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Navy using security ruse to takeover Goa islands: Congress MP
Panaji: Objecting to a comment made by a top Indian Navy officer on Friday about security risk posed by islands off Goa’s coast, the Congress MP Shantaram Naik on Saturday accused the navy of trying to raise the security bogey as a pretext to “take control over the precious land”.
Naik also alleged that the Indian Navy has in the past, had eyed islands off Goa, in order to create recreational facility for navy officers.
“The defence ministry had obtained Anjadiv Islands off the coast of Goa, on grounds of security, many years back, and despite the written agreement, the ministry made a U-turn on the agreement, and stopped permitting members of Christian community to offer prays there twice a year, as agreed,” Naik said.
In the past, the navy had been eyeing Grande and St George islands to build holiday homes for navy personnel, he said.
On Friday, during Navy Day celebrations Flag Officer for Goa Naval area Rear Admiral Puneet Bhal said the islands off Goa were critical for security purposes.
“Time and again, the navy has been talking about maintaining security at all three islands – St George Island, Small Grande and Large Grande – located off Baina’s coast…. Today, aircrafts are flying out of INS Hansa at Dabolim, and the take-off and landing path of these aircrafts is just over these islands.
“Small Grande is with us, while the other two islands are not. Also, these days, threat perception has increased many-fold. Anybody can come with shoulder-launch missiles or surveillance and can know our movements by sitting on the island,” said Bhal.
But Naik does not buy Bhal’s argument.
“If the apprehension is that terrorist can fire shoulder missiles from these islands, such missiles can be fired from any part of the coastal area of the State. In fact, it is easier to detect any such terrorists operating on any of these island, where there is no population at all, then the places in Goa which are thickly populated,” Naik said.
The issue of land-hogging by the armed forces has been a prickly one since 1961, when Goa was liberated thanks to India’s clinical military action, from Portuguese rule. Critical installations and land tracts captured by the Indian army from the Portuguese forces during the action were then taken over during the brief spell of military administration of the newly liberated state.
The state government has also maintained that the Indian Navy has been illegally occupying 1,840 acres of land on which the Dabolim airport is located, ever since the Indian armed forces marched into Goa in 1961 to liberate it from Portuguese rule.
Two years before taking charge as the defence minister, Manohar Parrikar as Goa chief minister in 2012 told the Goa legislative assembly, during a discussion on requesting the armed forces to relinquish a tract of land in Panaji: “It is earlier to get the army to vacate from Lahore, but not from even an inch of land in Panaji.”
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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