log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY MAY 3, 2025 GOA Illegal houses in Margao raise alarm over sewerage disposal Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 315 2 3 GOA EEs, AEs get powers of ‘collectors’ for recovery of electricity dues Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Suffering from brain fog? Here’s how you can treat It 11 BITS PILANI STUDENT’S DEATH page 7 Goans mark Easter in UK ‘India’s finance minister is a motivating force’ IN SHORT >> 66 illegal stalls in Penha de França to be cleared MAPUSA: In a move towards clearing encroachments and preparing for road widening, the Public Works Department has issued a public notice announcing the removal of unauthorised stalls and gaddas that have encroached upon the Right of Way in Penha de França village. The action follows directions from the High Court.  >> See pg 3 Kejriwal to visit Goa on May 9 PANAJI: Aam Aadmi Party Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be on a two-day visit to Goa on May 9 and 10. This will be Kejriwal’s first visit to the state since his debacle in Delhi elections.  >> See pg 3 CCTVs in Mapusa to tackle dumping MAPUSA: In a bid to curb the menace of unauthorised waste dumping across the town, the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) is set to install CCTV surveillance cameras at strategic locations in and around the city. The decision, prompted by growing concerns over unmanaged garbage disposal, will be formally tabled at the upcoming council meeting. > > See pg 2 New pope: Vatican readies chimney VATICAN CITY: Preparations for the conclave to find a new pope accelerated Friday with the installation of the chimney out of the Sistine Chapel that will signal the election of a successor to Pope Francis. Vatican firefighters were seen on the roof of the Sistine Chapel installing the chimney, a key moment in the preparation for the May 7 conclave.  >> See pg 9 Govt notifies ITR-3 for individuals, HUFs NEW DELHI: The Income Tax department has notified ITR form 3 to be filed by individuals and HUFs having income from business or profession. WEATHER >> Max: 35.2 C Min: 28.2 C Humidity: 71% TIDES Low: High: 08:32 21:51 01:38 16:04 TWIST TO CAMPUS TRAGEDY Family alleges foul play, refuses to accept body THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO  Suspecting foul play into the death of 20-year-old Krishna Kasera, a second-year student at the BITS Pilani Goa campus, the family has refused to claim the body and also plans legal action against the institution. The student, a native of Lucknow, was found hanging in his hostel room on Thursday morning. Speaking to reporters, the grieving family blamed the institution for negligence. “Krishna messaged me a day earlier saying he was unwell. I asked him to take some medicine but got no further response. We assumed he might be studying late in the library because of the exams,” said the distraught mother, Manisha Kasera. “The next morning, after Trying our best to ensure students are safe: College VASCO: Stating that the heartbreaking loss of Krishna Kasera, a second-year undergraduate student, has shattered everyone in the campus, the BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus claimed it is trying its best to ensure that students are safe and secure.  >> See pg 3 repeated attempts to contact him failed, we got in touch with the warden through a number we found online. Only then were we told he had died by suicide. I have lost my son due to the gross negligence at the BITS Pilani campus.” The student’s uncle, Aman Poddar, raised serious suspicions over the circumstances of the death, stating this was the third such suicide on campus in a similar fashion in recent months. “The college administration failed to inform the family even after his death. It was only after we reached out to them that they told us the room was locked. Later, they said he was found hanging. How can this be allowed to happen again and again? This is a serious lapse in security, surveillance, and accountability,” Poddar said. “There are no CCTV cameras in hostel corridors. The college is trying to hide something. We strongly suspect this is a case of cold-blooded murder. We are refusing to accept the body until we get concrete >Continued on P6 New road safety plan aims to halve fatalities by 2030 3-YEAR TECH-DRIVEN STRATEGY TARGETS SAFER ROADS, TRAINED DRIVERS, AI ENFORCEMENT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major step to tackle the rising number of road accidents and fatalities, Goa government has rolled out the Goa Road Safety Policy, 2025. The policy is a comprehensive, technology-driven framework aligned with the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety (SCCoRS), the Centre’s Road Safety Policy, and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021–2030), which aims to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries by 50 per cent by 2030. The policy will be implemented over a period of three years with key initiatives to be executed in a phased and structured manner, to focus on enforcement, infrastructure improvement and multi-agency coordination. As per the policy, a Lead Agency for Road Safety will be set up as an independent body during this period, while the State Road Safety Council (SRSC) will carry out regular monitoring. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The death by suicide of a student at the BITS Pilani campus on Thursday is the third such incident of student suicide in the last six months, raising serious questions over student welfare measures adopted by the famed institute at its campus located in Zuarinagar. According to police reports, the body of the latest suicide victim was found in the morning on Thursday “partially hanging” in his campus room which was locked from inside. Police said, it clearly is a case of suicide. The previous two cases of student suicide occurred in December last year and the second case was in March. Raising questions over >Continued on P6 >Continued on P6 AI-BASED CHECKS „„Policy outlines deployment of AI-based traffic management system to detect violations such as over-speeding, signal jumping, wrong-lane driving, non-use of helmets and seat belts, triple riding, use of de-registered or polluting vehicles, and expired insurance.   FACT FILE: As of September 2024, Goa’s vehicle population reached 13.23 lakh, including 8.69 lakh two-wheelers, and is growing at an annual rate of 17 percent. 16 397 vacancies up for grabs; PSIs, teachers in list MAY 23 LAST DATE FOR APPLICATIONS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Staff Selection Commission has announced 397 vacancies across various government departments, with the last date to submit applications being May 23. In an advertisement issued on Friday, the Commission has announced 187 posts of Police Sub Inspectors of which 30 are reserved for female candidates. Applications are also invited to fill up 118 posts of Assistant teachers for subjects like English (26), Hindi (22), Konkani (10), Marathi (10), Mathematics (14), Science (14), Social Science (20) and Sanskrit (2). Two posts of drawing teachers and one of Librarian is also advertised. The Commission has announced filling up 57 vacancies of technical assistant in departments of Rural development, WRD, PWD and Panchayat. KEY VACANCIES AT A GLANCE „„187 posts of Police Sub Inspectors „„118 jobs for assistant teachers „„57 vacancies for technical assistants Apart from this, four posts of technical assistant Mechanical and one of Computer is to be filled in PWD. The vacancies are also available in Directorate of Accounts and Election office. The last advertisement issued by the Commission was in November, 2024 to fill up 232 posts of lower division clerk (LDC) and recovery clerk across 34 departments, as well as 53 junior stenographer positions in 20 departments. The process is in the final stage of completion as the Commission is currently verifying the documents of those candidates who have cleared the III tier examination.  THE GOAN I NETWORK is ensuring safer vehicles on Goan roads for which the policy proposed the setting up of Automated Testing Stations (ATS) that will use technology to eliminate manual errors and biases in vehicle fitness testing. These centres are expected MAPPING A SAFER ROUTE the campus management’s interventions to handle student distress, Velim MLA Cruz Silva has demanded that the authorities at BITS Pilani, Goa conduct a thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding all the three student suicide deaths. “Understanding the root causes is essential to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students on the campus,” the Velim legislator said in a statement. Silva also advocated “enhanced mental health support” and counselling services for the students at the BITS Pilani campus in Goa. Student bodies and alumni have also expressed concern over the rising mental health challenges faced by students and called for immediate institutional reforms. Gujarat Titans beats Sunrisers Hyderabad by 38 runs Govt abruptly discontinues ‘zero bill’ water scheme MAPUSA In a move that has taken both the public and officials by surprise, the Goa State government has discontinued the ‘Zero Bill’ water scheme for domestic PWD pipeline consumers with effect from May 1. The scheme, which was introduced as a welfare measure to promote water conservation and provide relief to low-income households, has been scrapped without any official statement or explanation from the authorities. The scheme allowed individual domestic consumers using up to 16,000 litres of water per month to receive their water supply free of charge. In addition to the waiver of usage charges, beneficiaries were also exempt from meter rent – making it a highly popular initiative among approximately 40 per cent of the State’s domestic water consumers. PWD Chief Engineer Subhash Belgaonkar confirmed the development, stating, “Yes, the scheme has been discontinued by the „„Govt to boost monitoring, prevent accidents through automation, AI, data analytics „„Policy proposes Automated Testing Stations to eliminate manual errors and biases in vehicle fitness „„Focus also on enhancing driver training and licensing standards „„Integrated Driver Training Centres to be set up in the State By incorporating automation, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and enhanced community participation, the government plans to boost monitoring, improve compliance and prevent accidents. The policy further sets out multiple objectives to address various facets of road safety. One of the core priorities 3rd incident in 6 months raises welfare concerns SPORTS PANAJI’S SLOW LANE: Traffic moves at a snail’s pace along 18th June Road in Panaji on Friday. The congestion was reportedly caused by double parking along this busy thoroughfare.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Over 1,000 cops, drones keep hawk’s eye during Lairai zatra THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In an unprecedented security arrangement, as many as 1,012 police personnel have been deployed for the annual zatra of Shree Devi Lairai at the Lairai Temple in Shirgao, Bicholim that began on Friday. This is the highest-ever deployment of police forces for the festival, which draws several lakh devotees each year. Superintendent of Police (North) Akshat Kaushal told reporters that to ensure effective crowd control and the smooth conduct of the festival, police have also deployed advanced surveillance measures including drones to monitor crowd movement and provide aerial coverage of the celebrations. A Vajra Van (Riot Control Vehicle) has also been stationed at the venue as a precautionary measure. The North Goa District Police have deployed one Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), 14 Police Inspectors (PI), 28 Police Sub-Inspectors >Continued on P6 Solar dreams of over 300 Goans Canacona simmers after 3 Pak flags painted on roads in limbo as State delays subsidy Poster with Pak flag in Mapusa too THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Month after Central government released financial aid under Phase 2 of the Rooftop Solar Scheme to Goa Government, more than 340 beneficiaries are still waiting for release of their State share of benefit. As part of Central share, the subsidies of the consumers have been redeemed and the payment was released in a time-bound manner that is within 30-days of making the application to the Union Ministry for New and Renewable Energy.   After Centre releases its share, the same is updated on State portal, for release of As part of Central share, the subsidies of the consumers have been redeemed and the payment was released in a time-bound manner, but beneficiaries are still waiting for release of their State share of benefit State share of subsidy, which has to be done again within a month’s time. The State financial assistance, which is given to the beneficiaries through empanelled vendors, had faced delays due to discrepancies in the process, raising concerns among the affected beneficiaries. The assistance which was previously discontinued in Goa due to a lack of subsidy, was revived with modifications under the PM Surya Ghar initiative, last month. The first installment of subsidy amounting to Rs 1.04 crore was received by the State towards disbursement of its share to the beneficiaries. However, some vendors confirmed that the amount is yet to be released to the beneficiaries. “These beneficiaries are waiting for State share since October, last year. The government, initially citied reasons like procedural changes, glitches in ECS mandate, etc. However, even after rectification of the same, and Centre releasing payment >Continued on P6 CANACONA nger prevailed in Canacona on Friday after three Pakistan flags were found painted on the roads in different parts of the municipality. Some people while on their morning walk first noticed one Pakistan flag painted on the road in front of Krishna Café near the main junction of Chaudi town. The second Pakistan flag was later spotted on the main road proceeding to the KTC bus stand. A short while later, a third flag was found painted on the road to Bhagatwada, near another prominent location in Char-Rasta. A PUBLIC ANGER News of roads painted One of the flags which was painted on the main road proceeding to the KTC Bus Stand in Canacona. with Pakistan flags spread like wildfire, sparking tension and anger in the municipality, with people demanding strict action against the culprits involved in anti-national activities. Some angry locals dumped cow dung on one painted Pakistani flag on the road. Siddharth Desai, personal assistant to Speaker and Can- acona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar, while on a morning walk early Friday morning, was one of the first to spot the Pakistan flag on the road. “The flags were painted in oil paint and at the prominent locations to deliberately create communal tension in the otherwise peaceful Canacona taluka,” said Desai. When he was informed that PANAJI: In a separate incident on Friday, the Mapusa police took swift action to remove a provocative poster displaying the Pakistan national flag, which had been placed conspicuously on the road at the Guirim junction. The poster was located near the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue, directly opposite the Government High School. Authorities are investigating the motive behind the act, which has sparked concern among local residents and prompted increased vigilance in the area. a similar flag was also painted at the entrance of the KTC bus stand, Desai alerted Tawadkar and also reported the matter to Canacona Police Inspector Harischandra Raut Desai. Tawadkar then sought a detailed report from the police and instructed them to trace the culprits who were trying to create tension and dishar- mony among the people of Canacona. Prominent people cutting across communities denounced the painting of the Pakistan flags and appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony. As tension began to rise in >Continued on P6