log on to thegoan.net FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2025 GOA @thegoanonline Royal Enfield rides into future with electric Flying Flea REVIEW - e-Access: Suzuki’s no-nonsense take on the e-scooter buzz IN SHORT >> Goa Board unveils exam schedule PANAJI: The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education on Thursday announced the tentative schedule for Grade 10 (SSC) and HSSC final exams, which are scheduled in February-March, 2026. As per the schedule, for Grade 10 the examination will commence from March 2, 2026 while HSSC exams are scheduled from February 10, 2026.   >> See pg 3 TCP reconstitutes panel on FAR hike PANAJI: The TCP Department has re-constituted a committee for grant of additional height and FAR on a case to case basis. The committee, constituted under Chief Town Planner (Planning) Vertika Dagur, has four membersParesh Gaitonde, Rajeev Sukhthankar, Gayle Veronica Araujo and Anand Deshpande, with Vinod Kumar Chandra as member secretary.  >> See pg 3 Beautification of Smart City pending The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 356 GOA MMC’s first demolition job sparks questions on unsafe buildings in city AHMEDABAD In a chilling turn of fate, tragedy struck Ahmedabad as an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. The incident sent shockwaves across the city as thick black smoke billowed into the sky, and rescue efforts were immediately launched. One person -- the passenger of seat No. 11A -- survived the crash, officials said. There was no official count of those killed even hours after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI171) crashed in Ahmedabad civil hospital and BJ Medical College near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and burst into a ball of fire. As rescuers struggled to find survivors in the charred wreckage and pull out the injured, many of them with grievous burns, officials tried to assess the human magnitude of the disaster. Unofficial reports said chances of survival of those on board were remote. According to Air India, of the 230 passengers, 169 were Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. WTC final on a knife’s edge after another chaotic day Secret tips for a healthy heart as told by cardiologists! Loud noise 30 seconds after takeoff, recalls survivor SECONDS TO DISASTER: An image captures the ill-fated Air India plane take off in Ahmedabad, only to erupt into a fireball seconds later on Thursday. The other 12 were two pilots and 10 crew members. The pilot of the twin-engine wide bodied aircraft issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff at 1.39 pm, the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad said. The search was also on for the aircraft's black box -the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder -- for clues to understand what happened in the last crucial moments. The 11-year-old aircraft could be seen from miles away, losing altitude rapidly and combusting in a fiery blaze that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air. The aircraft climbed just about 600-800 feet before plummeting to the ground almost immediately, aviation sources said. Former Gujarat chief minister and BJP leader Vijay Rupani was among the passengers on the doomed flight to London's Gatwick airport. “The aircraft departed from Vasco, Mormugao MLAs support cabbies THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA: Despite an agreement inked with the Sirsi gaushala to address the issue of stray cattle, the menace has once again gripped the town of Mapusa, causing growing concern among motorists and residents alike.  >> See pg 5 SPORTS INFO PTI Govt to reimburse NEET, JEE coaching fees for ST students Stray cattle menace haunts Mapusa again RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729  ONE SURVIVES MIRACULOUSLY  FLIGHT SMASHES INTO AHMEDABAD MEDICAL COLLEGE COMPLEX WITHIN A MINUTE OF TAKEOFF  169 WERE INDIANS, 53 BRITISH, 7 PORTUGUESE, 1 CANADIAN & 12 CREW  SEVERAL BUILDINGS BURNT, TREES SINGED PANAJI: The State government on Thursday informed the High Court of Bombay at Goa that all roads under the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) have been completed and opened to the public, with only beautification works remaining.  >> See pg 3 VASCO: Tourist taxi operators from across Goa met Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar and Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar on Thursday to voice their opposition to the draft guidelines proposed for taxi aggregators. Both MLAs assured the operators of their support and promised to raise their concerns with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.  >> See pg 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline 3 14 2 10 AI PLANE WITH 242 ON BOARD CRASHES With Pai Tiatrist Hall out of bounds, tiatrs to return to Margao’s GVN Hall page 7 Facebook.com/thegoan 300 STUDENTS TO BENEFIT FROM THE SCHEME PANAJI The State government announced on Thursday that it will reimburse coaching fees for students from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The State Tribal department has notified “Bhagwan Birsa Munda Lakshya Siddhi Yojana”, wherein 100 per cent coaching fees would be reimbursed to the students whose family income is up to Rs 8 lakh per annum and 75 per cent to the students whose family income is above Rs 8 lakh per annum subject to the maximum limit of Rs 3 lakh each for NEET and JEE. The department has said that a total 300 students would get the benefit under the scheme of which 50 per cent students shall be allotted BOOSTER FOR ST STUDENTS „„100% fees to be reimbursed for those whose family income is up to Rs 8 lakh per annum „„75% to students whose family income is above Rs 8 lakh per annum for NEET course and 50 per cent students for JEE. The student selection would be strictly on the merit list. “If there are vacant slots after drawing the merit list then the candidates shall be selected from those students who have applied for the other course subject to a maximum total of 300 students seats,” the department said. The scheme was announced by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the State Budget 2025-26. To avail the benefit under the scheme, the student will Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from Runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC,” according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Visuals from the wreckage area showed bodies being pulled out and the injured, many with burns, wheeled into the city civil hospital close by. Eyewitnesses in Ahmedabad said the blaze was so intense that it led to several multi-storey buildings being burnt, trees singed and cars damaged. One image showed the snout of the plane crashing through the top floor of a building that appeared to be a dining area of the hostel of nurses and doctors. Elsewhere too, there were scenes of complete devastation with mangled metal of the wreckage, snarls of tangled wire and smoke rising from burning embers. 10 months after being shunted, Shamila back as fisheries chief Huge molasses tank tilts in Canacona, triggers panic THE GOAN I NETWORK have to score at least 65 per cent in SSC examination and should be a regular, full time student studying in a Higher Secondary School that is recognised by Central/State Goa Board of Higher Secondary Education. The Coaching institute through which the student desires to take admission has to be a registered body or run by any organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860/Companies Act, 2014 or any other relevant PANAJI In a surprising move, the State government has re-appointed Shamila Monteiro as the Director of Fisheries, almost ten months after she was shunted out from the post following the Cutbona jetty crisis. In an order issued on June 10, Under Secretary personnel Raghuraj Faldesai said that Monteiro, an officer on special duty in the department of environment, is transferred as Director Fisheries, with immediate effect. The appointment came following transfer of IAS officer Yashaswini B, who was holding the charge, out of Goa. In September, last year, Monteiro was relieved from the post in the wake of a serious health crisis at Cutbona jetty, where an alleged outbreak of cholera led to the deaths of five labourers, while over 160 individuals were infected with >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 „„Max limit of Rs 3 lakh each for NEET & JEE „„Students must score at least 65% in SSC and should be a regular, full time student from recognized HSS NEW DELHI: An Indian-origin British national survived the Air India plane crash in Gujarat's Ahmedabad, officials said. Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik said the survivor was found in seat No. 11A. He has been admitted to a hospital. The British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was returning to the UK with his brother Ajay Kumar Rakesh, 45, who was in a different row inside the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. He said that he heard a loud noise about 30 seconds after taking off and the plane crashed. Speaking about the aftermath of the crash, Vishwash said, “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared.” He said that there were pieces of the aircraft around him, adding that he stood up and ran. Vishwash said that someone had then “grabbed” him and put him in an ambulance. Viswashkumar, the only known survivor, had been sitting near an emergency exit of the London-bound flight and managed to jump out, police said. >Continued on P5 Five dead at medical students' hostel where plane crashed NEW DELHI: Five medical students died and many suffered injuries after Air India flight crashed into the hostel of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This includes, four undergraduate students and a postgraduate resident. In pictures from the ground, plates with food left uneaten and glasses can be seen lying on the tables in the hostel canteen, indicating medical students were having lunch at the time of the crash. FIRE TENDER DEPLOYED; DRONE SURVEY ORDERED THE GOAN I NETWORK CANACONA A huge tank storing molasses belonging to an alcohol factory which shut down operations about two decades ago at the Canacona Industrial Estate at Shristhal further tilted on one side on Thursday, sparking concerns of a major public health hazard in the area. A fire and emergency team has been kept on standby at the site. The strong smell of molasses began to spread in the locality by Thursday morning, even as teams from IDC, Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) inspected the tank in the presence of Speaker/MLA (Canacona) Ramesh Tawadkar, Canacona Dy Collector Prataprao Gaunkar, Mamlatdar and others, besides the presence of new lease owners of the IDC plot, NTS Pvt. Ltd. The huge tank storing molasses in a precarious position at the Canacona Industrial Estate in Shristhal. “Two things have been asked with immediate effect, to drone-film the tank and to conduct its structural stability test, as well as to take out the contents in a safe manner,” informed Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar. Dy Collector Prataprao Gaunkar said all steps were being taken to avert any dis- aster and to avoid any risk to human life. According to officials from IDC and the Goa State Pollution Control Board, instructions were already given to previous lease owners Sidhi Multi-Trade Pvt Ltd, who got this property, which was >Continued on P5 Goa has massive potential for Proposal seeks to regulate beach weddings in Goa TYING THE KNOT ON THE SANDS green energy, reveals report THE GOAN I NETWORK CAN HARNESS 10GW VIA GROUND-MOUNTED PANELS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Though moving at a snail pace with solar power generation of 0.058 Gigawatt (GW) as on date, Goa has a potential to produce over 10 GW of green energy, of which 90 per cent can be through ground mounted solar panels. According to the draft research report prepared by the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), a feasibility study undertaken reveals that the State can generate 9.07 GW of power through ground mounted solar panels in a wasteland area of 65.02 sq kms. Similarly, the rooftop solar project can help generate around 0.14GW of green energy and another 0.39GW through floating solar panels. Goa’s power requirement as of now is 663.3 megawatts, of which 559.9 megawatts are being procured from thermal power sources, 61.6 megawatts from renewable energy sources, and 41.6 megawatts from nuclear sources.  Currently, the State has wit- nessed a notable surge in rooftop solar installations with production of 53MW of green energy as on date- which is more than 90 per cent of the State’s total solar power generation which stands at 58MW. Currently, around 400 to 500 consumers have installed rooftops under PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana while close to 5000 applications are under scrutiny. The State has sought a proposal from the Indian Oil >Continued on P5 PANAJI s Goa being the most preferred beach wedding destination, the State coastal body has proposed one-time permission to host 40 weddings over a period of three years by paying Rs seven lakhs. However, the permission will be restricted to a particular beach stretch that the applicant wants to book. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), during its recent meeting placed the proposal for consideration. The decision on the matter is deferred till next meeting. As per the proposal, the applicant will have to shell out Rs 70,000 as scrutiny fee A „„GCZMA proposes onetime permission to host 40 weddings over a period of three years by paying Rs 7 lakh „„To grant CRZ clearance for a maximum period of five days „„Applications submitted seven days before the event to cost Rs 50,000 „„Applications made three to seven days before the event charges are Rs 60,000 „„Those who seek permission just three days prior to hosting an event or wedding will have to pay Rs 75,000 „„The event will be allowed for five days and Rs 10,000 for every additional day thereafter towards revision of the plan. As per the proposal, the Coastal body will grant CRZ clearance for a maximum period of five days for beach wedding or events, if application is submitted seven days before the event and a fee of Rs 50,000 would be charged. If the application is made three to seven days before the event, then the applicant will be charged Rs 60,000. An applicant will be able to seek permission just three days prior to hosting an event or wedding on a beach by paying Rs 75,000 for the application. The event will be allowed for five days and Rs 10,000 for every additional day thereafter for the event.  The Authority has granted relaxation to the events organized by the government or corporation or autonomous bodies, charitable trust, educational institutions and sports. Earlier, the permissions were based on a per-event basis with no provision to book a beach stretch for an extended period of three years at a time. Also, the Authority has proposed to lay fee of Rs 350 per sq mtrs on construction of temporary structures including decks, watch towers, security cabin, which were not charged earlier. >Continued on P5