log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY JULY 15, 2024 GOA Farmers pin hopes on Gadkari to save their khazans Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 28 2 GOA St Estevam locals oppose pvt entity’s plans to take over fields 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Know about the unique complications of heart disease 10 SPAIN ARE EURO CHAMPS SPORTS Alcaraz tops Djokovic in second consecutive Wimbledon final 11 65-year-old man found dead in Candolim home Injury marks found on forehead, police register murder case THE GOAN I NETWORK >> pg 6 Budget expectations, earnings among factors to influence D-Street this week Jude Bellingham of England dejected as Dani Olmo and Daniel Carvajal celebrate after Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner for Spain in the UEFA EURO 2024 final at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. IN SHORT >> New DGP Alok Kumar arrives in Goa PANAJI: The newly appointed Director General of Police (DGP) Alok Kumar arrived in Goa on Sunday. Alok Kumar, IPS (AGMUT-1996 batch), has been appointed as the new DGP for Goa. He replaces Jaspal Singh, who has been transferred to Delhi. Prior to this appointment, Kumar was repatriated from central deputation and has served as IG in the Central Industrial Security Force and as Joint Commissioner of Police and Special Commissioner of Police with Delhi Police. Major water pipeline bursts in Mapusa PANAJI: Main water pipeline has burst at Peddem, Mapusa today afternoon. Thousands of litres of water gushing out of the major pipeline has inundated the highway with water. Commuters, especially two-wheeler riders are having a tough time navigating through the water. Modi’s followers on X reach 100-mn NEW DELHI: The number of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s followers on his X handle crossed the 100-million mark on Sunday, registering an impressive growth of nearly 30 million in the past three years. He is already the most followed head of government on the social media globally. WEATHER >> Max: 27 C Min: 24 C Humidity: 86% AGENCIES BERLIN Spain won a record fourth European Championship title on Sunday after Mikel Oyarzabal’s 87th-minute goal clinched a 2-1 victory over England, whose painful decades-long wait for a major trophy goes on. Oyarzabal slid in to poke home Marc Cucurella’s cross, just when the game at Ber- CM plays down row over Sunburn shift to South SAYS FESTIVAL IS PRIVATE EVENT, GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE CALL WHEN PROPOSAL IS RECEIVED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday played ‘Mr Cool’ over the controversy surrounding the move to shift ‘Sunburn’ the electronic dance music (EDM) festival to South Goa this year saying it is a “private” festival and the organisers must have applied for permissions (there). Quitol plateau acquired by IDC for setting up food park back in news with Sunburn twist >> See pg 2 “It is a private festival. If they have said they will hold it in South Goa, they must have applied for permissions to hold it there. We will think about and take a call,” Sawant said in response to queries from journalists at a press conference he addressed on another matter. Sawant also made light of the controversy related to the EDM and expressed surprise that there was so much reaction from several quarters over a private festival. “We will decide. They (Sunburn organisers) always get their permissions late in the day,” Sawant said when asked CALL FOR PROTECTION OF LOCAL BUSINESSES MAPUSA In a resolute stand, the villagers of Calangute unanimously rejected the “draconian” Goa Tourism Promotion Management Bill, 2023, during a gram sabha held on Sunday. The community resolved that the bill should be objected to in its current form at the introduction reading stage in the Goa Legislative Assembly. Local residents expressed concerns that the bill appears to favour corporate interests at the expense of local entrepreneurs and the unique character of Goa’s tourism. Former panchayat member, Clotildes Braganca who proposed the resolution, stated, “The bill’s punitive measures and stringent regulations could stifle innovation and entrepreneurship within the cottage industry. Instead of nurturing local talent and creativity, these provisions threaten to impose unnecessary burdens and restrictions that could ultimately lead to the decline of small businesses.” The resolution highlighted the significant contribution of cottage industries to Goa’s tourism sector, emphasizing that these small-scale businesses not only preserve Goa’s cultural heritage but also provide sustainable livelihoods to numerous local families. “This bill is certainly not in the interest of the local >Continued on P5 „„Soares’ relatives, concerned about his lack of response, alerted the police „„Calangute Police discovered injury marks on Soares’ forehead „„Initial investigations revealed Soares’ cousins heard a loud noise around 2:30 am „„Someone inside responded ‘kai nam’ when the cousins called out, so they went back to sleep „„The perpetrator likely entered by removing roof tiles and using a nylon rope to slip inside sound of breaking glass, at around 2.30 am. When they called out to check if something was wrong, someone inside reportedly responded with “kai nam” (nothing is wrong). Kane said, “Losing in a final is as tough as it gets. We did really well to get back in the game and to 1-1. We could have used that momentum to push on but we couldn’t keep the ball and we got punished.” Key issues, budget on agenda as monsoon session kicks off today Trump shot at campaign rally, survives assassination attempt THE GOAN I NETWORK if the government had not yet issued them the clearances, since the event is already being publicised and pre-sale tickets have gone onstream. The organisers of Sunburn, who hosted seventeen editions of the festival they >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 PANAJI: Reacting to the development, Leader of the Opposition, Yuri Alemao, on Sunday demanded that the organisers of Sunburn be hauled up for publicising the event to be held in South Goa for the first time and opening ticket sales even before getting the requisite permissions from the State government. “This advertisement appeal to register for pre-sale tickets is on the Official Verified X handle of @SunburnFestival. Will @ goacm @DrPramodPSawant dare to register a FIR against the Organisers for issuing advetisments without @GovtofGoa approval or he is part of “Match Fixing”?,” Alemao said in a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter). POLICE FILE 73rd minute to cancel out Nico Williams’ opener in the 47th from 17-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal’s pass. Spain also won the title in 1964, 2008 and 2012. England captain Harry PANAJI After the rough and tumble of the nearly three-month-long Lok Sabha election season, Goa’s political and governance discourse is set to transition to a more serious tone as the State’s 40 legislators will converge at the Goa Legislative Assembly in Porvorim to kick off the monsoon session from 11 am on Monday. In the 18 working days of the session’s duration (July 15 to August 8), the Pramod Sawant government is set to present the budgetary demands for grants of all the government departments and also seek approval of the current fiscal’s budget. On the other side of the aisle, the seven-strong Opposition led by Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao is raring to go and expose issues related to the Sawant administration’s malfunction and malfeasance. As usual, the session on Monday will kick off with the ‘Question Hour’ where Yuri demands FIR against organisers as ticket sales go online sans permissions Calangute villagers reject Tourism Bill, raise concerns THE GOAN I NETWORK lin’s Olympiastadion seemed destined for extra time after the latest show of resilience by England at the tournament. Substitute Cole Palmer equalised for England in the MAPUSA In a shocking incident on Sunday afternoon, a 65-year-old bachelor, identified as Arnoldo Soares, was found dead in a pool of blood in his partitioned house at Orda-Candolim. The deceased, a Canadian national with Person of Indian Origin (PIO) status, had been living in one part of the house for the last 10 years, while his first cousins resided in the other part of the large house. The house features a common entryway. The crime came to light when Soares’ relatives, concerned that he was not responding to calls, alerted the police. Upon arrival, Calangute Police discovered injury marks on Soares’ forehead and have registered the case as a murder. Initial investigations revealed that Soares’ cousins heard a loud noise, likely the >Continued on P5 ESCAPES WITH MINOR INJURIES; SUSPECTED SHOOTER, SPECTATOR DEAD AND 2 OTHERS CRITICALLY INJURED PTI WASHINGTON Donald Trump survived an attempt on his life when a young gunman fired multiple shots at the former US president at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, injuring his right ear, an incident that could dramatically change the already volatile political scene ahead of the high-stakes presidential election. Trump, 78, was addressing his supporters at the packed outdoor election rally in Butler town on Saturday when bullets started flying. Video footage showed him grabbing his ear as shots were fired. Trump was seen with blood on his ear and cheek as he was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents. The crowd started screaming behind him and then someone yelled Get down, get down, get down, get down! as Secret Service agents piled on top of Trump to shield him. The shooting created chaos with people in the back of the Former US President Donald J Trump is assisted by Secret Service agents after gunfire rang out during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.  More reports on page 7 venue immediately running to the exits. As he was being rushed off the stage, a defiant Trump boldly pumped his fist into the air and told the crowd to fight! He was then whisked away in a car to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. Let me get my shoes, Trump said as he was escorted to the safe place. The shooting, which left one spectator dead and two others critically injured, is being investigated as an attempted assassination. The male attacker was also shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service. A spokesperson for the Trump Campaign said the former president is fine after the heinous act. >Continued on P5 Heavy rains, gusty winds disrupt normal life in Goa  ‘RED ALERT’ ISSUED TILL TUES  18TH JUNE ROAD GOES UNDER WATER  FLOOD-LIKE CONDITIONS ACROSS STATE, SEVERAL HOUSES DAMAGED  SAWANT SAYS VENTURE OUT ONLY IF NECESSARY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa was again pounded by heavy rain almost incessantly and accompanied with highspeed winds in several spells throughout Sunday causing trees to collapse and leaving several houses damaged across the State. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) early on Sunday morning raised the weather warning for Goa from orange to ‘red alert’ and has extended it to the whole of Monday, forecasting heavy rainfall with strong surface Schools, HSSs to remain shut today PANAJI: The Directorate of Education (DoE) in a late night decision mandated all schools and Higher Secondary Schools to stay shut on Monday, paying heed to the ‘Red Alert’ warning issued by the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD). Earlier in the day on Sunday, the DoE had left it to the discretion of individual Educational Institutions to take the call of shutting or staying open on Monday depending on the local conditions in their areas. However later in the night, Director of Education, Shailesh Zingde, said the government decided to declare a holiday for all schools and HSSs with the heavy rain persisting. winds over the entire State. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he is constantly monitoring the situation with both the district collectors even as he advised Goans to avoid venturing outdoors, unless it is absolutely necessary. “So far the situation is under control. However, Goans should not go outdoors unnecessarily. Avoid going out of your home, unless it is very essential,” Sawant said. In North Goa, villagers in Ibrampur, Dodamarg and Sal have been warned to exercise caution as the exercise of opening the gates of a full-tothe-brim Anjunem dam is imminent to release the excess water. In the capital Panaji, the city’s main thoroughfare – 18th June Road – was waterlogged for most part of the af- ternoon and evening. Reports coming in from the rest of Goa too said a flood-like situation prevailed in several parts across the State bringing movement of vehicles and people alike to a complete halt in those areas. Meanwhile, trains on the Konkan Railway route came to a grinding halt again following a landslide in the Ratnagiri region between Diwankhawti and Khed. The Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC) however claimed that movement of trains was expected to be restored by Sunday midnight.