log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY AUGUST 26, 2024 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 69 Instagram.com/thegoanonline PINDI HEIST GIVES BANGLADESH MAIDEN TEST WIN VS PAKISTAN >P12 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Band-Baaja-Baaraat leaves disastrous trail at stadium  SHOCKING PICTURES REVEAL EXTENSIVE DAMAGE  SCRATCHES ON BADMINTON COURT FLOOR, WASTE STREWN AROUND IN SHORT >> Sunburn echoes at Salcete gram sabhas MARGAO: Plans to hold the controversial Sunburn music festival in South Goa echoed at the gram sabha meetings of Salcete village panchayats on Sunday with the festival coming in for strong objection from members. Be it at the meeting held at Rachol, Davorlim, or Dramapur-Sirlim, members of gram sabhas were unanimous in their opposition to the Sunburn festival.  >> See pg 2 ATM withdrawal leads cops to accused MAPUSA: Calangute Police have arrested two individuals in connection with the murder of Deodita Fernandes, a 64-year-old Goan-origin spinster. The suspects were apprehended while attempting to withdraw money from an ATM, leading police to believe that financial gain was the primary motive behind the crime. >> See pg 3 Bhoma residents demand by-pass PANAJI: The festering opposition to the expansion of the National Highway at Bhoma mainfested itself again on Sunday at the gram sabha which resolved to convey to the government their demand for their village to be by-passed. Villagers also accused the government of attempting to divide them by a strategy of variable valuation of houses.  >> See pg 3 5 AAP councillors join BJP in Delhi NEW DELHI: In a setback for the Aam Aadmi Party, five of its councillors in Delhi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva welcomed them into the party. WEATHER >> Max: 26.5 C Min: 23.8 C Humidity: 99% TIDES Low: High: 09.13 04.11 22.07 14.56 CLINTON D’SOUZA THE GOAN I PANAJI Shock and outrage erupted over the condition of the Manohar Parrikar Indoor Stadium in Navelim after it was used for a wedding reception last Saturday. Photos and videos shared with The Goan reveal extensive damage and disarray, especially on the badminton court with scratches on the flooring, waste strewn around, and a carpet hastily laid over the court. The sports complex, primarily intended for athletic events, has been controversially leased out for various non-sporting events, including weddings. Eyewitnesses provided The Goan with disturbing footage of the venue after the wed- WEDDING AFTERMATH: The mess at the Navelim stadium on Sunday. (Inset) A notice pasted at the stadium. ding. These visuals depict the aftermath of the event, with event organizers and decorators seen cleaning up and removing decorations the following day. Concerned sports enthusiasts and local residents had Water woes plague Bardez, 5 disruptions in 7 months AGEING INFRA CAUSE FOR CONCERN AT ASSONORA PLANT THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Residents of Bardez have once again been hit with restricted water supply, marking the fifth such disruption in the past seven months. The latest announcement came last Monday when the Public Works Department (PWD) informed the public that water supply would be significantly restricted due to a breach in the Tillari canal in Kudase, Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. Repair work is currently underway, and the PWD has not provided a timeline for when the situation will be resolved. This interruption follows closely on the heels of another restriction imposed on August 7, when the PWD announced a two-day water supply cut across Bardez for urgent maintenance at the 30 MLD Water Treatment Plant in Assonora. This maintenance came as a surprise, as the plant had already undergone pre-monsoon maintenance in May, during which many parts of the taluka experienced a two-day water shortage. WATER CUT: BARDEZ TIMELINE AUGUST 19: PWD informs public that water supply would be significantly restricted due to a breach in Tillari canal AUGUST 7: PWD announces two-day water supply cut across Bardez for urgent maintenance MID-JULY: People left without water for days due to fault in the Assonora plant’s transformer The recent series of disruptions has highlighted ongoing issues with the Assonora Water Treatment Plant, which is the primary source of drinking water for Bardez and parts of Bicholim. The plant has faced multiple challenges, including faults in its transformer and aging infrastructure. These issues have been compounded by frequent breaches in the Tillari canal, which supplies raw water to the treatment plant. Residents have expressed frustration over the repeated IN MAY: Taluka experienced two-day water shortage due to pre-monsoon maintenance FEBRUARY 24: Bardez faced water shortage due to a pipeline leak in Porvorim disruptions, particularly during the monsoon season when access to clean water is critical. In mid-July, heavy rains led to flooding in several parts of Goa, yet many areas in Bardez were left without water for days. It was only after residents voiced their concerns that the PWD issued a public notice, citing a fault in the Assonora plant’s transformer as the cause of the disruption. Earlier in the year, on February 24, Bardez faced >Continued on P5 voiced their opposition to this practice arguing that using sports facilities for such events compromises the qual- ity and safety of the sports infrastructure. In response to these concerns, The Goan had reached out to Sports Minister Govind Gaude who had assured of strict protocols. He had stated that double-layered mats are installed to protect the flooring, and engineers and supervisors are present to oversee the safety and condition of the facilities. Despite these assurances, the current state of the Manohar Indoor Stadium raises questions about the effectiveness of these measures. Oscar Silveira, a local sportsman, expressed his >Continued on P5 Taximen banking on discussions with CM today THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Hundreds of taximen operating from outside the Manohar International Airport at Mopa are banking on the meeting between their representatives and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant slated to be held at noon on Monday at the State Secretariat’s Ministers’ block to get contentious issues raised by them resolved. The taxi operators have been on strike seeking reduction in parking and airport usage charges, increased wait times and the removal of the counter granted at the airport for GoaMiles. Sawant had briefly met some representatives of the agitating taximen on Friday night at his official Altinho bungalow where he is said to have conceded some of their demands. Initially, Sawant who was in Delhi when the taximen launched their agitation on Strike continues at Pernem PANAJI: Taxi operators continued with their strike on the fourth consecutive day at Pernem on Sunday. At their agitation site in Pernem, the taximen contitued to sit on their dharna despite the heavy rains by setting up tents to protect them from the rain. Thursday, had turned hostile and refused to meet them accusing them of political motives. He however later relented and met a delegation of their representatives. Leaders of the taxi association had told the media after their meeting with the chief minister, that some demands were accepted while some others required the presence of some bureaucrats and therefore the Monday meeting has been fixed at the Secretariat. EXPLOSIONS OVER ISRAEL, ROCKET ATTACK FROM ACROSS LEBANON 1 Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah attack. The militant group responded that it had fired hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month. Both sides then appeared to pull back, signalling there would be no immediate further escalation, but the situation remained tense. The exchange came as Egypt hosted high-level talks aimed at a cease-fire in the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. By mid-morning, the heavy exchange of fire had ended, with both sides saying they had only aimed at military targets. At least three fighters were killed in the strikes. >> See pg 7 2 3 TOLL OF MONSOON: A paddy field in Taleigao bears the brunt of heavy rains after continuous showers lashed the State for the past two days.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Dengue strategy tweak: More focus now on early treatment THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Health officials are leaning towards putting greater focus on clinical management of both confirmed as well as ‘suspected’ cases of dengue even as they continue the efforts on the preventive front, engaging with communities in endemic areas and where fresh cases are detected. The move comes on the back of one death in July of a confirmed dengue patient -- a five year old boy in Rumdamol, Navelim -- and another more recent case of a 16 year old college student from Khandola who died while undergoing treatment at Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim. A top official in the health department said, the two deaths have marred the efforts of the medical team which has been working round the clock to tackle the dengue threat. The decision to pay more focus on treatment management was taken at a recent review meeting of doctors >Continued on P5 NASA astronauts to hang on A heavenly tune for Goa’s opera diva Leopoldina at 96 in space as capsule hits snag THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI CAPE CANAVERAL National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said it’s ‘too risky’ to bring the two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, back to earth currently, because of which Boeing’s Starliner capsule will return without the two astronauts. They’ll have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX. What should have been a weeklong test flight Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX. What should have been a weeklong test flight for the pair will now last more than eight months for the pair will now last more than eight months. The seasoned pilots have been stuck at the International Space Station since the be- ginning of June. A cascade of vexing thruster failures and helium leaks in the new capsule marred their trip to the space station, and they ended up in a holding pattern as engineers conducted tests and debated what to do about the flight back. After almost three months, the decision finally came down from NASA’s highest ranks. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will come back in a SpaceX capsule in February. PANAJI tate cultural award winner and one of India’s great sopranos of the 20th century, Leopoldina de Figueiredo passed away in Goa. She was 96. Living a long and illustrious career in music, Leopoldina was known for her exceptional talent from her early childhood, till her retirement in 1990, as an assistant professor at Kala Academy. Music lovers in Goa always remembered her as a legendary singer with a shimmering career in music and singing. S FINAL CURTAIN FALLS: Leopoldina Figueiredo during a performance at a concert in the Instituto Menezes Braganza hall, Panaji in 1967.  (File photo) In her 20s, Leopoldina was the first girl in Goa to travel to Italy alone in 1959 on a schol- arship from Portugal to study at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome. She chose to study ‘bel canto’ (Italian for ‘beautiful singing’) as her course in music in Rome. In Catania, she sang under the baton of Russian maestro Igor Stravinsky and lived her dream of becoming a soprano singer. She worked hard at her music but had difficult days after Goa was liberated in 1961 and her scholarship was cancelled by Portugal. Wanting to continue her diploma in music, she did odd jobs such as baby-sitting to fend for herself in the foreign land. Her parents couldn’t support her financially as in those days sending money to a foreign country was not allowed. Leopoldina joined the philharmonic choir there, earned to pay for her classes. The only Indian among the 33-member ensemble she travelled performing around Europe. The choir sang in Bulgaria and Germany. In London it sang at the BBC studio and were the first Catholics to sing in Westminster Abbey after four decades. As part of her course, she also gave solo and duet performances in Rome. She accomplished her dream and >Continued on P5