log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY APRIL 7, 2024 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 290 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 13 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 SIZZLING CHEMISTRY Soul story Appraisal anxiety SPORTS »PAGE 8 Rajasthan Royals maintains perfect start to IPL season A learning experience: Shaitaan fame Bodiwala reveals being nervous MOVIES, MUSINGS, AND MORE CHOOSE A PARTNER WISELY: Qualities & dynamics Mohammedan SC wins I-League, qualifies for next season’s ISL Mrunal, Vijay Deverakonda’s steamy kissing scene from family star leaked >> SEE PG 2 SMART CITY ‘NIGHTMARE’: WILL IT END BY MAY 31? MAGAZINE MAGAZ 9 World Health Day: Prioritising personal health Manifesting a Uniform Civil Code to amalgamate India’s diverse personal laws Rejuvenate those locks with hair botox Power of 10 prevention: Prioritising health and wellness Pejechem Fest at Siridão: An age old tradition steeped in history 11 Auto Review The Audi Q3 Sportback: A blend of sportiness and style IN SHORT >> Convict Karbotkar denied bail PANAJI: Notorious criminal Vijay Karbotkar, who appears to the Court handcuffed to stand trial for attempted murder, has been denied bail as the Mapusa Court feared he could tamper with the course of justice.  >> See pg 5 Mapusa fish market to shut on April 10 MAPUSA: Fish vendors have decided to shut down the Mapusa fish market on April 10, as a mark of solidarity after five fish vendors have received summons in connection with a dispute.   >> See pg 3 Injured crocodile rescued at Shirgao BICHOLIM: An injured crocodile was rescued after being spotted on Shirgao road at Poira. Animal Rescue Squad President Amrut Singh said the crocodile was later handed over to the forest dept. WEATHER >> Max: 34 C Min: 25 C Humidity: 87% TIDES Low: High: 03:38 15:48 09:53 22:00 Energy Alchemist Nitasha, the founder of Sacreosal, speaks about healing and transforming lives Tips to handle stress during annual workplace appraisal time Finally, Cong names Khalap for North, Viriato for South TO LAUNCH LS ELECTION CAMPAIGN ON GUDI PADVA THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Congress on Saturday finally announced  its candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa -- Ramakant Khalap for Panaji (North Goa) and Viriato Fernandes for Mormugao (South Goa). The names of Khalap and Fernandes were part of a list of candidates released by the AICC General Secretary, K C Venugopal, on Saturday for Goa, some seats in Madhya Pradesh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Thus, the grand old party has dropped its sitting MP from South Goa, Francisco Sardinha, who won the seat thrice in past elections -- 1998, 2009 and 2019. The Congress which is fighting the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, had got its allies -- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Goa Forward Party (GFP), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) and Shiv Sena UBT -- to agree to the proposal of fielding its candidates for both the Goa Disappointed, says Sardinha MARGAO: Sitting Congress MP Francisco Sardinha has expressed disappointment that his plea seeking re-election for the fifth time from South Goa did not find favour with the Congress High Command.   >> See pg 3 Alina joins Cong   PANAJI: Former Cabinet minister in BJP governments Alina Saldanha on Saturday joined the Congress. Ms Saldanha was formerly inducted into the party by Patkar. Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao, GPCC president Amit Patkar, MLAs Carlos AlvaresFerreira and Altone D’Costa along with North and South Goa candidates Ramakant Khalap and Captain Virato at a press conference in Panaji on Saturday. Narayan Pissurlenkar seats.  Later in the day, the Congress in Goa held a press conference where GPCC president Amit Patkar, Leader of the Opposition, Yuri Alemao, the two MLAs Carlos Alvares-Ferreira and Altone D’Costa besides Khalap and Fernandes addressed the media and vowed to defeat the BJP in both seats. Khalap, who has a long political career spanning over five decades will face Bhara- itya  Janata Party’s (BJP) fivetime MP Shripad Naik in the North while Fernandes faces the BJP’s Pallavi Dempo. Also in the fray will be >Continued on P5 Tried to rope RGP in INDIA: Patkar PANAJI: Patkar has said he had reached out to RGP in a bid to rope them into the Opposition alliance. “However, the attempt was not successful. It is clear that they want to be in fray to help BJP. It shows they are BJP’s B team”, he said. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Pope Francis has appointed Rev Fr Simião Purificação Fernandes as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, assigning him the titular see of Salde. The bishop-elect will assist Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão in shepherding the flock entrusted to his pastoral care. The appointment of Bishop-Elect Fernandes, who is presently the Director of St Pius X Pastoral Institute at Old Goa and the Convenor of the Committee for the Ongoing Formation of Priests, was made public in the Vatican on Saturday at 12 noon (3.30 pm IST), stated the Diocesan Centre for Social Communications Media (DCSCM). Bishop-Elect Fernandes was born in Chandor on December 21, 1967 to Victor Fernandes and Ana Santana Costa, both deceased. Ordained priest on May 10, 1993, after his seminary studies in the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol, he obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and a Doctorate in Biblical Theolo- ON PAGE 5 Guirdolim erupts in joy Bishop-elect has special connect with Aldona Cardinal congratulates new auxiliary bishop Clergy hails appointment of new auxiliary bishop gy at the Jnana Deepa Pontifical Athenaeum in Pune. He worked as an Assistant Parish Priest in the parishes of Aldona and Taleigão and >Continued on P5 Election code crackdown nets Uprooted St Inez banyan tree triggers ‘material’ worth over `  4 cr row, may not live to see light of day 2 Huge quantity of cash, liquor, drugs seized n Citizens, greens cry foul n Officials mum on new location THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Enforcement agencies in Goa have seized illicit materials including cash, liquor, and drugs, totaling Rs 2441.27 lakhs from March 1 to April 4 as agencies have kept a close watch on the activities amid the ongoing election code. DABOLIM CASH SEIZURE: POLICE RECOVER BALANCE `8 LAKH >> See pg 3 According to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa, seizures included cash amounting to Rs 1562.21561 lakh, 66620.13 litres of liquor valued at Rs 87.99053 lakhs, and drugs totaling 26088.15 grams worth Rs 302.827 lakhs from March 1 to April 4.  CEO Ramesh Verma has directed all law enforcement agencies to heighten vigilance and enforcement activities to prevent further instances of fraud or corrup- CEO flays extortion case, calls for strong action against misconduct PANAJI: Reacting to the recent instance of extortion involving some errant officials of the flying squad, CEO Ramesh Verma expressed grave concern and expressed fear that it could undermine the integrity of the electoral process and erode public trust.  Verma reiterated stringent directives by the Election Office to law enforcement agencies like Excise and Police officials to take decisive action against such misconduct.  He further highlighted the exemplary dedication of most of the officials on duty, who are diligently working to ensure that the election process is conducted in a fair and transparent manner.  “ECI has meticulously planned and executed various >Continued on P5 tion during election period. In a press statement issued on Saturday, the CEO urged citizens’ active participation in the electoral process, urging them to vote responsibly and peacefully; and emphasized the collective responsibility to uphold democratic values and ensure a free, fair, and credible Lok Sabha election. Furthermore, Verma asked government officials to refrain from participating in political activities, including promoting political party agendas on social media platforms or any other platform. PANAJI The two-century-old banyan tree, a cherished landmark at St Inez, was hastily uprooted and moved to an undisclosed location, despite widespread objections from citizens. The abrupt move, particularly undertaken in the absence of environmentalists and experts and during intense heat, has stirred controversy. Adding to the irony, authorities opted to first get rid of the banyan tree – which posed less obstruction on the road, and spare the rain tree that needed urgent felling.  With the entire operation carried out past midnight, questions also surround the banyan tree’s new whereabouts. The authorities have further chosen not to disclose the details of the Forest Department’s order approving the tree’s translocation. Having witnessed various socio-cultural events, infrastructural development and the ongoing Smart City works, TRANSLOCATION PROCESS The pruned and uprooted banyan tree being shifted to an undisclosed location.  Narayan Pissurlenkar the citizens are undoubtedly heartbroken to see this tree uprooted from its birthplace.  The scorching temperatures, lack of moisture in the tree prior to its relocation, and other factors could now pose a challenge in ensuring its survival. The timing is less than ideal, a factor overlooked by the department and other authorities. Uday Krishna, founder-trustee of the Vata Foun- Turnout at Fatorda ISL matches dips Attendance figures of FC Goa matches at Fatorda ROHIT BHANDIYE THE GOAN I PANAJI Year Matches Total High Low Average 2014 8 144,524 19,752 16,652 18,066 2015 9 169,590 19,796 17,634 18,843 2016 7 123,627 19,003 14,717 17,661 2017-18 10 176,038 18,600 16,221 17,604 2018-19 10 163,779 17,807 14,482 16,378 2019-20 9 117,057 17,773 10,212 13,006 2022-23 10 102,200 13,123 7,949 10,220 2023-24 10 84,796 12,706 5,326 8,479 Total 73 1,081,611 19,796 5,326 14,817 W hen FC Goa thrashed Hyderabad FC 4-0 at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Fatorda last Friday, it was one of the biggest victories registered by the Gaurs in this ISL season. Midfielder Noah Sadaoui scored a hat-trick in that match to power FC Goa to a memorable win. But, unfortunately, this match was attended by only 5,326 spectators – the lowest in the history of any ISL games played in Goa ever since the tournament started in 2014. In that match, majority of the seats in the stadium were Fr Simião named Goa archdiocese auxiliary bishop empty, with only nearly about 30 per cent capacity of the stadium being filled. Infact, attendance at ISL matches at Fatorda has been on a steady decline over the years and this season, it has been worst. The FC Goa v/s Kerala Blasters match on December 3, 2023 was attended by 12,706 spectators, highest for any FC Goa home game this season. Of the total 10 games played by FC Goa at Fatorda so far in this season, only 84,796 spectators have attended the matches. That makes it an average of just 8,479 spectators per game out of the total capacity of 19,000. This is less than 50 percent of the stadium. The early seasons of the ISL were a huge success, with high TV ratings and attendance figures. The league was able to create a buzz around football in India that had not been seen before. However, in recent years, the league has struggled to maintain this momentum. In the first four ISL seasons, the Fatorda stadium was more than 90 percent filled for every single game involving the Gaurs. The average attendance per match was 18,066, 18,843, 17,661, 17,604 and 16,378 during 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons respectively. These numbers have reduced by more than 50 per cent now. Infact, during 2017-18 ISL season 176,038 spectators had attended the matches at Fatorda while 169,590 attended during 2015 season. During earlier ISL seasons, there used to be festive atmosphere inside the stadium, lot of enthusiasm among the >Continued on P5 dation, which has facilitated the translocation of over 2,500 trees across six States including Goa, has expressed this concern.  Krishna cited the necessity of watering the banyan tree for a minimum of two weeks before its relocation and emphasized favourable weather >Continued on P5 COST „„The entire operation is expected incur an expenditure of Rs 2-5 lakh depending on the size of the tree and the distance „„Water the tree continuously, plan pruning to expedite digging, replanting „„Loosen soil with JCB, leave root ball intact below the tree roots „„Pad tree trunk should with gunny bags to facilitate easy lifting „„Secure the trunk with strong ropes „„Cover both roots and soil with wet gunny bags to maintain moisture and nourishment until the tree is placed on the truck „„During transportation, ensure roots are covered & moist „„Maintain safe speed for vehicle to prevent damage to tree MACHINERY NEEDED „„Big earthmover „„Bigger crane „„Poclain machine