log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline PG13 TUESDAY AUGUST 13, 2024 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 57 South Africa and WI settle for draw in rain-hit 1st Test RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 ECs granted for sand mining withdrawn, Goa tells NGT TO UNDERTAKE DSR BEFORE APPLYING FOR FRESH ECs THE GOAN I NETWORK >> See pg 3 Hearing impaired but loud in success: This teacher sows seed of knowledge among her students IN SHORT >> NGT admits plea on Borim bridge MARGAO: National Green Tribunal has admitted the application filed by villagers of Loutolim and Borim for change in the alignment of the new High Level Borim Bridge on the ground that the petitioners have made out a prima facie case adversely impacting the >> See pg 2 environment.  Panaji traffic plan in HC likely today PANAJI: The govt is likely to submit traffic plan for Panaji to the Bombay High Court at Goa on Tuesday. The Division Bench of Justice M S Karnik and Justice Valmiki Menezes is hearing a suo motu writ petition on the Panaji traffic. During the last hearing, the bench asked the authorities to submit traffic plan to ensure easing the congestion. State to get 48 new libraries PANAJI: Forty-eight new libraries will be set up across the State and 78 existing libraries will be upgraded, Minister Govind Gaude has said. He informed that consultants have been appointed and procedure for upgradation as well as setting up has already commenced. Rider dies after scooter falls in pit PONDA: A 60-year-old rider from Jamboli-Molem died on Sunday night when his scooter fell into a pit dug to lay underground power lines at Molem. Tension prevailed in the area for some time as residents on Monday morning blocked the JCB which was involved in the excavation work. PANAJI The State government on Monday informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) its decision to recall or withdraw all environmental clearances (ECs) granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for sand mining in Goa. The Advocate General Devidas Pangam in a submission before NGT assured to undertake the District Survey Report (DSR) as required under the sustainable sand mining guidelines before applying for fresh ECs. The NGT, after recording the statements of the Advocate General, thereafter disposed of the appeal filed by the Goa River Sand Protectors’ Network (GRSPN) challenging ECs granted by SEIAA to SAND MINING: THE ROAD AHEAD „„AG told NGT that Goa govt has decided not to pursue the four ECs that were issued in 2021 as they were issued without the DSR North District Collector for extraction of sand along the stretches of River Chapora. When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, the Advocate General made a statement that the Goa Government has decided not to „„Govt now preparing DSR as required by law and fresh applications for ECs will be made thereafter „„NGT recorded that ECs have become infructuous as they will no longer be given effect to THE STORY THEN „„Legal sand mining activities had been banned since 2018 after GRSPN pursue the four ECs that were issued in 2021 as they were issued without the DSR. Instead the Government is now preparing a DSR as required by law and fresh applications for ECs will be made thereafter. approached HC seeking restrictions on the number of sand mining permits „„Over 300 sand mining permits had been issued for the 2017-18 seasons „„Goa-SEIAA had in October 2021, granted EC to North Goa District Collector to carry out sand miningand money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crore NGT, while disposing off the appeal recorded that the ECs have become infructuous as they will no longer be given effect to. Legal sand mining activities have been banned in the State since 2018 after GRSPN Traffic plan for Porvorim flyover passes trial run Gambling raid left accused with fracture, exposes ugly side of cops HEAVY TRAFFIC STOPPED, OTHERS TAKE ALTERED ROUTE THE GOAN I NETWORK Two days prior to the trial, North Goa District Magistrate Sneha Gitte (IAS) issued an order temporarily prohibiting the movement of heavy goods vehicles entering Goa. These vehicles were diverted at Patradevi to proceed via the Banda-Dodamarg-Bicholim-Sanquelim route for their onward journey. The order also PANAJI A fierce rivalry between some IPS officers has spiralled into a desperate scramble for accolades, leaving the department’s higher-ups in a tricky situation. What began as a routine gambling raid on the third floor of a Naikawado (Calangute) apartment took a shocking turn. In the chaotic wee hour raid on August 11-12, one of the alleged gamblers was ‘accidentally’ hurled from the building. The man, identified as Fakirappa Bramanan, aged 50, plummeted to the ground in a dramatic twist that could haunt the force, at least until the next controversy. Credible sources revealed to The Goan that upon realizing the gravity of the situation, a Superintendent of Police hastily called for an ambulance. At the same time, the remaining 23 accused persons were rounded up and taken to the Crime Branch office in Ribandar. While this dramatic >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The new traffic diversion plan implemented to facilitate ongoing work on the elevated corridor at Porvorim has successfully passed its trial run, with traffic movement on the diverted routes reported to be near perfect. On Monday, the trial saw all light motor vehicles and public buses utilising the slightly altered route, while heavy vehicles were temporarily kept out of the corridor. This decision was made by the district administration, in collaboration with the traffic police and the Public Works Department (PWD) National Highway division, to test the effectiveness of the new traffic flow arrangement. "The traffic diversion was successful. The movement of all heavy vehicular traffic was stopped, which is why everything was moving very smoothly," said Siddhant Shirodkar, DySP (Traffic), North Goa. Executive Engineer PWD A policeman regulates traffic during the trial run at Porvorim on Monday. (NH) Jude Carvalho also said the trial run of traffic diversion was successful. “It’s a small diversion. Only during peak hours from 8 am to 10 am there is heavy traffic which later eases out,” Carvalho said. Following the trial, Shirodkar noted that authorities would meet again to discuss the results with the PWD and identify any potential areas for improvement. He also encouraged the public to offer suggestions for further refine- ment. approached the High Court seeking restrictions on the number of sand mining permits. The Directorate of Mines and Geology had issued over 300 sand mining permits for the 2017-18 seasons with a cap of 6,000 cum on extraction. The Goa-SEIAA had in October 2021, granted EC to North Goa District Collector to carry out sand mining in River Chapora, manually by traditional communities. The decision of SEIAA was taken on the basis of a report submitted by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), who has also submitted a report with regards to Mandovi and Zuari rivers. The ECs were granted for River Chapora- Zone 1 in Morjim, in Zone 2 Pirna, in Zone 3 Camurlim, Zone 4 in Revora, >Continued on P5 Govt’s quest for ST status to Dhangars receives setback RGI REJECTS PROPOSAL TO ACCEPT THEM AS DISTINCT TRIBAL COMMUNITY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Registrar General of India (RGI) has rejected Goa Government's proposal to accept the case of dhangars as a distinct tribal community, a primary criterion for inclusion into the Scheduled Tribes (ST). In a communication to Directorate of Social Welfare in July, the Union Ministry for Tribal Welfare, based on RGI submission had raised some queries to the State proposal and had sought additional information. A similar proposal of the State government was rejected by RGI in 2021. Following which, in January 2023, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led delegation had made a fresh appeal before the Union Ministry. The State government had Indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the community at large, and backwardness were the criteria adopted for determining tribal character of a community submitted a 500-page research report about the tribes to support the proposal of including the dhangars in the ST category. In June 1999, the government had approved modalities for deciding cases for inclusion, exclusion and other modifications in the list of SCs and STs. Indications of primitive traits, distinctive culture, geographical isolation, shyness of contact with the >Continued on P5 Govt to spot ‘grievance prone areas’ in depts MOBILE APP FOR REGISTERING PLAINT ON CARDS OVER 2000 GRIEVANCES RECEIVED ANNUALLY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With an average of over 2,000 governance-related grievances being received annually, the Directorate of Public Grievances has decided to identify the ‘grievance prone areas’ in the functioning of the government departments. Also, the public will soon be able to register their government grievances through mobile phones as the department is in process of developing a Mobile App. According to the department, for the year 202324, nearly 2567 grievances were received from the public of which 1391 cases have been disposed-off. Sources said that the department is in process of formulating a policy in a bid to move the process of grievance redress mechanism from individual grievance redress to identifying the grievance prone areas in the functioning of the department. Ensure discipline among govt servants, CM tells secretaries PANAJI: The Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday held a meeting with the Secretaries of departments and directed them to instill discipline among the government servants. “CM instructed the Secretaries to instill discipline among the government staff and strengthen their field offices to ensure that the public receives without delays or inconvenience,” CMO said in a statement. In the meeting, which was also attended by the IAS and IPS officers, Sawant directed the officials to implement the latest innovative practices across all departments, ensure efficient and timely delivery of public services, expedite infrastructure projects and enhance revenue mobilization. Sawant also reviewed the performance of various departments in implementing Central government schemes. Sources said that the majority of grievances include allegations of bribery, malpractices, employeerelated harassment, delays in clearing applications or granting permissions, atrocities, pension related, quality of services etc. “Since these are common grievances raised by the citizens, it is important that we categorise these as “prone areas of grievances”. We will direct the department concerned accordingly to work on these prone areas,” >Continued on P5 All’s not well? Lobo slams govt Goa University’s national ranking falls drastically decision to withdraw key bills IIT Madras tops, IISc best university THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a surprising move, BJP legislator Michael Lobo on Monday openly criticised his own party's government in Goa, questioning the recent decision to withdraw several key bills from the just-concluded session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. Lobo, known for his outspoken nature, suggested that the decision indicated internal issues within the ruling party. Speaking during a programme to observe the death anniversary of Goa’s first Chief It is shocking that despite having a clear majority with 33 MLAs, so many bills have been withdrawn. It feels like ‘all is not well,’ and this has not gone down well with the public,” —Calangute MLA Minister, Dayanand Bandodkar, in the coastal village of Calangute, Lobo expressed his dissatisfaction with the government's actions. He noted that the bills, which had been tabled after thorough consideration by cabinet ministers, were intended to serve the public interest and their sudden withdrawal sends a negative message to the people. "It is shocking that despite having a clear majority with 33 MLAs, so many bills have been withdrawn. It feels like ‘all is not well,’ and this has not gone down well with the public who have been following the proceedings," Lobo said. The withdrawal of the bills, >Continued on P5 PANAJI oa University (GU) has once again fallen short in the Union Education Ministry's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024, failing to secure a place in the top 100 for the third consecutive year. The university's ranking has dropped from 101 in 2023 to a position within the 151-200 band this year. In fact, no institution from Goa including the National Institute of Technology (NIT) which ranked 90th in the engineering category last year, made it into the top 100. Goa University, which fell from the top 100 in 2021 to G NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras remained on the top spot in the National Institute Ranking Framework, 2024 for the sixth consecutive year, while the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru was ranked as the best university for the ninth year in a row, according to the Ministry of Education. IISc Bengaluru has bagged the second spot in the “overall” category followed by IIT Bombay while IIT Delhi, which was at the third spot last year in the category, has slipped to the fourth position. Eight IITs have figured in the top ten besides All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). the 101-200 band in 2022, retained the position in 2023 before slipping further into one of the lowest rank-band this year. There has been no official statement from GU though Vice-Chancellor Harilal Menon had last year stated that they will review its score. In the management category, the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) in Sanquelim ranked 37th with a score of 55.67 percent, while the Goa College of Pharmacy secured 93rd place in the pharmacy category with 40.69 percent. Last year, GIM Sanquelim was placed 33rd, following a ranking of 36th the preceding year. It remains the only institution in Goa to feature in the top 50 B-schools. In the college category, Ponda Education Society’s Shri Ravi S Naik College of Arts and Science and Dempo Charities Trust's Dhempe College of Arts & Science ranked within the 151-200 band. The Government College of Arts Science & Commerce in Sanquelim, Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts & Science (Autonomous), St Xavier's College of Arts Science & Commerce in Mapusa, and Vidya Prabodhini College of Commerce, Education, Computer and Management, Vidyanagar, fell into the 201-300 band. The Ponda Education Society held the same rank last year, having been in the 101-150 bracket in 2022. Institutions participating in the NIRF are evaluated across various parameters, including teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practices, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity, and perception.