log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY JULY 5, 2024 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 18 Authorities scramble as Rumdamol on dengue alert 2 3 GOA Artistes protesting KA renovation fiasco rope in Charles Correa Foundation Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 How canola oil enhances your beauty Sunak on edge as UK votes in crucial polls STARMER TIPPED TO WIN; RESULTS EXPECTED TODAY PTI page 6 India’s car market shifts gear: Why popular models dominate and what’s next? REVIEW: BGauss RUV350: The ‘Rider Utility Vehicle’ makes its debut IN SHORT >> 3 POLICEMEN SUSPENDED PANAJI: Three policemen attached to the Ponda Police Station were placed under suspension for dereliction of duty on Thursday. The three policemen are Hawaldar Ravindra Naik, Constable Ashwin Sawant, and vehicle driver Pritesh M Prabhu. FDA sleuths seize 500 kgs of paneer MAPUSA: In yet another raid on transportation of food products, the Food and Drugs Administration seized about 500 kg of paneer worth Rs 1.5 lakh at Porvorim and Canca. FDA received information from wholesale vendors in Margao and later intercepted a vehicle carrying paneer near O-Coqueiro Junction.  >> See pg 5 Illegal hoardings: HC slams MMC PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has expressed utter displeasure with Mapusa Municipal Council’s decision to withdraw show cause notices to hoarding owners citing these existed before the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations 2010 came into effect.  >> See pg 3 Guirim youth killed in road mishap PORVORIM: A scooterist from Guirim lost his life in self-accident at Sangolda on Thursday. Saligao police said Suyash Korgaonkar (25) was proceeding from Saligao to Sangolda on his scooter and on reaching near the Mahindra car showroom, he lost control of the scooter and fell on the road. He sustained grievous injuries and was shifted to GMC, but was declared dead on arrival. LONDON The future of Rishi Sunak as Britain's first Prime Minister of Indian origin and the leader of the Conservative Party fighting anti-incumbency of 14 years hangs in the balance as millions of voters cast their ballots in a historic general election on Thursday. The British Indian leader and the man who wants his job Labour leader Keir Starmer who is tipped to win were among the early voters from an estimated 46 million registered voters as around 40,000 polling booths opened across the country at 7 am local time. Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty walked hand-in-hand to their polling booth in his constituency of Richmond and Northallerton in Yorkshire, northern England. A little later, Starmer and wife Victoria were at their polling station in Camden, Labour leader Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria head to the polling station in Camden, north London on Thursday. north London, sporting Labour red colours. Today, Britain can begin a new chapter, Starmer told voters in a statement. We cannot afford five more years under Conservatives. But change will only happen if you vote Labour, he said. Sunak, meanwhile, took to social media to drive home his message: Polls are open. It's time to stop the Labour supermajority that would mean higher taxes for the rest of your life. Sunak is up against voter angst towards the incumbent Tories after 14 years in power and has had to contend with trailing far behind 61-year-old Keir Starmer-led Labour Party 9 INFO throughout the six-week campaign. Earlier, both leaders wrapped up their six-weeklong campaign with contrasting messages Sunak urging voters not to hand “tax-raising” Labour a “supermajority” and Starmer playing down the prospect of a landslide win for fear of a low turnout impacting the final outcome. Candidates are being fielded for 650 constituencies across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with 326 required for a majority in the first past the post system. Besides the two main parties, voters will be choosing from a list of candidates representing the Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Scottish National Party (SNP), SDLP, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sinn Fien, Plaid Cymru, the anti-immigration Reform Party and several contesting as Independent. SPORTS 13 EURO QFs: Portugal and France go head to head; Germany and Spain lock horns Row over role of minister’s wife as acting headmistress SENIOR TEACHER MOVES HC, ALLEGES SHUBHA HOLDING POSITION DESPITE BEING INELIGIBLE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Bombay High Court at Goa is hearing a petition challenging the non-appointment of a full-time headmaster at a school since August 2019 with fresh allegations surfacing about a minister’s wife appointed as acting headmistress without a DPC meeting. Senior teacher at Sarvodaya Education Society’s High School, Veena Kakodkar has made serious allegations that Shubha Faldesai, wife of Minister Subhash Faldesai, is holding the position despite being ineligible. While the Court is yet to decide on the complainant teacher’s petition, Kakodkar, in a recent communication to the Department of Education and the Chairman of the Society, stated that the headmaster’s post is vacant since August 2019. According to the letter dated June 28, no Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) has been convened, leav- KAKODKAR’S LET TER TO DoE „„Eknath Naik the acting headmaster resigned on May 31, 2024 „„During the interim, Shubha Subhash Faldesai appointed and is functioning as acting headmistress „„Shubha was appointed physical education teacher and does not meet qualifications required under Rule 78 of the School Education Rules „„In the teachers’ seniority list, Shubha ranks 16 positions below Kakodkar „„No Departmental Promotion Committee convened ing the senior most teacher Kakodkar’s consideration for the post unresolved. “Eknath Naik, who was the acting headmaster at this High School, resigned on May 31, 2024. During the interim, Shubha Subhash Faldesai has been appointed and is functioning as the acting headmistress, signing documents and addressing the school’s teachers and students in that capacity," reads an extract of the letter. Kakodkar further revealed that Shubha was appoint- ed as a physical education teacher and does not meet the qualifications required under Rule 78 of the School Education Rules. Moreover, in the teachers’ seniority list, Shubha ranks 16 positions below Kakodkar. The Goan contacted the department and the school management, both of whom confirmed that the matter was sub judice. Commenting on the charges involving Shubha, a senior education official >Continued on P5 Despite rains, Goa in grip of unusual warm weather SCIENTIST BLAMES ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The unusual warm weather conditions in Goa, even amidst ongoing monsoon rains, have raised concerns among scientists who attribute the phenomenon to environmental degradation. Experts agree that human activities impacting the environment are the primary cause of the persistent heat. Dr A K Saran, Senior Principal Scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), emphasised the detrimental effects of human intervention on the environment. “The earth on the land is parched so much that the moisture retention through the plants and trees has been significantly reduced. Human activities have severely impacted the soil's ability to retain moisture,” he explained. The unusual warmth persists because the soil moisture has not been adequately replenished. “For the surface (soil moisture) to cool, we need a very strong, active spell of rainfall, which has not occurred so far,” noted Dr Ramesh Kumar, BIZZARE WEATHER: EXPERT SPEAK „„Dr Saran emphasises detrimental effects of human intervention on environment „„Earth on the land is parched so much that the moisture retention through the plants and trees has been significantly reduced „„Human activities have severely impacted the soil's ability to retain moisture „„For surface (soil moisture) to cool, we need a very strong, active spell of rainfall, which has not occurred so far „„Trees play a crucial role in maintaining moisture circulation in the air a former meteorologist with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and a current scientist at NIO. Dr Saran highlighted a worrying trend in night-time temperatures in Goa. “For many years, the night temperature in Goa ranged from 22 to 23 degrees Celsius. Recently, it has suddenly jumped to 26 to 27 degrees Celsius. The land is not cooling down as it should. There is a change in the pattern of landward and sea breeze, which inhibits the exchange of heat, resulting in warmer conditions,” he said. The loss of trees, which play a crucial role in maintaining moisture circulation in the air, has further exacerbated the issue. “The trees that draw water from the earth and help maintain atmospheric circulation have disappeared. This has impacted not only Goa but the entire Western Ghats,” Dr Saran added. The scientists' observations underline the critical need for environmental conservation >Continued on P5 TOP OF THE WORLD: India's T20 World Cup winning team greets fans during the victory parade in Mumbai on Thursday. The open bus parade started from Nariman Point till the Wankhede Stadium as fans thronged the Marine Drive to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers. (Report on pg 14) Mhadei inspection: Team makes 3 site visits THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI As members of the Mhadei Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony (PRAWAH) arrived in Goa for a site inspection of the Mhadei River basin on Thursday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant described the visit as crucial for uncovering the truth. "The inspection is crucial for Goa as it will uncover the truth before the PRAWAH members. This is an outcome of our continuous efforts to protect Mhadei which will strengthen our case and vindicate our stand," he said in a post on his X media handle. The site visit by the mem- bers included to Amthane dam, Assonora and Anjunem Irrigation project on day-one of the inspection. The State has assigned WRD Chief Engineer Pramod Badami and Asst Engineer Dilip Naik to accompany the team during the inspection. "It was familiarization visit of PRAWAH of the Madei ba- sin," Badami told The Goan. Earlier, CM stated the PRAWAH members will conduct a detailed site inspection of the Mhadei Basin which will familiarise them with the on ground facts. After the inspection in Karnataka and Maharashtra also, the Committee will meet in Bengaluru on July 8. Missing ITR deadline will now shift you to new tax regime Several Goan politicos makeTOa beeline to Delhi MEET AND GREET: GOA DELHI A MONTH AFTER MODI 3.0 TOOK GUARD… THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI NEW DELHI Failing to meet the July 31 deadline to file Income Tax Returns for the Assessment Year 2024-2025 will now automatically shift you to the new tax regime. The latest Income Tax regulations say that if taxpayer fails to file their ITR within the deadline, they will be shifted to new tax regime, which also means that they will be forfeiting their ability to opt for the old regime for that financial year. In other words, the belated ITR will have to be filed under the new tax regime. If you want to choose the Old Tax Regime (within dead- If you want to choose the Old Tax Regime (within deadline), you will have to file Form 10-IEA. Income Tax rule says that it is mandatory to submit Form 10-IEA for Opt out or Re-entering into new tax regime line), you will have to file Form 10-IEA. Income Tax rule says that it is mandatory to submit Form 10-IEA for Opt out or Re-entering into new tax regime by Individuals, HUF, AOP (other than co-operative societies), BOI & AJP who have income from business or profession. Individuals, HUF without any business or professional income can opt out of the new rax regime or re-enter in to the new tax regime directly when they file their Income tax returns. As per Income tax regulations Earlier, till FY 2022-23 when the new tax regime was not the default tax regime, individuals had to file Form 10IE to specify their willingness to choose the new tax regime. However, starting FY 202324, the new tax regime has been set as the default tax regime. This means that if taxpayer does not specify their intent to choose the old regime, they will be automatically enrolled in the new regime. PANAJI ince the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers took office post the June 4 results of the Parliamentary election, at least half a dozen of Goa's Cabinet ministers, including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, have rushed on trips to Delhi, ostensibly to ensure ongoing 'double-engine' projects in their respective ministries are not derailed. Sawant was the first to hit the National Capital and party sources said he was assigned some role and duties in the formation of the coalition government exercise by the party bigwigs. In tow was the BJP's State president and Rajya Sab- S „„Sawant was the first to hit the National Capital and party sources say he was assigned some role and duties in formation of coalition govt „„Along with him was BJP's State president and Rajya Sabha MP, Sadanand Tanavade. „„Sawant also made a second trip alongwith Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira „„Earlier this week, Sawant made his third trip to Delhi „„Margao MLA, Digambar Kamat also made a trip and met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari „„Transport Minister Ma- vin Godinho also landed in Delhi and met Gadkari „„Power Minister Sudin Dhavlikar too landed in Delhi and met Pralhad Joshi „„Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar met Modi and claimed that he has pitched a food park for Canacona ha MP, Sadanand Tanavade. Sawant also made a second trip alongwith Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira during which the duo held a meeting with Union Environment Minister, Bupendra Yadav, and managed to extract an assurance that issues linked to the ministry like the ESA notification from which some villages have to be dropped, sand mining and Coastal Zone Management Plan will be resolved. Earlier this week, Sawant made his third trip to Delhi in Modi 3.0, which triggered speculation of a possible cabinet reshuffle and the imminent transfer of the Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh, IPS, even if the chief minister himself has said nothing of that sort. Interestingly, while Sawant was in Delhi on this third trip, also present in the national capital was former chief minister and Margao MLA, Digambar Kamat, apparently on a 'solo mission'. Kamat, spurred speculation after he met and greeted Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and discussed his constituency's 'ring road' project with the latter. Kamat's Delhi sojourn, coinciding with Sawant's official visit there, was explained by the former chief minister as just a "coincidence" as he had >Continued on P5