log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday FRIDAY JANUARY 20, 2023 GOA Sonsodo land: MMC’s 2010 resolution rakes up debate IN SHORT >> HC admits plea on rail land acquisition PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has admitted a petition filed by two affected land losers who have challenged the acquisition of their lands for double tracking in Velsao village. The petition filed by two land owners -- Ashok Souza and Chico Fernandes -- have challenged the award granted by the South Goa Deputy Collector.   >> See pg 2 Govt levies cess on coal and coke PANAJI: The government on Thursday informed the House that it has levied cess on coal and coke while admitting that some companies have filed litigations before the Bombay High Court at Goa pertaining to collecting revenue by the State from handling and transportation of coal. >> See pg 3 New COs for Bicholim, Ponda municipalities PANAJI: The State has effected transfer of Junior Scale officers of Goa Civil Service. Sohan Uskaikar has been transferred as CO of Ponda Municipal Council with additional charge as General Manager, GIDC while Sachin Dessai has been appointed as CO of Bicholim Municipal Council with additional charge as OSD, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd. Govt puts cap on GPF subscription PANAJI: The State government has put a ceiling of Rs 5 lakh on subscription to General Provident Fund (GPF) in a financial year. Center’s Office Memorandum in this regard has been adopted by the State Government with prospective effect. `  .50 lakh stolen 4 from Gurudwara PANAJI: Thieves struck the Gurudwara at Betim and made off with cash to the tune of Rs 4.5 lakh. The thieves used backside staircase to climb on the roof and broke the latch of the door. They later broke open the donation box and decamped with the money. PSIs to be trained to help POCSO victims PANAJI: The government has announced that 260 Police Sub Inspectors will be trained on restorative care and justice for POCSO victims from January 19 to 24. The training is joint initiative of Child Rights Commission and the State police department. WEATHER >> Max: 33 C Min: 20 C Humidity: 85% TIDES Low: High: 03:26 15:27 08:20 22:48 Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday 13 pages PRICE ` 8 2 The Goan (Playstore) PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME VIII, NO. 213 GOA WRD prepares master plan to ensure continuous flow of raw water in Bardez 3 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Simple home remedies to remove skin tan permanently 9 n ASSEMBLY RESOLVES TO ASK CENTRE TO WITHDRAW CONSENT TO DPRs, IMMEDIATELY SET UP MHADEI WATER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY n 12-MEMBER HOUSE COMMITTEE CONSTITUTED n EMOTIONS RUN HIGH AS GOVERNMENT GIVES UNITY CALL n MINISTERS TAKE DIG AT CONTRASTING STANDS OF CONG THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Poetry, rhetoric and politics reverberated in the Goa legislative Assembly during the much anticipated discussion on the vexed Mhadei imbroglio over Karnataka’s Centrally approved plans to divert the river’s waters even as the House unanimously adopted the government-sponsored resolution asking the Centre to withdraw the consent to the DPRs and immediately set up the Mhadei Water Management Authority. A 12-member House Committee headed by the Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar was also constituted to come up with a strategy on the Mhadei issue.  The nearly eight-hour discussion on the resolution  moved by BJP’s Aleixo Sequeira and seconded by Daji Salkar and Ulhas Tuenkar, had members making politically loaded barbs even as they claimed they did not want to politicise the Mhadei issue as it was a serious matter linked to the ‘lifeline’ of virtually the entire Goa. Even as almost all  the Opposition MLAs repeatedly sought a timeline and a deadline from the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant as to when he expects to get the Centre to withdraw the CWC consent to the DPRs for the Kalasa and Bandura dams, the later declined to oblige. “I cannot give a specific time-frame but it will be done at the earliest,” Sawant said as Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao and Goa Forward’s Vijai Sardesai kept insisting on a deadline. Sawant during the course of his reply to the discussion on the resolution admitted that Karnataka had already d iv e r t e d Mhadei w a ters at Haltara and the Kalasa rivulets. “Let me put it on record that we are strongly objecting to any out-of-basin diversion of water despite the Tribunal award permitting it,” Sawant said, adding that it was the main plea of the pending Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the award. Sawant said, he had no in- 13 tention of furthering politics on the matter and claimed that even before he became an MLA in 2012, he was part of the Mhadei Bachao Andolan as its activist to fight for the cause of the river. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Yuri Alemao alleged that the Centre has made Mhadei a political weapon even as he claimed that it was more than evident that the consent given to the two DPRs was linked to the upcoming assembly elections in the neighbouring State. The discussion during its eight-hour long course took a political hue on multiple occasions with the BJP members and those of the Opposition Congress accusing each other of speaking in dual tongues on the issue in Goa and Karnataka. Alemao alleged that the  BJP was seeking to cashin on the issue for the Karnataka elections and had therefore picked the timing to grant the CWC consent for the DPRs and appease the voters of Karnataka. The Opposition Leader also said, that the entire House (all 40 MLAs) should resign if the consent to the DPRs is not withdrawn by the Centre to create a constitutional crisis and send a strong message.  Goa Forward Party’s Vijai Sardesai belittled the Chief Minister’s request not to politicise the issue and claimed that the BJP-led central government granting the CWC approval for the DPRs ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections was itself politics. “We are politicians elected by the people. We are bound to take a political approach,” Sardesai said, adding that Sawant should take the responsibility to get the Centre to withdraw the consent to the DPRs within a timeframe or else resign and let his successor resolve the imbroglio. Earlier, the WRD Minister, Subhas Shirodkar, said that the tribunal award > Continued on P5 Vijai, Sawant exchange barbs THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The marathon discussion on Mhadei had its moments of members taking political shots at opponents, the most engrossing of which was an exchange between Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his persistent detractor, Goa Forward Party’s Vijai Sardesai. It began with Sardesai taunting the Chief Minister to quit if he fails to get the Centre to withdraw the consent to the DPRs. In the alternative, Sardesai said if Sawant goes to Karnataka to campaign for the party in the elections there and in speeches states that he will not allow diversion of Mha- ON PAGE 3 MLAs must ensure locals don’t oppose projects, back govt: CM Steel industries involved in scam, causing revenue loss to govt: Oppn leader RG MLA’s attempt to corner govt Rane leads debate, heaps backfires, ejected from House lavish praise on Sawant Borkar ignored Speaker’s request to stick to discussion on Mhadei, continued his speech THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar’s attempt to corner the government over Mhadei hit back at him when Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar ordered him to be marshaled out of the House for interrupting the proceedings.   During a special discussion on the inter-state row over the distribution of Mhadei river water, Borkar questioned whether it was appropriate for the State Assembly to debate on the contentious issue when the matter is sub-judice in the Supreme Court. This led to a heated argument between him and the ruling dispensation.  Ministers Rohan Khaunte and Subhash Phal Desai, supported by their ruling colleagues warned the first-time RGP MLA Viresh Borkar rushes to the well of the House protesting against the decision to eject him.   Narayan Pissurlenkar MLA not to politicize the issue. Speaker Tawadkar intervened asking Borkar why he didn’t raise an objection during a Business Advisory Committee meeting, held ahead of the assembly session to final- AGENCIES A Hockey WC: India beats Wales but misses direct quarters berth MHADEI DEBATE IN HOUSE A MIX OF POLITICS, POETRY AND RHETORIC ize the agenda.  With no satisfying reply from the legislator, who kept ignoring requests from the Speaker to go back to the Mhadei discussion; Chief Minister >Continued on P5 Raps Opposition for targetting CM’s leadership THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A call for unity among all the legislators on the Mhadei water dispute might take a while but it has indeed changed the equation between Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health/Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane, for better. A tug of political war between the two Cabinet colleagues paused on Thursday when Rane kept singing praises of Sawant for working overtime to ensure justice was meted out to Goa. “It is absolutely incorrect to say that our government and our CM are careless on the issue. When we say that all need to come together to protect Mhadei…We should stay unanimous to show that we are one,” Rane said during a special discussion on urgent public importance, Mhadei, on the concluding day of the winter session of the State Assembly.   Taking a dig at the Opposition for boycotting the all-party meeting called by the CM to discuss the further course of action after the DPR approval, Rane said the former functions precisely to garner political mileage as he once again patted the CM for taking proactive measures to ensure Karnataka does not go ahead with its plan. “The Opposition works to get political mileage. None from the Opposition attended the all-party meeting despite being in the Assembly complex. We need to show the Centre that we are one… and we are with the CM. Unfortunately, the Opposition is raising issues for selfish interest,” Rane said. “Don’t play politics.  Mocking the CM has become the Row erupts over BBC film targetting Modi Land grab: Committee inspects 15 properties India terms it as ‘propaganda piece’ LONDON BBC documentary, ‘India: The Modi Question,’ looks at “the tensions between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country’s Muslim minority”, as well as “investigating claims” concerning his role in the large-scale communal violence that erupted in Gujarat in the months of February and March, in 2002 that left “over a thousand dead.” In the first part of a new series aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two, a UK government report, earlier marked as “restricted”, that has never SPORTS NEW DELHI: Amid controversy over a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India on Thursday dismissed it as a “propaganda piece”, saying it is designed to push a particular “discredited narrative” and that the continuing colonial mindset is “blatantly visible” in the series. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also wondered about the purpose of the documentary and the “agenda” behind it and said “frankly we do not wish to dignify such efforts”. been published or revealed so far, has been shown in detail. The documentary has a series of images of the text of the report, and in one statement, the inquiry report says that “Narendra Modi is directly responsible”. It refers to the chain of events as a “systematic campaign of violence” which has “all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing.” The report is a result of an inquiry set up by the UK government, which was “alarmed” by what had happened in Gujarat. “I was very worried about it. I took a great deal of personal interest because India is an important country with whom we (the UK) have relations. And so, we had to handle it very carefully,” recalled former foreign secretary, Jack Straw (2001-2006), on camera, in the documentary. “What we did was establish an inquiry and have a team go to Gujarat and find out for themselves what had happened. And they produced a very thorough report.” >Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The one-man Commission under former Bombay High Court judge, Justice V K Jadhav inspected as many as 15 properties across three villages in Bardez on Thursday, as he launched the much-awaited inquiry into the massive land scam in Goa. Jadhav was assisted by Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) (Land Grab) Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Dessai and officials of concerned departments during the day- long inspection at Assagao, Anjuna and Calangute. “We have inspected the properties. The Commission has sought for First Information Reports (FIRs) registered with the SIT and investigation details such as modus operandi of the accused involved in the fraud,” an official told The Goan. The compiled information is expected to be submitted to Justice Jadhav this week as the Commission is expected to begin hearing into each of these >Continued on P5 Opposition’s habit,” the Forest Minister lamented. Claiming that Sanquelim, Sattari and Bicholim will face the brunt of Mhadei diversion, Rane urged the House to repose trust in the Goa government and the Centre. “Our government in Goa and Centre, the Prime Minister and our CM will ensure Goa does not face injustice,” he further stated. In his 20-minute long speech, Rane also took a potshot at the Save Goa Save >Continued on P5 dei waters, then he (Vijai) will switch  sides to ruling side officially and unconditionally -- “no koka...nothing”. But Sawant was not one to take Sardesai’s taunts lying down. “If I go to Karnataka and campaign as you say, will Mhadei issue be resolved? If you switch sides from that side to my side, will it be resolved”, he asked. Earlier, during his speech on the Mhadei discussion Sardesai kept targeting Sawant  and even sought that like the New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who has announced she would voluntarily renounce >Continued on P5 Govt to take action against illegal water sports operators: Khaunte Opposition slaps corruption taint on IDC plot allocation