log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023 GOA CWC nod to DPRs from hydrology, inter-State aspects only: Centre IN SHORT >> HSSC exams start tomorrow PANAJI: The second term of the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) examination conducted by the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education will commence on Wednesday at 20 centres across the State. A total of 19,807 students are registered to appear for the examination. Of these 9,932 are boys and 9,875 girls.   >> See pg 3 Man arrested for kidnapping nephew MARGAO: The Margao police on Monday arrested a 28year old man for allegedly kidnapping his 7-year old nephew at Rawanfond. PI Tulsidas Naik said the accused was arrested after he allegedly kidnapped the minor boy over a family dispute. A case has been registered under the Goa Children’s Act. Labourer brutally murdered at Paroda PANAJI: A labourer was found brutally murdered at a secluded area at the foothills of the Chandranath hill at Paroda. The body was found lying in a pool of blood. A passerby found the body lying on the roadside and informed the police. Orchid poly house goes up in flames CANACONA: It was the final straw in the string of woes for an orchid cultivator, when his large orchid poly house went up up in flames at Keri, a forested area of Agonda. The loss is estimated to be around Rs 30 lakh.   >> See pg 5 Speech impaired child reunited with family PANAJI: A 7-year-old girl child with speech disability was reunited with her family by Vasco police. The girl was found loitering at Vaddem and after her photo was circulated through social media, the mother took custody of the child. Disqualification plea adjourned to Mar 17 PANAJI: The disqualification petition filed by GPCC President Amit Patkar against Digambar Kamat and Michael Lobo before Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar has been posted for hearing to March 17 after the respondents sought time. This is the third time that the matter has been postponed. WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: TIDES 34 C 22 C 71% Low: 08.57 21.10 High: 01.50 16.09 13 pages Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday The Goan (Playstore) PRICE ` 8 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME VIII, NO.265 2 GOA MMC confiscates goods, carts in anti-encroachment drive 3 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Sensitive Skin? A simple guide on how to choose the right products! 9 SPORTS India lifts Border-Gavaskar Trophy, qualifies for World Test C’ship final A week after brutal assault on tourists, action follows  PSI SUSPENDED, ONE MORE ARRESTED  CM WARNS OF ACTION AGAINST THOSE BREAKING LAW, ASKS TOURISTS TO FOLLOW RULES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that the attack on Delhi-based tourists was a result of provocation, though it did not warrant the assailants to take law into their hands. On Monday, Police Sub Inspector Francisco Xavier was suspended for dereliction of duty while the fourth accused in the case was arrested. Advocate Ashwani Chandrani and his nephew Pulkit Sharma were assaulted with swords at a resort in Anjuna after they complained to the management about a waiter’s behaviour. To avenge the insult and temporary suspension from work, the staff plotted the attack in connivance with his accomplices on the very day. Did Delhi tourists misbehave with the hotel staff first? MAPUSA: In a new twist to the horrific assault on the tourists in a hotel in Anjuna, reports are now emerging that the tourists were also at fault as they behaved irresponsibly and also misbehaved with the hotel staff, which triggered the dastardly attack. Sources in the hotel and the local youth told The Goan that the Delhi-based tourists who checked into the hotel on March 5 began to drink alcohol near the swimming pool. The concerned hotel staff requested the guests not to indulge in the activity as the hotel rules did not permit guests to drink near the pool.  >> See pg 3 Sawant said that the Delhi visitors had provoked the situation instead of calling the police for appropriate action. The resort manager too failed to inform the local police, whose intervention could Raging forest fires continue to burn, 5 active on day-9 have prevented the serious crime. “The waiter and the tourists had an argument. It escalated to an extent that the latter pelted stones at the waiter. The manager took action against Victim claims there is nexus between resort staff & police PANAJI: Complainant Ashwani Chandrani, one of the victims of the brutal assault in Anjuna, has claimed that there is a nexus between the resort staff and the police over the initial dilly-dally to arrest the assailants. “CM said that the victims pelted stones at the accused which escalated into a bigger fight. The claim was however countered by Chandrani, an advocate by profession, on his Twitter handle denying the claim. “…The CM said that the tourists used the pelting. I am enclosing the video of demanding help after the incident. There is no single stone on the road,” he posted.  >> See pg 3 his staff but didn’t alert the police. The accused thereafter called his people, all of whom charged at the victims with sharp weapons,” the CM said >Continued on P5 ON PAGE 3 Police acted under political pressure? All remanded to 8 days custody PANAJI Raging fires continued to give anxious moments to authorities with 5 fires still active on Monday. Since March 5, Goa reported sporadic fires in wildlife sanctuaries, government forests, private areas, comunidade land, plantations and revenue land, etc; and 48 fire spots were detected. As of 4 pm on Monday, five active fires at Surla I and Surla II in Mollem, Potrem Netravali, Khopardem Beat Valpoi and Shigao beat were reported. Seven active fires at Keri Nadkeri beat, Gullem, Borim, Okambi-Piliem, Paguchi Dongre, Curdi-Colomba and Cumari Netravali were doused. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has called for a meeting with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Goa government officials to review the spate of wildfires in the State. The review meeting is slated through video conferencing at 11 am on Tuesday, which will be attended by the officials of SDMA including THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Old Goa police have registered a non-cognizable offense against a tourist couple for manhandling security personnel at the gate of the Church of Basilica of Bom Jesus, and launched a search for them. In a video that went viral on Saturday, a couple was seen abusing and manhandling the security men on being denied entry to the Church after the official timing. The woman also slapped the guards with her sandal. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that Old Goa police have begun a search for the accused couple to face action under the non-cognizable offense. He further warned that nuisances of tourists will not be tolerated. “Tourists should not take the law into their own hands. Follow the law of the land while you are holidaying here,” he said.    The high-voltage drama was captured by other visitors and passers-by and went viral on various social media plat- In a video that went viral, a couple was seen abusing and manhandling security men on being denied entry to the Church after official timing. The woman also hit the guards with her sandal forms sparking anger among locals who demanded strict action against erring tourists. “This is unacceptable,” said one of them with another Twitter user demanding to lodge an FIR against them. “She should be arrested and sent to jail for assault,” Harish Nayak tweeted. Another micro blogging user Ratan Sharda termed the tourist couple’s behaviour as “Shameless aggressive behaviour.” The social media users also hailed the guards who stood their ground and didn’t allow the visitors to the Church beyond the visiting hours. Police sources said they are examining the viral video and CCTV footage to ascertain the identity of the accused tourists. “We are tracking from >Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK YOUTH BRIGADE RISES TO CHALLENGE, OFFERS HELP TO DOUSE FIRE IN ZADANI-PENDRAL >> See pg 3 District Collectors, Goa Police, Fire Services, among others. “The Member and Secretary in-charge, NDMA shall chair a meeting with officers of MoEFCC and Government of Goa to review the action taken to deal with the forest fire situation in the State,” reads a letter from Deputy Secretary to Government of India (Policy and Plan) Rakhee Sadhu, to Goa Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel said. Meanwhile, Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane continued to give updates on the fires. In a tweet he said, “the @ goaforests is actively monitoring the situation, and the total ground team is acting immediately and urgently to put out all reported flames. Five fires are currently active as of 4 pm on March 13. More than 450 employees and volunteers worked to put out the fire. Up until 4 pm today, seven active fires have been put out”. Search on for tourists who had manhandled Old Goa church guards Mercury to drop, IMD predicts rain for next five days SMART WORK? NDMA TO MEET GOA GOVT OFFICIALS THE GOAN I NETWORK 13 A cable lies exposed after it was cut during excavation work of the Smart City. Dug-out roads are posing a daily challenge to residents of Panaji.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Sudden increase in Covid cases gives Goa the jitters THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Keeping with the national trend, Goa on Monday reported a sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases reporting 11 new cases, the first time the single day count reached double figures in months. Although the figures aren’t alarming -- the State’s Cov- id-19 caseload is just 32 -- the high positivity rate (6.3%) with 11 of the 175 samples tested turning out positive, the situation is of concern and needs to be “promptly addressed” according to a recent letter written to States by the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. The spike in Covid-19 cases also comes in the backdrop of a rise in influenza (H3N2) like illnesses and the Union Health Secretary has in his letter to States asked for “surveillance” of respiratory pathogens in such influenza like SARI cases. Bushan has also alerted the States towards taking stock of preparedness  including >Continued on P5 MAPUSA The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday predicted light rainfall and thundershowers for next five days from March 14 which may bring the much-needed respite from the scorching heat that the State is reeling under. The maximum temperature is expected to drop by 2 degree Celsius for the next two days. Conditions are favourable for light rain/thundershowers at isolated places over both districts of Goa from March 14 for about five days, said senior IMD scientist Rahul Mohan. According to the weather department,  the formation of a trough in easterly winds and moisture incursion in mid-troposphere due to westerly winds is likely in the coming days that will lead to rain. The official said thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and winds of speed of around 30-40kmph are very likely at isolated places over North and South Goa districts on March 14 and 15. Since there is a possibility of cloud to ground lightning, the IMD has warned people to avoid working in open areas/fields, taking shelter under tall trees or structures while IMD ALERT „„Possibility of cloud to ground lightning „„Avoid working in open areas/fields, taking shelter under tall trees or structures „„Thunderstorms can bring down weak trees & structures „„Rrainfall also expected to impact crops thunderstorms are taking place. The thunderstorms can also bring down weak trees and structures and lead to traffic congestions. The rainfall is also expected to impact the crops which are in different stages. The highest maximum temperature recorded in Panaji was 36 degree Celsius while the lowest minimum temperature was 22.2 degree Celsius in the city. The Elephant Whisperers, Naatu BJP-Cong clash in MP over politico’s Goa escapade Naatu shine at Oscar awards THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI NEW DELHI Naatu Naatu, the irrepressible, fun number from the film RRR, and documentary short The Elephant Whisperers made Oscar history for India on Monday with one Academy Award each, the two wins showcasing cinema beyond Bollywood and the growing might of the Indian non-feature segment. This is the first time two India-made productions have bagged the cinema world’s biggest prize. Dancers took over the stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, recreat- DETAILED COVERAGE & LIST OF AWARDS >> See pg 6 ing the hugely popular hook steps from the four-minute Telugu track, and actor Deepika Padukone introduced the song to loud cheers. It was not just a night for India. The 95th Academy Awards will also be remembered for recognising Asian talent with Everything Everywhere All at Once bagging seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, Best Actress for Malaysia’s Michelle Yeoh and Best Supporting Actor for Vietnamese American Ke Huy Quan. All That Breathes, Shaunak Sen’s climate change documentary set in Delhi, lost out to Navalny on Russian dissident leader Alexei in Documentary Feature category. The win for Naatu Naatu, Naacho Naacho in Hindi, composed by M M Keeravaani and penned by Chandrabose in S S Rajamouli’s blockbuster film, is the fourth non-English song to win an Oscar in the category and the first song in foreign language since Jai Ho in 2009 to bag the prize. PANAJI pitched battle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition Congress party has broken out in Madhya Pradesh where elections are due this year end over unconfirmed media reports of a former BJP minister being beaten up by a B-list Bollywod actress, allegedly for refusing to pay for 'escort services'. The Bhopal unit of the BJP has filed a complaint before the MP police’s crime branch seeking action against the Congress’ IT cell for posting a news report with details of the alleged episode in Goa. The Congress through its A 1. Screenshot of MP Cong tweet 2. Screenshot of Kamal Nath’s tweet official ‘MP Congress’ twitter handle has ridiculed the complaint and mocked Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for using the police to shoot the messenger. MP Opposition Leader Kamal Nath also joined in and took to Twitter to accuse the BJP government of wanting to crush every medium of expression. A loose translation of Nath’s Twitter post read: “Bharatiya Janata Party has lodged an FIR against MP Congress Social Media Department for posting news of a reputed newspaper. The Bharatiya Janata Party government, which has lost the trust among all sections of society, now wants to crush every medium of expression.” In another tweet, Nath said the Congress will continue the fight against abuse of power. According to reports published in some newspapers in MP, a former BJP Minister and sitting MLA had come to Goa where they reportedly met a B-list Bollywood actress who also worked as an escort. The latter beat the politician with shoes after she was angered by his refusal to pay up for the escort services, said the newspaper reports which were posted by the Congress handle. To avoid bad press, the hotel management where the incident allegedly took place, intervened to resolve the matter and hush it up without reporting it to the police, the report states. Following Chouan’s instructions, the Madhya Pradesh police wrote to their Goa counterparts seeking information of the identity of the persons involved in the incident but Goa police have responded that they have no clue and that the case appears to be ‘completely fake’, the newspaper reports have claimed.