log on to thegoan.net Facebook.com/thegoan @thegoanonline MONDAY JANUARY 29, 2024 GOA 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.221 Rumdamol tense as two groups face off MARGAO: Tension rent the air at the communally sensitive Housing Board at Rumdamol on Sunday following a faceoff between two groups over posts uploaded on social media in the last few days. PI Arun Desai said there was some misunderstanding between members of the two groups over social media posts on Saturday. >> See pg 2 Invest Goa Summit kicks off today PANAJI: The Invest Goa 2024 Summit, where 400 participants are expected to attend, will witness launch of ‘Goa Industrial Land Bank’ data and unveiling of ‘Goa-IDC portal’, providing a digital platform for investors for seamless interaction and information. The event is set to begin on January 29.  >> See pg 3 Quota: Schedule Tribes get big boost MARGAO: The Mission Political Reservations for Scheduled Tribes received a boost to their ongoing movement for reservations of seats for the ST community in the Goa Legislative Assembly with the All India Adivasi Ekta Parishad deciding to back the movement to realise the demands for political reservations.  >> See pg 2 Goa Hindu Association founder no more PANAJI: Ramakrishna Nayak, the founder of Bombay-based 'Goa Hindu Association' and Sneha Mandir, Bandora, passed away in Margao on Sunday afternoon and was laid to rest later in the evening. He was 94. Nayak established Sneha Mandir a home for seniors and destitutes in Bandora and which has a branch in Ponda. He also made a significant contribution to Marathi theatre. Youth arrested for theft at warehouse VASCO: Mormugao police on Sunday arrested a 24-yearold Shantinagar resident Nagraj Pudajali for committing theft of items worth Rs 70,000 from a warehouse. A source at the Mormugao police station said that the goods were stolen from a warehouse at Baina on Saturday. Quelossim locals seek details on Kesarval Spring project >> See pg 3  WEATHER >> Max: 31 C Min: 19 C Humidity: 84% TIDES Low: High: 05:40 10:45 17:18 ------ Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 12 2 9 Massive setback for Water on KA auditorium floor INDIA bloc, Nitish raises concern of work quality back in NDA fold GOA Now, Margao South Zone in Master Plan 2041 comes under scanner of citizens, farmers IN SHORT >> The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Bhoma residents slam BJP leader's statements on road widening issue INFO Nourishing Locks: A guide to revitalizing dry and brittle hair NEW DELHI he Ayodhya Ram temple, which has been drawing devotees in huge numbers, is designed to withstand the biggest earthquake that occurs once in 2,500 years. The CSIR-Central Building Research Institute (CSIRCBRI) Roorkee conducted a series of scientific studies of the Ayodhya site, including geophysical characterisation, geotechnical analysis, foundation design vetting, and 3D structural analysis and design. “The scientific study was done to ensure the structural safety of the temple for the Maximum Considered Earthquake, equivalent to a 2,500year return period,” Debdutta Ghosh, a senior scientist at T Indian batsmen flounder as England wins first Test ‘LEAK’ DUE TO FAULTY FIRE HYDRANT VALVE, CLAIMS GAUDE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A video of water accumulating on the carpeted floor of the newly renovated Dinanath Mangeshkar air-conditioned auditorium has raised concerns over the quality of the recently completed renovation work at the Kala Academy. The incident reportedly occurred late evening on Saturday and the video posted online by a news portal showing rows of the newly laid seats in the auditorium cordoned off with pedestal fans apparently to dry up the floor in a bid to prevent damage to the carpet, has gone viral. Although the water is said to have accumulated on the auditorium's floor due to a leak in the water channel, according to an eye-witness account, efforts to contact officials of the Kala Academy for an official version of what the problem exactly is proved un- „„A video of water accumulating on the carpeted floor of the newly renovated Dinanath Mangeshkar air-conditioned auditorium had gone viral „„The incident reportedly occurred late evening on Saturday „„Video posted online shows rows of newly laid seats in the auditorium cordoned off with pedestal fans apparently to dry up the floor in a bid to prevent damage to the carpet „„According to an eye-witness account the water is said to have accumulated on auditorium's floor successful. Calls to Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude who also doubles up as chairperson of the Kala Academy also THE PROBLEM AT HAND File pic due to a leak in the water channel „„PERENNIAL WOES?: Water logging in sections of the Kala Academy complex has been a perennial problem formerly explained to be a phenomenon due to ingression of Mandovi river water raising the water table. However after the recent controversial renovation of the complex, this problem of water-logging problem was said to have been rectified did not go through. However, according to reports in a section of the media, Gaude said that water on the floor of renovated Kala Academy was due to faulty fire hydrant valve. “This happened during testing of fire hydrant by PWD”, he said. Water logging in sec- Massive turnout for Sr Rane’s 85th birthday event at Poriem BIOGRAPHY PENNED BY WIFE RELEASED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Former chief minister Pratapsingh Rane, who on Sunday turned 85, was felicitated at an impressive, nearly three-hour ceremony held at a packed open ground near the Devi Bhumika temple at Poriem in which Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, former union minister Suresh Prabhu and several other dignitaries and industrialists partook. Rane, best known for his over 50-year uninterrupted tenure as MLA of the Goa legislative assembly, including more than 15 years as Chief Minister on multiple occasions and also as Speaker, had begun receiving visitors at his Sattari home since morning on Sunday. At the event in the evening, several State ministers, legislators and politicians besides some top Goan industrialists attended. Prominent among those were Union Minister of State, Shripad Naik, former union minister Suresh Prabhu, BJP State President, Rajya Sabha MP, Sadanand Shet Tanavade and Lok Sabha MP Hema Malini. ‘SAHEB’ DEAR: Former chief minister Pratapsingh Rane speaks during his 85th birthday felicitation programme at Poriem on Sunday in the presence of his wife Vijayadevi Rane, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and former union minister Suresh Prabhu. (Another photo on pg 5) Shripad Naik in his brief speech described Rane as the architect of a beautiful and progressive Goa while Shet Tanavade said, discipline, tolerance and restraint were the qualities of Rane worth emulating. "He has contributed a lot for Goa,” Tanavade said. A documentary depicting the life of Rane was screened during the event where a book on his life titled 'Maker of Modern Goa' and penned by his wife Vijayadevi Rane, was also released by Sawant. Rane's son and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who delivered the 'welcome address' and referred to him as 'Saheb', got a tad emotional and broke down while speaking. Daughter-inlaw Deviya Rane and daughter Yashodara Dahanukar were also on the dais at the event which saw a massive crowd in attendance. KEY INPUTS FROM THE STUDY „„CSIR-CBRI Roorkee conducted series of scientific studies at the site including geophysical characterisation, geotechnical analysis, foundation design vetting and 3D structural analysis & design „„Study conducted to ensure structural safety of temple for maximum considered earthquake, equivalent to a 2,500-year return period „„Geophysical characterisation process involved MASW to estimate primary wave velocity, along with electrical resistance tomography to identify anomalies, water saturation zones & water tables „„Study also vetted soil investigation schemes, foundation design parameters, excavation schemes and recommendations for foundation and structure monitoring CSIR-CBRI, told PTI. Ghosh and Manojit Samanta -- coordinators of the Centre of Excellence for Conservation of Heritage Structures at CSIRCBRI -- led the teams in reviewing the foundation design and monitoring, conducting 3D structural analysis and design of the Ram mandir. The pair was guided by CSIR-CBRI Director Pradeep Kumar Ramancharla and his predecessor N Gopalakrishnan. Ghosh said the geophysi- cal characterisation process involved a Multi-Channel Analysis of Surface Waves to estimate primary wave velocity, along with electrical resistance tomography to identify anomalies, water saturation zones and water tables. tions of the Kala Academy complex has been a perennial problem formerly explained to be a phenomenon due to ingression of Mandovi river water raising the water table there. However after the recent controversial renovation of the complex, this problem of water-logging problem was said to have been rectified and taken care of. The renovation project had courted many controversies with Gaude facing severe criticism both from political opponents as well as the Charles Correa Foundation which had keenly followed the much delayed renovation of the complex originally designed by the eminent architect in the 1970s. Gaude had also drawn flak when the stage roof of the open-air auditorium had collapsed last year when work was still going on but the government explained that it was not part of the renovation project. TAKES OATH AS BIHAR CM FOR 9TH TIME PTI PATNA JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Sunday took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record ninth time after a dramatic volte-face, ditching the Mahagathbandhan and the Opposition bloc INDIA and forming a new government with BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago. Kumar's latest crossover, his fifth in a little over a decade, capped days of high political drama and blame game. It is also seen as a big setback for the Opposition unity ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Kumar was administered the oath of office by Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Raj Bhavan in the evening in the presence of senior leaders, including BJP national president J P Nadda, hours after he resigned from the post, saying “things were not working well” for him.. BJP leaders -- Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha -- were among those who took oath Parties slam Nitish for ‘betrayal’ PATNA: The Congress, RJD and other parties of the INDIA bloc on Sunday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for “betraying” the opposition alliance ahead of Lok Sabha elections after he joined hands with the BJP, with some even calling him a “chameleon” and “Paltu Ram” for frequently changing sides. of office. The two are named as Deputy Chief Ministers by Kumar. After the swearing-in ceremony, Kumar told reporters: “I have come back where I was earlier. Now there is no question of going back. Today eight people have been sworn in, including Choudhary and Sinha, both of whom shall be my deputies”. Earlier, Choudhary and Sinha were named as leader and deputy leader, respectively, of the BJP legislature party. Reserved posts cannot be de-reserved, clarifies govt Boys outnumber girls on road to higher education in State PTI THE GOAN I NETWORK NEW DELHI The Ministry of Education (MoE) on Sunday clarified that no reserved posts can be de-reserved after draft guidelines by the University Grants Commission (UGC) proposed that any vacancy reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates can be declared unreserved if enough candidates from these categories were not available. The ''Guidelines for Implementation of the Reservation Policy of the Government of India in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs)'' are in the public domain for feedback from stakeholders. The draft guidelines have been receiving backlash from several quarters. The Congress alleged there is a “conspiracy” to end reservation given to SCs, STs and OBCs in posts in higher education institutions and that the Narendra Modi government is only doing “politics of symbolism” on the issues of Dalits, backward classes and tribals. The JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) also staged a protest against it and burnt an effigy of UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar. PANAJI Much to everyone’s surprise, the male enrolment in Goa’s Higher Education has witnessed an impressive increase since 2014-15. Ram temple can withstand biggest of quakes: Experts PTI SPORTS These findings served as crucial inputs for a site-specific response for underground probe and estimation of seismic design parameters, he said. The CSIR-CBRI also vetted soil investigation schemes, foundation design parameters, excavation schemes and recommendations for foundation and structure monitoring. Ghosh said the structural design was recommended after simulating more than 50 computer models and analysing those under different loading conditions for its optimal performance and safety. The entire superstructure has been constructed using Bansi Paharpur sandstone, embodying a dry jointed structure with no steel reinforcement, designed for a lifespan of 1,000 years, he said. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22, nearly 10,655 male students opted for higher studies from 2014-15 to 2021-22, as against 5,119 girl students-which is against the national trend. While at All India level, female enrolment in higher studies recorded an impressive 32 per cent increase since 2014, in Goa the jump is minimal- that is from 24,898 in >Continued on P5