log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY APRIL 3, 2024 GOA DigiYatra system at Mopa from today MAPUSA: Starting Wednesday, passengers flying from Manohar International Airport in Mopa can experience the convenience of the DigiYatra system, an innovative initiative by the Government of India aimed at enhancing passenger experience through advanced technology. The system promises to streamline entry and security procedures, significantly reducing waiting times for travellers.  >> See pg 2 Colour-coded city buses to be delayed PANAJI: Panaji’s dust-covered roads won’t see the introduction of colour-coded KTCL electric buses anytime soon, as the April 1 deadline ended on Monday. The delay also means the buses, purchased several months ago, will continue to remain unused due to Smart City works. >> See pg 3 Suchana blames court, husband PANAJI: Having attempted to mislead the police during the probe, Suchana Seth has blamed the Family Court Judge in Karnataka and her estranged husband, Venkat Raman, for threatening her with imprisonment if she didn’t allow her son to meet his father.  >> See pg 3 Carlos rejoins BJP after 2 years in Cong PANAJI: Former Vasco MLA Carlos Almeida, who quit the BJP in December 2021 to join the Congress party, has returned to the ruling dispensation. His entry was formally announced at a press conference with the ex-MLA heaping praises on CM Pramod Sawant and BJP State President Sadanand Tanavade.  >> See pg 3 PhonePe expands Ops in UAE PANAJI: In a significant development for Indian citizens residing or visiting the UAE, PhonePe app has expanded its payment services through UPI. The expansion is a result of a partnership between PhonePe and Dubai-based Mashreq Bank.  >> See pg 7 Goa’s GST kitty for March at `565 cr PANAJI: Goa’s GST revenue collection for the month of March 2024 stood at Rs 565 crore. This is 10 % higher as compared to the states GST revenue for March 2023. WEATHER >> Max: 33 C Min: 25 C Humidity: 83% TIDES Low: High: 11:09 ---03:30 19:04 2 PANAJI With hefty fines and strict vigilance still having some limitations in curbing menace on the roads, the State government has now opted for a more stringent enforcement of the Motor Vehicles Act wherein any violator, whose licences are suspended, will have to mandatorily undergo a refresher training course to revoke the suspension. The decision was taken as the State government, Goa Police and the Transport Department jointly launched Project TRUST (Traffic Rules Understanding and Safety GOA Cong aspirants remain cautious on delay in formalising candidate 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 8 INFO How to treat your skin after waxing! Panaji back to dusty ways after visit of HC judges MONDAY’S MEASURES WERE JUST A PLOY; ON TUESDAY NO WATER SPRINKLED ON ROADS TO TACKLE DUST THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI If Panaji’s residents and people who visit the city routinely were skeptical that the sudden rush of the contractors and the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) to  execute safety and anti-dust pollution measures over the last weekend was only for the purpose of coming out clean from Monday’s inspection by the High Court judges, Tuesday proved them right. Except for the area near the St Inez, Taj Vivanta junction where the Smart City work contractors have excavated fresh sections of the city roads, there were no measures taken to alleviate the dust pollution like sprinkling water in other areas of the capital on Tuesday. IPSCDL CEO and managing director, Sanjit Rodrigues, who has over the last two months taken a hands-on role ONE FOR THE JUDGES: Workers clear the mud accumulated on the road ahead of the inspection by High Court judges on Monday.  (File photo) in supervising the work was not reachable the whole of Tuesday. A day earlier, however, Rodrigues who was at the beck and call of Justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes while they were on their inspection rounds in several parts of the city, had told the media that the IPSCDL has placed records of its working related to the measures needed to be taken during the ongoing ‘smart city’ work before the court. A couple of days prior to the scheduled inspection by the Bombay High Court judges, most of the areas where work Court names six policemen for ‘parade and pose’ stunt Identifies at least 70 news clips where officials are seen with accused posing for photographs THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Bombay High Court at Goa has identified at least 70 vernacular news clips where police officials have been seen with accused persons posing for photographs for media circulation. Expressing utter dissatisfaction with the non-compliance of directives issued in 2019, a Division Bench of Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice Valmiki Menezes issued contempt notices to six officers in response to a recent case where these officers were photographed with a mother who was arrested for abandoning her child and in another case, during a drug seizure operation. The officers summoned to respond to the contempt notices include Superintendent of Police Bossuet Silva, Police Inspectors Nathan Almeida (Fatorda Police Station) and Kapil Nayak (Vasco PS), as well as sub-inspectors Pri- Licence suspended? Get ready for fresh training THE GOAN I NETWORK The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 286 BJP South Goa candidate receives grand welcome at ancestral home in Assolna IN SHORT >> Facebook.com/thegoan The new measure is expected to not only foster responsible driving but also contribute significantly to reducing accidents involving twowheelers Training) to enhance traffic awareness and bolster safety on the roads. The officials stated that Driver Refresher Training is mandated by Section 19(2A) of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988. This crucial provision stipulates that licence holders >Continued on P5 KEY HIGH COURT OBSERVATIONS „„All news items, prima facie, indicate instances of police officials parading accused persons before media „„In the new items dated March 28, 2024, six police officials are posing with the accused mother, who is made to sit in front of them „„It is reasonable to infer that it is these police officials who have released her name to the media „„It appears that neither Court directives nor disciplinary proceedings deter these police officers „„Instead of leading from the front, SP has himself paraded and posed before media with accused persons THE SIX POLICEMEN „„The officers summoned to respond to contempt notices include Superintendent of Police Bossuet Silva, Police Inspectors Nathan Almeida (Fatorda Police Station) and Kapil Nayak (Vasco PS), as well as sub-inspectors Priyanka Naik, Amin Naik and Akhilesh Khedekar (all from Fatorda PS) yanka Naik, Amin Naik, and Akhilesh Khedekar (all from Fatorda PS). The next hearing is scheduled for April 15. Notably, Superintendent Silva had previously assured compliance with the directives in 2019, while Inspec- tors Nayak and Naik had been previously reprimanded for parading with a distressed mother. “All the news items, prima facie, indicate instances >Continued on P5 is being executed got their due in terms of anti-dust pollution measures and other interventions to ease the inconvenience to traffic and commuter movement. Water was being sprinkled on the roads, a time-tested technique to prevent dust dispersion into the air, besides other measures were also being taken. Not so on Tuesday, a day after the inspection by the High Court judges, when these measures were seen implemented only around the St Inez junction near the Taj Vivanta hotel. Incidentally, even the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) got into the act of taking action only after the Bombay High Court judges fixed Monday for personal inspection and placed ambient air quality monitoring vans at some of the sites which it never did for over two years since IPSCDL and contractors began the ‘smart city’ work.  Justices Sonak and Menezes, who incidentally have lived and worked in the capital city for decades before each of them were elevated to the High Court bench, comprise the division bench which took up two public interest litigations related to nuisance and >Continued on P5 SPORTS Lucknow Super Giants beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 28 runs 13 Whodunit! Mystery deepens in Siolim tree felling episode No role to play, panchayat tells HC; contractor chooses to remain silent THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Intrigue over who actually authorised the tree felling for the widening of the Siolim road only grew after the Village Panchayat of Siolim-Marna in an affidavit told the Court that they have not done the tree cutting, while the contractor, in his affidavit before the High Court declined to state who the persons involved in his ‘crime’ were.  Speaking to the media after the hearing, Advocate General Devidas Pangam said that the High Court has further sought affidavits from the PWD engineer who sought permission to cut the trees and the Forest Officer who granted it.  “The contractor has filed an affidavit, he has not disclosed any name. He has said that he will be tried for an offence and that he cannot be forced to file an affidavit or make any statement, he has the protection under the constitution of India of not making any admission as far as criminal offences are concerned,” Adv Pangam said.  “Further the High Court has Advocate General Devidas Pangam said the High Court has now sought affidavits from PWD engineer who sought permission to cut the trees and the Forest Officer who granted it directed the impleadment of two officers -- the engineer and the forest officer who had granted the permission for cutting of the trees. They are supposed to file affidavits by the next date -- that is by Monday they have to file affidavits explaining their action to grant permission and as far as the PWD employee is concerned whether and under what circumstances he applied for tree cutting,” he added.  It may be recalled that PWD told the Court that it had no role in tree felling and was not involved in the road widening. AG had also told the Court that the trees that were cut, were in private property and as such, if the PWD were to be undertaking the project, would have to acquire the land first.  EC starts site to bust fake news, misinformation during elections PTI NEW DELHI In a bid to check the spread of misinformation during the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission on Tuesday launched a “Myth vs Reality Register” that will be updated regularly to include the latest fake news busted. With the proliferation of misinformation and false narratives, this proactive initiative seeks to ensure that voters have access to accurate and verified information throughout the electoral process, the poll panel said. The microsite was launched by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. The register will be continuously updated to include the latest busted fake information and fresh frequently-asked questions, the EC said. Meanwhile, EC on Tuesday issued transfer orders for two inspectors general of police, eight district magistrates and 12 superintendents of police in five states as part of its “regular review” for LSelections. MANGO MANIA: A vendor displays the Nilapus variety of mangoes harvested from a tree at St Inez on Tuesday. Although different varieties of mangoes have entered the market, high prices continue to keep them beyond the reach of common man.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Now, Mapusa council plans to levy GST on street vendors THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) finds itself at a crossroads as it grapples with the absence of bidders for the collection of Sopo (fees) in the bustling Mapusa municipal market. Despite multiple attempts to attract contractors through tender bids, the council has been met with silence, prompting a re-evaluation of its revenue collection strategy. Originally setting the bid amount at Rs 2.6 crore for the 2023-24 fiscal year, MMC extended invitations repeatedly, progressively reducing the bid amount to Rs 1.67 crore. However, these efforts failed to elicit any interest from potential contractors, >Continued on P5 ‘Obrigado’ says Portugal PM Costa as he bids farewell ALEXANDRE MONIZ BARBOSA THE GOAN I PANAJI Goan-origin politicians run in Portugal ending? O ne word ‘obrigado’, with a picture of Antonio Costa standing at the doorstep of the official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal posted on his X account, said it all, as the outgoing PM stepped down. After eight years as PM of Portugal, Costa, who has Goan origins, resigned in November 2023 over an investigation in an alleged corruption scandal. He did not contest the subsequent March 2024 elections and his Socialist Party came a close second, but opted to sit in the Opposition. Costa has had a long run in Portugal as Prime Minister, Outgoing PM Antonio Costa waves from outside the official residence of the Prime Minister in Lisbon. being appointed thrice. His Goan origins had generated a lot in interest in India when he first became PM in 2015 and continued through his terms. PANAJI: The exit of Antonio Costa from electoral politics in Portugal has apparently dried up the flow of Goan or Goan-origin politicians in that country. The recent elections to the Portuguese Asembleia de Republica returned no Goan parliamentarian, or deputado as they are called in Portugal.  The tradition started by the likes of Alfredo Nobre da Costa, continued by Narana Coissoró and much later upheld by António Costa, and others in the intervening period, appears to have ended. Sources in Portugal say that currently, the Yet, when he stepped down on April 2, there was hardly anybody talking about him only politician of note in Portugal that has Goans links is Ângelo Pereira, member of the Lisbon Municipality. But being Goan, one does search for needles in haystacks and there is one deputado with a tenuous link to Goa, as per information sent to this correspondent by the admins of the Facebook page Galeria de Goeses illustres (illustrious Goans Gallery), and that is Marcos Perestrelo. Information collated from Wikipedia says that Perestrelo’s maternal great grandfather was Alfredo da Costa, whose father was a Goan from Margao who had moved to Lisbon in the 1800s. any longer. Last week, Costa at a press conference, made a positive assessment of his eight years as PM. But, would everybody agree with that? J A Pereira, a Goan who is living in Portugal said, “The general opinion of the public here is that of the past eight years, there were only a couple that were good. Once the government got an absolute majority they were in shambles and led to the mid-term elections including the loss.” Costa’s first two terms were coalition governments and he returned with a majority only in 2022. “A coalition always has problems as you have to satisfy the other parties and you do not take the measures you need to take,” another Goan in Portugal, who declined to be identified, said. Costa’s third term therefore >Continued on P5