log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday THURSDAY MAY 25, 2023 GOA Authorities pass the buck over electrocution incident IN SHORT >> Grants for Konkani, Marathi schools PANAJI: The State government is slated to introduce a new scheme for Konkani and Marathi schools where 10 per cent of non-salary, maintenance grants will be given for these schools subject to availability of funds with the Education Department. The earlier scheme of Rs 400 per student per month was discontinued during Covid pandemic. Drugs worth `  4L 1 seized at Farmagudi PONDA: Two persons from Rajasthan have been arrested after Ponda police raided a site at Farmagudi and seized 145.21 grams of MDMA drugs valued at Rs 14,52,100. The police were intimated that the two suspects would be bringing the drugs, and accordingly, a police team raided the site. Central fund for water plants in Goa PANAJI: The central government has sanctioned Rs 189 crore under the Department of Urban Development to upgrade water treatment plants across the State of Goa. Of this, Rs 89 crore has already been released. One held for cheating Goan businessman PANAJI: The Panaji police have arrested a man from Chhattisgarh on charges of allegedly cheating a Goan businessman to the tune of Rs 4.99 lakh approx. on the pretext of supplying him with ‘steel material.’ The accused is Tarun Bhattacharya while the company M/s Divyansi Enterprises’ (Chhattisgarh) Proprietor Amit Pandey is evading arrest. 7 labourers hurt in Gaundalim mishap OLD GOA: Seven labourers were hurt when the tempo in which they were travelling fell on its side at Gaundalim, on Wednesday morning. The labourers were traveling from Marcel towards Old Goa when upon reaching a sharp turn the driver lost control. 2 trucks dumping debris seized MAPUSA: The Mamlatdar of Bardez Praveen Gawas seized two trucks dumping construction debris by the side of the road along NH66 and vowed to take strict action against those who indulge in such illegal activities.  >> See pg 2 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: TIDES 35 C 26 C 84% Low: 07:50 21:20 High: 00:50 15:17 Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday The Goan (Playstore) 14 pages PRICE ` 8 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME VIII, NO. 337 2 GOA Differences exposed: Separate visits, claims by minister, Speaker in Canacona 5 Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 10 INFO Easy sugar scrubs for your feet SPORTS IPL: Mumbai eliminates Lucknow, to play Gujarat in Qualifier 2 KTC in top gear, Cabinet nod for scheme to hire Pvt buses UNCLEAR IF SCHEME ACCEPTED BY PVT BUS OWNERS ‘MHAJI BUS’ TO BE ROLLED OUT ON FOUR TRUNK ROUTES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The ‘Mhaji Bus’ scheme by which the State-owned public transporter Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited, will take on board under a lease formula privately owned buses, was approved by the State Cabinet on Wednesday. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the decision to approve the scheme. He said, the scheme wherein private buses will be taken on lease by KTCL, will initially be implemented on four trunk routes -- Canacona-Panaji, Pernem-Panaji, Savordem-Panaji and another. Sawant said, all private buses operating on these selected routes will be under the control of the KTCL as per the scheme and a fixed amount will be paid to the private bus owners, which will be derived from the number of kilometers the particular bus has THE SCHEME OF THINGS 20% GIDC land for logistics: Sawant „„All private buses operating on selected routes to be under control of KTC „„Fixed amount to be paid to private bus owners, which will be derived from the number of kilometers „„Formula for payments to be modified as per fluctuations in fuel prices „„Buses hired from private operators will have conductors who are staffers of the KTCL but drivers will be provided by owners „„Scheme to be modified taking into account response before making it applicable State-wide „„Hired buses to be examined for travel-worthiness, hygiene factor and road-worthiness covered. The formula for payments to the private bus owners will be modified as per the fluctuations in fuel prices periodically, he added. Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, meanwhile, said, the ‘Mhaji Bus’ scheme will be tried out on these four trunk routes and then implemented on other routes in the State. He said, the buses hired from private operators will have conductors who are staffers of the KTCL but the drivers will be provided by the owners. PANAJI: The Goa Logistic and Warehousing Policy 2023 was on Wednesday granted approval by the Pramod Sawant Cabinet which envisions earmarking 20 per cent of the land of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) for logistic purposes. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the policy was approved and it aims to boost logistics as a crucial business activity which could be a catalyst for raising Goa’s economic profile.  >> See pg 3 Godinho also said, that based on the experience and practicalities involved, the scheme will be modified taking into account the response before making it applicable in the rest of the State. The transport minister also said that buses which will be hired will be examined for the travel-worthiness, hygiene factor and road-worthiness. “If need be, private bus owners will be given subsidy to replace their old buses with new ones,” Godinho said. Under the ‘Mhaji Bus’ scheme, the government is also planning to make available timings of all trips on the routes available digitally to the travellers, he added. Meanwhile, it was unclear whether the scheme has been accepted by private bus operators as there were reports that some of their associations had rejected the scheme which was first proposed when the pandemic hit the public transport business badly. The government however claims that it is engaging with the private bus operators and many of them have already >Continued on P5 14 Banks run out of cash on Day-2 of `2000 note swap PTI NEW DELHI Some bank branches ran out of cash and temporarily halted the exchange of withdrawn Rs 2000 currency notes as they awaited replenishment of supply from the currency chest on the second day of note swap on Wednesday. More than anticipated demand during the first half in some of branches led to shortage of Rs 500 and below denomination currency at some places, sources said. Customers had to wait for some time till replenishment came from the currency chest, sources added. However, senior officials of various banks said there were no major complaints of currency shortage for exchange. “We are maintaining a continuous supply of Rs 500, 200 and 100 denominations notes at all our all branches across Delhi circle to ensure smooth exchange process of 2,000 rupee notes,” Canara Bank Chief General Manager (CGM) Bhavendra Kumar said. Reserve Bank on May 19 announced withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes and permitted More than anticipated demand in some of the branches led to shortage of Rs 500 and below denomination currency at some places. Customers had to wait for some time till replenishment came exchange up to a limit of Rs 20,000 till September 30. Unlike November 2016, when old 500 and 1000 rupee notes - constituting some 86 per cent of the currency in circulation - were banned overnight, Rs 2000 currency notes continue to be legal tender for now, and the exchange window is more than double of that provided in 2016. While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not made the presentation of a valid ID or filling of deposit forms mandatory, there were complaints from some places that banks were demanding customers to submit identity cards as proof. Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das said RBI is monitoring the situation and expressed confidence the entire exercise will be completed in a non-disruptive manner. NEP for higher edu Vasco fish vendors make MMC Panaji MLA digs in, set to kick-off from their market in novel protest claims Smart City this academic year work sub-standard GU OFFERS FOUR-YEAR UG PROGRAMME WITH MULTIPLE ENTRY & EXIT OPTIONS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa University (GU) has announced the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which introduces a four-year undergraduate degree program with multiple entry and exit options. Starting from the upcoming academic year, both the University and affiliated colleges will adopt these new programmes for the first year. The four-year degree program is structured into eight semesters to obtain a degree with honors or research specialization. Addressing a press conference in the varsity hall on Wednesday, Director of the Directorate of Higher Education Prasad Lolayekar stated that students will receive a certificate upon completing one year (two semesters) of study in their chosen field. After two years (four semes- Says consultants, contractors will be held accountable ‘ABC’ PROVISION The new system includes a provision called ‘ABC’ Academic Bank Credit that allows the transfer of credits if a student decides to discontinue his/her studies at one institute and opt for another college or university in a different state in India ters), they will be awarded a diploma, and on completion of a three-year program (six semesters), students will be granted a bachelor’s degree. Finally, those who complete the four-year program will receive a bachelor's degree with honours or research specialization. “A lot of flexibility has been given to the colleges through these programmes… Students who successfully complete four years will receive honours, while those engaged >Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK NO FISHY TALE THIS: Vendors from Vasco fish market selling fish outside the Mormugao Municipal Council building on Wednesday morning. Vikram Nayak ...Squat in front of building to sell fish VASCO: In a one-of-a-kind protest against Mormugao Municipal Council’s failure to stop fish wholesalers and roadside vendors in the city, Vasco fish market vendors began selling fish outside MMC building premises. While their protest lasted for a few hours, MMC tried to seal the shops of wholesalers and persuaded vendors to vacate the area. Wholesale fish shops locked at Kharewaddo VASCO: Bowing to pressure, Mormugao Municipal Council locked wholesale fish shops at Kharewaddo following a protest by Vasco fish market vendors. Chairperson Leo Rodrigues, however, warned that strict action would be initiated against vendors saying "this issue is getting out of hand and we have done everything possible to resolve the problem”. Protest called off after police assurance VASCO: The protest by Vasco fish market vendors ended in the afternoon after Vasco PI Kapil Nayak persuaded them that police would strive to prevent illegal sale of fish by the roadsides and the wholesale market in Kharewaddo. Nayak also assured them that he would write to the fisheries department to intervene in the situation. DETAILED REPORTS ON PAGE 3 PANAJI Revenue Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate on Thursday broke his silence over the controversy around the ongoing Smart City works in the capital saying it appears to be sub-standard and the highly paid consultants needed to be held accountable. “I feel substandard work is being carried out as far as Smart City is concerned in main Panaji,” Monserrate who represents the capital in the Goa legislative assembly said. “I am not interfering because consultants are there. There is one consultant who has been paid Rs 8 crore for consultancy. I believe consultancy should have been under PWD at least”, Monserrate said. The minister and his son Rohit, who is the Corporation of the City of Panaji mayor, BABUSH JIBE „„I am not interfering because consultants are there. There is one consultant who has been paid Rs 8 crore for consultancy. I believe consultancy should have been under PWD at least are both on the board of the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd (IPSCDL) and initially were seen to be enthusiastic of the projects when execution was first launched in December last year. Midway, however, the Monserrate duo gradual withdrew from the spotlight of the smart city work as citizens and commuters in the capital grew restive over the inconvenience caused by the excavated roads and disruption in the flow of traffic. On Thursday, >Continued on P5 Camurlim, Betalbatim in grip of water shortage Har Ghar Jal? Not a drop of POWER SHUTDOWN AGGRAVATES MISERY OFFICIALS POINT TO DAMAGED PIPELINE water in 20 Corlim houses THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO Water scarcity has hit some part of Salcete taluka in the last few days, including the village of Camurlim and parts of Betalbatim While certain areas in these two villages had reported water scarcity last week, the situation has aggravated after the power shutdown taken by the department on Saturday to carry out the annual maintenance work, resulting in the disruption of water supply to South Goa. At Camurlim, a JCB was seen at work to find out the damaged pipeline. Local residents have pointed out that Water pipeline ruptures at Kundaim PONDA: A 750 MM water pipeline at the Kundaim industrial estate ruptured on Wednesday morning, leading to restricted water supply to some parts of Panaji, St Andre, Cumbharjua and Priol constituencies. The incident happened at 10.45 am and vast amounts of water got wasted and began to flow down the main Ponda-Panaji road at Kundaim, causing some difficulties to motorists along the route. CHICALIM LOCALS CLAIM WATER SHORTAGE FOR 11 DAYS >> See pg 3 Beleaguered residents of Camurlim with pots and buckets to fetch water after their water taps ran dry.  Santosh Mirajkar they had never experienced water scarcity over the years, demanding an inquiry why the village has suddenly has been hit by water shortage. The villagers further demanded that the PWD put a mechanism in place wherein the department will have a Residents have to rely on tankers for supply THE GOAN I NETWORK OLD GOA Even as the government talks about ‘Har Ghar Jal’, different incidents are coming to light in which the water supply has yet to reach the households of many. And one such incident was brought to light by activists Mariano Ferrao and Rajan Ghate at Mangaddo-Corlim where 20 houses have got water connection from which they have WATER layout plan of the pipeline installed underground. “Today, when we questioned the PWD officials about the location of the underground line, CRISIS >Continued on P5 PWD’s CLAIM A pump has been installed so that water could be pumped, but the pump is unable to pump the water… the only solution is building of a water tank in the area yet to get a drop of water. Speaking to The Goan, a resident Isak Shaikh informed that they have been residing in the area since more than 10 years. “We never used to get water supply and always had to depend on water tankers,” Shai- kh stated while adding that they saw a ray of hope when one-and-half years back they were given water connection to their houses. “However, we have yet to receive water supply from the taps. The PWD officials installed a pump to pump the water to our houses but that also failed,” Shaikh informed. To a question on how they are meeting their water requirements, the residents informed that they have to buy water from water tankers. “Every month, each >Continued on P5