It's raining!! The smell of roasting corn on the cob is in the air. And as zillions of Bollywood movies over the years have depicted, romance in the rains is very real. Goa is stunningly beautiful this time of the year. The seas are rough and awesome, the rivers are swollen, the churches stand stark and white like paintings against the dark skies.
Kids are back at school - with the rains providing impromptu holidays, and the football season providing entertainment in the evenings. The fishing ban is on. Soon the festivals will start and the paddy will flourish. The rains have started off on a promising 
note this year. And if they continue in the same vein, we're in for a bumper crop and a harvest worth celebrating.
It's a good month to have steaming hot Goan rice with dried parra stuffed with spicy racheado masala! Down the meal with a pint of kokum water. Enjoy the rains!
~ Michael and Tomoko Lobo
Road widening woes continue. The National Highway 17 that links Goa to the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra and to the rest of the country is in the process of being widened in certain areas. The 4/6-laning of the highway is in keeping with the national highway "dream", but as it passes through Goa's beautiful hinterland, it will take away a large chunk of homes in some areas. This time it is Porvorim that is in the way. The other highway of contention, the NH4A bypass which goes from Panjim to Ponda will eat up houses on the way in Corlim. It is a challenge for the government as well as the people: development and a hope for international standards of roads and highways without disrupting too many lives. Who should make the sacrifice? Is the compromise to a 4-lane highway instead of a 6-lane highway in residential areas, fair? How far can the government go? How much can the people take? It is a challenge and needs a considerate and creative solution.
On the other hands, here's a piece of development that will make everyone happy: State land records go online! This means you can check the land records of any piece of property in the State online. It also means you can get a copy of the land records from any of the land survey offices in the State. Soon a payment gateway will also be made available, so you can make a payment and download the record. Plus, any changes that occur in the status of a land will be updated and reflected instantaneously. A new form - Form XV - will amalgamate the ownership details of Form I & XIV and graphic details of plans... and much more.
In this changing scenario, here's our property of the month and other hot properties. You can go to our website at www.homesgoa.com for many more.
Goa's leading property consultants
