log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY APRIL 28, 2025 GOA Political heavyweights, seasoned campaigners brace for 2027 polls >> pg 6 India-Pak tensions among 9 factors that could affect D-Street this week IN SHORT >> Curtorim farmers net record fish haul MARGAO: Smiles lit up the faces of Curtorim farmers as they harvested a bumper catch of freshwater lake fish near the church on Sunday. Adding to the good news was the return of the ‘Chikalo’ fish, a species that had been nearing extinction in recent times.  >> See pg 2 Key Saligao road in shambles  MAPUSA: Residents of Saligao are once again staring at a rough monsoon season, as the crucial road leading to the Pilerne industrial estate remains in shambles after months of excavation work. The nearly one-kilometre stretch from the Saligao junction up to the Saligao seminary has been dug up ostensibly for laying underground electricity cables.   >> See pg 3 Russian held for staying illegally PANAJI: A 33-year-old Russian national was arrested by Mandrem police for staying illegally in Goa-India, without a valid travel visa. The police arrested Iana Makeeba for contravening section (1) (3) of Foreigners Order 1948 and Section- 14 of Foreigners Act-1946. During the investigation, it was found that the lady was residing in Arambol for the last one month. Car rams into crowd in Canada, 9 dead VANCOUVER: At least nine people were killed when a man drove into a crowd at a Filipino heritage festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver, and an unknown number were injured. The vehicle entered the street and struck people attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, the Vancouver Police Department said.  >> See pg 7 WEATHER >> Max: 35.5 C Min: 28.6 C Humidity: 81% TIDES Low: High: 04:42 17:15 11:36 22:45 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 310 2 GOA Locals concerned as HC crackdown puts Calangute structures at risk 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Are instant noodles really bad for you? 9 SPORTS Liverpool beats Tottenham to secure Premier League title 12 Pahalgam comes back to life, NCERT rolls out new textbooks tourists throng scenic streets in sync with NEP n RENEWED FOOTFALLS BRING HOPE n BAISARAN STILL SHUT n REFERENCES TO MUGHALS DROPPED; ‘SACRED GEOGRAPHY’, KUMBH ADDED PTI PTI PAHALGAM Pahalgam, hit by terror that cost 26 lives, appears to have bounced back with tourists who wanted to enjoy summer in Kashmir Valley, sticking to their travel plans. The refrain was -- “We thought it over and decided to come”. The scenic area that had drawn the “Little Switzerland” tag, was opened to tourists a couple of days after Tuesday’s attack. Ground Zero of the attack, Baisaran meadow, is still shut though. For a few days after the group of terrorists emerged from the pine forests around the meadow and opened fire on a group of unsuspecting tourists, the bustling tourist hub had almost emptied out. In place of 5,000 to 7,000 sightseers a day, hardly 100 could be seen after the massacre, raising spectres of unemployment for locals who most- Deadline ends, 509 Pakistanis exit Pakistanis arrive at Attari border on Sunday. GOA COPS INTENSIFY TENANT VERIFICATION DRIVE AFTER PAHALGAM TERROR STRIKE >> See pg 3 ly depend on tourism. But on Sunday, a heartening scene unfolded on the streets of Pahalgam as hundreds of foreign and domestic tourists strolled through the town, bringing back a sense of normalcy. Displaying remarkable resilience and optimism, tourists from across India said such incidents can happen anywhere. A group visiting from Maharashtra said they were not afraid because they have the support of travel agents and their tour group. “We should Illegal structures in Mapusa, Colvale face court scrutiny RTI EVIDENCE OF RAMPANT ENCROACHMENT ON COMUNIDADE LAND SUBMITTED TO HC THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a significant move against rampant illegal constructions in Bardez, a resident of Canca, Atmaram Gadekar, has submitted documentary evidence to the High Court of Bombay at Goa, intensifying the ongoing proceedings in the suo motu PIL No. 3/2024 concerning illegal encroachments across the State. Gadekar presented a detailed dossier to the Judicial Registrar, comprising documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the North Goa Administrative Comunidade office. The documents reveal the scale of alleged illegal constructions on comunidade and government land in Mapusa, Tivim and Colvale, complete with house numbers and addresses. According to the RTI data, there are approximately 1,628 illegal structures in Mapusa alone, along with 550 in Tivim and 450 in Colvale – many of which are reportedly occupied THE SUO MOTU PIL IN COURT „„Documents reveal the scale of alleged illegal constructions on comunidade and govt land in Mapusa, Tivim & Colvale „„All details like house numbers, addresses provided „„RTI data reveals there are 1,628 illegal structures in Mapusa, 550 in Tivim and 450 in Colvale „„Most of these are reportedly occupied by migrant settlers „„Minutes, affidavits of then Chief Secretary who instructed North & South Collectors, other officials to remove such encroachments attached by migrant settlers. In his application to the High Court, Gadekar informed that he had earlier lodged official complaints with the Tivim and Colvale Village Panchayats, the Mapusa Municipal Council, the Deputy Collectors of Bardez I and II, the Chief Secretary, the Revenue Secretary, the North Goa District Collector and the Administrator of Comunidades, North, but without satisfactory redressal. Gadekar also cited a 2010 Supreme Court order that directed action against illegal constructions on comunidade and government lands across India. As part of his submission, he attached minutes and affidavits filed by the then Chief Secretary of Goa, which had instructed the North and South Goa Collectors, the Director of Panchayats, and the Director of Municipal Administration to initiate removal of such encroachments. “It is prayed that the RTI documents produced by me may be taken on record in >Continued on P5 NEW DELHI: As many as 509 Pakistani nationals, including nine diplomats and officials, left India in three days beginning Friday through the Attari-Wagah border point as the exit deadline for the 12 categories of short-term visa holders of the neighbouring nation ended Sunday, officials said. A total of 745 Indians, including 14 diplomats and officials, have returned from Pakistan through the international border crossing located in Punjab. The ‘’Leave India’’ notice to the Pakistani nationals was issued by the government after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22. not be afraid. What will happen, will happen,” one of them said. Croatian and Serbian tourists were seen exploring the streets of Pahalgam, completely at ease. Vlatko, a tourist from Croatia, said: “It is my 10th time in the Kashmir Valley and every time it is fantastic. For me, it is number one in the world, natural, soft people. My group is very happy; it’s their first time here, Croatian and Serbian people.” Asked about safety, he said, “I feel totally safe, no problem here. Everywhere, people say hello -- zero, zero scared.” NEW DELHI All references to Mughals and Delhi Sultanate have been dropped from class 7 NCERT textbooks, while chapter on Indian dynasties, ‘’sacred geography,’’ references to Maha Kumbh, and government initiatives like Make in India and Beti Bachao, Beti padhao are among the new additions. The new textbooks released this week have been designed in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, which emphasise incorporating Indian traditions, philosophies, knowledge systems, and local context into school education. When contacted, NCERT officials said these are only first part of the book and second part is expected in coming months. They, however, did not comment on whether The new textbooks emphasise incorporating Indian traditions, philosophies, knowledge systems, and local context into school education even as officials said these are only first part of the book and second part is expected in coming months the dropped portions will be retained in the second part of the book. While NCERT had previously trimmed sections on the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate including detailed account of dynasties like Tughlaqs, Khaljis, Mamluks, and Lodis and a two-page table on Mughal emperors’ achievements as part of its syllabus rationalisation during the COVID-19 >Continued on P5 Tragedy strikes Arpora hotel, 5-year-old girl drowns in pool THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA  A tragic incident occurred on Saturday evening at a hotel in Arpora, where a five-year-old girl, Sandhya Kumari, lost her life after drowning in the hotel’s swimming pool. According to the Anjuna Police, the incident took place between 4.20 pm and 4.50 pm. Preliminary investigation revealed that the hotel management, including the Managing Director and staff, allegedly failed to deploy a lifeguard at the swimming pool, leaving it unattended at the time of the incident. Despite being aware of the potential risk, no safety measures were in place. Following the enquiry, a complaint was filed by PSI Sahil Warang. Subsequently, Anjuna Police registered a case under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 against the hotel’s management and staff, holding them responsible for negligence leading to the child’s death. The victim, Sandhya Kumari, was a resident of Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Further investigation into the incident is underway. SOLEMN MOMENT: Cardinals visit the tomb of late Pope Francis at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica a day after the funeral in Rome on Sunday. Hundreds of people filed past the tomb after it was thrown open to public. (Report on pg 7) State sets target to cut fiscal deficit to 27% by next year THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa government has set a target to reduce its fiscal deficit to 27 per cent by March 31, 2026 as directed under the revised Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act 2003. State is working on a roadmap to reduce the debt-GSDP ratio, which currently stood at 29 per cent by end of fiscal year 2023-24. According to NITI Aayog’s recent report, under the revised FRMB Act 2003, Goa has to ensure that by March 31, 2026, the ratio of Debt to Gross State Domestic Product is brought down to 27 per cent, and thereafter bring it below 25 per cent. Sources informed that FRMB Act mandates that the total liabilities should not ex- ceed a certain percentage of GDP and since 2015, State has been asked to bring it down to 27 per cent and maintain it below 25 per cent. Sources said that since 2020-21, Goa has been able to achieve lot of success in this regard with curbs on expenditure, borrowings, revenue leakages, etc. “The debt to >Continued on P5 Goa to woo high-end ‘Flawed’ Pope Francis medals turn valuable for Goan family Middle East tourists The name Jesus was misspelled as ‘Lesus’ prompting the Vatican to recall the papal medals FOCUS ON LUXURY, WELLNESS, CULTURE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa is all set to deepen its engagement with the Middle East travellers with focus on high-end visitors, through its high-value experiences rooted in luxury, wellness, culture and sustainability during the upcoming Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, scheduled from Monday at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The Goa Tourism pavilion at ATM Dubai will introduce a compelling vision -- one that moves beyond the beaches, and highlights a destination rich in heritage, spiritual depth, backwater adventures, culinary richness, and immersive community-led tourism -during the four-day event. In line with this year’s ATM theme -- Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity -- Goa will highlight its expanding air connectivity, a vital enabler in building deeper travel and trade relationships with the Middle East. Tourism Minister Rohan Khuante said that with direct international flights to Goa from key cities like Dubai and Sharjah the state is fast emerging as a convenient and accessible getaway for Gulf >Continued on P5 MELVYN MISQUITA THE GOAN I PANAJI W e may never have personally met the late Pope Francis and yet, my sister, her husband and I will have a close connect with the pope for a very unusual reason. My sister, Sandra Burby and her husband Nicholas (Nick) of Portsmouth-England, and I currently possess rare medals of the pope, so rare that people in the know believe it to be the first of its kind in 600 years and one that compelled the Vatican to immediately recall the entire batch of medallions. A major blunder in the first commemorative medal of the pope has inadvertently The four flawed medals commemorating the first year of Pope Francis’ pontificate were purchased by Nick and Sandra Burby from the Vatican bookstore on October 8, 2013. become the prized collection for the three of us. It was the first year of Pope Francis’ pontificate and the Vatican decided to sell limited edition official medals of Pope Francis. As a journalist closely following Church activities, I had read that these medals were to go on sale on October 8, 2013. The day was special. It was the silver wedding anniversary of Nick and Sandra and moreover, they were in Rome to celebrate their milestone. THE MEDALS Limited coins were minted – 200 (gold), 3,000 (silver) and 3,000 (bronze) – and while one side depicted the work of the artist Mariangela Crisciotti, the other side depicted Pope Francis. Around the image was the phrase “Franciscus Pont. Max. An. I”. The rim of the reverse side bore the phrase which affected the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio when he received his call from God: “Vidit Ergo Jesus Publicanum Et Quia Miserando Antque Eligendo Vidit, Ait Illi Sequere Me”. Around the edge was the phrase “E Civitate Vaticana”. Each medal, numbered and accompanied by a guarantee certificate stamped by the Secretariat of State and the Italian State Mint, was available for sale at few locations. THE PURCHASE I requested Nick and Sandra to purchase one medal to mark their silver wedding an- niversary, and a bronze medal on my behalf. On October 8, 2013, Nick and Sandra attended Mass in the Vatican and visited the tomb of St John Paul II, before proceeding to purchase four medallions: 1 silver and 2 bronze for them, and 1 bronze for me. They visited a souvenir shop at the Vatican, but no one was aware about the medallion. The shop attendant suggested they check at the Vatican post office. Nick and Sandra went to the Vatican post office, where staff also had no information about the medallions and advised them to contact the nearby >Continued on P5