log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2024 GOA Missing Cuncolim kids traced at Calangute PANAJI: Three minor children who had gone missing from Cuncolim, Pazarconi since Friday were located at Calangute. Their father is a labourer from West Bengal. The trio told the police that they were on their way to their maternal uncle’s place at Bicholim but lost their way and landed in Calangute. MMC deputy chief’s poll on February 13 MARGAO: The ruling BJPbacked councillors will go into a huddle with Margao MLA Digambar Kamat to zero in on the candidate to contest election for the vacant post of Margao Municipal vice-chairperson scheduled on February 13.  >> See pg 2 Restricted water in Salcete, Mormugao The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.235 GOA Power defaulters galore, government departments top the list THE GOAN I NETWORK CANACONA The cancellation of the 5th Kala Utsav (Art Festival) 2024 at Indrawada-Gaondongrim on the eve of its scheduled presentation on Sunday evening has left people in the CANCELLATION OF KALA UTSAV Additional charge for Sunita as South SP GOVIND GAUDE: I had three programmes in my constituency… I had not given confirmation to the organisers because of my hectic schedule SHOBHANA VELIP: “I was not informed, but someone mentioned to me that and its Kala Utsav had gained reputation in the cultural map of Goa. Sources told The Goan that elaborate arrangements, including food, flowers, costumes, had been made by the organisers for the event to ensure the success of the Kala Utsav, which was to have been inaugurated by Art and Cul- the club organisers were supposed to inform me on Saturday. Eventually, the programme got cancelled, but no one approached me to even inform about the cancellation of the event. GAONDONGRIM SARPANCH: I was told by the ward panch of the Indrawada area on Friday itself that something was likely to happen following some differences within over the guest list. I feel that the feud between some persons is eventually a big loss for the people ture Minister Govind Gaude, with Director of Art and Culture Sagun Velip as the guest of honour. “Many people had been looking forward to the event on Sunday, including the groups from different parts of Goa and neighboring Maharashtra State. It was a huge disappointment and a loss not only for the local and outstation artistes, but also for the hundreds of people who were looking forward to enjoy the performances of these groups,” stated a villager of Gaondongrim. When asked to comment on the sudden and unexpected cancellation of the art festival, which had been co-hosted by Imran-backed candidates win most seats in Pakistan polls PANAJI: Police Officer Sunita Sawant has been given additional charge as SP South Goa. IPS officer Abhishek Dhania who was holding the charge of SP South has recently been transferred to Delhi. PTI Real estate agent falls prey to cyber fraud PANAJI: A real estate agent from Porvorim who rents out apartments was duped to the tune of Rs 7 lakh by a cyber fraudster posing as an army officer. A complaint to this effect has been filed at the cybercrime cell of Goa police. Calangute man duped by partner WEATHER >> Max: 33 C Min: 22 C Humidity: 87% TIDES Low: High: 06.34 00.31 18.33 12.32 Sumit Nagal wins Chennai Open, set to enter top-100 for first time Tips to make short nails appear longer W H AT T H E Y SA I D… TRIBAL FLAIR NEW DELHI: The BJP on Sunday named 14 candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls including former Union minister R P N Singh and Sudhanshu Trivedi - the only outgoing MP renominated by the party. SPORTS INFO  ORGANISERS HAD ARRANGED FOOD, FLOWERS, COSTUMES  GROUPS FROM M’RASHTRA WERE SCHEDULED TO PERFORM area disappointed, especially since they had been anticipating a variety of rich cultural performances by troupes from different parts of Goa and Maharashtra. The Indreshwar Youth Club (IYC) of Indrawada-Gaondongrim had successfully hosted the previous four editions of the event to packed audiences BJP names 14 for Rajya Sabha polls RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI: Salcete and Mormugao talukas will face restricted water supply on February 12 and 13 due to repair work being undertaken by PWD of the age-old 1200 mm PSC pipeline of Salaulim Water Treatment plant from Margao to Verna. Also there will be no supply from 160 MLDWTP during the above shutdown to parts of Salcete and Mormugao. PANAJI: A person from Calangute was duped by his business partner to the tune of Rs 60 lakh. According to police sources both had struck a deal for land development. Instagram.com/thegoanonline 3 12 2 9 Filming without nod Tawadkar-Gaude feud results at protected sites may cost you `50,000! in loss for organisers, artistes Questions galore over unattended waste at dark spots IN SHORT >> Facebook.com/thegoan A tribal troupe performs at the Carnival parade in Margao on Sunday. 76 floats participated in the parade including 19 in the club and institution category. (Report and photos on page 2)  Santosh Mirajkar Hope for landlocked properties, govt to modify survey maps THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI More than six months after assuring to work out a solution with regards to landlocked properties, the State government has constituted a seven member committee to identify such properties and modify the survey maps accordingly. The committee chaired by Chief Town Planner will have Additional Collector- North & South, Chief Engineer PWD, Directors of Panchayat, Municipal Admin and Settlement and Land Records as members.  “The Government of Goa is hereby pleased to constitute a Committee to identify landlocked properties and modify the survey maps to reflect existing access to such plots and suggest a solution to mitigate such problems,” states the notification issued by the Revenue department. The issue had rocked the Monsoon session in August last year after which, Revenue Minister Atanasio Monserrate had informed that the government is considering either amending the existing legislation or bringing in a new Act. ISLAMABAD The three main political parties in Pakistan on Sunday intensified their efforts for the formation of a coalition government after it became clear that the coup-prone country faced a hung Parliament after general elections. Independent candidates, a vast majority of them backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI), won 101 seats in the National Assembly. But, former prime minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif received the backing of the powerful Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir for his call for a unity government to pull Pakistan out of its current difficulties. The Election Commission of Pakistan has announced the results of 264 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly. The result of one constituency was withheld by the ECP due to complaints of fraud and it would be announced after redressing the grievances of the aggrieved. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate. The elections were held on Thursday, but the unusual delay in announcement of results vitiated the atmosphere as several parties cried foul and some resorted to protests. the Art and Culture Department, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude said he had a number of events in his constituency on Sunday. “I had three programmes in my constituency. I had not given confirmation to the organisers because of my hectic schedule,” said Gaude. When contacted, Poinguinim ZP Shobhana Velip said though her name was included in the list of Guest for the Kala Utsav at Indrawada-Gaondongrim, in reality she was neither approached nor invited to attend the programme. “I was not informed, but someone mentioned to me that the club organisers were supposed to inform me on >Continued on P6 PANAJI Filming at any State protected monuments or sites without permission may attract Rs 50,000 fine in Goa, in near future. According to the government, there are 51 monuments of archaeological importance protected under the ‘State list’ while another 21 are under the Archaeology Survey of India. The department of Archaeology has come up with draft rules called Goa Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which speaks about obtaining prior permission from the government for filming at the protected sites by paying fees. “Whoever copies or films any protected monument or does other acts in contravention of any provision or of any permission or licence granted thereunder shall be liable to pay fine of Rs 50,000 for such act at Protected Monuments/ sites owned by the Govern- FEES FOR FILMING „„For filming at Protected Monuments/sites owned by the government, fees will be Rs 25,000 per day with Rs 10,000 as refundable security deposit „„For filming at other Protected Monuments fee will be Rs 10,000 per day with Rs 2000 refundable security deposit  ment and Rs 20,000 at other Protected Monuments,” states the draft, which is kept open for stakeholders feedback for a period of 30 days. As per the draft, for filming at the Protected Monuments/ sites owned by the Government, the fees will be Rs 25,000 per day with Rs 10,000 as refundable security deposit. For filming at other Protected Monuments the fee will be Rs 10,000 per day with Rs 2000 security deposit.  Goa’s push for solar power progressing at snail’s pace JUST 110 MU OF POWER GENERATED IN 5 YEARS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The generation of 150 megawatt of renewable power by 2050 seems to be a distant dream for Goa, that is making progress at a snail’s pace in transition to clean electricity. In the last five years, the State has generated 110.91 million units (MU) of green energy, with an annual rise.   From generating just 4.46 MUs of power in 2019, when the State launched its solar mission, to achieving 41.64 MUs of power by the end of November 2023, the coastal State has generated almost eight times more green energy. According to the Economic Survey report tabled in the House, the number of solar connections in the State as on December 2023 are 1134 with total installed capacity of 53.03 megawatts which has so far generated only 110 MU of power. According to the Goa State Energy Vision 2050, the State aims to generate 150 megawatts of renewable power by 2030. The State intends to become the first in the country to run on 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050. As per data, the State’s power demand at present is 540 megawatt per day and it touches 750 megawatts per SOLAR POWER IN LAST 5 YEARS Year 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Power generation (MU) 4.46 12.65 16.03 36.13 41.64 (Till Nov 2023) GOA’S ENERGY VISION 2050 SOLAR „„To generate 150 megawatts of renewable power by 2030 „„To become first in the country to run on 100% renewable energy by 2050 „„State’s power demand at present is 540 megawatt per day Notified in February 2019, subsequently amended in August 2020. Further amended in March 2023 to allow consumers with demand load of 1 MW and above to take power under Open Access from Solar project during day time day during the peak hour. The State government had in February 2019, notified the Goa State Solar Policy and was subsequently amended in August 2020. Following lack of response, the policy was further amended in March 2023 to allow consumers with de- POLICY mand load of 1 MW and above to take power under Open Access from Solar project during day time generation and during the peak hours (6 pm to 11 pm) through Battery Enabled Storage System with maximum of 15% of demand of the State. Dozens of linesmen hit by power El Nino weakens, hopes of ‘bountiful monsoon’ rise BOOST FOR AGRICULTURE mishaps, 10 died in last 5 years PTI THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Over the last five years, dozens of employees of Electricity Department, mostly linesmen and line-helpers, have suffered injuries in the line of duty due to accidentally coming in contact with live conductors or in some cases due to unexpected powr leakage. In the same period since 2018, ten employees died in such incidents. This information was given to the Goa legislative assembly by Power Minister Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar in a lengthy reply to Congress’ According to information, six of the deaths due to such accidents have taken place last year alone. Also one line helper who was a victim of such a mishap in Bicholim has also got maimed Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira. According to the information, six of the deaths due to such accidents have taken place last year (2023) alone. Also one line helper who was a victim of such a mis- hap in Bicholim has also got maimed. Dhavalikar said, Sandeep S Kerkar of Madhalawada, Advalpal, suffered serious injuries while attending a fuse call at TIP Mulgao in Bicholim. His right hand has been amputated and he has been assigned with work of attending telephone calls at the Bicholim sub-station. The minister also said that  Kerkar has been paid  Rs 7-lakh as ex-gratia in September last year. Apart from this, the government has paid compensation of Rs 20 lakhs and departmental ex-gratia to other vitims. NEW DELHI fter delivering a warm 2023, El Nino conditions are set to dissipate by June this year raising hopes of “bountiful monsoon” rains this season, meteorologists have predicted. At least two global climate agencies announced last week that El Nino, the warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean that impacts weather across the world, has started to weaken and there is a probability of La Nina conditions setting in by August. Weather scientists in India, tracking the developments closely, have said that La Nina conditions setting in by A „„Southwest monsoon delivers about 70 per cent of India’s annual rainfall „„This is critical for agriculture sector that accounts for about 14 per cent of the GDP and employs more than half of its 1.4 billion population „„Even if El Nino transitions into ENSO-neutral conditions, monsoon this year should be better than last year „„US agency says there is a 79 per cent chance that El Nino will transition to ENSO-neutral by April-June „„The agency also says there is 55 per cent chance of La Nina developing in June-August June-August could mean monsoon rains would be better this year than the last year. However, they also struck a word of caution citing the ‘’spring predictability barrier’’, considered a forecasting headache as weather models have a harder time making accurate forecasts. Madhavan Rajeevan, former secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said there is a good probability of La Nina developing by June-July. “Even if El Nino transitions into ENSO-neutral conditions, the monsoon should be better than the last year,” he said. The southwest monsoon delivers about 70% of India’s annual rainfall, critical for agriculture sector that accounts for about 14 per cent of the GDP and employs more than half of its 1.4 billion population. The United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said last week that there is a 79 per cent chance that El Nino will transition to ENSO-neutral by April-June and a 55 per cent chance of La Nina developing in June-August. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed that El Nino has started weakening. “Currently, we cannot say anything. Some models indicate La Nina, while some predict ENSO-neutral conditions. However, all models suggest an end to El Nino,” D Sivananda Pai, senior scientist at the IMD said.