log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY JULY 6, 2024 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 19 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 13 2 9 Starmer is new UK PM, 3 out of 4 key candidates of Goan-origin triumph Labour Party wins big Last hope? Min sets up farmers’ meet with Gadkari to resolve Borim bridge impasse GOA River levels in Sattari, Bicholim remain safe below danger mark: WRD INFO Everything you need to know about Alopecia (hair loss) SPORTS Copa America: Argentina survives penalty scare against Ecuador to reach semis LUI GODINHO THE GOAN I LONDON VOWS TO REBUILD COUNTRY BRICK BY BRICK PTI page 6 Goan leaders, activists campaigned at UK polls Infighting Tories succumbed through their own faults IN SHORT >> 18-month old girl electrocuted MARGAO: In a tragic death, an 18 month old girl was electrocuted to death at Benaulim after she came in contact with a live wire. The Colva police has initiated an inquiry to find out whether there was negligence which resulted in the death of the infant.  >> See pg 2 Morgue malfunctions at district hospital MAPUSA: The non-functioning morgue at the North Goa District Hospital in Mapusa has created significant inconvenience for the residents of Bardez, who are now compelled to transport bodies to the more distant Goa Medical College in Bambolim.  >> See pg 3 NEET-PG exam to be held on August 11 NEW DELHI: The NEET-PG 2024 entrance examination will be held on August 11 in two shifts, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences announced on Friday. The exam was earlier scheduled for June 23. Price of tomatoes at `70-80 a kg NEW DELHI: Retail prices of tomatoes in Delhi have surged to around Rs 70-80 per kg on lower supply due to recent heatwave conditions. Mother Dairy, a leading supplier of fruits and vegetables in Delhi-NCR, is selling tomatoes at Rs 75 per kg through its retail ''Safal'' stores. WEATHER >> Max: 29.2 C Min: 25.3 C Humidity: 92% TIDES Low: High: 04:37 17:33 11:59 22:30 LONDON Keir Starmer became UK's new prime minister on Friday and vowed to rebuild Britain, hours after his Labour Party secured a landslide victory in a general election in which the weary voters inflicted a “sobering verdict” on Rishi Sunak-led Conservatives, who suffered their worst electoral drubbing. Starmer, 61, assumed charge as the 58th prime minister after his customary audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, following Sunak's meeting with the British monarch. The Labour Party secured 412 seats in the 650-member House of Commons, up 211 from the last election in 2019. Sunak's Conservatives won just 121 seats, down 250 seats from the previous election. While the Labour had a vote 28 Indian-origin MPs elected Britain Prime Minister-elect Keir Starmer waves to his supporters with his wife Victoria at the Tate Modern in London on Friday. share of 33.7 per cent the Conservatives had 23.7 per cent. Our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics for public service, said Starmer in his inaugural address from a lectern outside 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British prime minister. As leader of a new Labour Party-led government, Starmer said that the work ahead is urgent and we begin it today. However, he said this would not be as simple as >Continued on P5 Kannada groups jittery over Mhadei team’s Kalsa visit ASK K’TAKA GOVT TO BLOCK SITE INSPECTION, CLAIM IT’S A CONSPIRACY HATCHED BY GOA THE GOAN I NETWORK BELAGAVI Contending that Progressive River Authority for Water and Harmony (PRAWAH) team was formed by the Centre at the behest of Goa government, Kannada organisations in Belagavi and North Karnataka region have requested the Karnataka government to prevent the PRAWAH visit to the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura water diversion project sites on July 7. According to the associations, there is absolutely no need of this visit and survey when the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) has already pronounced its award and the Supreme Court subsequently issuing orders for sharing of water as per the tribunal's order. “Visit of PRAWAH to the Mhadei basin is a part of conspiracy hatched by Goa and contempt of Supreme Court. After going through all aspects of water sharing between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, the Apex court has given its green signal for gazette notification publication on Feb 20,2020. PRAWAH should not visit the Mhadei basin,” noted Kannada activist Ashok Chandargi said. “It is at the behest of Government of Goa that it (PRAWAH team) is visiting the site on July 7. Goa is intending to stall the implementation of the (Kalsa-Bhandura) project on one excuse or the other. I have written a strong letter to Karnataka Chief Minister, Dy CM and the Chief Secretary in this regard,” Chandargi, who is also the president of the Belagavi Dist Kannada Organisations, told The Goan. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Dy CM & Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar and officials concerned should bring the actual state of things with regard to the Mhadei water diversion project to the notice of PRAWAH on July 8 meeting at Bengaluru, Chandargi added. “As Karnataka is waiting for the wildlife and environmental clearances, it is high time for Karnataka authorities to initiate an all out effort to obtain the same,” Chandargi said. Meanwhile, sources said Karnataka Chief Secretary Rajneesh Goel has forwarded Chandargi’s letter to the water resources department, directing appropriate action. LONDON: A record number of around 28 Indian-origin members of Parliament have been elected to the House of Commons in the UK's general election as results were announced on Friday, with several Conservatives surviving an overall brutal outcome for their party. Outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak leads the Tory charge of British Indians holding on to their seats. Gagan held on to his South West Hertfordshire seat for the Conservatives, with Shivani Raja registering a gain for the party in Leicester East where she was contesting against fellow Indian-origin Labour candidate Rajesh Agrawal. Goa to achieve cent per cent literate status by Dec 19: CM THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has set an ambitious target to achieve 100 per cent literacy by December 19, 2024 with education officials currently working to identify the illiterate population and impart them with training followed by an exam. As on date, the State has identified 3,000 illiterate senior citizens, excluding those in Quepem, Canacona and Sanguem talukas. Sawant said these persons have already received training in reading and writing. Speaking at the launch of KILBIL workbooks at his official residence in Panaji on Friday, CM announced that 700 of these have passed their exams while the remaining will undergo their exam on July 14. “Goa is already at the forefront of implementing the National Education Policy (NEP). Now, under the New India Literacy program, we aim to achieve 100 per cent literacy by December 19, 2024. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) is working on this,” he said, adding, “except in >Continued on P5 Three of the four prominent candidates of Goan origin won at the general elections in the UK, when results came in on Friday. The winning candidates were Suella Braverman (Conservative) who won from Fareham and Waterlooville, Valerie Vaz (Labour) who got elected for a fifth term as MP from Walsall South and Claire Coutinho (Conservative) who won from East Surrey. On the other hand, veteran politician Keith Vaz lost from Leicester East after contesting from a new local party ‘One Leicester Party’, which was launched in August last year. GOAN CAMPAIGNERS REACT Swindon Mayor Imtiyaz Shaikh and his wife, Councillor Adorabelle Shaikh, who had campaigned for the Labour Party, said they were “over the moon with Victory and Gratitude.” “2024 marks a great victory for The Labour Party nationally and locally in Swindon with the country vot- Suella Braverman Valerie Vaz ing decisively for change. The results are a sobering verdict for the outgoing Conservative administration from the public,” said Shaikh. “This victory was not achieved alone. Our sincere thanks go out to the residents across Swindon who turned out to cast their vote. A big thanks to them for continuing to place their faith & trust in the Labour Party, change begins now after 14 years of Tory destruction.” “I also want to extend a special thank you to our campaign coordinators, the amazing volunteers, and our brilliant leafletters who worked tirelessly to make this possible. Yet, the most profound gratitude goes to our Swindon communities, who stood by us and supported our vision over Claire Coutinho the past 48 months.” Shaikh said this triumph signifies more than just a political win, it is a resounding call for progress and a better future for all of Swindon. “We are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work because we owe this victory to you. Change begins now,” he added. Rabi Martins, a key member of the Liberal Democrat’s Party National and local campaigning team, said the polls had prepared him for a Labour Victory but admitted that the results of the election had left him speechless. “Like most people, I was tired of a Tory government that for the past five years or so has governed in the interest >Continued on P5 SPANISH DELIGHT! Spain’s Mikel Merino scores his side’s winner against Germany during their Euro 2024 quarterfinal in Stuttgart, Germany on Friday. Spain won 2-1 after extra time to knock out the tournament hosts. (Report on pg 13) Pooja’s Adv claims politicos interfering in investigation THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa Police are facing fresh allegations of misleading and misusing their machinery on instructions of ‘some politicians’ against Pooja Sharma, the main accused in the Assagao house demolition case. These accusations emerged during Sharma’s anticipatory bail hearing on Friday wherein her lawyer, Advocate Surendra Desai, argued that investigation lacked independence. ASSAGAO CASE He further submitted to the Principal Sessions Judge Irshad Agha that political interference was skewing the inves- tigation against Sharma. “Because some politicians are involved, police are misleading and misusing the machinery against her (Sharma). The Crime Branch (CB) is creating imaginary grounds to seek her custody. Your (Goa Police) political boss says and you do it? How can she be the >Continued on P5 From marital tiffs to neighbourhood KA gets a health check from Correa Foundation CCF PRESENTATION: KEY TAKEAWAYS spats, 104 cases resolved in 8 mths THE GOAN I NETWORK GSCW BEGAN FAST-TRACK HEARING LAST MONTH THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa State Commission for Women has resolved 104 complaints in the last eight months since the start of its hearings in October 2023. Chairperson Ranjita Pai, who took charge in March 2023, faced initial delays as the committee was not fully constituted until October. Once set up, the Commission began hearings holding 397 sessions as of July 4, which included a few backlogs. The hearings were fasttracked last month. Speaking to The Goan, Pai The Commission has seen a high volume of cases involving marital discord often due to ego clashes, parental interference and lack of family values while neighbour disputes are second most common type of cases confirmed that the committee has taken up hearings into several related complaints including marital discord and neighbour disputes. “Majority cases are resolved while some cases that required further intervention, were forwarded to free legal services, block development officers or other relevant authorities for appropriate action,” she said. The Commission has seen a high volume of cases involving marital discord often due to ego clashes, parental interference and lack of family values. Neighbour disputes, particularly those involving the violation of women’s dignity, are the second most common type of case. “There are also cases where mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are not on good terms. While several petty >Continued on P5 MARGAO he Charles Correa Foundation has underscored the need to revisit all works carried out and identify the shortcomings and provide a direction to the completion and final restoration of the Kala Academy. Renowned architect and Convenor of the Charles Correa Foundation Tanvi Karia made a detailed presentation on the deteriorating health of the Kala Academy at a meeting convened by Kala Rakhonn Mandd at the Gomant Vidya Niketan hall. The meeting attended by artists, social activists, besides politicians and MLAs saw demand being made to the government to come out with a White Paper on Kala T CCF Convenor Tanvi Karia Academy. Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai called upon the artists to file an intervention petition in the High Court demanding a White Paper from the government, while Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao demanded an inspection to ascertain the health of Kala Academy, promising to raise the issue in the coming Assembly session. After the presentation, CCF „„Need to revisit all works carried out and identify shortcomings „„Provide direction to the completion and final restoration of Kala Academy „„There should have been an advisory committee of the primary users, but it was not formed and nor were artists consulted „„When concerns were raised over the repair and renovation work and help was offered, it was looked like an opposition rather than a suggestion „„Restoration process was opaque since there was no communication at all, with people kept in the dark what was happening inside „„Unlike other prior restoration works that were bound by time constraint, the current works had the opportunity to carry out all the necessary works in good time Convenor Tanvi Karia concluded by saying there should have been an advisory committee of the primary users, when the restoration was happening, but it was not formed and nor were the artists consulted. She further stated that when concerns were raised over the repair and renovation work and help was offered to the authorities, it was looked like an opposition rather than a suggestion. Tanvi further said that the Kala Academy restoration process was an opaque process since there was no communication at all, with people kept in the dark what was happening inside. “Unlike other prior restoration works that were bound by time constraint, the current restoration works had the opportunity to carry out all the necessary works in good time”, she added. Tiatrists Roseferns and Francis de Tuem also addressed the meeting and assured their support to the Kala Rakhonn Mandd. In his address, Leader of >Continued on P5