log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday FRIDAY AUGUST 19, 2022 GOA Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday 14 pages PRICE ` 8 Power-sharing via rotation is new mantra for Salcete panchayats 2 The Goan (Playstore) PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME VIII, NO. 62 GOA BJP now penetrating unchartered territory, says CM, cites Navelim win 3 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Are you eating these foods the wrong way? Baina beach beautification violates CRZ norms: NGT ORDERS GTDC TO RESTORE BEACH TO ORIGINAL CONDITION THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The National Green Tribunal has ordered the Goa Tourism Development Corporation to ‘undo’ its beautification project at the Baina beach in Vasco da Gama and to restore the beach to its original condition. Passing orders on two separate petitions filed by one Rajbhau Pawar and the Goa Foundation, the NGT ruled that the area fell under the CRZ I (no development) zone and rejected the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority’s claim that it fell under CRZ II (restricted construction). The GCZMA had earlier granted permission for the project.  “The area being No-development Zone, no construction activity is permissible and IN SHORT >> Army recruitment for Goan Agniveers PANAJI: The Army will be conducting a recruitment rally for Goan youth under the Agnipath scheme at Shivaji University Kolhapur sports ground from November 22 to December 11. Candidates have to register and apply online on the Indian Army website. Registration is open till September 3.  >> See pg 3 Covid claims one life, 180 more test +ve PANAJI: Goa reported high single day Covid count on second successive day with 180 more people testing positive even as one more person succumbed to the virus. With 115 recoveries, the active caseload is at 941 while the positivity rate is at 14%. Boat with weapons found off Raigad MUMBAI: A suspicious boat with three AK-47 rifles and bullets was found off the Raigad coast in Maharashtra on Thursday, a police official said. Some locals had spotted the boat, having no crew members.  >> See pg 7 WEATHER >> Max: 31 C Min: 25 C Humidity: 91% TIDES Low: High: 09:33 22:38 04:38 15:23 NGT ORDER: KEY OBSERVATIONS „„Area comes under CRZ I (no development) zone and not under CRZ II as claimed by GCZMA  „„The area being No-development Zone, no construction activity is permissible and constructions in questions have been wrongly allowed „„Project proponent should restore the area to its original position which may be overseen by GCZMA „„If the project proponent fails to restore the area to its original position within three months, GCZMA may undertake restoration and take coercive measures as per law „„FLASHBACK: Petitioners alleged that illegal construction activity is being undertaken in the name of beautification of the beach and the area where the beautification is taking place is a sandy beach and intertidal zone and categorised as CRZ-1 under the CRZ Notification, 2011 constructions in questions have been wrongly allowed by the GCZMA. Accordingly, we allow the Applications and direct the project proponent to restore the area to its original position which may be overseen by the GCZMA. If the project proponent fails to restore the area to its original position within three months, the GCZMA may undertake restoration and take coercive measures as per law, includ- ing assessment and recovery of compensation for the violations,” the NGT ruled.  The petitioners alleged that illegal construction activity is being undertaken in the name of beautification of the beach Docs warn against Covid laxity ahead of Chaturthi Say 3rd wave not over, stress on masks THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Issuing a warning over complacency on the Covid front, health authorities appealed to the public to continue observing Covid appropriate behaviour as they said the third wave is far from over and with the festival season ahead, the situation could become worse. Speaking to reporters in Panaji on Thursday, State Epidemiologist Dr Prashant Suryawanshi said that the pandemic is far from over and people cannot afford to relax. “Though the situation is under control, the cases are still hovering around 100. So people have to continue wearing masks in crowded places, continue regular washing of hands, etc,” Dr Suryawanshi stated. “In the last 7 days, cases are hovering above 100. Though the situation is under control as admissions are less, deaths are few, we just cannot relax as cases have not gone down,” he added. “But looking at the current scenario, people appear to be slowly forgetting Covid appropriate behaviour. And with the Ganesh Chaturthi Only 5% in 18-59 age group got booster dose, reveals Dr Borkar PANAJI: Painting a grim picture as far as precautionary or booster dose is concerned, Immunisation Officer Dr Rajendra Borkar said only 5 per cent in the age group of 18-59 and 52 per cent of the age group of 60 plus have got the booster dose. “There are around 9 lakh people eligible for the precautionary dose in the age group of 18-59 of which only 5 per cent have got it whereas among the 1.5 lakh eligible population for 60 plus age group, 52 per cent have been vaccinated with the booster dose,” Dr Borkar said.  >> See pg 3 approaching, people need to take cautions. We are not saying not to celebrate but celebrate responsibly so that there is no sudden rise in the cases,” the doctor appealed. Stating that crowding is witnessed everywhere as Ganesh Chaturthi is approaching, Immunisation officer Dr Rajendra Borkar warned that the third wave is still not over and urged the public not to become complacent. “When the cases go down to zero and remain so for a while, then we will be able to say that the third wave is over. After that, we can talk about the fourth wave. For the moment though, cases are increasing,” Dr Borkar stated. “Though the situation is under control, we cannot relax as Covid appropriate behaviour is missing, vaccination speed is low and the festive season is upon us. This is an alarm,” the doctor warned. “The only good thing is deaths are less but that does not allow us to be negligent,” he opined. Further, he said that Covid >Continued on P5 and the area where the beautification is taking place is a sandy beach and intertidal zone and categorised as CRZ1 under the CRZ Notification, 2011.  The petitioners alleged that the GCZMA illegally granted permission for construction on 20.02.2014, subject to the condition that the project will be restricted between the existing wall and the road curb only.  “In the process of the project construction, sand dunes on the said Baina beach are being flattened and natural features of landscape are being changed which is in utter disregard to the CRZ Regulations. A cement-concrete construction is being carried out within 100 metres from >Continued on P5 10 DOHA f you are a Goan and you intend to travel to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup and finding accommodation is a problem, do not worry. Help is round the corner. Goan Social Workers Qatar (GSWQ) a group of Goans involved in social service, have created and dedicated a new WhatsApp Group exclusively for “Goan Fans travelling to Doha for Qatar 2022 FIFA Football World Cup’’. Disclosing information about the decision to form the group, Joao de Sa said the group will help Goans who are coming to Qatar from various quarters. Goan football fans traveling to Qatar will need to apply for the Hayya digital card. This will act as an entry permit to Qatar I and offer a host of benefits, including free public transport on match days. Qatar residents who are planning to attend matches will also need to apply for Hayya. As part of the Hayya approval process, fans will need to confirm where they are staying during the tournament. If fans are planning to stay with family and friends, their host will need to register their property. “Over the past few weeks and months we have been flooded with pleas to find accommodations and tickets from Goans based in different parts of the world and who are eager to come to Qatar for the World Cup to be held in November December period,” said Joao, who hails from Cortalim and is based in the host country for almost three decades. Only citizens and residents A bus draped with the Portugal flag makes its way around a football stadium in Qatar. of Qatar can avail of the option of hosting relatives and friends who are visiting for the World Cup. These friends can stay with them and the host will have to register the guests along with their passport numbers and unit details. A resident/citizen can host up to 10 individuals during the tournament. Joao said the group will Chahar shines on return as India thump Zimbabwe by 10 wickets 14 Missing Goan turns up as drugs accused in Hyderabad n Hyderabad police pick up accused at Anjuna without knowledge of Goa police n Charges filed against 8 from Goa PRASAD SHET KANKONKAR PANAJI In an unusual turn of events, a man from Ponda who was reported missing from Anjuna has ended up in a jail at Hyberabad, after he was allegedly picked up by the Hyderabad Police in a drug trafficking case without the intimation of Goa Police. Hyderabad Police on August 16 arrested Pritesh Borkar alias Kali (36) of Ponda in a drug trafficking case. In this case, Hyderabad Police has filed charges against 174 people, including eight from Goa which include owners of some prominent Goa clubs. According to sources, Borkar’s family had filed a missing report on August 2 claiming that he had been missing from Anjuna since August 1. Acting on the complaint, Anjuna police filed a missing person’s complaint and began Borkar came in contact with six drug smugglers and would allegedly buy the drugs from them and sell it to their customers, including tourists. Borkar would also supply drugs to some youth in Hyderabad investigating the matter. Anjuna police found out through CCTV footage that Borkar was taken in a private car to Hyderabad. As Anjuna Police was investigating the matter, the Hyderabad Police contacted Borkar’s family and informed them that he had been in their custody on August 3. Anjuna police then found out that Borkar was taken into custody by Nallakunta police station in Hyderabad in connection with a drug trafficking case registered on March 31. In the meanwhile, Borkar’s family rushed to Hyderabad and visited him in jail. The Osmania University Police was informed that Borkar, a resident of Ponda, would be arriving at a place in Hyderabad to allegedly sell drugs. He was then arrested at the site. According to the Hyderabad police, Borkar had arrived in Anjuna and an effort to make a quick buck, he came in contact with a Kashmiri youth. Borkar and the Kashmiri youth jointly began to traffic drugs in Anjuna’s coastal area. Borkar came in contact with six drug smugglers and would allegedly buy the drugs from them and sell it to their customers, including tourists. Borkar would also supply drugs to some youth in Hyderabad, Borkar is reported to have stated to the police. UK PM race: Truss DRESSED FOR THE LORD! in lead but voters still prefer Boris PTI LONDON A new survey on Thursday confirmed a 32-point lead of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss over former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the Conservative Party leadership race, but also showed a strong preference among Tory members for outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The YouGov survey for Sky News’ suggests 66 per cent of members are in favour of voting for Truss and 34 per cent back the British Indian ex-minister, once those Tory members who do not know or will not vote are excluded. The survey also shows a majority in favour of ousted leader Boris Johnson, with 55 per cent saying that Tory MPs were wrong to effectively force him to resign and 40 per cent saying they were right. The poll makes clear that the incumbent Prime Minister is still held in high affection among Tory members and any successor could be unfavourably compared to him by Tory members, Sky News said in its poll analysis. If Johnson was still in the contest alongside Sunak and Truss, 46 per cent say they would vote for the incumbent and only 24 per cent for Truss and 23 per cent for Sunak. Similarly, 44 per cent say that Johnson would make the best Prime Minister. Students of a city school dressed up as Radha and Krishna take part in a programme at the Mahalaxhami Temple, Panaji on the occasion of Gokulashtami on Thursday.   Narayan Pissurlenkar Thieves strike gold in Ponda, target 3 sites in single night THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Ponda was prowled on by thieves striking successfully at two places but beat a hasty retreat at a third site in the wee hours of Thursday. In the first case a temple -the Mahaganapati temple at Khandola -- was struck with Heading to Qatar for World Cup? Help is at hand for Goans  ARMSTRONG VAZ SPORTS help the Goans in terms of accommodation in the best way possible but regarding requests for tickets he said the group will not be able to help much. “We request Goan fans to buy their tickets online through the designated website,” said Joao. He also said that the group will assist Goan fans in local transportation and in visiting places of tourist interest in and around Qatar. They will be of assistance in case of emergencies too, he said. “The main aim of the group is to make Goans fans’ stay in Qatar a memorable one,” added Joao, who is on the Executive Committee of Indian Sports Centre, a sports body registered under the Indian embassy in Qatar. The other members of the group, who have spent varying period of time in Qatar and are well-versed with country include, Carol Gonsalves, Perpetua Pereira, Tina Fernandes, Seby Mascarenhas, Martin Mascarenhas, Anton Joao Vaz, Maurice Pereira and George Fernandes. Qatar based Goa-born Antonio Vas, a Portuguese citizen, is also looking forward to helping Goans and also Portuguese fans in Qatar. “We have formed a group ‘Goan Fans for QATAR 2022’ and are trying to help Goans coming from different parts of the World Cup to Qatar in different aspects ranging from accommodation, assisting fans’ stay in Qatar, local transportation and emergencies.” “Some of the group members are part of the Portugal Fans Qatar group and we hope >Continued on P5 the culprits decamping with a gold-plated silver ornament and cash. Preliminary enquiries revealed the value of the bounty was approximately Rs 10 lakh. In the second incident, ATM booths of two banks -HDFC Bank and Canara Bank -- at Usgao were vandalised and the culprits took away the entire ATM machines. How much cash was inside is yet to be ascertained by bank officials. At the third crime scene in Kuncoliem-Mardol, however, the bad guys didn’t quite manage to go through with their plan. They faced more >Continued on P5 59 lost lives in road mishaps in 3 mths THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI As many as 59 people lost their lives in road mishaps in the last three months, while 802 accidents have been reported during this period with an average of about 9 mishaps a day. Two-wheeler riders have accounted for the most number of deaths, with 51 of the 59 persons who lost their lives. As per statistics released on accidents and challans issued by the Directorate of Transport, there were 242 road accidents in April, of which 11 lost their lives (9 in North and 2 in South). Eight persons who died were riding two-wheelers and 2 were pillion riders. One pedestrian also died in an ac- cident. During this period, there were16 grievous accidents (7 in North and 9 in South), 43 minor accidents (17 in North and 26 in South) and 172 non-injury accidents (92 in North and 80 in South). Of those injured, 21 people were grievously hurt (9 in North and 12 in South) while 49 persons suffered minor Injuries (19 in North and 30 in South). In May, there were a total of 321 accidents reported and 30 people lost their lives. Of these 321 accidents, 28 accidents were fatal (16 in North and 12 in South), 15 grievous (6 in North and 9 in South), 65 minor accidents (25 >Continued on P5