log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2024 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 238 GSPCB directs MMC to discontinue 5TPD plant operations in 6 months 2 GOA Margao Western bypass: HC says contractor only giving excuses 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO How to stop your mind from wandering while you meditate Major shake-up of officers ahead of Lok Sabha polls Two DySPs among 28 PIs and 50 PSIs transferred THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Police witnessed mass transfers of police officers from the rank of police sub inspectors to Deputy Superintendents of Police, a move that comes ahead of the announcement of the code of conduct for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Two DySPs – Santosh Dessai and Salim Shaikh have been transferred to Vasco and Margao respectively while a total of 50 PSIs have also been reshuffled, in separate orders issued on Wednesday. With 28 Police Inspectors also getting their new postings, some have been shunted within weeks of their previous transfers. Almost seven months since THE REJIG „„Two DySPs – Santosh Dessai and Salim Shaikh have been transferred to Vasco and Margao respectively „„With 28 PIs getting their new postings, some have been shunted within weeks of their previous transfers „„Almost seven months since the controversy around the new Mardol police station in the Banastarim fatal accident investigation, this jurisdiction will have its fourth PI the controversy around the new Mardol police station in the Banastarim fatal accident investigation, this jurisdiction will have its fourth PI, Yogesh Sawant. The PI will succeed his colleague Raghoba Kamat, who assumed the posting just two months ago, in December 2023. PI Kamat had replaced PI Satish Gawade, who took over after PI Mo- han Gaude’s sudden transfer amid allegations of a biased probe towards the influential Sawardekar-Kamat couple in the Banastarim accident. This police station has also been in the news for another matter, which is pending hearing before the High Court of Bombay at Goa. It covers the areas where alleged illegal >Continued on P5 8 IFS officers reshuffled in Forest department THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major shakeup of the top hierarchy in the State Forest department, the government on Wednesday reshuffled eight Indian Forest Service (IFS) cadre officers. The Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC) which is headed by Poriem MLA Deviya Rane, will now have Nandakaumar Parab, IFS, as its managing director. He was the corporation’s general manager and will additionally also officiate as the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Working Plan). Meanwhile Yashoda K, IFS has been shifted as OSD (Admin) to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. She has been replaced as Conservator of Forests (Conservation) with another lady IFS 7 years on, Zuarinagar’s housing scheme locked up in files THE GOAN I NETWORK bench of Justices M S Sonak and Valmiki Menezes granted interim relief as sought by the Goa Foundation (petitioners) and directed that until the final disposal of the petition, the circular was stayed, the authorities not to issue any further zoning certificates PANAJI The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority has informed the Bombay High Court at Goa that as per its inspection conducted at Girkarwada Arambol, an additional 46 structures have been found to be operating illegally and without any permissions from the GCZMA. The 46 structures are in addition to the 170 structures that have already been found to be prima facie illegal and authorised that came to light after a four storey hotel was found to be operating illegally in Arambol. The High Court division bench of Justice M S Sonak and Valmiki Menezes Sa, directed that show cause notices be issued to all the structures. The Advocate General Devidas Pangam told the Court that show cause notices have been issued to the owners of 64 structures so far and that the process is on to issue show cause notices to the remaining 152. The High Court also directed that the GSPCB inspect these structures and if they do >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 IN SHORT >> Sattari assault victim receives blood transfusion First Hindu temple opened in Abu Dhabi ABU DHABI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu stone temple amid devotional chants and in the presence of spiritual leaders of the Swaminarayan sect. The prime minister participated in Global Aarti, which was performed simultaneously at over 1,200 temples. >Continued on P5 HC seeks action against 216 illegal structures in Arambol ward >> See PG 3 PANAJI: The four-and-ahalf-year-old girl, who was abducted and brutally attacked by a young labourer in Morlem-Sattari, received a blood transfusion at Goa Medical College as medical reports cited she suffered substantial blood loss owing to the assault.  >> See pg 3 officer, Ms Nabanita Ganguly. Naveen Kumar, IFS, has been shifted from his position of Deputy Conservator of Forests (Working Plan) to Conservator of Forests (Wildlife and Ecotourism). Prem Kumar R, IFS, who was Deputy Conservator of Forest (South division) has been shifted to the North as Deputy Conservator of Forest (Wildlife and Ecotourism). Aditya Mandanpotra, IFS, has been shifted as Deputy Conservator of Forests (headquarters) from his position as OSD. Anand Jadhav, IFS, who was managing director of GFDC and additionally held the charge of Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife and Ecotourism North) has been now posted to South Goa as Deputy Conservator. MARKING THE LENTEN JOURNEY: A priest applies ash to the forehead of a devotee on Ash Wednesday at the Immaculate Conception Church, Panaji.  Narayan Pissurlenkar HC stays TCP circular ‘reviving’ withdrawn outline devpt plans THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Bombay High Court at Goa on Wednesday stayed a circular of the Chief Town Planner (Planning) Rajesh Naik who in December 2022 had directed the North Goa District Office of Town and Country Planning Depart- ment to follow the approved Outline Development Plans of Calangute-Candolim and Arpora-Nagoa-Parra for scrutinising/issuing the application for construction, revision, re-construction, subdivision of land, zoning, conversion, etc despite the said ODPs being summarily withdrawn. The High Court division 9 SPORTS India shuttlers stun China 3-2 with Sindhu making winning return 14 Jilted on Valentine’s Day, man assaults his former girlfriend THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A day after the State woke up to a shocking assault on a four-and-half-year-old girl, another incident on Valentine’s Day rattled everyone. A man, having failed to convince his alleged ex-girlfriend of a patch-up, ended up attacking her with a knife and a glass bottle. The incident unfolded at Usgao around 7 am on Wednesday when his victim, a 22-year-old local, was leaving for work in a nearby factory. Police sources revealed to The Goan that the young woman’s refusal to accept Manthan Gawade’s proposal angered him to the extent that he resorted to violence. “Ever since their breakup, the accused allegedly stalked her while she kept refusing his proposal for a patch-up. On Wednesday, since it was Valentine’s Day, he decided to propose to her again but she refused,” the source said, adding that the accused had supposedly pre-planned the attack if he received the same answer from her. HOW IT HAPPENED „„The incident unfolded at Usgao around 7 am on Wednesday when his victim, a 22-year-old local, was leaving for work in a nearby factory „„Ever since their breakup, the accused allegedly stalked her while she kept refusing his proposal for a patch-up „„On Wednesday, since it was Valentine’s Day, he decided to propose to her again but she refused „„The accused thereafter had a heated argument with the victim in the middle of the streets „„He then attempted to strangle her, inflicted injuries with a knife and then smashed a glass bottle over her head „„The accused, after this, fled from the scene and the passers-by alerted the police and the ambulance Jilted Gawade thereafter had a heated argument with the victim in the middle of the streets. He then attempted to strangle her, inflicted injuries with a knife and then smashed a glass bottle over her head. The accused, after this, fled from the scene and the passers-by alerted the police and the ambulance. The victim, Ponda police said, was rushed to the Goa Medical College where she underwent surgery for the serious injuries. “She has been admitted to GMC… has a head injury and will remain under medical observation for some days, till doctors’ advice,” the police added. After an extensive sixto-eight-hour search, the search team traced Gawade in the same village as he was hiding beneath the Usgao bridge. He has confessed to the crime and is charged under section 307 (attempted murder) of the Indian Penal Code. “He will be interrogated >Continued on P5 16 students, teachers injured in Netravali Bal-Rath bus mishap Locals rush to the site, provide assistance in shifting injured to Sanguem health centre THE GOAN I NETWORK SANGUEM Sixteen teachers and students from some schools in Ponda taluka were injured when a Bal-Rath bus rammed into a tree at Verlem Ghat, while returning from a field trip to a strawberry farm at Netravali. The teachers who accompanied the students informed that the trip was arranged by Sarvashiksha Abhiyan group from Ponda and there were 30 students in the bus, besides teachers. The tour was basically arranged to learn about the strawberry plantations and also visit the botanical garden at Selaulim Dam. Sources said after having visited the strawberry farms, the Bal-Rath bus was descending the steep slope when the bus driver reportedly noticed some technical fault in the brakes. He brought the vehicle to halt by turning the bus towards the left and ramming it against a roadside tree near the Savari waterfall in Netravali before any eventuality Teachers and students being treated at the Sanguem Primary Health Centre on Wednesday. could take place. A major tragedy could have taken place if the bus were to fall off the hill on the other side of the road. Immediately after the accident, locals rushed to the accident site and provided all possible assurance in getting the injured shifted to the Sanguem Primary Health Centre (PHC). Sanguem PHC Health Officer Dr T Kakodkar said a total of 16 people were injured, mostly teachers, and 10 of them were discharged after first aid while six were referred to District Hospital at Margao. Dr Kakodkar informed that two had suspected tooth fractures while two others had minor chest pain and added that they were referred to the District Hospital as they need to be kept under observation. After the accident, locals arranged a private bus to drop the students and the teachers to Ponda. During the strawberry >Continued on P5 ‘Delhi Chalo’: Protesters-police Why Sawant does not feel the need of standoff continues for 2nd day Mission Salcete outreach for LS polls Govt, farmers to meet for talks again today PTI CHANDIGARH/ DELHI Three Union ministers will meet farmer leaders in Chandigarh on Thursday for another round of talks as the standoff between the protesters and police at the Punjab-Haryana border entered its second day, marked by more clashes between the two sides. At Shambhu border point near Ambala, there was intermittent shelling on Wednesday by security personnel at the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protesters who are demanding minimum support price for their crops. Tear smoke was used whenever any group of farmers moved CBSE advisory for students: Leave homes early for exams NEW DELHI: The CBSE issued an advisory on Wednesday for the students appearing in the board exams in view of the traffic restrictions imposed in Delhi, advising them to leave their homes early to arrive at the examination centres in time. The board exams for Classes 10 and 12 will commence from Thursday. In Delhi, more than 5.8 lakh students will take the exams at 877 centres. towards the barricades. Security personnel faced stone-pelting from the protesters. A similar standoff continued at the at Data Singhwa- la-Khanauri border in Haryana’s Jind district. But the situation remained less volatile compared to >Continued on P5 IS CM EYEING VERTICAL SPLIT IN MINORITY VOTES? THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO as Mission Salcete – a minority outreach exercise initiated by former Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, no longer finds an appeal with the present BJP dispensation? Or, is it simply that the objective is better achieved when nonBJP parties compete with the Congress for the same political space in the minority stronghold Salcete? Consider this. At the inauguration of BJP South Goa election office at Margao, many must have anticipated Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to harp on “Mission Salcete” H Chief Minister Pramod Sawant shares some details with party president, Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Tanavade as Margao MLA Digambar Kamat looks on at the BJP election office inauguration at Margao.  Santosh Mirajkar in a bid to woo the minorities ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. As it turned out, however, the Chief Minister made no mention of Mission Salcete, late Parrikar’s initiative in the 2004 Lok Sabha, when the former Chief Minister hopped from one village to another in minority Salcete to drum up „„With Aam Aadmi Party and Revolutionary Goans declaring party candidates to contest the South Goa seat, the ruling party is making a strong bid to wrest the South Goa seat from the Congress in 2024 „„Both the RG candidate and the AAP nominee for the South Goa Lok Sabha polls hail from minority Salcete „„Both these political parties, made deep inroads in the Congress bastion Salcete in the 2022 Assembly polls „„AAP won the two seats of Velim and Benaulim in the minority stronghold, the RG made an impressive debut in the minority heartland support for the party candidate exactly two decades ago. Instead, Sawant was quick to make a pointed reference to the unfolding developments in the opposition camp, especially Aam Aadmi Party (AAP’s) decision to contest the South >Continued on P5