log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY JULY 5, 2025 GOA FOR DIGITAL MEDIA VIDEOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHER CONTENT CREATOR FOR PRINT MEDIA SENIOR REPORTER - Email CV to editor@thegoan.net page 6 Global Goenkars focus on refugee crisis at interfaith event in US International Sailors’ Society Canada launches award in honour of Goan IN SHORT >> Sawant chairs GST meeting in Delhi PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday chaired a meeting of the Group of Ministers on GST Revenue Analysis in Delhi, focusing on strategies to enhance revenue collection and plug compliance gaps. The meeting reviewed State-wise GST trends and discussed sector-specific concerns in the wake of moves to strengthen the country’s indirect tax system.  >> See pg 3 Water shortage in Tiswadi, Ponda PANAJI: The newly formed Department of Drinking Water (DDW) has announced disruption of water supply to Ponda and Tiswadi talukas following a major breakdown of power supply at the Opa water works.  >> See pg 3 P’yat secys demand salary revision PANAJI: The All Goa Village Panchayat Secretaries Association called on the Director of Panchayats to press for a long-pending salary revision. The association pointed out that their salary revision has been overdue for the past 12 years. The members also opposed the proposed change of their official designation from ‘Panchayat Secretary’ to ‘Panchayat Sevak’. Nipah virus alert in 3 Kerala districts KOCHI: Health authorities in Kerala on Friday issued an alert across three northern districts after two people showed possible signs of Nipah virus infection, reviving fears of an outbreak that the State has battled in the past. The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 18 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 10 DLF moves RERA to deregister `450 cr Reis Magos project Congress pins hope on second-rung leadership to reclaim Navelim REQUIRED Facebook.com/thegoan GOA CEE warns of penal against owners if generator-fed connections unsafe INFO Revive and restore: The ultimate dry hair guide  GOA RERA ISSUES PUBLIC NOTICE  AGGRIEVED PARTIES ASKED TO FILE THEIR OBJECTIONS WITHIN 15 DAYS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a surprise development DLF, India's largest listed real estate company has moved Goa's Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) for cancellation of the registration of its ongoing, controversial Rs 450 crore 'Bay View' project atop the Reis Magos hill overlooking the Mandovi river. The application was filed by M/s DLF Exclusive Floors Pvt Ltd and Bhamini Real Estate Developers Pvt Ltd and seeks the cancellation of the RERA registration for their Bay View project. Goa RERA on Friday issued a public notice asking any person or legal entity who may be aggrieved  with DLF's cancellation of their registration of the project with the authority to file their objections before it within 15 days. There was no official communication from DLF related to the development or the reasons that led the company to seek withdrawal of the project, the very scale of which THE BAY VIEW PROJECT A bird’s eye of the shaved Reis Magos plateau where the multi-crore DLF project has been planned. had triggered widespread protests in the village for several months recently. The project plans envisaged constructing 84 villas atop the hill and the entire project was valued at Rs 443 crore. A senior RERA official, however, said it was possible that the company applied to cancel the project's registration because it wants to modify the plans. After persistent protests in Reis Magos over allegations of large-scale illegal hill cutting at the site and vegetation shaved off the hillock, Town and Country Planning Minister Vishwajit Rane had an- Goa motorcycle pilots hit brakes on central norms  FEAR GETTING OVERTAKEN BY POLICY RIDERS  CITE CONCERNS OVER SAFETY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Motorcycle Taxi Riders Association has voiced strong opposition to the revised Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines announced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), which now allow private bike owners to lease their vehicles for commercial use. The Association expressed fear that the move could endanger India’s only two-wheeler taxi system -Goa’s motorcycle pilots -- by opening the sector to private players without stringent regulation or safety checks. “This is the only traditional motorcycle taxi business in the country, and it is unique to Goa and India. We are already struggling and the number of motorcycle pilots has fallen from around 7,000 to just 2,500. If this new policy is implemented here, it will spell doom for us,” President of the BUMPY RIDE FOR 'PILOTS' „„Many fear move could endanger traditional system by opening sector to private players without checks „„There is no requirement for public service vehicle licence, character certificate or proper registration under this policy „„Anyone with a bike and an app can start operating association Suresh Thakur said, speaking to The Goan. The updated guidelines, unveiled on Tuesday, empower state governments to authorise private bike owners to operate commercially for both passenger and hyperlocal delivery services. The Centre stated that the changes will legalise and streamline a sector that has been growing rapidly in urban areas. without checks... This is a serious safety risk to commuters „„Policy will spell doom if it is implemented in Goa However, Thakur pointed out several gaps in the policy that could raise safety and security concerns. “Unlike traditional public transport systems, there is no requirement for a public service vehicle licence, character certificate or proper registration under this policy. That means anyone with a bike and an app >Continued on P5 nounced that the approvals given to the project would be reviewed.  "They may have applied for cancellation of the earlier registration as they may have decided to change the plans of the project with the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (PDA) and the „„Registered with RERA had proposed building 84 villas on a sprawling parcel of 28,474 square meters of land atop the Reis Magos hill „„Plans were approved by the TCP department and the NGPDA „„The project had triggered widespread protests in the village for several months recently as the entire plateau had been stripped of its vegetation Town and Country Planning Department (TCP)," a senior Goa RERA official who wished not to be identified said. He added, that after making changes in their plans and getting the clearances for the modifications from >Continued on P5 13 SPORTS Siraj’s stellar six-for keeps India ahead despite Brook-Smith fightback ASSAULT ON STUDENTS Dept cracks whip, orders school to submit report THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Education Department has taken serious note of the incident at a school in St Estevam where a teacher allegedly assaulted 11 Class IX students, and has directed the school management to submit a detailed report immediately. The department has also instructed the institution to initiate an inquiry through its Disciplinary Action Committee. Speaking to The Goan, a senior official said the matter is being closely monitored. “We have asked the school to file a comprehensive report at the earliest. The school must also initiate a Disciplinary Action Committee inquiry into the incident,” the official said. While terming such incidents as isolated, the Department expressed disappointment that some schools do not follow the guidelines in spirit. “We are conducting regular training and awareness sessions across schools on child protection laws and corporal punishment. But some schools do not seem to be taking them seriously,” the offi- Teacher moves for anticipatory bail OLD GOA: The teacher accused of assaulting 11 students at a school in St Estevam has applied for anticipatory bail. The Old Goa police informed The Goan that the arguments in the anticipatory bail hearing will be heard on Monday. Meanwhile, the police conducted a panchanama of the school where the incident took place. cial added. The department stated that out of 1,714 schools in the State, only a few such complaints are received. “However, even one such case is viewed seriously,” the official added. The St Estevam school teacher has been booked for allegedly assaulting around 11 students of Class IX for playing cricket in their classroom. According to the students, the teacher took them to a hall and beat them with a wooden stick, stopping only after another teacher intervened. Drugs expose at Colvale jail triggers transfer of 81 IRB cops THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI After a failed attempt to smuggle drugs into the jail at Colvale and serious security lapses, 81 IRB personnel at the facility have been transferred to the DySP Traffic (North) office including three to the IRB Camp at Bordem. A new batch of 81 from Traffic North has replaced them at the jail. The order by IRB Commandant comes after Colvale police uncovered drugs smuggling racket wherein suspected ganja was being pushed into the prison. Seven suspicious packets near Watch Towers 3 and 4 were spotted. They contained 1.397 kg of suspected ganja, worth around Rs 1.4 lakh. An FIR was registered under the NDPS Act and three accused Gautam Talwar, Samuel Pujari and Jaffer Mullawere arrested. A minor boy also involved in the crime was handed over to his parents by the Juvenile Justice Board. Jail authorities besides the inmates have also come under scanner with questioning of each underway. A tugboat tows the salvaged ferry to the River Navigation Department dock at Malim on Friday.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Chorao ferry finally salvaged THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The partially submerged ‘Betim’ ferry boat was finally salvaged after 11 days, following an incident wherein one of its tanks reportedly filled with water. Two private agencies, roped in by the government, assisted the River Navigation Department (RND) in the opera- tion to recover the vessel. RND Director Vikramsinh Raje Bhosale confirmed the salvage and stated the ferry has been shifted to the department’s Malim workshop for repairs. “The boat has been salvaged and taken to the Malim RND workshop for repairs and restoration. It should be completed within a month, after which the ferry will return to service,” Bhosale told The Goan. Dismissing earlier allegations of structural damage, Bhosale clarified that the ferry’s hull was found intact. “There are no bottom holes in the ferry, as was being speculated. The boat is in working condition,” he said. The cost of the salvage >Continued on P5 Lucky escape for many as part of India rejects deadline pressures on US trade deal TRADE DEAL: IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO ceiling falls at Mapusa market PTI THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA A vendor among others had a narrow escape when a portion of the ceiling collapsed outside a shop in the Mapusa market on Friday afternoon. The incident took place outside the Nagvekar Jewellers shop and near the Shakuntala statue in Mapusa market, which was abuzz with people during the busy Friday Market day. A woman vendor usually sits in front of the shop with her local goods, while vegetable vendors sit on the street outside. The woman vendor It was fortunate that no one was injured in the incident, especially since a lot of people had been moving in the area and a vegetable vendor got up from their respective places a few minutes before the incident, when a portion of the ceiling came crashing down. It was fortunate that no one was injured in the incident, especially since a lot of people had been moving in the area. Later, the shopkeeper removed the pieces of the ceiling that had fallen down. On receiving news of the incident, a team from the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) visited the spot and inspected the damage. The incident brought to the fore the inadequate supervision at the Mapusa market. According to sources, there was no municipal inspector posted in the market on Friday, which is the busiest day of the week, and only workers were entrusted with the responsibility of supervision. Two municipal inspectors are on BLO duty and one inspector appointed on a contract basis is posted in the municipal office. NEW DELHI ndia does not enter into any trade agreement based on deadlines and will accept the proposed trade deal with the US only when it is fully finalised, properly concluded and in the national interest, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. He also said that India is negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) with different countries, including the European Union, New Zealand, Oman, the US, Chile, and Peru. FTAs are possible only when both sides get benefitted and it should be a win-win agreement, he told reporters when I „„Goyal says will accept proposed trade deal with US only when it is fully finalised, properly concluded and in the national interest „„India never does any trade deal based on deadline or time frame „„FTAs possible only when both sides get benefit and it should be a win-win agreement „„National interest should always be supreme… if a deal is made then India is always ready to deal with developed countries „„July 9 marks the end of the 90-day suspension period of the US President Donald Trump-announced tariffs „„India also negotiating FTAs with the European Union, New Zealand, Oman, the US, Chile, and Peru asked about the proposed interim trade agreement with the US. “National interest should always be supreme. Keeping that in mind, if a deal is made then India is always ready to deal with developed countries,” Goyal said. When asked if an interim trade agreement between the two countries is possible by July 9, he said, “India never does any trade deal based on deadline or time frame. When the deal is done properly, and is completely finalised and is in the country's interest, then we will accept it”. July 9 marks the end of the 90-day suspension period of the US President Donald Trump-announced tariffs imposed on dozens of countries, including India. An additional import duty of 26 per cent was announced on Indian goods entering the US. He added that at present, there is no plan to visit Washington for the trade talks. Meanwhile, an official said that the Indian team has returned from Washington after holding talks with the US on an interim trade pact but discussions will continue as certain issues in the agri and auto sectors still need to be resolved. However, the official said that there is a likelihood of announcement of the deal before July 9.