Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Sadly the Goan weather hasn`t settled Noni! Another major storm overnight and more rain forecast!:frown:

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Russia: drop in demand to Goa.


http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...26read%3D30455

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Has it every been this rainy this late in the year? I know they can't give exacts but I thought monsoon would have been well over by now. Hope it clears up for 21st - but according to the forecasts for Goa it's not looking too promising. Still, at least it will be warmer :)

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Russia: Drop in demand for Goa
10 Nov. TourDom ... Director of Megapolus Tours, Victoria Kizimova says that there are many unsold seats on flights to Goa... less than 60% of the seats have been sold. Last year the figure was 95%. Tour operators attributes this to the increase in flights .

Article from Goan Voice.


Why am i not surprised!!!

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Russian plane catches fire at Dabolim after incident with Birds again!.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/6911025.cms

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

I'll be getting my first glimpse of her again when I get back on Sunday after just over 2 months OUT. God but I've missed the old bitch!!!:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:


Arihant bags Princess for Rs 99 cr
Herald Publications
... bagged the contract for the removal of the ill-fated ship MV River Princess. ... the shortlisted bidders — M/s Madgavkar Salvage & Smith Salvage Goa, ...

Web 2 new results for River Princess Goa

Arihant Front Runner to Remove River Princess - Goa Chronicle
Arihant Front Runner to Remove River Princess » . ... 118 crore while Goa based Madgavkar Salvage bidding along with Singapore based Smith Salvage offered ...
http://www.goachronicle.com/.../877-...unner-to-remov...
Is the plan to keep River Pr... - Target::News
Not only that there is criticism of the members of the Goa State Disaster ... If these allegations are true, the River Princess will be Rusting in Pieces ...
http://www.targetgoa.com/newsd-Is-th...River-Princess...

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Iain, neither of these links work?


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Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

sorry - I'll try cutting & pasting the articles.

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

First article from HERALD


Largest Circulated English Daily of Goa - Friday, November 12, 2010

You are here:Home >> Main Page News >> Arihant bags Princess for Rs 99 cr
Arihant bags Princess for Rs 99 cr

HERALD REPORTER

PANJIM, NOV 11
The Mumbai-based Arihant Ship Breaking Co has bagged the contract for the removal of the ill-fated ship M V River Princess.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) in its over two-hour-long deliberations on Thursday finally zeroed in on the company — Arihant Ship Breaking Co.
Arihant had yesterday emerged as the lowest bidder with their quote of Rs 99 crore when the financial bids were opened for breaking the grounded vessel and towing away the scrap to seawards.
Speaking to Herald, Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes, who is the member of the State Disaster Management Committee, confirmed the development.
“Arihant Ship Breaking Co has been finalised as the contractor for removing M V River Princess,” Fernandes said adding that the decision came in view of the company’s lowest bid of Rs 99 crore.
On being asked as to when the work order would be issued, Fernandes said, “it is now upto the government to issue the work orders at the earliest.”
A senior official who was part of the meeting confirmed that among the shortlisted bidders — M/s Madgavkar Salvage & Smith Salvage Goa, Resolve Salvage & Fire Europe Ltd, UK and M/s Titan Salvage Pvt Ltd, — Arihant Ship Breaking was the lowest bidder as also the fact that it offered to remove the vessel within 180 days went into its favour.
It is also only bidder that had actual experience of ship breaking whereas other bidders had expertise in salvaging, the officer said.
Other three bidders not only quoted high price but also wanted more time to remove the vessel, which went against them, he said.
Madgavkar Salvage offered to remove the vessel within 240 days whereas Resolve Salvage quoted three different rates
offering to employ three different techniques and wanting time till January 2012 to complete the work.
It quoted Rs 190.75 crore, Rs 245.85 crore and Rs 271.25 crore for three different techniques.
Titan Salvage, a Singaporean company that was short-listed time however quoted high price than their last bid.
While it offered to remove the vessel at the cost of Rs 125 crore some six months ago this time it quoted Rs 142 crore.


Second article from Goa Chronicle


Arihant Front Runner to Remove River Princess
Thursday, 11 November 2010 12:26
Written by GC News Desk
0 Comments
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Mumbai based Arihant Shipbreaking Ltd. with its lowest bid of 99 crore is the front runner to get the job of removing River Princess that has been lying off the Candolim coast for nearly a decade now. Besides, Arihant has also offered to complete the job in 180 days.
The other shortlisted companies’ bids are not only higher, but they also asked for longer time to complete the job.

Singapore based Titan Maritime (Sea) Pvt. Ltd. offered to remove the vessel by May 2012 and quoted a price of 118 crore while Goa based Madgavkar Salvage bidding along with Singapore based Smith Salvage offered to remove the vessel in 240 days for a cost of 118 crore.
On the other hand Resolve Salvage and Fire Europe Ltd from United Kingdom both offered to complete the job in January 2012 and the amount quoted by them wa 255 crore.
The bids have now been forwarded to the government which will take a final call on the matter.

Third Article from TARGET GOA

Is the plan to keep River Princess rusting in pieces?
2010-11-10

Salgaonkar Mining Industries did not show up for the meeting of the bidders called for scrutinising the bids to select the successful bid to remove the River Princess. There are questions raised over the entire tender operation shrouded in secrecy. Not only that there is criticism of the members of the Goa State Disaster Management Authority technical committee.

Word has it that some of the members of the committee could not understand the power point presentations made by the bidders. The only two members who seemed to know what was happening were two naval captains. Experts from NIO (National Institute of Oceanography) were apparently shunted out of the committee.

If these allegations are true, the River Princess will be Rusting in Pieces for the next few years.

The Committee has short-listed four companies for award of the tender.

Salgaocar management has sent a letter to the GSDMA saying that the award of the contract was "null and void" since it has exceeded the time limit of two months set by the High Court to the state government.

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Herald letters, Polish visa issues.

Polish visa issues
Dixon Vaz, Fatorda
I would like to appeal to Goa government to pay more attention to receiving more tourists. Tourists from Poland cannot land in Goa as per new visa regulations. I work with Polish tourists and they have no intentions of staying on in Goa and make their living. Poland is ranked as the best place for tourism in Europe, Krakov, Warsov, Gdansk etc. These places are historic. They come here to look for the sun and then go back. So please, I appeal to the government to relax the visa regulation. I have been to Thailand thrice and will be going again with my family and the visa is free. Yet I did not settle in Thailand.

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Loved that bit :rofl::rofl:

Also;

http://www.financialexpress.com/news...-india/710127/

A wonderful example of sloppy journalism, after the eye catching title of "Goa tops Unemployment List in India", no further mention is made of the place. This leaves us wondering if it has the most or least unemployed.
Presumably with the number of taxi drivers it is the least.........or more accurately, the most!


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Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Good news for visitors from Cambodia, Vietnam, Phillipines and Laos, visas on arrival from January 2011.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-F...e1-619809.aspx

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Rick Stein: Worst Travel Experience

13 Nov. The Independent. We were filming in India and got detained at Mumbai airport. Our equipment was impounded because we didn't have the correct paperwork. They locked it in a room and said that unless we produced £64,000 as a bond, we would not get it back. We waited around for a day until a friend of mine in Goa wrote a cheque for us - that's friendship for you...

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

Dont believe this rubbish


Hi, some of you are aware that we live near Katowice South Poland and have been coming to Goa for the last 7 years and have tried various Travel Agents and Airlines. The best travel route for us is to fly to Germany, Frankfurt or Munich-Doha- Goa, 16-18 hours traveling time incl. stopovers. There are flights from Warsaw but this is usually only available with a package holiday 27-32 hours traveling time and when you do your sums (costly 6-7 hour stopovers 30-50 GBP a time) it’s always cheaper and faster through Germany.

Last year we paid 1004€ 2 persons return, this time for Jan.2011 1612€ and we booked 6 weeks ago. That’s a 60% increase and the hotels have almost doubled in the last 7 years.

In my opinion this is the real reason Poles are not coming to Goa, the charter flights are cancelled simply because it’s not profitable due to lack of passengers . It has nothing to do with Visas.

After reading this article in Goanvoice-Herald-BE my wife called BLS International Visa Service- UK stationed in Warsaw which is in the Indian Embassy building, this is very handy and also a source of income (rent) for the Indian Government. BLS said 3-4 days is the norm, on their website it states: Visa applications, minimum 7 days before departure, so who do you believe. To be safe we will apply in person 4 weeks before departure. I will post when and how we received our visa when it arrives.

BLS charge 40 PLN = 9 GBP
Visa 184 PLN = 40 GBP


Off topic: Poland is no more expensive than Goa if you stay away from the tourist hotspots, beer is a pound a pint in a normal pub and food - hotels are very reasonable. Should you visit Krakau then you must visit the salt mine in Wieliczka it’s awesome and Auschwitz if you can handle something so sad.

Good luck with all your property issues.

Keep fighting Mainwaring

Re: In To-day's Newspapers
 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...ow/6926384.cms

This school has had a chequered past, to say the least, but ignoring the dictatorial sisters that run it and the dilapidated building housing it, the real interest here is their (and Ms Lee's) take on working on a tourist visa and how they seem to think a few wriggles make it legal. Ms Lee was presumably confident in her assumptions or surely she would not have approached the police? And how come she wasnt "banged up" for the serious offence?

Lets hope that at least some shoddy (Goan standard) repairs take place rather than simply bribes being paid to make it all go away.

By the way, rumour has it that Ms Lee has secured the part of "Chicken Little" in panto this Christmas, but the Inland Revenue need not expect any payments as she is a volunteer and her salary is a consolidated honorarium thingy so she really isnt working or earning anything, innit?

On her head be it!


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