log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY APRIL 2, 2024 GOA MMC mulls service charges for govt, education premises MAPUSA: The Mapusa Municipal Council is deliberating on the imposition of service charges on government-owned properties and educational institutions falling within its jurisdiction. This decision stems from the municipal council's provision of essential civic services such as sanitation, garbage collection, and drain maintenance to households, private establishments, as well as government premises.  >> See pg 3 Uproar over migrants near KTC bus stand MARGAO: The Madel area of the city witnessed an uproar on Monday after local residents objected to the presence of large number of migrants putting up at the KTC bus stand and in the adjoining fields. The migrants, believed to have come from Maharashtra, claimed they were part of a circus in the city. >> See pg 2 Shivaji, Ambedkar statues at Aquem MARGAO: The Government will install two life size statues of Maratha warrior Chatrapati Shivaji maharaj and the Father of Indian Constitution Dr B R Ambedkar at the Aquem Power House junction. >> See pg 2 History-sheeter Tarzan on the run PANAJI: History sheeter Tarzan Parsekar who was directed by the High Court to surrender on or before March 17, 2023 as he has violated bail conditions, has failed to surrender till date. The matter came up before the High Court on Monday. Davorlim teen held for stealing mobiles PANAJI: A 18-year-old youth from Davorlim has been arrested by Colva police for stealing mobiles and other valuables from tourists. The accused is identified as Huzaif Shaikh. Three mobiles have been seized from him. SC notice to EC on VVPAT slip count NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court sought responses from EC and the Centre on a plea seeking a complete count of VVPAT slips in polls as opposed to the current practice of verification of only five randomly-selected EVMs through VVPAT paper slips. WEATHER >> Max: 33 C Min: 25 C Humidity: 84% TIDES Low: 09:47 High: 02:20 23:01 17:44 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.285 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 13 2 9 Shocker for tourists: Dust, dug-up roads: HC judges Car rolls into rocks, take stock of Smart City mess bursts into flames Congress grip loosened over the years in South Goa as BJP made big strides IN SHORT >> Facebook.com/thegoan GOA SPORTS INFO New BEMUL president plans to enhance milk supplies to Goa Clinical Rajasthan Royals keeps Mumbai Indians winless Banana scrubs for a beautiful skin all year round THE GOAN I NETWORK LOCALS COMPLAIN TO JUDGES OF NEVER-ENDING WORKS SMART CITY: JUDGES’ DAY OUT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI From St Inez junction to the Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services, through the internal lanes of Panaji city, the dug-up roads around Gracia de Orta municipal garden and beyond, as well as the entire stretch from the Panaji Church to Mahalaxmi Temple; the High Court Justices left no area unchecked. Residents and business owners had a semblance of relief as Justices led by Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes personally oversaw the Smart City works after concluding all the hearings in the Bombay High Court at Goa on Monday. Around 5 pm, the Justices were on the ground for a reality check as tensions were palpable among Smart City officials who were seen nervously explaining the works to the GROUND ZERO: High Court Justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes get a feel of the Smart City works at St Inez on Monday. Narayan Pissurlenkar visiting team. Other officials and police security also accompanied the team to ensure unhindered inspection and a smooth traffic flow. While some locals including businessman Manoj Caculo were quick to bring to the notice of the Justices the never-ending haphazard works executed by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited, Justice Sonak also observed excessive use of water to clear the roads of dust prior to their visit. Halt in Siolim-Marna road work puts people in a spot STRETCH OF ROAD TURNS UNSAFE WITH UNEVEN TERRAIN THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The suspension of road-widening activities along the contentious Siolim-Marna stretch has escalated safety concerns for pedestrians and motorists, as the thoroughfare now presents a hazardous landscape marked by uneven terrain. Irresponsible tree felling, coupled with incomplete work, has transformed an almost 1 km of the road stretch into a hazardous obstacle course. Pedestrians and motorists alike have been left to navigate through uneven patches of road, dangerous pits and obstructive debris, making night-time travel particularly treacherous. The removal of a tree has resulted in a substantial pit along a particular section of the stretch, left inadequately levelled, thereby posing a significant safety hazard to passersby. Gregory D'Souza, a concerned resident of Siolim, highlighted the lack of safety measures at the site, emphasizing the perilous conditions exacerbated by the absence of proper lighting and barricades, especially near the HDFC bank. “There are no barricades A large and perilous pit developed during the road-widening work along the Siolim-Marna road stretch.  Agnelo Pereira SCENE AT THE SITE „„Irresponsible tree felling, coupled with incomplete work transforms almost 1 km of road into obstacle course „„Pedestrians, motorists left to navigate through uneven patches of road, dangerous pits and obstructive debris „„Night-time travel turns treacherous „„Removal of trees have resulted in a substantial pits along a particular section of the stretch placed at the site as the place plunges into darkness at night,” D’Souza said. “The public interest litigation filed in court regarding the tree cutting serves as a stark warning against the misuse of power, emphasising the consequences of neglectful public works that impose hardships on citizens,” he added. The project, aimed at wid- ening the crucial artery, now coming under the lens of the High Court for failing to follow mandatory procedures, has faced severe criticism for its irresponsible handling of tree felling and the subsequent safety hazards. Local residents, including Reshma Pednekar and Agnel Noronha, voiced their >Continued on P5 „„From St Inez junction, Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services, internal lanes, dug-up roads around Gracia de Orta, entire stretch from Panaji Church to Mahalaxmi Temple, judges cover most of the areas „„Smart City officials seen nervously explaining the works to the visiting team „„Excessive use of water to clear roads resulted in dust accumulating on trees „„Arbitrary closure of roads by authorities without Collector’s order brought to notice of judges „„After the inspection, a motorcyclist fell into a trench at St Inez, fortunately without injuries It is learnt that Justices remarked that while officials tried to alleviate the dust on the ground by sprinkling water, the dust accumulated on the trees was notably visible. “The Justices directed their attention to the trees pointing at thick layers of dust. There is immense dust pollution,” said one of them, accompanying the visiting team. Caculo expressed frustration that projects are not being completed even after two years, which has significantly impacted big and small businesses. >Continued on P5 CANACONA A trip to enjoy Khola beach took an unexpected turn for a group of youth hailing from Telangana, but residing in Bangalore, on Sunday evening, when their parked car unexpectedly rolled into the rocks and burst into flames while they were busy taking pictures and selfies close to the vehicle. According to police, the youth had arrived in the State in Karnataka-registered Kwid car and they had gone to enjoy the sunset at Khola Beach. The car was parked at a location known as the ‘Selfie-Point’ near the Khola beach. The youth were busy clicking pictures and selfies at the picturesque venue, when the parked car suddenly got into motion and began to roll off the parking lot. The stunned youth were helpless as the car rolled into the rocks 20 metres down below and burst into flames. A police team and a Canacona fire tender rushed to The car which was gutted in the fire near Khola beach. the site and firefighters extinguished the fire. Canacona police confirmed that no one was injured in the fire as the car was unoccupied and had rolled down by itself. “All the tourists who were on a Goa tour are safe,” a police source said. According to sources, some locals who saw the fire initially thought some film shooting was going on as the location is picturesque. Reality dawned only when they saw a fire tender rushing to the site. NO RELIEF FOR KEJRIWAL, SENT TO TIHAR JAIL TILL APRIL 15 1 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was sent to Tihar Jail on Monday after being remanded in judicial custody till April 15 in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case, even as the Aam Aadmi Party dug in its heels asserting that he will remain the CM no matter how long he is kept in prison. 2 Kejriwal is the fourth top AAP leader to be lodged in the Tihar Jail after his former deputy Manish Sisodia, ex-health minister Satyendar Jain and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. He was lodged in Jail Number 2 and will be kept under watch for 24 hours. 3 On Monday, AAP sources indicated that Kejriwal's wife Sunita, who virtually made her political debut at the INDIA bloc's “Loktantra Bachao” rally at the Ramlila ground a day earlier, is likely to assume a “significant role” in the party in the coming days.  >> See pg 7 TESTING TIME: Students look for their seat number on the board displayed at the entrance of Don Bosco High School, Panjim on Monday. SSC exams commenced at 31 centres across the State and will conclude on April 24.  Narayan Pissurlenkar HC raps cops for photo stunts with accused, issues contempt notices THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Some police officers’ obsessions with posing for photos with accused persons, meant for media circulation, once again landed them in trouble. The Bombay High Court at Goa has taken suo motu cognizance of these repeated incidents, prompting the Bench to issue contempt notices to those officers. The petition is scheduled for the next hearing on April 15 which is when the respondent cops are reportedly expected to submit their replies. In 2019, the High Court took suo-moto action against key officials including the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Police Inspector, and Sub-Inspector of Mapusa police station, along with the Director of the Women and Child Department after some police officers posed alongside a mother arrested for abandon- ing her newborn. The Court, at the time, objected to such behaviour while highlighting the violation of human rights, particularly concerning the implicated mother. Meanwhile, in the present suo-moto petition, Advocate General Devidas Pangam said the police officers will have to face contempt. “There is a previous High Court judgment >Continued on P5 IMD predicts extreme Catholic musicians play on the beat of Cuncolim Sontreo fest heat during elections ARMSTRONG VAZ THE GOAN I PANAJI PTI NEW DELHI India is set to experience extreme heat during the April to June period, with the central and the western peninsular parts expected to face the worst impact, the IMD said on Monday as the country prepares for the seven-phase general elections starting April 19. Addressing a press conference, Union Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said India is anticipated to experience extreme weather conditions in the upcoming two-and-a-half months and this coincides with the general elections in which around a The IMD chief said above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country during the AprilJune period,” —Met Dept billion people are expected to exercise their franchise. “It is going to be very challenging. Since we are the most populous country in the world and face extreme weather conditions, it makes it absolutely necessary for India to prepare in advance,” he said. Santan Pereira from Cuncolim along with his sons and other family members spread across from Velim to Navelim have been part of this traditional festival for several generations. M ost Goans have come across terms like ‘Rang Tang, ‘Dhol Kash’ or ‘Dhol Tashe’, for the music and the musical instruments associated with it -- a peculiar beat of music which one hears during the maddi, novenas and feast day at Catholic festivals by the Catholic musicians. But hold your breath. In Cuncolim, the Catholic musicians' call of duty goes beyond their faith. It is not only the chapels, churches and crosses where these musicians from Cuncolim perform but also at Hindu festivals of Cuncolim. The recent Sontreo festival which took place on Saturday is one of the many Hindu Musicians along with their instruments at the Sontreo festival in Cuncolim. (More photos on pg 5) festivals that the Catholic musicians are associated with. The festival, also known as Chatrotsav, held on the eve of Holi, the festival of colors, is linked to Shree Shantadurga Kunkalikarin temple in Fatorpa in Quepem taluka. The deity is worshipped by Hindus and Catholics alike in Cuncolim, which represents truly a secular character and traditional communal harmony of Goa with the Catholic musicians playing a prominent role for the last many generations. “Catholic musicians play traditional Dhol Tashe music at Sontreo festival, in fact the festival kick-starts once they (Catholic musicians) reach Fatorpa,” says Vijaykumar Kopre Dessai, a teacher by profession and Gauncar of Cuncolim. “In the morning, the Catholic musicians play music at Fatorpa. They continue to play it up to Cuncolim, a 6-km route which takes roughly two hours, and back from Cuncolim to Fatorpa during the Palki procession, playing instruments like Dhol, Sner (Kash), bugle,” he adds. Vijaykumar belongs to one of the twelve vangodds of Cuncolim, the Gauncars of Cuncolim, who have a hold over the running of affairs of Shree Shantadurga Kunkalikarin temple at Fatorpa. “The Devasthan Committee and the twelve Gaonkars, representative of each of the 12 vangodds, honour these musicians and the role they play in the Sontreo festival and is appreciative of the present-day generation which is keeping the age-old tradition >Continued on P5