log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY APRIL 4, 2024 GOA No scrapyard for aging vehicles yet IN SHORT >> Mukesh Ambani richest Indian on Forbes list NEW DELHI: Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, is the richest Indian with a wealth of $116 billion, according to the latest ‘Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2024’. Ambani is also the 9th richest person in the world, the report said, adding that the billionaire’s wealth surged 39.76 per cent. In the second spot came Gautam Adani, the chairman of Adani Group, with a net worth of $84 billion. Savitri Jindal continues to be India’s richest woman in 4th position with assets of $33.5 billion. PDA’s drain cleaning drive spurs concerns MARGAO: South Goa Planning and Development Authority’s move to desilt the drains ahead of the monsoons is laudable given the extent of silt that has choked the drainage network. The initiative has thrown up a problem of sorts for the Margao Municipal Council to handle the smooth flow of the untreated wastewater from the PDA’s mega retail market.  >> See pg 2 Woman injured after tree falls on house MAPUSA: A woman was injured when a large mango tree fell on a house at Bodiem-Sirsaim in the wee hours of Wednesday. The incident occurred at about 5 am when a mango tree in the backyard fell on the house while family members were asleep.  >> See pg 3 Liquor seized in Mollem, 1 held SANGUEM: Officers at the excise check post in Mollem arrested one person and seized liquor bottles on Wednesday. Sanguem Taluka Incharge Excise Inspector Rohit Dessai informed that the liquor was concealed under the tarpaulin and speaker box of a pickup.  >> See pg 5 WEATHER >> Max: 30 C Min: 24 C Humidity: 68% TIDES Low: High: 00:48 12:28 05:26 20:08 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 287 Advantage BJP? Allegiance shifts tilt electoral balance in South Goa >> See PG 3 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA Karaswada junction descends into chaos during rush hours 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Tips to improve memory while studying 8 Two officers on poll duty suspended; booked for extortion, impersonation n ACCUSED OF SEIZING `16 LAKH FROM TWO DELHI-BASED BUSINESSMEN AT DABOLIM WITHOUT FOLLOWING EC PROCEDURES n COMPLAINANT SAYS THEY POSED AS I-T SLEUTHS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI/VASCO Two officers on poll duty were on Wednesday suspended by the South Goa Collector and later booked by police on charges of seizing cash of Rs 16 lakh from two Delhi-based real estate businessmen at Dabolim on the night of March 31, but failing to follow procedures prescribed by the Election Commission. The two accused – Anirudha Pawar, Municipal Engineer at Mormugao Municipal Council who was posted as flying squad in-charge at Dabolim constituency and Nitish Naik, LDC linked to Vasco Electricity Department office who was posted in the IT Cell Office of Collectorate and RO South Goa – were booked by police under Sections 419 and 384 of IPC on Wednesday night. The two accused were suspended by South Goa Collector Aswin Chandru, IAS, who HOW IT ALL HAPPENED „„Two officers - Anirudha Pawar and Nitish Naik - on poll duty seize cash of Rs 16 lakh from Delhi-based real estate businessmen at Dabolim „„Income Tax department contacts SP South Sunita Sawant seeking status of cash seizure, prompt inquiry „„Enquiry conducted by South Goa Collectorate officials, leads to suspension of accused „„Suspension followed preliminary inquiry revealing failure to follow EC procedures „„Dabolim Airport Police and Vasco Police instructed to investigate the matter „„Accused summoned for interrogation at Vasco police station „„Offence registered under Sections 419 and 384 of IPC as efforts underway for recovery is also the Returning Officer for the South Goa Lok Sabha seat, for failing to discharge their election duty as per the guidelines laid down by the Election Commission of India and having acted in a manner showing gross negligence and dereliction towards their duties. The District Collector also directed a detailed report to be submitted within 48 hours. liminary enquiry which found that Rs 16 lakh were allegedly seized by the two accused from two Delhi-based real estate businessmen, Ashok Chaudhary and Pawankumar Sharma, at Vales Junction, Dabolim on Sunday evening. The Choudhary-Verma duo understood that Naik was from the Income-Tax department and sought to do a follow-up inquiry about their seizure there. “The complainant claims that an amount of Rs 16 lakh was taken from them. Nitesh Naik had allegedly posed as an Income Tax officer to seize the money from the two businessmen and he later called Pawar, who was posted in the Flying Squad. However, the seized cash was not reported or submitted by both the officials,” said a source. INCIDENT The action followed a pre- INQUIRY The beans were spilled when the I-T department officially contacted the SP South seeking the status of the cash seizure. This prompted SP South Sunita Sawant to inform Chandru, who is also the Returning Officer of South Goa, about the entire incident. Subsequently, an enquiry was conducted by top officials of the South Goa Collectorate in the Collector’s chamber on Tuesday in which the two suspended officials were grilled. The South Goa district collector then instructed the Dabolim Airport Police and the Vasco Police to immediately inquire into the matter. INVESTIGATION The two accused, Pawar and Naik were summoned to Vasco police station for interrogation on Wednesday. Sources said Mormugao DySP Santosh Desai, Vasco PI Kapil Nayak and Verna PI Melson Colaco were part of the interrogation team. Since the alleged seizure >Continued on P5 Kolkata Knight Riders thrashes Delhi Capitals by 106 runs 13 Compliance report on pollution, traffic mgnt next week: Govt to HC THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI At the receiving end regarding dust pollution owing to the Smart City works in Panaji, the State government on Wednesday assured the Bombay High Court at Goa to submit compliance report next week on measures to mitigate the pollution besides the handling of vehicular traffic and road safety. SMART CITY WORKS Advocate General Devidas Pangam’s assurance to the Division bench of Justice Mahesh Sonak and Justice Valmiki Menezes was made during the ongoing hearing of two Public Interest Litigations, which alleged that development works in Panaji lacked supervision, planning, and were carried out haphazardly. The AG further stated that all roads would be operational in phases by May 31 while reiterating commitment to filing a compliance report next week on measures to curb dust pollution, as well as traf- GOVT ASSURANCE „„A compliance report will be filed next week on measures to curb dust pollution, as well as traffic management, and road safety concerns „„All roads would be operational in phases by May 31 fic management, and road safety concerns. The petitioners, residents of St Inez and surrounding, once again highlighted some deficiencies, such as only having two air quality monitoring stations instead of six and insufficient police personnel for traffic management. To this, the Bench urged cooperation to ensure the works are completed at the earliest. The Bench also acknowledged the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and urged locals to recognise that officials are also assigned election-related responsibilities. The next hearing is scheduled for April >Continued on P5 3 held for attempt to murder student at Cujira complex 2 Indians missing as quake kills 9, injures hundreds in Taiwan AGENCIES TAIPEI Two Indians are reported missing after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan on Wednesday. The missing Indians are a man and a woman, who were last seen in Taroko Gorge, close to the epicentre of the quake. Nine people died and hundreds of others were injured after the earthquake, said to be the strongest in 25 years, struck eastern Taiwan on Wednesday morning. A search operation is underway for the missing Indians, people familiar with the matter said, according to a report. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said that the quake — which struck just before 8:00 am local time — was at a magnitude of 7.4 with its epicentre 18 kilometres south of Taiwan’s Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 km. Taipei’s seismology official said that this earthquake in Taiwan is the “strongest in 25 years”. The earthquake prompted tsunami warnings across Taiwan, southern Japan and the Philippines. SPORTS 3 others injured in assault THE GOAN I NETWORK TRAGIC MISHAP: The ill-fated KTC bus involved in the fatal accident at Dramapur early Wednesday morning.  Santosh Mirajkar A damaged building in Hualien, after a major earthquake hit Taiwan’s east. The India Taipei Association has set up a helpline for Indians in Taiwan. Those affected can call 0905247906 or send an email to ad.ita@mea. gov.in. “In view of the earthquake striking off the coast of eastern Taiwan during the early hours of Wednesday, 03 April 2024, the following emergency helpline has been setup by India Taipei Association for assistance, guidance, or clarification to all Indian nationals living in Taiwan: Mobile: 0905247906 Email: ad.ita@mea.gov.in Woman rider dies in Dramapur mishap, incident triggers uproar Police register FIR against KTC bus driver THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO In a tragic accident, a young lady rider died after she was hit by a KTC bus on the NH66 at Bondorim-Dramapur on Wednesday morning. Even as the fatal accident triggered uproar in the village, the Margao police was quick to register an FIR against the KTC bus driver Satendra Narayan Desai for driving the bus in a rash and negligent manner causing the death of the young rider. Margao Police informed that the accident occurred at around 9.30 am on Wednesday when the 27-year-old rider Pratima Chawan, a resident of Zamcotto-Dramapur, was proceeding on a Dio scooter. Police said the KTC proceeding from Cuncolim towards Navelim dashed the rear side of the Dio scooter as a result of which the rider fell on the road and was run over by the bus. The rider sustained griev- ous injuries as a result of which she was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead. Police in the know informed that the bus was apparently proceeding at great speed as evident by the fact that the bus not only dashed the rear side of the scooter, but dragged the rider to a distance before the bus rammed on a roadside electric pole. The police have registered >Continued on P5 PANAJI The Agassaim police arrested three persons for attempted murder following an assault on three college students with one accused even wielding a knife at Cujira complex on Wednesday morning. The high voltage drama occurred during the mid-morning school break, when Zaqaullah Qazi, Shoaib Beig, and Xavier Joshua targeted Adeil Fernandes. Qazi, visibly armed with a knife, allegedly intended to harm Fernandes and in an attempt to save Fernandes, three other college students were injured. SDPO Sudesh Naik, speaking to the media on the incident, stated that Fernandes and Joshua, both local footballers from St Cruz, indulged in a dispute the prior evening. The altercation spilled over into the next day, when Joshua asked Fernandes to come near the college campus. Qazi, a 19-year-old driver, allied with the other assail- HIGH VOLTAGE DRAMA „„The incident occurred during the mid-morning school break, when Zaqaullah Qazi, Shoaib Beig, and Xavier Joshua targeted Adeil Fernandes „„Qazi, visibly armed with a knife, allegedly intended to harm Fernandes and in an attempt to save Fernandes, three other college students were injured „„According to SDPO Sudesh Naik, Fernandes and Joshua, both local footballers from St Cruz, indulged in a dispute the prior evening ants, brandished the knife which was captured on video by some passersby. The video was circulated widely on social media prompting FIR. The accused who >Continued on P5 Centre issues ‘high risk’ Pushing limits: Goa’s traffic troubles exposed as warning for Apple users tourists occupy even boot space of rented car I THE GOAN I NETWORK AGENCIES NEW DELHI Centre’s security advisory from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued a “highrisk” warning for users of Apple’s iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, and Vision Pro headsets. The advisory highlights a critical vulnerability, identified in connection to “remote code execution” in various Apple products. The vulnerability affects a range of Apple software and hardware, including Apple Safari versions prior to 17.4.1, Apple macOS Ventura versions prior to 13.6.6, Apple CERT-IN RECOMMENDS MEASURES „„Network Security: Avoid connecting to unsecured or public Wi-Fi networks to minimise the risk of unauthorized access „„Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Implement 2FA to add an extra layer of security against potential credential compromises „„Regular Backups: Back up important data regularly to safeguard against data loss due to security breaches or system failures macOS Sonoma versions prior to 14.4.1, Apple visionOS versions prior to 1.1.1, Apple iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 17.4.1, and Apple iOS and iPadOS versions prior to 16.7.7. This vulnerability poses a significant threat as it allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the targeted >Continued on P5 MAPUSA n an eyebrow-raising incident that has set social media abuzz, a tourist’s unconventional solution to space constraints has sparked both amusement and concern among netizens. The peculiar event unfolded late Tuesday evening in the vibrant tourist hub of Candolim. Reports indicate that within a group of 10 tourists, one individual resorted to an unorthodox measure when faced with limited space inside a rented sedan. Witness accounts reveal that the tourist attempted to enter the car’s dicky, presumably in a bid to accommodate the excess number of passengers. CHOCK-A-BLOCK A tourist attempts to enter the car’s dicky, presumably in a bid to accommodate the excess number of passengers. Adding to the surreal scene, another member of the group was found perched on the lap of a fellow passenger, further highlighting the cramped conditions „„Reports indicate that within a group of 10 tourists, one individual resorted to an unorthodox measure when faced with limited space inside a rented sedan „„The tourist attempted to enter the car’s dicky, presumably in a bid to accommodate the excess number of passengers „„Another member of the group was found perched on the lap of a fellow passenger, further highlighting the cramped conditions within the vehicle within the vehicle. The viral video capturing the peculiar incident, purportedly filmed by a tourist-taxi driver, shed light on the tourists’ predicament. In the footage, the videographer can be heard informing the group that the recording serves as a means to alert the rent-a- car owner, potentially resulting in a hefty threefold increase in charges as a consequence of their violation. Although details regarding any formal complaints lodged with the Calangute Traffic Cell remain undisclosed, such occurrences underscore a broader trend of tourists flouting traffic regulations in the coastal State. Instances of tourists engaging in reckless behaviour, such as sitting atop vehicles or driving on beaches, have regrettably become all too common across various regions of the State. Despite concerted efforts by the Goa Police to curb such misconduct, including instances of punitive action against offending tourists, the persistence of these infractions underscores the enduring challenge of enforcing traffic discipline in the tourist haven. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for greater awareness and adherence to traffic laws among visitors to Goa, ensuring the safety and integrity of its bustling tourist landscape.