log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY MAY 6, 2026 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 318 THE DIET FOR A HEALTHY SUMMER HONOURING THE BACKBONE OF HEALTHCARE IN SHORT >> Teacher sentenced to 11 years in jail PANAJI: The Fast Track Special Court, Panaji has convicted a school teacher for repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor student over several years, sentencing him to 11 years of rigorous imprisonment. The accused, Mahesh Chanekar (54), who was working as a science teacher at a high school in Pernem, was found guilty of rape under relevant Sections.  >> See pg 3 CM warns against garbage in rivers MAPUSA: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has raised concern over the growing menace of waste dumping, urging residents to stop discarding garbage in rivers and other water bodies. He warned that the practice of dumping waste in plastic bags and throwing it into water sources has led to severe degradation of several water bodies.  >> See pg 3 3 booked for asking `10 lakh dowry VASCO: A dowry demand of Rs 10 lakh and gold in connection with a marriage proposal led to a case being registered by Vasco police against three persons from Chimbel. The complainant claimed that the accused had initially agreed to the marriage of his daughter without any dowry conditions.  >> See pg 5 DHE to conduct NET, SET mentoring prog PANAJI: The Directorate of Higher Education will conduct a mentoring programme for candidates appearing for NET and SET exams. Candidates aspiring to avail the NET/SET mentoring sessions should fill in their details in a Google form by May 15. Power bank on IndiGo plane catches fire CHANDIGARH: More than 200 people were evacuated from an IndiGo aircraft at the Chandigarh airport on Tuesday after a passenger’s power bank kept in a seat pocket caught fire and filled the cabin with smoke. WEATHER >> Max: 34.5 C Min: 26.2 C Humidity: 65% TIDES Low: High: 06:57 19:51 00:01 14:09 GOA LONDON wo schools from India were among the top 50 shortlisted for the USD one million Global Schools Prize 2026. While Katha Lab School in Delhi was named in the Arts and Culture category, Delhi Public School Bangalore North (DPSBN) has made it in the Inclusive Education category from around 3,000 nominations across 113 countries. The USD one million prize, organised by UK-based Varkey Foundation, celebrates the world’s most innovative and impactful schools that are reimagining education for the future across 10 categories. “Congratulations, Katha T RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO WRD push: Bhandaras to reach 500, boost irrigation The science of healing: Inside the world of a mental health activist n TELLS PETITIONER TO GO TO ASSEMBLY TO GET IT DONE n NOTICES ISSUED TO STATE & SEC THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Tuesday refused any interim relief or put a stay on the Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, even as it agreed to examine petitions challenging the delay in municipal elections across 11 councils whose terms ended in April. Hearing the pleas, the Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar made it clear that one cannot grant a stay on the ordinance. “You will have to go to the Assembly to get it done,” the court observed. The two petitions filed in March and April have challenged the ordinance as unconstitutional and seek time-bound elections for the 11 municipal councils of Mapusa, Margao, Ponda, Mormugao, Quepem, Bicholim, Pernem, Valpoi, Cuncolim, Curchorem, and Canacona, whose five-year tenures ex- PETITIONER’S POINTS OF CONTENTION „„Article 243U guarantees a fixed 5-year term for municipalities „„Mandates elections must be completed before term expires „„Prohibits prolonged supersession, requires reconstitution within 6 months if dissolved „„Ordinance being used to delay elections, violating constitutional mandate „„Claims constitutional breach has already oc- curred due to non-conduct of elections „„Administrators have been appointed instead of elected bodies „„Ordinance cannot be applied to upcoming elections pired in March-April 2026. Arguing the matter, the petitioner invoked Article 243U of the Constitution, introduced through the 74th Amendment, which guarantees a fixed fiveyear term for municipalities and mandates that elections be completed before the expiry of that term. The provision also bars prolonged supersession and requires reconsti- tution within six months if a body is dissolved. “Under the garb of this ordinance, the elections are not being held. The constitutional breach has already been committed. They have appointed administrators. You cannot make it applicable for ensuing elections and that is the challenge in the present petition,” the petitioner submitted dur- FLASHBACK: The two petitions filed in March and April have challenged the ordinance as unconstitutional and seek timebound elections for the 11 municipal councils. Public consultation on CZMP hits roadblock CRUCIAL PLANS YET TO BE SUBMITTED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The public consultation on the draft Goa Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2019 has been delayed owing to non-submission of the crucial components such as the  environment management plan for ecologically sensitive areas, the integrated island management plan, and the eco-tourism plan. While the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) is responsible for preparing the environmental and island management plans, the tourism and forest departments are yet to submit the eco-tourism master plans. However, as part of CZMP 2019, the State has drafted a comprehensive plan allowing traditional fisherfolk to construct dwelling units within 100 to 200 metres of the High Tide Line (HTL). The CZMP prepared by the National Centre for Earth WHAT’S HOLDING IT BACK „„Environmental management, island management, and eco-tourism plans not submitted „„NIO yet to complete environmental & island plans „„Tourism and Forest departments haven’t submitted eco-tourism plan „„Crucial inputs for ecologically sensitive and tourism areas still pending „„All four plans must be integrated before draft release „„Draft CZMP can’t be opened for public feedback without these components Science Studies (NCESS), Thiruvananthapuram, had in January submitted the draft plan to the State government. The environment department circulated this draft to various government bodies seeking feedback, but response has been poor, forcing the department to extend the deadlines for submission. “All these four plans need to be incorporated in the draft CZMP 2019 before placing it in public domain for objections and sugges- tions. These plans are a crucial part of planning under CZMP,” a senior official said. Meanwhile, officials said that the government has accepted the long-pending demand of coastal communities proposing allowing traditional fisherfolk to construct dwelling units within 100 to 200 metres of the HTL. “This is also part of the CZMP 2019 and will be placed before public suggestion,” officials said. >Continued on P8 2 Indian schools in race for $1mn prize PTI Instagram.com/thegoanonline 3 2 High Court declines stay on municipal ordinance Concerns over sanitation, hygiene at Cutbona jetty as fishing ban nears >PG 6 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) EDUCATION POWER PLAY Katha Lab School, Delhi „„Located in Govindpuri slum cluster; serves low-income children „„Known for delivering strong academic outcomes „„Founded by Padma Shri awardee Geeta Dharmarajan „„Pioneered “StoryPedagogy” -- replaces textbooks with storybooks Lab School and Delhi Public School Bangalore North; your approach to teaching and „„Integrates language, science, maths, and arts into holistic learning DPS Bangalore North „„Educates over 7,000 students „„Guided by the principle ‘Service Before Self’ „„Recognised for inclusive education practices „„Shortlisted for demonstrating that inclusion and academic excellence can coexist learning powerfully demonstrates how schools play a defining role in equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to shape our rapidly evolving world,” said Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation. “By highlighting your achievement, we hope to inspire a global movement to reimagine learning and turn bold ideas into real-world impact. This is more than an award it’s a platform to spark a global conversation about scaling the best ideas in education and advancing action far beyond the classroom,” he said. Katha Lab School in Delhi’s slum cluster of Govindpuri serves hundreds of children from low-income families and has the distinction of delivering >Continued on P8 ing the hearing. The court, however, indicated that it was not prima facie convinced of a constitutional violation at this stage. “We also need sufficient time to consider this. We don’t see anything that is offending Article 243...” the Bench remarked. Advocate General Devidas Pangam, appearing for the State, defended the ordinance, saying it was brought in response to petitions filed in the last two months. Taking note that the tenure of all 11 municipal councils had come to an end by April 2026, the court said the issue raised a broader challenge requiring detailed consideration. “There is a challenge thrown in… all of those terms of the 11 municipal councils have come to an end in April 2026,” it observed. The Bench issued notice to the State government and State Election Commission, directing them to file their affidavits by June 8, while adjourning the matter for June 10. 9 Mamata defiant, says won’t quit; calls poll verdict a ‘conspiracy’ 1 Alleging that the West Bengal assembly poll verdict was “not a people’s mandate but a conspiracy”, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday refused to resign as chief minister, opening up a constitutional grey zone and a political confrontation in the State. 2 A day after the BJP sealed a landslide victory with 207 seats in the 294-member assembly, ending the Trinamool Congress’’s uninterrupted 15-year rule, Banerjee dismissed the outcome as “engineered” and asserted that her party was fighting the Election Commission, not the BJP. The TMC could only manage 80 seats. 3 “Why should I step down? We have not lost. The mandate has been looted. Where does the question of resignation arise?” she said, doubling down on her refusal to vacate the office. “The question of my resignation does not arise, as we were defeated not by a public mandate but by a conspiracy. >> See pg 7 SPORTS Samson stars as CSK outclass struggling Delhi Capitals 14 Two journalists from India get Pulitzer honour PRIZE AWARDED IN THE COMMENTARY AND ILLUSTRATED REPORTING CATEGORY PTI NEW YORK Indian journalists Anand RK and Suparna Sharma have won the Pulitzer Prize for their work highlighting digital surveillance and cyber fraud. Sharma and Anand won the award in the Commentary and Illustrated Reporting category. They share the award with Natalie Obiko Pearson of Bloomberg. According to The Pulitzer Prizes website, the award-winning work titled “trAPPed”, produced for Bloomberg, narrates the “riveting account” of a neurologist in India who was held under a “digital arrest” through her phone, using a blend of “visuals and words” to underscore the “growing global challenges of surveillance and digital scams”. The Pulitzer Prizes, administered by Columbia University, are regarded as among the highest honours in journalism, literature and music composition. Anand RK is an illustrator and visual artist based in Mumbai. He won the Eisner Suparna Anand Award, often referred to as the Oscars of the comic book industry, in 2021 for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist along with colorist John Pearson for the graphic novel Blue in Green by Image Comics. A graduate of the prestigious Sir JJ School of Art in 2011, he has also illustrated Grafity’s Wall by Dark Horse Comics, Radio Apocalypse by Vault and Resurrection Man by DC Comics.” Suparna is a freelance investigative journalist and editor. She has covered crime, conflicts, national disasters and corruption across a three-decade career. Her 2023 investigation for Al Jazeera into the deaths of two seniors in a fire at in Delhi exposed greed and negligence within India’s multi-billion dollar elder-care industry.