log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline s page n editio WEDNESDAY JUNE 18, 2025 GOA 20 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 1 Margao’s draft Master Plan faces scrutiny from public 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT Today’s edition of The Goan carries a special 30-page supplement titled VISION GOA 2030. 2 Plastic with a purpose: How Shakti became a household staple IN SHORT >> `100 cr scam: HC quashes FIR, LOC against 4 accused PANAJI: In a major setback to the Goa Police probing Rs 100 crore share market scam against absconding accused Myron Rodrigues and his accomplices, the High Court of Bombay at Goa has quashed and set aside the First Information Reports and Lookout Circulars against four accused.  >> See pg 2 Mapusa’s garbage crisis worsens MAPUSA: The garbage management crisis in Mapusa has reached alarming proportions with waste piling up in nearly every nook and corner of the town. While the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) has admitted to being overwhelmed by the growing garbage menace, the civic body is not the only one at fault.  >> See pg 9 New Pharmacy College planned at Sanquelim PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that a new Pharmacy College will be set up in Sanquelim. Emphasizing the rise of technology and the decline of traditional jobs, CM highlighted need to equip students with skill-based courses. He also said Career UDAAN initiative will be extended to every taluka in due course of time. Truck with liquor destroyed in fire PERNEM: A truck carrying liquor was gutted in a fire on the national highway near the Dhargal-Colvale bridge on Tuesday. The truck proceeding towards Pernem was carrying a large quantity of liquor when the cabin of vehicle suddenly caught fire after crossing the Colvale-Dhargal bridge.   >> See pg 3 NEET pass outs asked to submit scorecard to DTE 3 INFO Natural ways to remove hair from your stomach JUDGE DIRECTS REGISTERING FIR WITHIN 24 HOURS PANAJI The North Goa Sessions Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a First Information Report into allegations of massive land fraud amounting to Rs 300 crores into government property allotted to the Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The direction came after the Court was ordered by the High Court of Bombay at Goa to reconsider an earlier application seeking criminal investigation, which had been dismissed in 2020. The High Court, in its order dated October 15, 2024, had quashed the 2020 dismissal by the Sessions Court and directed it to hear the matter afresh. The petitioners comprising citizen activists had approached the High Court KEY OBSERVATIONS OF THE COURT „„There is nothing exceptional in the present case that warrants the delay in registration of an FIR on the ground of preliminary inquiry „„Even if there were exceptional circumstances, any preliminary inquiry could not have under any circumstances exceeded two days „„In the present case FIR ought to have been regis- tered by the investigating agency „„In any case preliminary inquiry ought to have been carried out „„Enough material to register FIR and should be done within 24 hours through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging corruption, nepotism, cheating and collusion between EDC, private developers, the Oriental Bank of Commerce (now merged with PNB), RBI, In- come Tax Department and other government agencies. The complaint claimed that government-owned land handed over to EDC was illegally leased and sold without proper permissions, causing Govt initiates fresh bid to revive Sanjivani factory  PPP CELL WORKING ON TENDER PROPOSAL  PITCH FOR INTEGRATED DISTILLERY UNIT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI After two failed attempts, Goa government is all set to re-float a fresh tender to rope in a private player to revive Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Limited (SSSK) at Dharbandora, which has been shut since 2019. The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) cell is currently working on the tender to have an integrated sugar and distillery unit at the factory. The total cost of the project is around Rs 100 crore. Previous attempts to revive the factory through private investors failed miserably. While in 2022, the two bidders, who opted for the Request for Qualification bid, failed to qualify, in 2024, not a single bidder showed interest. Highly placed sources confirmed that after initially keeping the PPP proposal on hold for a year, due to no takers for RFQ, the government has now initiated a fresh process to draft a revised RFQ. “The primary focus of the new tender will be to restart the factory as a Sugar factory only. The ethanol plant would SWEET DEAL ON CARDS „„Govt initiates fresh process to draft revised RFQ „„Primary focus of new tender will be to restart the factory as sugar factory „„Ethanol plant to be in a subsidiary form „„Govt plans to have sugarcane crushing of over 700-800 tonnes of cane per day along with eco-friendly and zero-liquid discharge ethanol produc- be in a subsidiary form,” sources said. As part of revival, the government intends to have a sugarcane crushing of over 700-800 tonnes of cane per day (TCD) capacity at SSSK along with an eco-friendly and zero-liquid discharge ethanol production plant of over 45 kilo litre per day (KLPD) capacity. A 21-member Sugarcane Farmers Facilitation Committee in its report stressed on the revival of the factory apart from intensive exten- tion plant „„Committee stresses on revival of factory apart from intensive extension of services to farmers for increasing sugarcane production sion of services to farmers for increasing their sugarcane production, adoption of suitable varieties of cane with high sugar content, etc. The committee recommended production from sugar to ethanol and promoting nearby jaggery-making units to support farmers. The ailing SSSK -- Goa’s lone sugar factory -- closure has significantly impacted more than 700 sugarcane farmers in the State, who for >Continued on P10 CORRUPTION COMPLAINT Petitioners comprising citizen activists had approached the High Court through a PIL alleging corruption, nepotism, cheating and collusion between EDC, private developers, the Oriental Bank of Commerce (now merged with PNB), RBI, Income Tax Department and other government agencies the exchequer loss of over Rs 300 crore. After the hearing, the Sessions Court observed that the government is admittedly the owner of the land in question and EDC has the land or other- AIR INDIA WOES CONTINUE, SEVEN INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS CANCELLED 1 Troubles continued at Air India, which is facing the biggest crisis since Tata group bought the airline three-and-a-half years back, with as many as seven international flights being cancelled on Tuesday for varied reasons, and a glitch forcing fliers on San Francisco-Mumbai flight to deplane during a stopover. While Air India cancelled six international flights due to aviation regulator DGCA subjecting its Dreamliner fleet to enhanced checks, the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick one was cancelled due to unavailability of aircraft, the airline said. The Delhi-Paris flight was cancelled after some problems were detected during pre-flight checks. The other flights cancelled during the day included Bengaluru-London, London-Amritsar, Delhi-Vienna, Delhi-Dubai and Mumbai-San Francisco. Separately, Air India terminated its San Francisco-Mumbai flight at its scheduled stopover at Kolkata early on Tuesday.  >> SEE PG 12 2 3 Pipeline bursts expose ageing water infrastructure THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA major disruption in the drinking water supply to Panaji and surrounding villages has once again thrown the spotlight on the fragile and ageing water infrastructure in the State. On Monday, a vital main pipeline connected to the Opa Water Treatment Plant burst, forcing Public Works Department (PWD) officials to rush to the site and initiate emergency repair works. The incident affected hundreds of households in the capital city and other areas that depend on the Opa plant for daily water supply. While the PWD managed to partially restore supply within 15 Court orders CBI probe into `300 crore EDC land fraud THE GOAN I NETWORK >>Pg 11 GOA RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 A PWD workers carry out repair works on a leaking pipeline in Guirim. (File photo) 24 hours, officials admitted that full normalcy may take another day or two, depending on pressure stabilisation. This is the third pipeline burst in just over two months. Last week, a 1000 mm diameter pipeline supplying water to the coastal village of Anjuna was damaged, leaving the popular beachside village parched for nearly five days. In April, several villages in Sattari taluka were left without water for more than three days after a pipeline connected to the Dabos water treatment plant cracked. PWD sources concede that many of the pipelines in the State are outdated and vulnerable to bursts due to wear and tear, shifting terrain and increased pressure during peak supply periods. “Some of the pipelines still in use today date back to the pre-liberation era. These steel and cast iron pipelines have far exceeded their expected lifespan,” said a senior engineer in the PWD on condition of anonymity. The department, he added, is forced to frequently carry out patchwork repairs due to budgetary constraints and lack of long-term replacement plans. “We have submitted proposals to upgrade entire pipeline grids in high-risk areas, but funding and procedural delays hold back implementation,” the official said. A former chief engineer of PWD noted the lack of preventive maintenance is a key reason for such recurring failures. “These pipelines are not just old but are also not regularly monitored for stress points. With the kind of rainfall Goa receives and the water demand peaking in summer and tourist season, pressure surges often lead to ruptures,” the ex-CE explained. When contacted, a senior PWD engineer confirmed the recent pipeline failures and said measures are being taken to ensure uninterrupted supply in the future. “Our field teams are on high alert and ready to respond to emergencies round the clock,” he said. wise well and sufficiently entitled to the land and premises registered in the Land Revenue Office. Various buildings came up and were leased to government and semi-government offices like BSNL, GST, Income Tax, Goa Government Shram Shakti Bhavan, State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda who constructed their buildings but have not leased or sold the units as per the lease agreement with EDC. Further, the Court accepted the petitioners’ submission alleging that properties originally owned by the government were sold back to house departments such as the Town and Country Planning (TCP), Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), and Urban Development, at inflated “land cost” instead of actual unit cost. SPORTS 18 FIFA CWC: Chelsea handles LAFC; Boca Jrs stunned by Benfica fightback The Goan turns 10 today T he Goan completes ten years in the media space, today, June 18, 2025. As we move forward, we reflect on this journey and recall our founding promise of speaking fearlessly, connecting the people of Goa, and being the voice of every Goan. Over the past decade, we have navigated challenges, but we chose clarity, not noise; we chose facts, not fiction; and we chose stories that resonated with the heartbeat of Goa. We have committed ourselves not just to covering news, but also to shaping conversations and opinions and fostering understanding. From bold journalism to thought-provoking columns, The Goan has strived to reflect the diverse voices that make our State unique. Our reach has expanded beyond print, and today, we enjoy a robust digital presence with over two crore views annually, connecting Goans at home and across the world. This journey would not have been possible without our readers, writers, advertisers, well-wishers and everyone who believed in us. Your trust and unwavering support have propelled us this far. As we commemorate our 10th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to providing honest, insightful, and inclusive journalism. A fearless voice of Goa is as vital today, as it was a decade ago, and our promise endures to be that voice. Thank you all for being part of our story. — Editor >Continued on P10 ‘Compensation Scheme’ offers 2nd chance for Std X repeaters THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major relief, Class X repeaters will be considered under the newly introduced ‘Compensation Scheme’ provided they undergo mandatory school assessment consisting of four skill-based subjects. The scheme has been implemented from the current academic year. The Academic Council of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education during its meeting held on Tuesday approved the move to scrap age-old grace marks scheme while introducing Compensation Scheme. The  Scheme  supposed to be applicable to only students who are marked as “needs improvement”, has now been extended to repeaters. GBSHSE has already announced March 2, 2026 as a tentative date for commencement of Class X Board exam and a new student assessment pattern has been released.  >> See pg 3