log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY JANUARY 8, 2024 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.201 PG12 Rohit back as India captain for T20I series against Afghanistan RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 CBC 22201/13/0103/2324 Dream of owning a house becoming a reality Scan for more information Hamara Sankalp Viksit Bharat IN SHORT >> International Purple Fest kicks off today PANAJI: The second edition of the International Purple Fest is set to kick off from January 8. The festival is being organised by State Commissioner’s Office for Persons with Disabilities in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The opening ceremony will begin at 4.30 pm at D B Grounds, Campal while the concluding ceremony will be on January 13. >> See pg 3 23-year-old meets watery grave VASCO: In a tragic incident, a 23-year-old met a watery grave off the Baina coast on Sunday morning. According to information from the Harbour coastal police, the deceased was identified as Vishal Nayak a resident of Nerul but a native of Madhya Pradesh. >> See pg 3 Tense moments at Shiroda Gram Sabha PONDA: Shiroda Gram Sabha witnessed noisy scenes after the Sarpanch and a panch member objected to the recording of the Gram Sabha proceedings by a group affiliated to Revolutionary Goans Party. The sarpanch claimed that proceedings are recorded officially and copies could be given to those asking for the same.  > See pg 5 > Carlos, Altone are LS poll coordinators PANAJI: The Congress high command on Sunday appointed Carlos Alvares Ferreira as coordinator for South Goa and Altone D’Costa as coordinator for North Goa for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Congress issued a list of approved parliament constituency coordinators nationwide for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. Bangla PM Hasina wins polls for 5th term DHAKA: Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won re-election for a fifth term Sunday, officials said, following a boycott led by an Opposition party she branded a "terrorist organisation". Hasina's ruling Awami League "has won more than 50 per cent seats," an Election Commission spokesman said, with counting ongoing. WEATHER >> Max: 33 C Min: 24 C Humidity: 83% TIDES 13:25 20:59 ARMSTRONG VAZ DOHA, QATAR ith the curtains coming down on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour in Qatar last month with the King and Queen title decided at Aspire Zone on the man-made artificial sand courts, it is time to look at the season ahead. Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the world governing body for volleyball, expanded the international beach volleyball geography to venues that welcomed world-level events for the first time. Goa was one of them and it was the first time a topnotch international volleyball More than 4 crore pucca houses built State’s move to commence sand mining hits roadblock CENTRE’S AUTHORITY FOR ECs NON-EXISTENT SINCE NOV THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With its term ending on November 24 last year, there is no Environment Impact Assessment Authority (EIAA) in place, a crucial statutory body without whose green nod licensing of several economic activities is not possible, sand mining being one such. Efforts by the mining department to re-start legal sand mining, the closure of which has hit the supply of the crucial raw material for construction industry, have hit a roadblock with no EIAA in place. Recently, the mining department completed groundwork to restart legal mining of sand from three rivers -Mandovi, Zuari and Chapora -- and the respective District Collectors opened the District Survey Report (DSR) for „„Sand mining in Goa has been shut for several years following Bombay High Court orders, hitting the construction industry and individuals building homes hard „„Scarcity has led to heightened illegal activity in both sand mining from rivers in Goa as well as transporting and trading it from across the borders public suggestions and objections. The DSR is a crucial milestone in the process for granting sand extraction licences in rivers and for the Chapora it has already been finalised. However, the DSR has hit a roadblock in taking the pro- Maldives suspends three ministers for posts against Modi INDIA TAKES UP ISSUE WITH MALE PTI NEW DELHI The Maldivian government on Sunday reportedly suspended three deputy ministers for derogatory social media posts against Prime Minister Narendra Modi following a backlash with New Delhi strongly raising the matter with Male and the island nation's top opposition leaders slamming the ruling establishment over the row. The three deputy ministers criticised Modi for his post on ''X'' following his visit to Lakshadweep, inferring that it was an attempt to project the Union Territory as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives. Several Maldivian media outlets, quoting officials, reported that deputy ministers in the youth ministry, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, have been suspended over Indians cancelling trips to Maldives NEW DELHI: Amid a row over a tweet by a Maldives minister, many Indians on social media have claimed that they have cancelled their planned holidays to the island nation. Hundreds of social media users have shared purported screenshots of their cancelled air travel and hotel bookings. Additionally '#BoycottMaldives' is also one of the top trends on X in India. their posts. The row erupted on a day President Dr Mohamed Muizzu embarked on a week-long visit to China. In New Delhi, official sources confirmed that the Indian High Commission in Male strongly raised the matter with the Maldivian foreign ministry. THE WAIT PROLONGS „„Goa's department of Mines and Geology began the High Court mandated process for restart of legal mining some six months ago cess further as it discovered that EIAA, which issues the environmental clearance certificates for sand mining does not exist when its officials sought to get the ECs through the Central Government's 'Parivesh' online portal. Legal extraction of sand VOLLEYBALL BEACH PRO TOUR: FAST FACTS „„The season will start and end in Doha „„First Elite16 event will take place in the Qatari capital from March 5 to 9 and the Beach Pro Tour will return to the Gulf city for the Finals from December 5 to 8 „„The 2024 Beach Pro Tour will later move to Latin America event of FIVB had come to India. „„Tour will return to Saquarema in Brazil for a Challenge event in March and to Tepic in Mexico for an Elite16 event in April „„Brazilian city of Recife will also welcome a Challenge event in March „„Mexican city of Guadalajara will organize a Challenge stop in April, its first-ever world-level event A year later Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour has an- ronmental destruction of riverine ecosystems, particularly erosion of the banks of several rivers like Tiracol in some parts of Pernem, Chapora in Siolim and other contiguous areas of Bardez and also in Colvale and Amona. Nonetheless, extraction and trade continues clandestinely even as prices of the crucial raw material in construction have skyrocketed. Much of Goa's sand now comes from neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka. With the Bombay High Court mandated legal and scientific process for grant of licences already set in motion the construction industry was hopeful that the issue would be permanently resolved which will now have to wait for some more time, up until the Centre reconstitutes the EIAA and notifies it. „„Despite the process being completed for the Chapora river, the issue of sand extraction licences now has to wait for the crucial EC as the Centre's EIAA defunct since November 24 „„Applications for sand extraction forwarded by DMG to the EIAA after it is notified have to be disposed in 45 days from rivers in Goa had come to a standstill several years ago following intermittent interventions from the courts due to the absence of a firm policy or scientific regime to grant extraction licences. The courts had banned the activity over concerns of envi- Oppn MLAs to meet today for strategy on Assembly session THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Legislators from the Opposition parties are slated to hold a strategy meeting in the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao on Monday ahead of the upcoming session of the Goa Legislative Assembly beginning from February 6. The meeting is likely to be attended by all seven MLAs from the Opposition including three from the Congress, two of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and one each from the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans Party. Opposition sources said, they hope to take on the government on pressing issues in the session commencing on February 2 and will adopt an effective strategy to counter the tendency among the treasury benches to bulldoze their way owing to their strength in numbers. In the House of 40, the Opposition is hindered by their meagre numbers -- just seven The meeting is likely to be attended by all seven MLAs from the Opposition -- three from Congress, two of Aam Aadmi Party and one each from the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans Party -- even as they hope to take on the government on pressing issues in the House of 40 -- after eight Congress MLAs switched to the ruling party back in September last year. Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai on Monday issued an order summoning the Goa Legislative Assembly on February 2 at 11.30 am. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is likely to present the full 2024-25 budget of the State to pre-date the imposition of the Election Code of Conduct nationwide when the schedule of the Lok Sabha elections are announced by the Election Commission. Man jumps before bus in Morjim, crushed to death THE GOAN I NETWORK PERNEM In a shocking incident, a 28-year-old man was crushed to death after he jumped in front of a moving bus at Morjim on Sunday. The incident occurred at 8.15 am when the Kadamba bus had slowed to pick up passengers at Munangwada-Morjim. Before anyone knew what had happened, the Jharkhand native Bin Tirki jumped in front of the bus and was trapped under the rear tyre where he instantly died. Initially, locals thought that bus had run over Tirki, but sources said the incident that was captured on CCTVs clearly showed him jumping in front of the bus. As the news of the accident spread, several Kadamba bus drivers rushed to the spot and inquired with the driver. A team from the Pernem police station also rushed to the spot and conducted a panchanama. They later got the CCTV footage from Morjim panchayat. Pernem PI Sachin Lokre along with Navneet Goltekar is investigating the case. Goa may lose race to host Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour to Chennai or Hyderabad W Instagram.com/thegoanonline Modi Sarkar ki Guarantee Government of India Low: 00:31 High: 05:50 Facebook.com/thegoan nounced its calendar with India being one of the stops for the Tour entourage, the venue which is yet to be decided for the event which will take place in November. Will Goa be lucky to hold the event for the second time over other venues? “Goa’s chances of hosting the event for the second successive year are bleak,” said a source who played a key role in the organizational set up of the Beach Pro Tour event at Varca Beach. “The event will be held either in Chennai or Hyderabad,” said the official who is not authorised to speak but >Continued on P5 Opening Ceremony January 8, 2024, 4:30 pm onwards Organised by Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Government of Goa and Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Goa In collaboration with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. Chief Guest DR. PRAMOD SAWANT Hon'ble Chief Minister, Government of Goa Hon’ble Minister of Health, Government of Goa Special Invitee Special Invitee Special Invitee SHRI. VISHWAJIT RANE Guest of Honor SHRI. RAMDAS ATHAWALE Hon'ble Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment SHRI. SHRIPAD NAIK Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Tourism and Ports Shipping and Waterways In the August Presence of SHRI. SUBHASH PHAL DESSAI Hon’ble Minister for Social Welfare, Government of Goa Venue: D.B Ground, Panaji-Goa SHRI. SADANAND TANAVADE Hon’ble Member of Rajya Sabha In the August Presence of DR. PUNEET KUMAR GOEL, IAS Chief Secretary, Government of Goa