log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY JULY 31, 2024 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 44 Wholesale fish traders to pay sopo to authorised SGPDA fee collectors 3 GOA CCP seals crumbling old house, likely to demolish it soon 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Effectiveness of non-surgical and regenerative spine treatments 10 SPORTS India whitewashes Sri Lanka with Super Over win 12 push for Romi Massive landslides hit CM slamssays it’s politics Konkani, Kerala, over 120 dead Mentions there’s no genuine love for the language 128 INJURED, HUNDREDS STILL TRAPPED UNDER DEBRIS PTI ASSEMBLY COVERAGE Dissatisfied with CM’s reply on grants, Oppn troops to well of House; demands passed 298 cybercrime cases registered in Goa, CM assures to strengthen cyber cell Govt to upgrade directorate of settlement website within six months Govt mulls revival plans for Goa Antibiotics & Pharmaceutical Ltd Navelim govt school with 70 students, one lady teacher has no loo Excise scam: Clerk made scapegoat, inspector reinstated, says Oppn (See pgs 2&3) IN SHORT >> Head constable goes missing BICHOLIM: A head constable attached to Margao police station Shankar Sawant has gone missing from his residence at Sarvan-Bicholim from Monday evening. According to Bicholim police he was last seen near the Bicholim CHC at one of a shop along with his car at around 3-4 pm. Police have recovered a note from the car written by him. 27-year-old sailor drowns in pool VASCO: A 27-year-old sailor, resident of Baina but a native of Gujarat died after drowning in a swimming pool at Raj Hans on Tuesday. Vasco police sources said they received information that one person namely Usman Gani Ansari, was brought dead to the casualty as a case of drowning in a swimming pool at Raj Hans.  >> See pg 5 WEATHER >> Max: 30 C Min: 26.6 C Humidity: 95% TIDES Low: High: 01.00 13.45 08.45 18.37 WAYANAD In one of the worst natural disasters in Kerala, at least 123 persons were killed and 128 injured in massive landslides triggered by torrential rains in Wayanad on Tuesday. With hundreds trapped under the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities, rescue agencies were racing against time to pull out any survivors. Government sources said 123 people have been killed so far in the tragedy. Heart-wrenching scenes and phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to move out of places where they were stranded, were witnessed after the landslides that left a trail of death and destruction in the picturesque hamlets of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha. Earlier, speaking at a press conference in Thiruvanan- Belagavi village under flood water BELAGAVI: A village in Belagavi district was completely inundated by floods after intense rainfall caused all seven rivers in the area to overflow. The incident happened in Gokak taluka forcing many families to flee and seek refuge on the streets.   >> See pg 8 An aerial view of Kerala’s Wayanad after landslides hit the district on Tuesday. thapuram about the massive tragedy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: “Due to the intense rainfall, landslides occurred, and an entire region has been destroyed. Ninety-three bodies have been recovered so far.” He said 128 people are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. “Children who went to sleep last night, including infants, are among those who lost their lives in this disaster and are now buried under the earth. The floodwaters swept away many people. Sixteen bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar River in Pothukallu in Malappuram district (neighbouring Wayanad), and body parts were also found,” Vijayan said. “This is one of the most severe natural disasters our state has ever seen,” he said. Goa’s onshore casinos hit jackpot debt of `349 crore CM SAYS DUES PENDING FOR 5 YEARS, VOWS TO RECOVER AMOUNT WITHIN A YEAR THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday informed the Goa Legislative Assembly that onshore casinos owe the State government Rs 349 crore in dues accumulated over the past four to five years. Sawant assured the House that these dues would be recovered within a year. “We are in the process of recovering the amount. If they fail to pay the dues, we will seize the properties of the casinos. We will fast-track the process and recover the dues within a period of one year,” Sawant said. The Chief Minister also noted that some casinos have already closed down, and others are embroiled in legal disputes. He was responding to a query from Goa Forward Party (GFP) MLA Vijai Sardesai, who claimed that land-based casinos owe the government approximately Rs 566 crore. Sardesai highlighted a spe- Crackdown on illegal casino advts soon: CM MAPUSA: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the Goa Legislative Assembly of strict action against illegal advertisements promoting casinos, vowing that all unauthorized hoardings would be dismantled. Sawant emphasized the government’s commitment to addressing this issue, citing recent actions taken against unlawful advertisements in Porvorim.  >> See pg 2 cific case where a license was granted to one Sarika Gupta despite an outstanding payment of Rs 80 crore. He further alleged the involvement of a bureaucrat at the Under Secretary level in facilitating the license. Sawant assured Sardesai that he would investigate the matter and take necessary action if required. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao questioned the feasibility of recovering such a large sum within a year when it had been outstanding for the past five years. “If the government was not able to recover such a large sum of money from the opera- tors for the last five years, how will the CM manage to collect this amount within a year?” Alemao asked. During the discussion, several MLAs, including those from the ruling benches, called for action against illegal gambling operations, such as slot machines and small casinos, which have proliferated across the state. They noted that these gambling units often shut down during assembly sessions but resume operations immediately afterward. Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo expressed concern about the >Continued on P5 He said 34 bodies have been identified, and 18 of them have been handed over to relatives of the deceased persons. More than 3,000 people have been shifted to 45 relief camps set up in the district, Vijayan added. He said the first landslide occurred at 2 am, followed by another at 4.10 am, adding that Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas have been cut off and the Chooralmala- >Continued on P5 Panjimites give evidence of pothole-ridden roads to court THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Panaji residents on Tuesday submitted photographs to the Bombay High Court at Goa, alleging that substandard works were carried out by the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation in several parts of the capital. The images reportedly showed pothole-ridden roads and other deficiencies as evidence of the alleged poor quality of work. In response, Advocate General Devidas Pangam attributed the potholes to recent rains and assured the Court that repairs would be conducted after the monsoon season. The government informed the Court that the Corporation of the City of Panaji, along with other departments, will handle the repair of potholes, footpaths, and similar issues. The High Court thereafter adjourned the hearing to next week. Last week, the government informed the court that all roads involved in Smart City project had been reopened. The Court then asked the petitioners to submit any deficiencies during the next hearing. ‘Genuine’ artistes will review KA work, assures CM Oppn demands House Committee for probe; Report to be tabled in next session THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA hief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday assured the formation of a committee comprising “genuine” artists to review the renovation work at the Kala Academy and consider suggestions from the Charles Correa Foundation. Sawant was replying to a belligerent Opposition led by Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, who lambasted the State government for alleged sub-standard renovation work and demanded the formation of a House Committee to C CM SPEAK: PROMISES & ACTION „„To consider suggestions from Charles Correa Foundation „„Contract has three-year defect liability period and a five-year maintenance period „„Any defects to be addressed at contractor’s cost „„Minor issues already resolved… plans afoot to task IIT Bombay with a structural stability report investigate the matter. The CM also assured to prepare a comprehensive report of the works on KA and place it in the House in the next Assembly session. Sardesai highlighted significant defects in the cultural centre just a year after its renovation. He pointed out that while the Public Works Department (PWD) denied any faults, the Charles Correa Foundation’s public presentation revealed several issues. “If my newly built house showed defects within a year, I would demand an explanation from the contractor. What action is the government contemplating against the contractors for the poor work on Goa’s iconic cultural centre?” Sardesai questioned. He added that artists across the State are unhappy with the changes made to the KA, noting that the colour of the seat covers was changed from red to black, the floor mattress was downgraded and the sound system was inadequate. Sardesai accused Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude of making these decisions without expertise, calling the project a “waste of Rs 75 crore.” Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao emphasized the need to maintain the KA’s sanctity, pointing out several instances of sub-standard work, including faulty microphones, poor light control, improperly placed AC units, and low>Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant sternly rejected grant of “official status” to Konkani in the Roman script, a longstanding issue which has gained momentum with a number of villages passing gram sabha resolutions voicing the demand and alleged ‘politics’ as the motive behind the demand and division of the community. OFFICIAL STATUS “The demand is being made for the sake of politics. There is no genuine love for the language,” Sawant said even as he claimed that it was the BJP government that began giving grants to the Dalgado Konkani Academy which espouses the cause of Romi Konkani. “It was the Bharaitya Janata Party government led by Manohar Parrikar which began giving grants to the Dalgado Konkani Academy. Congress governments never gave them grants,” Sawant said. The chief minister was responding to the demand for official status to ‘Romi Konka- The demand is being made for the sake of politics… it was the BJP government that began giving grants to the Dalgado Konkani Academy which espouses the cause of Romi Konkani, Congress govts never gave them grants — Pramod Sawant ni’ raised by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Velim MLA, Cruz Silva and other MLAs during the discussion on the demands for grants pertaining to the Department of Official Language. Sawant said it is being raised only for political reasons like in the past, when several former legislators used to raise the demand only when in the Opposition but when they went on to become ministers and even chief ministers they forgot the Romi Konkani demand. Sawant also said that the demand was also made in a writ petition before the High Court in the 1990s but it was dismissed. Earlier, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude too downplayed the issue, suggesting it was ‘minor’ and urged against distractions from the State’s overall harmony and peace. He mentioned that he would address the issue in detail later. MLA Cruz Silva expressed frustration over what he perceived as injustice towards Romi Konkani, arguing that it should receive the same official status as Devanagari Konkani. Silva also highlighted that the advisory board under the Official Language Act has been inactive for five years and called for an amendment to the Act to include Romi Konkani. Venzy Veigas echoed this sentiment, stressing the need for the Official Language Act’s implementation and advocating for Konkani to be a compulsory requirement in government job recruitments. Quepem MLA Altone D’Costa also supported these views. HISTORIC 2ND OLYMPIC MEDAL Manu-Sarabjot win bronze PARIS: A calm and composed Manu Bhaker scripted history to become the first Indian athlete in post-independence era to win two Olympic medals in a single edition of the Games as she combined with an unruffled Sarabjot Singh to clinch the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze. The pair defeated the Korean duo to earn the second medal. Hockey: India beats Ireland PARIS: The Indian men’s hockey team expectedly beat Ireland despite a few defense SEE lapses to more or less secure its passage PG 12 into the quarters of Paris Olympics, with Harmanpreet scoring a brace in a 2-0 win on Tuesday. Unlike the previous two matches, India penetrated the rival circle consistently and dictated play in the first half.