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Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
2 Olive Ridley turtles wash ashore at Agonda, 1 dead
Canacona: A highly decomposed Olive Ridley turtle carcass washed ashore at Agonda, Canacona, on Monday morning. Lifeguards spotted it and reported it to the Goa Standing Network between 9 and 9.30am. The veterinary doctor at Benaulim, after inspecting the carcass, directed the forest staff to dispose of it. After informing range forest officer Rajesh Naik, the staff buried it in a far-off corner of Agonda beach. Another Olive Ridley turtle washed ashore at Agonda at 12.40pm on Monday, with injuries in its hind legs and flippers. Lifeguards alerted the forest staff, who rushed to save it. Naik said that it might have been injured by fishing nets or a fishing vessel fan and have swum to the nearest shore. He said that after administering medication, the turtle was transferred to the Benaulim veterinary hospital, where it is being monitored. He added that the turtle's innate tendencies might be drawing it to Agonda beach.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Time of India
‘Natal instinct guides olive ridleys to crowded Canacona beaches'
Canacona: Over the last few years, olive ridley turtles have not only chosen quieter beaches like Talpona and Rajbag, but also the crowded shores of Patnem and Palolem to nest. They have been returning to these beaches due to their natal homing instinct, according to the South Marine Turtle Rehabilitation Centre in-charge, Rajesh Naik. Some years ago, these turtles must have hatched on these very stretches, he said. 'It was neither reported then nor recorded. They return to these beaches every season. 'Also, patrolling in and around all these beaches has been satisfactory. We have seen olive ridley turtles even at crowded beaches, including in Salcete,' Naik added. Last season, five flippered visitors surfaced at Talpona, four at Rajbag, three at Patnem and one at Palolem. All the eggs from the three sites and from Palolem were deposited in the Galgibaga hatchery . Five more nests, two from Velsao and one each from Mobor, Baina and Betalbatim, were shifted to Galgibaga too. During the bygone decades, the entire Goan coastline was home to olive ridley turtles. But with increased tourist footfall, the extent of disturbance increased. Also, nesting activity and conservation suffered tremendously due to poaching and the ravaging of nests by stray dogs and other animals. Conservation on a modest scale started in Morjim, and the once secluded Galgibaga followed shortly in the late 1990s. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Morjim and Mandrem in Pernem and Agonda and Galgibaga in Canacona were subsequently designated as turtle nesting sites under the CRZ notification. The number of nestings at the three beaches of Canacona, however, was slightly higher last season in 2023-2024. A total of eight nests from Rajbag, three from Patnem and two from Patnem were relocated to either Agonda or Galgibaga.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Blanket change of land zones done under Sec 17 (2): Probe
Panaji: From blanket alteration of zones to completely ignoring the nature of land while deciding on conversions for the convenience of the landowners, the directorate of vigilance has found a series of blatant violations while investigating the underassessment of fees for land under Section 17 (2) of the TCP Act. The investigation revealed that the expert committee of the TCP department, chaired by chief town planner Rajesh Naik who was suspended on Wednesday, completely ignored the zones identified in Regional Plans of 2001 and 2021. It also found the alterations were approved without adhering to the universal standard criteria to be adopted for the preparation of the Regional Plan. The directorate of vigilance said that zones in the Regional Plan are identified considering the geology of the state and the need to balance development with ecology. The investigation revealed that Naik recommended proposals for the correction of zones without site inspections, reports from the forest department, or meeting other requirements. The proposals were nevertheless approved. The investigation indicated that despite properties being surrounded by green vegetation, direct conversion to settlement zones was recommended by the committee. In some cases, the expert committee did not provide a clear reasoning. The directorate of vigilance found that partly cultivable land with the Command Area Development Authority (Cada) of the water resources department, Cada land with partial natural cover, and lands that were partly crematoriums were converted into settlement zones. These conversions were made without obtaining comments from the water resources department. The vigilance inquiry was initiated after advocate general Devidas Pangam informed the high court that govt found 46 cases of zone changes where the fees were underassessed by the TCP department. He also told the court that the report would be submitted to it in a sealed cover. Following the inquiry, the TCP department submitted the files related to 46 cases of underassessment of fees to the directorate of vigilance. The TCP department also passed some orders for the cancellation of land conversion due to the failure to pay the difference amount in conversion fees. One of the petitioners challenging the underassessment, Swapnesh Sherlekar, alleged that the TCP department deliberately undervalued the fees for the correction of zones under Section 17(2) of the TCP Act by applying the old rate of Rs 200 per sqm instead of Rs 1,000 per sqm as stipulated by the new notification of March 28, 2024.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Govt suspends TCP's chief planner for causing loss of crores to state
Panaji: Chief town planner Rajesh Naik, who was granted an extension in service, was suspended on Wednesday 'with immediate effect' in connection with the alleged underassessment of fees for land conversion under Section 17(2) of the TCP Act, causing a loss of crores to the exchequer. Vigilance director Akshay Potekar said Naik was suspended as 'a disciplinary proceeding against him is contemplated' and he has been asked to report to the department of personnel at the secretariat at Porvorim. 'Till this order remains in force… Naik shall not leave the department of personnel without the permission of the competent authority,' Potekar said in his order. The directorate of vigilance initiated an inquiry after advocate general Devidas Pangam told the HC, hearing a PIL against the deliberate underassessment of fees, that govt found 46 beneficiaries of zone change, where the fees were underassessed by the TCP department for land conversion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo He also told the court that the report will be submitted in a sealed cover to the HC. Following the inquiry, the TCP department submitted the files related to 46 cases of underassessment of fees to the directorate of vigilance. The TCP department also passed some orders for the cancellation of conversion of land over the failure to pay the difference amount in conversion fees. One of the petitioners challenging the underassessment, Swapnesh Sherlekar, alleged that the TCP department deliberately undervalued the calculation of fees for the correction of zones under Section 17(2) of the TCP Act by applying the old rate of Rs 200 per sqm instead of Rs 1,000 per sqm as stipulated by the new notification of March 28, 2024. The PIL cited one case in which govt approved the rectification/correction of 89,500sqm to a settlement zone. The PIL stated that the TCP department, instead of assessing Rs 8.9 crore fees under the Rs 1,000 per square metre rate, calculated fees of Rs 1.7 crore under the Rs 200 per square metre rate. The HC had told the chief secretary to look into allegations of undervaluation of zone-change fees by the TCP department.
Hindustan Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Goa suspends chief town planner Rajesh Naik
PANAJI: The Goa government on Wednesday suspended chief town planner Rajesh Naik in connection with alleged irregularities in calculating conversion fees while processing applications for change of zone under Goa's contentious Town and Country Planning Rules. The order was issued by the state's vigilance directorate on Wednesday. The suspension comes after some public spirited individuals approached the Bombay High Court at Goa, demanding action against the chief town planner for allegedly causing loss of several crores of rupees to the public exchequer by undervaluing assessment fees for correction of a zone. During the proceedings, the government has acknowledged that the irregularities caused a loss of around ₹8-crore to the state exchequer and that Naik was given vigilance clearance on the ground that there was only a preliminary inquiry pending against him but no FIR or charge sheet. In Wednesday's order, the vigilance directorate said a 'disciplinary proceeding' was 'contemplated' against Naik and that his suspension would be enforced 'with immediate effect'. Naik was not available for comment despite several attempts to reach out to him. In response to the petition before the high court, the state government conceded that some of the change of zone applications were undervalued and it was revealed upon inquiry that there were 46 beneficiaries of zone change wherein the fees due were under assessed. Notices were issued to the applicants concerned to pay the difference, the state told the high court, pointing out that the conversion would be treated as rescinded if the payments weren't made. The state told the court that a preliminary inquiry had been initiated by the vigilance department and a report would be submitted to the high court/ The high court had earlier struck down the Goa Town and Country Planning Rules and read down a controversial provision, section 17(2) which allowed individuals to apply for 'correction' of zones on Goa's regional plan to allow them to be marked as settlement thus opening them for construction.
