log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY APRIL 21, 2024 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 304 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 13 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 True to the craft Dress them up Travel safe SPORTS »PAGE 8 Sunrisers Hyderabad dominates Delhi Capitals NISHA’S MUMBAI: BIRTHDAY BASHES & MORE 3 TIPS: Own your own voice 23 Chinese swimmers test positive before Tokyo Games Actress shares her thoughts on playing d-glam roles Acting comeback on hold: Imran Khan >> SEE PG 3 THE PULSE OF VOTERS AT LOK SABHA POLL MAGAZINE MAGAZ Restricted food items during air travel Deluge in Panaji after sudden showers SEVERAL ROADS IN CAPITAL CITY INUNDATED WITH SHIN-DEEP WATER SHOPS ALONG 18TH JUNE ROAD BEAR BRUNT SMART CITY WORK SITES FLOODED PARTS OF ROADS SINK IN SOME AREAS MET DEPT RECORDS 3.6 INCHES OF RAIN THE GOAN I NETWORK 9 Untangling GI tag dilemma: Issues with quality and consistency Political ostracism and the law of defamation Watermelon: The super nutritious summer fruit 10 Fatty liver disease: A growing global concern Generations of flavour: Café Aurora’s family legacy continues 11 Auto Review 2024 MercedesBenz GLS: Opulence & luxury IN SHORT >> Taleigao p’yat polls: Babush panel wins 4 seats unopposed PANAJI:The political muscle of Revenue Minister, Atanasio (Babush) Moserrate was discernible in his pocket borough of Taleigao as the panel he floated for the April 28 panchayat poll already threw up winners in four wards even before the first ballot was cast. >> See pg 5 INDIA allies hold coordination meet PANAJI: Leaders of constituent political parties of the INDIA bloc held a co-ordination meeting at Congress headquarters in Panaji to fine tune strategy and make the voter outreach more effective and efficient.  >> See pg 2 Pipeline ruptures in Sattari, supply hit VALPOI: A water pipeline ruptured at Velus bridge in Sattari, disrupting water supply to many parts of the taluka.   >> See pg 2 WEATHER >> Max: 25 C Min: 22 C Humidity: 75% TIDES Low: High: Sandhya Raman has been dressing up dancers across the globe for the last three decades 03:38 15:38 09:57 21:37 PANAJI Saturday morning's unseasonal and torrential rains may have given a welcome reprieve from the heat wave-like conditions Goa sweltered under for several days but the damage and disruption caused, especially in the capital city, exposed the chinks in the State administration's armour and in a way served as a trailer of what to expect when the monsoon actually hits the State in June. The showers were accompanied by thunder and lightning for about close to two hours before noon on Saturday. In Panaji, the intense showers left several of the city's roads including the 18th June Road, Atmaram Borkar Road and intermittent stretches of the MG Road flooded with near shin-deep water. On the 18th June Road lined on either side by commercial establishments, several shops saw the storm water gushing inside their premises. PANAJI The month-old code of conduct has fetched the authorities numerous illicit material including cash, liquor, precious metals and even freebies amounting to an astonishing Rs 15.04 crore. Cash seizures dominate this figure, tallying up to Rs 4.42 crore, closely followed by ‘precious metals’ valued at over Rs 3 crore with a similar amount in seized liquor. While these figures cover the period from March 16 to April 15, subsequent seizures were reported thereafter. The most prominent ones involve cash raids by the Income Tax, although authorities have remained tightlipped regarding the origins and sources of these seized funds. The two major raids by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) also caught the attention of the election officials, RAIN PAIN: Sudden showers drenched Panaji with several roads and internal lanes and bylanes being affected. Elsewhere in the city, Rua de Ourem and the roads encircling the KTC bus-stand were inundated. In St Inez and further west towards Tonca and Miramar too several of the roads and internal lanes and bylanes were affected. Perhaps due to it being the start of the weekend, traffic „„Most prominent among the seizure is cash raids by Income Tax officials „„Narcotics worth Rs 1.13 cr seized by NCB sleuths „„Liquor seizures amount to Rs 3.05 cr up to April 18 „„Other illicit material include precious metals and freebies one of which resulted in the arrest of a British national Jason I for illegal cannabis cultivation at his Socorro residence. Two others from Rajasthan were arrested with 532 grams of Methamphetamine during a raid in Candolim. Raids by Goa Police have led to seizures of Rs 2.33 lakh worth of narcotics during this period. Exclusive details with The Goan further reveal that miscellaneous items, including a mobile phone confiscated by the Goa Police and 62,118 unidentified items seized by the Commercial Tax Department, contribute about a small portion of the total haul, estimated to be worth around Rs 1.13 IRDAI REMOVES AGE CAP ON HEALTH POLICIES NEW DELHI The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has removed the age cap on buying health insurance policies, effective from April 1, 2024. Earlier, individuals were restricted to purchasing new insurance policies only until the age of 65. However, after recent changes that have come into effect from April 1, anyone, regard- and pedestrian movement was thinner and complaints of disruptions in traffic and other woes were muted. Nonetheless social media was agog with memes and videos posted by users of the fate of Panaji much of which looked like a war zone with the rains water-logging most of the sites where 'smart city' work is in progress. There were several areas where the patchwork had come unstuck on roads where sewerage chambers have been built leaving gaping and dangerous potholes. However, some of these were attended to as the rains relented later in Narayan Pissurlenkar the day, with more patchwork. There have also been reports that sections of roads where work was carried out having sunk in some parts, including in St Inez, the main city square and Mala-Fontainhas areas. The IMD has recorded that Panaji received as much as 3.6 inches of rain in just the two morning hours. Mayor puts up brave front The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Mayor Rohit Monserrate, who took rounds >Continued on P6 less of age, is eligible to purchase new health insurance. "Insurers shall ensure they offer health insurance products to cater to all age groups. Insurers may design products specifically for senior citizens, students, children, maternity, and any other group as specified", said a notification issued by the IRDAI. The move by the insurance regulatory body aims to create a more inclusive healthcare ecosystem in India and to encourage insurance provider companies to diversify their product offerings. IRDAI has also instructed health insurance providers to introduce tailored policies for specific demographics, such as senior citizens, and establish dedicated channels for handling claims and grievances. "It's a welcome change since it now opens Avenue for people above 65 to seek health cover. The coverage is subject to offer and acceptance between the Insured and Insurer", said an industry expert. crore. The Goan, in its Saturday edition, reported liquor seizures amounting to Rs 3.05 crore until April 18. Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Verma, at a recent media interaction, had stated that the Election Commission of India has deployed a sufficient number of officials from various law enforcement agencies with directions to maintain strict vigilance and enforce the rule of law to prevent any untoward incidents or electoral malpractices. The officials are also asked to prevent and report to the CEO fraud or corruption THE GOAN I NETWORK >Continued on P6 HSSC exam results today THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has announced that it will declare the results of the Class XII exam that it had conducted in February-March at the Board's office in Porvorim at 5 pm on Sunday. As many as 17,987 students had appeared for the exams at 20 centres across the State. The results will be available digitally on the Board's website -- www.gbshse.in -- and by clicking the link http://results.gbshse.net/#/ Also school managements will be able to download the consolidated result sheet only from 4.30 pm on Tuesday. FC Goa secured a crucial victory against Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League 2023-24 season, advancing to the semi-finals after a tough knockout game THE GOALS „„Noah Sadaoui gives FC Goa the lead in the 36th minute „„Nine minutes later, Brandon Fernandes makes it 2-0 „„Lazar Cirkovic reduces the deficit for Chennaiyin (Report on pg 7) Rains cause power outages in Vasco Normal life disrupted in Bicholim, farmers hit Power outages, trees fall as life takes a hit in Bardez PWD officials rush to ascertain status of under-repair polling stations in S Goa hit by rains Keri bribery case: Police Inspector Pilgaonkar held CODE VIOLATION: BIG CATCH Now, those above 65 years too can buy health cover PTI PANAJI: Heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms in various parts of Goa including Panaji provided much-needed relief from the heatwave-like conditions even as IMD issued a yellow alert on Sunday. The temperature plummeted to 23.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday, a significant drop from the 35.2 degrees Celsius recorded on Friday. IMD has forecast scattered light showers at isolated areas and issued a yellow alert on Sunday, with temperatures expected to range between 22 and 27 degrees Celsius. ON PAGE 2 Poll code nets illicit goods FC GOA worth `15 cr in 1 month POWERS CASH SEIZURE AMOUNTS TO `  .42 CRORE 4 ON! THE GOAN I NETWORK Temperature dips, IMD issues yellow alert for Sunday THE SEMIS LINE UP „„Odisha vs Mohun Bagan 1st leg April 23 „„FC Goa vs Mumbai City FC 1st leg April 24 „„Mohun Bagan vs Odisha 2nd leg April 28 „„Mumbai City vs FC Goa 2nd leg April 29 PANAJI Although belated, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) finally arrested one of the prime accused in the bribery case – Police Inspector Videsh Pilgaonkar. This case had already led to the arrests of two head constables, Sanjay Talkar and Raju Kalangutkar, with further arrests anticipated as another cop, presently posted at Porvorim police station, has also come under the radar. Allegations of corruption surfaced against the Terekhol Coastal Security police after a sports operator Pruthvi H N complained to the ACB alleging that the PI and Talkar, coerced him into paying monthly bribes. The PI was shunted to GRP with no action taken on this issue. The Goan, in its April 18 edition, reported the PI’s apparent immunity despite the complaint identifying both Pilgaonkar and Talkar as demanding and accepting >Continued on P6 Tragic end for ‘drunk’ tourist at Calangute 28-year-old found dead after insisting on sleeping in car THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA 28-year-old tourist from Solapur-Maharashtra who was allegedly inebriated and slept inside a car at Calangute for the night, was found dead the next day. Police have booked a case against a friend of the deceased. According to sources, Soni Shinde, Siddeshwar Madre (40), also from Solapur, and two other friends, all employed for a medical establishment in Akkalkot-Maharashtra had arrived in Goa in a Karnataka-registered car on April 12. A HEARTBREAKING END TO GOA SOJOURN „„Four friends arrive in Goa… check into a hotel near Calangure football ground „„All four go out for dinner and consume alcohol „„One of them is alleged to have been inebriated and refuses to requests by his friends to come to the room „„Instead he insists on sleeping in the car „„One of them pulls up all the windows and locks doors of the car with him inside… the three later head to their room „„By afternoon when they come to check on their friend, he is found found motionless inside the vehicle „„He was rushed to Candolim Primary Health Centre, but was declared dead on arrival All four of them went to a hotel near the Calangute football ground. On the night of April 13, they went out to dinner and consumed alcohol. Soni Shinde is alleged to have been inebriated and reportedly refused requests by his friends to take him to their room and instead, remained in the car. Siddeshwar Madre pulled up all the windows and locked all doors of the car, before the three of them went to the room >Continued on P6