log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2025 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 152 Opposition’s GOA alliance gathers pace, but key hurdles in seat-sharing remain 2 GOA Mapusa district hospital to get new morgue with increased capacity of 20 4 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Decoding men’s mental wellbeing with biohacking and genetic profiling Midnight horror in Baina; armed dacoits brutalise family, loot flat  FOUR-MEMBER FAMILY GAGGED, TIED, VICIOUSLY ATTACKED  GOLD, SILVER, CASH AMOUNTING TO LAKHS OF RUPEES STOLEN THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO Baina locality in Vasco was shaken by an armed dacoity when a gang of eight masked intruders stormed into a sixthfloor flat at Chamundi Arcade in the wee hours of Tuesday and brutally assaulted a family, before fleeing with gold, silver and cash worth lakhs of rupees. The audacious crime, carried out with precision and planning, unfolded between 2 am and 2.55 am and left three members of the Nayak family grievously injured and traumatised. MODUS OPERANDI According to information, the gang had split roles — seven men climbed into the premises from the back compound wall and sneaked into the building’s basement while one remained outside for lookout duty. CCTV footage later confirmed how the group avoided the main cameras and slipped into the lift with their faces covered by masks and a mo- >> pg 8 Mapusa’s timeless chana bhattis keep tradition alive IN SHORT >> Salt pans revival scheme announced PANAJI: The govt has announced 'Salt Pan Conservation, Support and Revival Scheme', an initiative for the conservation, support and revival of salt pans. The scheme aims to restore traditional salt farming, provide financial aid to salt pan owners, and safeguard Goa’s cultural and agricultural legacy linked to salt production. Beef raid sparks concern again PANAJI: A routine raid on a meat stall in Navelim has again raised the spectre of possible shortage in markets on the cusp of the festive Christmas season in the face of the role of self-styled “Gaurakshak” groups.  >> See pg 4 ON PAGE 2 DIG says case taken up as challenge as top officials join Baina dacoity probe Family suspects insider involvement; say dacoits ate ice cream, stole water bottles Thief nets `25 lakh haul in daylight heist at St Cruz The building where the Nayaks lived. (Right) The ransacked cupboard. torcycle helmet. Once inside the building, the dacoits made their way to the sixth floor, where they targeted the home of Sagar Nayak. The intruders are believed to have gained access after cutting through an iron gate and entering the kitchen window, which had no protective grill. They then forced open the bedroom door, where Sagar was sleeping alongside his wife Harsha and 15-year-old daughter Nakshatra. ASSAULT, ROBBERY The attack on the family was swift and merciless. Sagar, who has a heart condition, was repeatedly struck on the head with iron rods as the family pleaded with the assailants to stop. Harsha too was hit with an iron rod, leaving her bleeding, while Nakshatra suffered injuries to her hand after attempting to shield her father from the blows. In another room, Sagar’s 85-year-old mother-in-law, Hirabai Pai, was kicked off her bed as the gang ransacked the flat. Despite his injuries, Sagar initially resisted the intruders and refused to give in to their demands. But the ordeal took a terrifying turn when one of the dacoits allegedly held a knife to his daughter’s neck and threatened to abduct her. Overwhelmed and bleeding profusely, Sagar finally surrendered, after which the gang tied Sagar, Harsha and One month on, police yet to nab mastermind behind high-profile Mapusa dacoity Nakshatra in the balcony with cloth rags stuffed into their mouths to prevent them from raising an alarm. Once the family was restrained, the dacoits reportedly demanded the keys to cupboards and lockers and proceeded to loot valuables including gold ornaments, >Continued on P10 NEW DELHI The Supreme Court, by a 2:1 majority, on Tuesday recalled its May 16 judgment that had prohibited the Centre from granting retrospective environmental clearances (ECs) to projects found violating environmental norms. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice K Vinod Chandran delivered three separate verdicts on a batch of nearly 40 review and modification pleas filed against the Vanshakti judgment. The May 16 verdict by a bench of Justice A S Oka, retired, and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan had barred the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the authorities concerned from granting retrospective ECs to projects which The May 16 verdict had barred the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and the authorities concerned from granting retrospective ECs to projects which were found in violation of environmental norms are found in violation of environmental norms. CJI Gavai and Justice Chandran recalled the May 16 verdict and placed the matter before an appropriate bench for reconsideration afresh. Public projects of Rs 20,000 crore will have to be demolished if the clearance is not reviewed. In my judgment, I have allowed the recall. My judgment has been criticised by my brother… Justice Bhuyan, the CJI said. PANAJI larm bells are ringing in Goa's medical fraternity over the surge in strokes and heart attacks among younger adults and doctors are urging regular blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring as preventive measures. Often seen as a laid-back (sussegad) lot, Goans are now grappling with this worrying health trend -- an increase in cardiovascular emergencies among people under 40. Official Health and Family Welfare ministry data suggests that one in five heart attack patients nationwide is now below 40 years of age. In Goa too, the trend is similar with medical experts attributing this to lifestyles, high stress, smoking, alcohol consump- A HEART MATTERS TICKING TIME BOMB IN GOA THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO An alert resident from a neighbouring building and the remarkable courage of 15-year-old Nakshatra Nayak proved crucial in saving the lives of the Nayak family, who were violently attacked and left tied up and bleeding during the dacoity in their sixth-floor flat at Baina. According to information, Sagar Nayak, his wife Harsha and their daughter Nakshatra were tied up in the balcony with cloth in their mouth, even as a group of dacoits took complete control of the flat, ransacking cupboards and breaking open lockers. The attackers allegedly locked the flat from outside before fleeing, leaving the injured family helpless and unable to escape. Sagar, a sports athlete known for his fitness and resilience, is believed to have put up a strong fight despite his heart condition and a severe head injury. Bleeding heavily, he still managed to remove the cloth stuffed into his mouth and scream for admissions per day „„DHS notes a 14.3% increase in heart attack cases in 2024 compared to 2023 „„Bardez taluka shows highest incidence of heart attacks tion, and poor dietary habits. A senior doctor at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), which is the State's We begged them not to kill us, wife recounts tense moments VASCO : Narrating the terrifying moments when a gang of masked men stormed into her flat at Baina in the early hours, a visibly shaken Harsha Nayak said the dacoits had assaulted her family and left them traumatised. According to her, the gang entered the bedroom armed with iron and aluminium rods. She described how the attackers immediately turned violent, targeting not only her and her husband but also her daughter and elderly mother. Harsha said the gang repeatedly threatened to kill them with a knife if they did not comply. “We begged them not to >> See pg 2 kill us,” said Nayak. help from the balcony. It was these cries that reached a resident from the adjoining building, both structures sharing a common dead wall. The neighbour, who had been asleep, stepped out onto his balcony and was shocked to see the family bound and pleading for help. “I trembled at the sight of the family tied up in the balcony screaming for help. Sagar told me to immediately call an ambulance and the police since he feared he would die. I had never imagined such a situation in my wildest dreams. I immediately called a police friend posted at Vasco police station,” the neighbour said, requesting anonymity. He added that the police reacted instantly. “The staff alerted both Vasco and Mormugao police, and they reached the site in quick time. It may have been only a few minutes since the dacoits had left.” >Continued on P10 Govt postpones ZP polls by a week, to be held on Dec 20 THE GOAN I NETWORK FESTIVAL FIZZ: A float being readied for the International Film Festival of India at the Dayanand Bandodkar ground, Campal on Tuesday. The festival will kick off with a parade on November 20.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Central scheme to insure crop loss due to wild animals from next year PTI NEW DELHI Crop losses due to wild animal attacks will be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) from the Kharif (summer-sown) sowing season 2026, providing major relief to farmers, the Doctors report a growing proportion of younger heart attack victims, though older patients still form the majority „„Experts in Goa report rising heart attacks due to high stress, smoking, alcohol use, and unhealthy diets „„GMC recorded 2,904 heart attack cases in the last 2 years — averaging 4 14 15-year-old slips through kitchen window, bangs on neighbours’ doors to wake them MATTER PLACED BEFORE SUITABLE BENCH PTI Blue Tigers suffer narrow defeat in Bangladesh Neighbour, daughter’s courage become the lifeline of family SC reverses order on retrospective green clearances government said on Tuesday. In addition, losses incurred due to inundation of paddy crops because of heavy rains and floods will also be covered under the PMFBY. In a statement, the agriculture ministry pointed out that farmers across India have been facing crop losses due to Heart attacks, strokes rising among young Goans: Data THE GOAN I NETWORK 11 SPORTS „„STEMI initiative detected 5,000 heart attacks in 4 years, after screening 1.7 lakh+ people „„DHS confirms several cases identified during 2024 screening camps, enabling immediate medical intervention premiere and largest tertiary healthcare institution, said over the last two years, 2,904 heart attack cases have been recorded. This means, there have been four admissions daily on account of heart-related diseases. Goa's Directorate of Health Services records also show a 14.3% year-on-year rise in heart attack cases in 2024 compared to 2023, with the Bardez taluka reporting the highest incidence. Several doctors The Goan spoke to also noted that while older patients still dominate, the proportion of younger victims has grown steadily. Complementing GMC’s data, the STEMI program, a government initiative for rapid heart attack detection, reported 5,000 heart attacks in Goa over the last four years, with >Continued on P10 attacks by wild animals, such as elephants, wild boars, nilgai, deer, and monkeys. These incidents are particularly common in regions situated near forests, wildlife corridors, and hilly terrains, it added. >Continued on P10 PANAJI In view of the pending Public Interest Litigations (PILs) before the High Court of Bombay at Goa challenging the reservation of wards, the State government has announced postponement of the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections by one week. The polls, initially scheduled for December 13, will now be conducted on December 20. Secretary for Panchayats Chesta Yadav in an order issued on Tuesday has said that the ZP polls are rescheduled for December 20. “The General Election for the North Goa Zilla Panchayat constituencies and South Goa Zilla Panchayat constituencies scheduled on December 13, 2025 vide aforesaid notifications is rescheduled to December 20, 2025,” the order stated. However, the election Reservation: Govt reply this week PANAJI: The Goa government will this week file its affidavit before the High Court of Bombay at Goa in the Zilla Panchayat reservation case, in response to two PILs challenging the November 6 notification on seat reservations for the South Goa and Anjuna constituencies.  >> See pg 4 schedule will be notified by the State Election Commission (SEC) only after November 25. Earlier, on October 15, Yadav had issued a preliminary notification announcing that elections for all 50 ZP constituencies -- 25 each in North and South -- would be held on December 13. However, the >Continued on P10