log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY APRIL 11, 2024 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 294 Fiercest rivals to key partners, turncoats and allies driving BJP’s S Goa campaign 2 GOA Bhandaris demand FIR after attack on Rudreshwar Palkhi procession 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Super foods you must eat every day without fail! 9 SPORTS Gujarat Titans hands Rajasthan Royals first defeat 14 SIOLIM TREE CUTTING... >> See PG 5 It’s curtains down on ‘Silly Souls Café and Bar’ IN SHORT >> Man gets 20 years RI for raping minor girl PANAJI: In a major decision, the POCSO Court has sentenced a man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl and impregnating her in 2019. Presiding Officer for Fast Track Court (POCSO) Durga Madkaikar pronounced the sentence and slapped a penalty of Rs 25,000.   >> See pg 2 Mapusa fish market closure fizzles out MAPUSA: The highly publicised closure of the Mapusa fish market in protest against alleged harassment failed to gain traction, as five fish vendors, including Shashikala Govekar, and RTI activist Jawaharlal Shetye, provided an undertaking to the executive magistrate to uphold peace and good behaviour under Section 107 of the CrPC.  >> See pg 2 Pedestrian killed in hit & run mishap MAPUSA: A 44-year-old pedestrian from Satara-Maharashtra died in a hit-and-run mishap near the panchayat office in Sirsaim on Wednesday evening.  >> See pg 5 2 shops gutted in fire at Betim PORVORIM: The two shops near Thoteshwar temple at Betim were gutted in fire in the wee hours of Wednesday, destroying goods worth Rs 4.50 lakh. The exact cause of fire is still unclear, said the fire officials.  >> See pg 5 Car rams into bus at Usgao, 16 injured PONDA: About 16 persons were injured, six of them seriously, when a car and a bus collided with each other near the Nestle factory in Usgao on Wednesday evening.   >> See pg 6 Monkey on attacking spree hoodwinks forest team  >> See pg 5 WEATHER >> Max: 30 C Min: 25 C Humidity: 67% TIDES Low: High: 06:16 18:44 13:03 ------- HC talks tough, says will act if probe inconclusive LOBO TOLD TO REPORT TO FOREST DEPT FOR STATEMENT ON FRIDAY; MATTER ADJOURNED FOR APRIL 22 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Bombay High Court at Goa on Wednesday said it will step in and do its duty in case the investigation to pin responsibility for the felling of age-old trees allegedly for widening the road is inconclusive. The observation was made when the petitioners in the PIL pointed out that following the affidavits filed by the respondents, including an engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) and former minister and MLA Michael Lobo, there was a stalemate as nobody was taking responsibility for the felling of the ancient trees. An inquiry into the episode in which some 28 trees, several of which are said to be KEY COURT OBSERVATION „„When the petitioners in the PIL pointed out that following the affidavits filed by the respondents, including an engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) and former minister and MLA Michael Lobo, there was a stalemate as nobody was taking responsibility for the felling of the ancient trees DIRECTIONS TO MLA „„The Division Bench also asked Lobo to appear before the Forest Department to record his statement on Friday after the Forest Department had informed that he had sought time on a summon sent to him over a century old, is being conducted by the Forest Department, the Advocate General Devidas Pangam, had informed the court at the last hearing. During Wednesday’s proceedings, the Division Bench of the High Court comprising Justices Mahesh Sonak and Valmiki Menezes, also asked Lobo to appear before the Forest Department to record his statement on Friday after the Forest Department had informed that he (Lobo) had sought time on a summon sent to him. The Bench then adjourned the matter and fixed it for next hearing on April 22. Lobo had landed in a spot of trouble after he was made a respondent by the court at the last hearing on March 27 after a video submitted by the petitioners in which he is seen and heard claiming credit for the work of road widening and the felling of the trees at Siolim. The legislator who represents Calangute but whose wife Delilah is the MLA of >Continued on P6 Govt mulls reappointing Goan cricketer Asnodkar 90 contractual primary appointed batting coach teachers for another year for India U-19 boys team THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In all likelihood, around 90 contractual government primary teachers – appointed at the fag end of 2022 – could be re-appointed for another academic year as the Education Department has decided to “positively consider” this proposal with their term ending this month. These appointments will temporarily fill in for those full-time primary teachers who are currently on extended leave. Department sources indicated that these teachers will continue their duties across various schools starting June 2024 as a stop-gap arrangement until the regular teachers on leave return to their duties. “These teachers have already completed one and a half academic years since their first appointment. Their re-appointments are only if there are leave vacancies,” the officer told The Goan. The Education Department, in November 2022, had appointed 88 contract teachers after a walk-in interview of several candidates for the vacancy-against-leave posts. STOP-GAP ARRANGEMENT „„These appointments will temporarily fill in for those full-time primary teachers across various schools starting June 2024 as a stop-gap arrangement until the regular teachers on leave return to their duties With their tenure ending this academic year, the department decided to consider their extension. “Our full-time primary teachers are already on their duties. However, since some are on extended leave for a couple of months, there will once again be a shortage of teachers. Therefore, we have decided to consider re-appointing these contract teachers starting June to ensure there is no disruption to the students’ education,” the official stated. The vacancies, in 2022, were spread across various talukas with 12 in Bardez, 10 in Tiswadi, 12 in Ponda, 10 in Sattari, 5 in Canacona, 9 in Dharbandora, 7 in Salcete, 8 in Quepem, 6 in Bicholim, 5 in Pernem, 3 in Sanguem, and 1 in Mormugao. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has chosen Swapnil Asnodkar, a cricketer from Goa, as the new batting coach for the U-19 boys’ cricket camp in Rajkot. Asnodkar is famous for his strong right-handed batting style and has played first-class cricket for Goa and represented the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In his career in domestic cricket, Asnodkar stood out as the leading run-scorer for Goa in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy, scoring 369 runs in six matches. His time in the IPL with the Rajasthan Royals was equally impressive, forming a powerful opening partnership with South African captain Graeme Smith and scoring 418 runs together at an average of 59.71. Asnodkar expressed his gratitude to the BCCI for appointing him as the batting coach for the U-19 Indian cricket team. He reflected on his journey from being a player to becoming a coach (in 2019), emphasising his love for cricket and the encouragement he received from others, which motivated him to tran- sition into coaching after his playing days. Excited about the opportunity to work with the U-19 squad, Asnodkar highlighted the importance of nurturing young talent at this level. He referred to the U-19 team as the “cream” of Indian cricket, with players destined to make a significant impact in the future of the sport. Asnodkar expressed pride in representing his home State of Goa in this new role and pledged to contribute to the growth of cricket in the region. Acknowledging the popularity of cricket in India, particularly through tournaments like the IPL and Ranji Trophy, Asnodkar also pointed out areas where improvement is needed, especially in Goa. He highlighted the importance of consistency and dedication among players and >Continued on P6 Vailankanni train trip on eve of poll triggers debate THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO he Vailankanni Express – the weekly train carrying hundreds of Goans on a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Vailankanni in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu every Monday, has become a subject of debate on the social media in view of the election season. As usual, the train will be departing from Vasco on Monday morning on May 6 carrying hundreds of pilgrims to Vailankanni. But, here’s the talking point. The weekly departure of the train from Goa falls on May 6, on the eve of the May 7 election for the two Goa Lok Sabha seats, triggering a debate of sorts on social media, with allegations flying thick and thin that the people are being deliberately offered T VAILANKANNI TRIP: THE TALKING POINT „„Over 800 pilgrims have already booked the tickets to Vailankanni on May 6. Besides there are many others who are on the waiting list „„Many say the pilgrims cannot be faulted for reserving the tickets 2-3 months in advance since the dates of the election schedule was unveiled only couple of weeks ago „„Allegations flying thick and thin that the people are being deliberately offered free free tickets to go on a pilgrimage so that they miss the date with the Lok Sabha polls. It may be noted, the Monday weekly Goa-Vailankanni Express is not the special train chartered by the Goa government under the Dev Darshan scheme, but the normal weekly train running between Goa tickets to go on a pilgrimage so that they miss the date with the Lok Sabha polls and Vailankanni every Monday and returning on late Tuesday night. When The Goan asked Social Welfare Director, Ajit Panchwadkar to shed light on the social media debate, he feigned ignorance about any special train arrangement by the government on May 6. He, however, hastened to add that there may be so many trains running to various destinations from Goa on May 6, and it is purely for the people to take a call on whether to take the journey or not ahead of polling. Inquiries by The Goan revealed that over 800 pilgrims have already booked the tick- ets to Vailankanni on May 6. There are many others who are on the waiting list. Many say the pilgrims cannot be faulted for reserving the tickets 2-3 months in advance since the dates of the election schedule was unveiled only couple of weeks ago. If sources are to be believed, the Vailankanni Express train runs to packed capacity, especially during the summer vacation when parents with their children head to the pilgrimage centre to offer prayers to Our Lady of Vailankanni. “The Vasco-Vailankanni Express evokes good response every week. But, there’s always a rush during the summer vacation when the pilgrims book the tickets in advance, say >Continued on P6 POLL PREPAREDNESS: The electronic voting machines being transported from the Polytechnic Gymkhana, Altinho, on Wednesday, to the respective Assembly constituencies for the Lok Sabha elections on May 7.  Narayan Pissurlenkar NSG bomb disposal squad probes into Ansolem blast n Team visits site, collects samples n Police claim accused has revealed names, will call them for inquiry THE GOAN I NETWORK VALPOI A bomb disposal squad from the National Security Guard (NSG) arrived from Delhi to investigate the gelatine explosion in Ansolem-Sattari on Wednesday. A 12-member NSG squad went to the site and collected samples of the soil and other material, fuelling speculations among locals on whether the explosion was a result of gelatine sticks or some other bomb. Meanwhile, Valpoi PI Rahul Naik and other senior officers were interrogating the accused, Nasir Hussain Jam- A National Security Guard bomb disposal squad at the site of blast at Ansolem-Bhironda. adar, who was arrested in the case and is presently in custody. He has revealed some information and the police are investigating in that direction. About 15 houses in the vicinity have sustained damag- es on account of the explosion which took place at about 7.50 on Monday. An estimate of the damages and losses is being prepared and a report will be >Continued on P6