who said he organized four separate rallies to close down the brothel. Leaders In Aoc's 'Red Light' District Call On Kash Patel To Crush 'Worsening' Gang Crime And Prostitution Monserrate said he and local groups have called on Ocasio-Cortez and other elected officials to advocate for the shuttering of the brothels, but few have helped. "AOC did not play a role at all," said Monserrate, who was chased out of a local square in October because he opposed protesters advocating for prostitution to be allowed in the neighborhood. Ramses Frías, a local Republican city council candidate, also said Ocasio-Cortez never attended a demonstration. "It took the people to come together and rally against this bodega brothel," Frias said. Ocasio-Cortez's office told Fox News Digital it is not commenting on the closure. Monserrate said the area is plagued by prostitutes, many working at the behest of migrant gangs like the 18th Street Gang and Tren de Aragua. He has called on the FBI to intervene along Roosevelt Avenue, citing drug trafficking, illegal gun sales, identity theft and violent crimes. He said he has yet to receive a response, adding his sources have identified at least 20 brothels in the area. In October, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a sweeping police crackdown with more than 200 police and state troopers descending on the area. The NYPD told Fox News Digital last month that the clampdown, known as Operation Restore Roosevelt, had resulted in a 37% year-to-date drop in crime in the Roosevelt Avenue zone with more than 1,800 arrests and more than 15,000 summonses. Police did not say if any arrests were made in relation to the shuttering of the location Monday. The New York City Department of Buildings said the location was issued a partial vacate order in December, but Monserrate said it had been used for illicit purposes ever since then. Click To Get The Fox News App Monserrate said the operation Monday was helpful, but many of the problems in the neighborhood still linger. "While we are grateful to the NYPD, the NYC Buildings Department and the mayor's office, we also understand that there is still much to do until we stabilize this community and make it safer and better for all," Monserrate said. "We will continue to rally, call for more brothels to be closed and shine a light on the failed policies that our community has borne the brunt of."Original article source: 'Bodega brothel' near schools in AOC's red-light district shut down without her help, local leaders say
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leaders in AOC's 'Red Light' district call on Kash Patel to crush 'worsening' gang crime and prostitution
As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., privately jets across the nation for her "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, residents in her Queens constituency have been calling on the FBI and the DEA to help them crack down on the illegal sex workers and drug dealers that they say have turned their neighborhood into a festering "gangland." Last week, local leaders, including a former Democrat state senator, wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel urging him to unleash agents to quell the raging problem along Roosevelt Avenue – a 2-mile commercial strip which has been likened to both a Third World Country and a Red Light district – where scantily-clad women on sidewalks soliciting sex is commonplace. They also claim the ruthless 18th Street Gang has taken over illegal operations there, filling the void of other gangs like with Tren de Aragua after a massive police operation saw hundreds of people arrested. Aoc's 'Red Light' District Overrun With Prostitutes As Locals Call Out Mia 'Squad' Member That police crackdown, which started in October and was labeled "Operation Restore Roosevelt," saw hundreds of city and state troopers descend on the neighborhood. The NYPD told Fox News Digital that the clampdown has resulted in a 37% year-to-date drop in crime in the Roosevelt Avenue zone with more than 1,800 arrests and more than 15,000 summonses. Residents and local activists heaped praise on New York City Mayor Eric Adams after he spearheaded the aggressive 90-day police blitz. Read On The Fox News App But locals say the blitz was short-lived and bars have been turned into makeshift brothels where a dance can easily be negotiated into sex in dingy rooms downstairs. Many of the sex workers are migrants, the leaders said. "The NYPD's Operation Restore Roosevelt did lead to arrests, but our street sources say the gangs replaced their foot soldiers within days," said the advocates, who include former Democrat state Senator Hiram Monserrate. "The money never stopped moving, the dance floors stayed open, and the prostitutes came back in full force. This isn't just a Queens problem, it's a blueprint for how gangs, cartels, and traffickers can take over a community in plain sight." They said that the gangs have turned the two-mile seedy strip into a "well-oiled criminal machine" using Roosevelt Avenue as its marketplace. "Roosevelt Avenue doesn't just have a gang problem. It has become gangland." The NYPD did not confirm the locals' claims about gangs operating in the area. Aoc's 'Red Light District' Plagued By Crime As Democrat Who Helped Her Rise To Power Says She 'Disappeared' Monserrate and the two groups — Restore Roosevelt Ave. and Neighbors of the American Triangle — called on Patel to investigate the "ever-worsening situation" they face. They write that the 18th Street gang have tagged their gang insignia around the area marking their territory. Monserrate said that the gangs are involved in all sorts of serious crimes, including human and drug trafficking, illegal gun sales, identity theft and distributing fake Green Cards, as well as violent crimes. His sources have identified at least 20 brothels in the area, some of which operate near schools. He said that crime in general is still plaguing the area. Earlier this week, a man was fatally stabbed when he tried to stop a violent thief from stealing his bike steps from a local subway station, police said. Monserrate shared a video with Fox News Digital with what he said were 23 alleged sex workers on one block. In September, Fox News Digital cameras recorded a line of no less than 19 alleged sex workers on one block along Roosevelt Avenue with at least seven more on the next block. One woman was witnessed soliciting sex for $60. Click To Get The Fox News App Cortez has yet to respond to multiple Fox News Digital requests for comment regarding the situation along Roosevelt Avenue. She is scheduled to hold a town hall in the neighborhood on Saturday. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., whose district also includes the neighborhood, told Fox News Digital that she is closely engaged with the NYPD's ongoing efforts to improve public safety and quality of life in the area. "I have confidence in the NYPD's commitment and capability to address these challenges, and I commend their sustained presence and work in the community," Meng said. "As the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding for law enforcement agencies such as the NYPD and FBI, I will continue to advocate for the resources they need to protect residents in Queens."Original article source: Leaders in AOC's 'Red Light' district call on Kash Patel to crush 'worsening' gang crime and prostitution
Fox News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Leaders in AOC's Red Light district call on Kash Patel to crush 'worsening' gang crime and prostitution
As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., privately jets across the nation for her "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, residents in her Queens constituency have been calling on the FBI and the DEAto help them crack down on the illegal sex workers and drug dealers that they say have turned their neighborhood into a festering "gangland." Last week, local leaders, including a former Democrat state senator, wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel urging him to unleash agents to quell the raging problem along Roosevelt Avenue – a 2-mile commercial strip which has been likened to both a Third World Country and a Red-Light district – where scantily-clad women on sidewalks soliciting sex is commonplace. They also claim the ruthless 18th Street Gang has taken over illegal operations there, filling the void of other gangs like with Tren de Aragua after a massive police operation saw hundreds of people arrested. That police crackdown, which started in October and was labeled "Operation Restore Roosevelt," saw hundreds of city and state troopers descend on the neighborhood. The NYPD told Fox News Digital that the clampdown has resulted in a 37% year-to-date drop in crime in our Roosevelt Avenue zone with more than 1,800 arrests and more than 15,000 summonses. Residents and local activists heaped praise on New York City Mayor Eric Adams after he spearheaded the aggressive 90-day police blitz. But locals say the blitz was short-lived and bars have been turned into makeshift brothels where a dance can easily be negotiated into sex in dingy rooms downstairs. Many of the sex workers are migrants, the leaders said. "The NYPD's Operation Restore Roosevelt did lead to arrests, but our street sources say the gangs replaced their foot soldiers within days," said the advocates, who include former Democrat state Senator Hiram Monserrate. "The money never stopped moving, the dance floors stayed open, and the prostitutes came back in full force. This isn't just a Queens problem, it's a blueprint for how gangs, cartels, and traffickers can take over a community in plain sight." They said that the gangs have turned the two-mile seedy strip into a "well-oiled criminal machine" using Roosevelt Avenue as its marketplace. "Roosevelt Avenue doesn't just have a gang problem. It has become gangland." The NYPD did not confirm the locals' claims about gangs operating in the area. Monserrate and the two groups — Restore Roosevelt Ave. and Neighbors of the American Triangle — called on Patel to investigate the "ever-worsening situation" they face. They write that the 18th Street gang have tagged their gang insignia around the area marking their territory. Monserrate said that the gangs are involved in all sorts of serious crimes, including human and drug trafficking, illegal gun sales, identity theft and distributing fake Green Cards, as well as violent crimes. His sources have identified at least 20 brothels in the area, some of which operate near schools. He said that crime in general is still plaguing the area. Earlier this week, a man was fatally stabbed when he tried to stop a violent thief from stealing his bike steps from a local subway station, police said. Monserrate shared a video with Fox News Digital with what he said were 23 alleged sex workers on one block. In September, Fox News Digital cameras recorded a line of no less than 19 alleged sex workers on one block along Roosevelt Avenue with at least seven more on the next block. One woman was witnessed soliciting sex for $60. Cortez has yet to respond to multiple Fox News Digital requests for comment regarding the situation along Roosevelt Avenue. She is scheduled to hold a town hall in the neighborhood on Saturday. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., whose district also includes the neighborhood, told Fox News Digital that she is closely engaged with the NYPD's ongoing efforts to improve public safety and quality of life in the area. "I have confidence in the NYPD's commitment and capability to address these challenges, and I commend their sustained presence and work in the community," Meng said. "As the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding for law enforcement agencies such as the NYPD and FBI, I will continue to advocate for the resources they need to protect residents in Queens."
