log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY DECEMBER 19, 2025 GOA Mahindra strengthens its hold on India’s shrinking diesel car market Chasing the horizon in the 2026 Mini Cooper S Convertible IN SHORT >> North Goa courts to function on zilla polling day PANAJI: All district and taluka courts in North Goa will function as usual on December 20, the polling day for the zilla panchayat elections, after the office of the Principal District and Sessions Judge, North Goa, withdrew an earlier notice. A fresh order was issued on Thursday, which has also granted judicial officers, advocates, and court staff relaxation to cast their votes at their respective village panchayats, after which they are required to report for regular duties. It also clarifies that no adverse orders will be passed against advocates and litigants for failing to appear in court proceedings on that day. Raj Bhavan renamed as Lok Bhavan PANAJI: Goa Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday announced that Raj Bhavan, Goa, has been renamed as Lok Bhavan, in line with directions issued by the Union Home Ministry. The decision follows a recommendation made at the Governors’ Conference last year to replace the colonial-era term ‘Raj Bhavan’ with ‘Lok Bhavan’.  >> See pg 3 Dairy farmers without subsidy for 6 months PANAJI: Goa’s dairy farmers are facing mounting distress as subsidy payments under the State’s milk support scheme have been stalled for nearly six months. The delay has left thousands of milk producers struggling to sustain operations. >> See pg 3 Two mobile thieves arrested in Calangute PANAJI: Calangute police arrested two persons from Shivamogga for committing thefts of mobile phones. Twenty-four-year-old Basavaraja and 21-year-old Kiran were arrested near Calangute beach and the stolen property was attached by police. IndiGo restores 2,200 flights NEW DELHI: IndiGo's chief executive Pieter Elbers has said 2,200 flights has have taken off and that the airline has stabilised operations after a period of disruption, saying the worst was over for the country's largest airline. The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 182 GOA PRAWAH to discuss final clearances for new irrigation and water projects Liberation Day: Revisiting Goa’s struggle for freedom C SPORTS Lyon overtakes McGrath as Australia tightens grip on third Ashes Test  WRITE TO COLLECTOR  LOCALS SMELL A RAT, SAY THE REAL VIOLATIONS ARE CRZ INFRINGEMENTS, ILLEGAL STRUCTURES SC collegium recommends elevation of four other judges too as chief justices AGNELO PEREIRA THE GOAN I MAPUSA PANAJI The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of five High Court judges as Chief Justices of different High Courts across the country, including Goa-based Bombay High Court's Justice M S Sonak. Justice Sonak, who has been serving at the Bombay High Court’s Goa Bench and is among the senior-most judges there, has been recommended for appointment as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. According to the statement published by the Collegium on SC website, his appointment will be effective upon retirement of incumbent Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan on January 8, 2026. Justice Sonak was born on November 28, 1964. He completed school education from Don Bosco High School at Panaji and B Sc. from Dhempe College of Arts & Science. He took his LL.B. degree from, from MS College of Law in Panaji. He practiced at Panaji The worst fears of locals appear to be coming true, with nightclubs that were recently sealed for failing to obtain mandatory fire safety clearances now moving swiftly to resume operations. Within days of being sealed for serious fire safety lapses, a couple of nightclubs have written to the district Collector seeking de-sealing of their premises, claiming they have since complied with fire department requirements and obtained the mandatory Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC). Sources in the administration confirmed that applications for de-sealing have been received; however, the clubs have failed to attach the requisite documentary proof issued by the fire department along with their requests. Six nightclubs – Clara and Salud at Ozran, Vagator, Mayan Beach Club, Diaz, Club Goya and Café CO2 – were sealed by a joint enforcement Birch fire: Five club staff sent to 14-day judicial custody MAPUSA: A Mapusa court on Thursday remanded five staff members of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub – accused in connection with the deadly fire tragedy – to 14 days of judicial custody after their police remand ended. Those sent to judicial custody by the JMFC court include Bharat Kohli, who oversaw the club’s day-to-day operations on behalf of the owners; Priyanshu Thakur, the gate in-charge; Rajveer Singhania, a bar attendant; Vivek Singh, the general manager; and Rajiv Modak, the chief general manager.  >> See pg 3 Morjim beach club alleges natural justice violated in GCZMA demolition order >> See pg 3 and monitoring committee following inspections that revealed grave deficiencies in fire prevention systems, emergency preparedness and in some cases, structural instability. The speed with which the fire NOCs were allegedly obtained has raised serious questions among locals and activists, who are demanding clarity on whether due proce- dures and inspections were followed before issuing the clearances. “What we had foreseen is coming true,” said Jawish Moniz, a Vagator resident who has been actively opposing alleged illegalities in the area. “The real violations are CRZ infringements, illegal construction and misuse of GCZMA permissions. No action is taken on these core issues. Govt gears up to boost NEP with new skilled educators 1,008 TEACHERS, 377 INSTRUCTORS TO BE HIRED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major step towards boosting implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Goa government is set to recruit 1,385 trained manpower to strengthen school education, at various stages of learning, under its newly launched Mukhyamantri Dnyanparva Yojana. The scheme seeks to support the rollout of NEP 2020 from the foundational level to the secondary stage by appointing qualified teachers and instructors on a contractual basis in government schools and, to a limited extent, in governmentaided schools. In aided schools, the scheme will apply only to the posting of instructors. As per the notification issued by the Director of Education Shailesh Zingade, the initiative focuses on improving the quality of education beginning from the Foundational Stage, which includes pre-primary classes, and ex- MUKHYAMANTRI SCHEME OF THINGS „„Support implementation of NEP 2020 from foundational to secondary stage „„Appoint qualified teachers, instructors on contractual basis in govt schools „„Improve quality of education from pre-primary classes up to Class XII „„Ensure availability of well-trained, competent, and motivated teaching staff „„Align teaching practices with NEP 2020 pedagogical framework „„Promote child-centered learning through playbased, activity-based, and inquiry-driven methods „„Recruit teachers and instructors with multidisciplinary and bilingual skills tending up to Class XII. The appointments are intended to ensure availability of welltrained, competent and motivated teaching staff aligned with the pedagogical framework prescribed under NEP 2020. Zingade said that the scheme aims at promoting child-centered learning through play-based, activity-based and inquiry-driven methods, and recruiting teachers and instructors with multidisciplinary and bilingual skills. Of the total 1,385 posts, 1,008 posts are for teachers and 377 for instructors. Among the teaching posts, 600 teachers will be deployed at the Foundational and Preparatory stages, 58 at the Middle Stage, and 350 at the Secondary Stage. The instructor component includes 300 posts for Art Education and 77 posts under the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). >Continued on 9 Shoppers complain of big hike in prices of coconuts, eggs this year PANAJI hristmas in Goa is usually all about abundance -- platters of roast meats, trays of golden sweets, and kitchens buzzing with coconut-rich curries. But this year, shoppers are discovering that the festive cheer comes with a heavier price tag. Walk through local markets across Goa and it's the same refrain: meat and poultry prices have jumped. Broiler chicken is up nearly 20% compared to last December, while pork and beef are edging higher, RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 TGLIFE Goa feels the Christmas pinch, prices soar THE GOAN I NETWORK Instagram.com/thegoanonline 3 14 2 6 Sealed nightclubs get fire NOCs Justice Sonak set to be chief justice in a flash, move to restart Ops of Jharkhand HC Zilla Panchayat polls: Battle for supremacy in nine Salcete seats Page 8 Facebook.com/thegoan „„Regular eggs hover nearly 20%, while pork around Rs 100 per and beef are rising dozen, while due to transport ganvti (organic) CHRISTMAS costs eggs cost Rs CHEER TURNS „„Preparing 200-plus Christmas DEAR „„Vendors warn meals and prices may rise sweets now refurther as Christquires significantly mas demand peaks higher spending „„Coconut now costs Rs „„Rising input costs (eggs, 50-plus up from Rs 25–30 sugar, flour, coconut) mean higher prices for sweets „„Chicken prices are up largely owing to transport costs and often due to traders' opportunism. For families who pride themselves on hearty roasts and spicy curries, that means either smaller portions or swapping in cheaper cuts. Eggs, the backbone of both savory dishes and sweets, are the real shocker this year. Retail prices hover around Rs 100 per dozen. 'Ganvti' (organic) ones, which many prefer using, are nearly double the price at Rs 200-plus per dozen. Vendors meanwhile are warning that the prices could climb even higher as demand peaks in the final days to Christmas. >Continued on 9 Sealing the clubs for lack of fire NOC is an easy way out, because the NOC can be obtained in no time and business resumes,” he added. Activist and noise-pollution campaigner Desmond Alvares echoed similar concerns, stating that fire safety is only one of several violations. “Many of these clubs do not have valid construction licences or other mandatory permissions. Goa lacks a comprehensive club policy, and until such a policy is in place, these illegalities will continue,” he said. An official from the district administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Collector has a 15-day window to examine the applications and take a decision. “De-sealing will be considered only after verifying all required permissions and compliance reports. No decision will be taken in haste,” the official said. The issue assumes significance in the backdrop of the recent tragic fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora and the High Court’s suo motu intervention into the functioning of illegal nightclubs in Goa. Officials, however, are also expected to face intense pressure with the peak tourism season underway. Whether public safety concerns or tourism-driven pressures will prevail remains to be seen as the administration weighs its next move. THE GOAN I NETWORK PROUD MOMENT Justice Sonak’s appointment will be effective upon retirement of incumbent Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court Tarlok Singh Chauhan on January 8, 2026 Bench of the Bombay HC and was later appointed Additional Standing Counsel for Central Government, Special Counsel for State Government and Statutory Corporations. The Collegium also recommended Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Allahabad HC as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand HC, Justice Revati P Mohite Dere of the Bombay HC as Chief Justice of the Meghalaya HC, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala HC as Chief Justice of the Sikkim HC, and Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo of the Orissa HC as Chief Justice of the Patna HC.