log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY AUGUST 30, 2024 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 73 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Root’s 33rd century gives England strong hold against Sri lankaPg 14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 35 more govt primary schools face closure over no students Decks cleared for private varsity campus at Tivim PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, REASONS SAWANT 2 lakh sq metres proposed SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI  page 7 Charging ahead: India’s EV boom and battle to end battery dependency REVIEW: Mahindra Thar Roxx: A more desirable family focused SUV IN SHORT >> ‘ESI hospital in Mulgao in 2 years’ PANAJI: Labour Minister Atanasio Monserrate said the Employees State Insurance hospital being set up at Mulgao in North Goa will be completed in two years. Monserrate said the 150-bedded hospital will be coming up on land of the housing board and a plan has been prepared by the ESIC headquarters and approval has been obtained to commence construction.  >> See pg 3 Tension in Bicholim over debris plant BICHOLIM: Tense moments prevailed at Kudchirem-Bicholim on Thursday when angry locals objected to a survey being conducted for a proposed construction and debris plant in the area. A large police force was present at the site to maintain law and order and to enable the survey process.  >> See pg 3 In-flight internet on cards in India NEW DELHI: There is limited internet connectivity over the Indian skies, since India allowed aircraft to have internet connectivity in flights only a couple of years ago. But this is soon likely to change.  >> See pg 9 WEATHER >> Max: 31.4 C Min: 26.5 C Humidity: 92% TIDES Low: High: 01:52 15:13 09:27 20:09 Thirty-five more government primary schools may soon be shut as they have got zero enrolment for the current academic year 2024-25. With more and more number of State run schools getting closed annually, the Government has unofficially decided to freeze all new permissions to private institutions.  In the ongoing academic term, the Education Department has ordered closure of seven schools due to nil enrolment while there are close to 60 per cent government schools, of the total 687, where less than five students are studying in Class I to IV. “The government schools are shutting down due to private schools located within its close proximity,” the Chief TOUGH LESSON FOR GOVT „„On an average 10-12 government primary schools are shut annually in the last ten years due to nil or poor enrolment  „„In the last two years, close to 150 applications for new schools have been kept on hold or rejected „„Currently, there are 687 functional government primary schools, with a total student enrolment of 4044 only „„In privately managed government aided English medium schools, there are more than 10,000 students while another 3600 are in unaided privately managed schools ANGANWADI TO BE SHIFTED TO GOVT SCHOOL IN DHARBANDORA >> See pg 3 Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday.  Sources informed that on an average 10-12 government primary schools are shut annually in the last ten years due to nil or poor enrolment.  “Considering the situation, the government has no options but to freeze granting permissions to new aided primary schools. In the last two years, close to 150 applications  for new schools EV expansion hits hurdle, no sign of FAME II buses Hyderabad firm was to deliver 100 e-buses THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech Limited once hailed as a key player in Goa’s ambitious electric vehicle (EV) expansion, now finds itself in hot water. The Goa government, under the FAME II scheme, proudly announced its partnership with Olectra in 2021 to boost its EV fleet with 100 new buses. The deadline? January 2024. Yet, not a single bus has rolled into the State. The company, which secured a Rs 140 crore contract to deliver these electric buses to Kadamba Transport Corporation, was just recently slapped with a hefty Rs 2 crore penalty for the considerable delay. KTCL Chairman Ulhas Tuenkar expressed that the company’s sluggishness prompted them to slap the penalty. “For this delay, we have imposed a fine of Rs 2 crore on the company,” Tuenkar said NO JOY RIDE THIS „„After a fine of Rs 2 cr, Olectra Greentech to deliver 100 electric buses to KTCL from next month „„First 10 e-buses expected next month „„All 100 buses likely to be commissioned by December 2024 „„New e-buses will initially operate only in areas close to existing charging stations speaking to The Goan. “The company has now promised to deliver the buses in batches, with the first 10 expected next month. By December, we expect all 100 buses to arrive and start plying on our roads.” The Corporation has indicated that the company could face even steeper fines if further delays occur. These EV buses are meant to replace the aging diesel fleet that is still operating in certain areas. However, the lack of charging infrastructure means that the new buses will initially operate only in areas close to existing charging stations. “We will operate these buses in Margao, Canacona, Quepem and Valpoi among other areas. It also includes the inaccessible parts of Goa but until the charging stations, the EV buses will ply in areas close to the charging stations,” Tuenkar added. This is the company’s second order from KTCL as it boasts of previous contracts in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and Uttarakhand. Govt to revive schools with low enrolment: CM PANAJI: The Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said that the government will strive hard to revive those primary schools, where the enrolment of students is four or less. “We will see these schools are not closed. Efforts will be taken to revive these schools,” he said. have been kept on hold or rejected by the government taking into account the feasibility report submitted by the education department,” sources said.  According to rules, there Govt to obtain fresh EC for traditional sand mining THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa government on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court at Goa that it will obtain fresh environmental clearance for traditional sand extractors to resume sand mining. During the hearing of a petition filed by the traditional sand extractors seeking immediate relief, the government assured the Court that issues related to sand mining would be resolved within two to three months. “The government will expedite the process of obtaining EC to facilitate the issuance of permits. The sand mining issue will be resolved within 2-3 months. The District Survey Report is completed. The government’s intention is to resolve the issue surrounding this activity involving traditional extractors as soon as possible and issue permits. Applications from traditional sand extractors who conduct mining manually will be processed promptly,” AG Devidas Pangam informed the Court. cannot be two primary schools within the radius of one to two kilometer  while the three kms radius is for Secondary schools. “Goa has two-three primary schools serving in a radius of four or less kms. During the Medium of Instruction issue, the government had relaxed the distance criteria for Konkani and Marathi schools as a result of which the density of primary schools in close proximity increased,” sources said.  As per the information available, there are currently 687 functional government primary schools, with a total student enrolment of 4044 only. In a clear preference for privately managed government aided English medium schools, there are more than 10,000 students enrolled while another 3600 are in unaided privately managed schools. as ‘investment area’ THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A two lakh square meters parcel of land in Tivim is proposed to be declared as an ‘investment area’ by the Goa IPB for a private university -- MIT World Peace University. The Pune-based university proposes to set up its campus at Tivim where  it will offer a wide range of courses in engineering, marine engineering, medical science, management studies, arts, journalism, public policy among other fields. The University had got an in-principle nod for the proposal from Goa IPB several months ago. The board through a notification in the official gazette has now proposed to declare the said area as Investment Promotion Area and has sought feedback from UK university to set up offshore India campus NEW DELHI: The UK’s University of Southampton has become the first foreign university to set up its offshore campus in India under the new NEP, the Centre announced on Thursday.  >> See pg 9  the general public. The University is being proposed under the State’s Private University’s Act. Objections if any have been now invited from the public >Continued on P5 Pit bull mauls 10-yr-old boy to death in Anjuna Severe bites on cheek, neck, arms & legs THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a tragic incident, a 10-yearold boy lost his life after being attacked by a Pit bull at a residence in Anjuna where his mother was employed as a housekeeper. The horrific event occurred on Thursday around 3.30 pm when the boy accompanied his mother to her workplace. The child was in the house while his mother performed her duties as a domestic help when the homeowner’s pet dog, a Pit Bull, suddenly lunged at the boy. The dog viciously mauled the child, biting him on the cheek, neck, arms, and legs, leaving him severely injured and bleeding profusely. Family members who witnessed the attack acted swiftly, rushing the boy to the North Goa District Hospital in Mapusa. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was later transferred to the Goa Medical THE VICIOUS ATTACK „„The 10-yr-old boy accompanies his mother where she works as a housekeeper „„His mother performs her duties when the pet dog suddenly lunges at the boy „„The child is viciously mauled on the cheek, neck, arms, and legs, leaving him bleeding profusely „„Family members rush him to Mapusa hospital, later shifted to GMC „„Boy succumbed to injuries in the evening College and Hospital (GMCH) in Bambolim for advanced treatment. Despite the efforts of medical professionals, the boy succumbed to his injuries in the evening while undergoing treatment at GMCH. Anjuna Police Inspector Suraj Gawas, along with his team, visited the scene of the incident and conducted a panchanama. “Our inquiry is in progress,” Gawas said when asked for further details about the case. The Anjuna Police have initiated a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death. While stray dogs have been involved in several cases of dog bites across the State, pet dogs have also been responsible for unprovoked attacks. In August 2023, a Rottweiler >Continued on P5 Mumbai emerges as Asia’s ‘billionaire hub’ Get ready for a tasty twist this Chaturthi AGENCIES NEW DELHI India’s financial capital Mumbai has emerged as the “billionaire capital of Asia,” having more billionaires than Beijing, the capital of China, according to the 2024 Hurun India Rich List. Mumbai saw an increase of 58 billionaire individuals, taking its total to 386 on the list. “Home to 25% of the list -- Mumbai is not only the billionaire capital of Asia, overtaking Beijing but also the preferred city for Hurun India Rich Listers, followed by New Delhi and Hyderabad,” the Hurun list data stated. Among the top cities of residence of Hurun India Rich Listers 2024, Mumbai is followed by Delhi, which has Adani replaces Ambani as India’s richest NEW DELHI: Gautam Adani and his family have secured the top spot in the 2024 Hurun India Rich List, with a wealth of Rs 11.6 lakh crore, surpassing Mukesh Ambani. In 2020, Adani was fourth on the list. Adani’s wealth has surged by 95 per cent in the last one year. His rise is marked by recovery following the Hindenburg report, which had raised significant scrutiny. added 18 new billionaires, taking its rich list entries to 217. Meanwhile, Hyderabad took a significant leap and surpassed Bengaluru, for the first time, to take the third position in the number of wealthy residents. A surge of 17 new billionaires took the total number in Hyderabad to 104, followed by Bengaluru at the fourth position with 100 wealthy individuals. Among other cities in the top 10 are Chennai (82), Kolkata (69), Ahmedabad (67), Pune (53), Surat (28) and Gurugram (23). In March this year, the Hurun Global Rich List 2024 noted that Mumbai has surpassed Beijing to emerge as “Asia’s billionaire epicentre”. As per the list, Mumbai is home to 92 billionaires, edging past Beijing’s count of 91. Notably, India’s financial capital added 26 new ultra-rich individuals having a total wealth of $445 billion to the club, while China’s capital city lost 18. “Mumbai was the fastest-growing billionaire capital in the world, adding 26 in the year and taking it to third in the world and Asia’s billionaire capital. New Delhi broke into the Top 10 for the first time,” the earlier report stated. Now, Mumbai is in third position globally in terms of billionaires, behind New York (119) and London (97). Govt’s goaebazaar.com adds ‘matoli’, ‘falar’ items; Swiggy to deliver THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI can a QR code, navigate through the swayampurnagoa.com website, pre-order your ‘matoli’ or ‘falar’ items and make the requisite payment online. Your order will then be delivered to your doorstep in time to welcome Lord Ganesha and appropriately celebrate the Chathurti festival slated to begin on September 7. The Goa government’s permanent online platform for artisans and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to sell their wares, has this year added a combo pack of 14 matoli items which can be ordered online for just Rs 1,100, ahead of the Ganesh S DELICACIES AT YOUR DOORSTEP „„Combo pack of 14 matoli items can be ordered for Rs 1,100 „„Combo pack worth Rs 600 of six ‘Falar’ items like ‘neureo’ and ‘besan ladoos’, can also be pre-ordered midnight on September 2 „„Govt taps tie-up with ‘Swiggy’, talks also on to onboard Zomato & Blinkit „„’Matoli’ pack consists of toring, mauling, ghagryo, fhrishele, nagulkudo, kewan, matta, amyache tale (mango leaves), kavandale, ambade, varsabhogi, supari, betel leaves and dry betel nuts & kangla Chaturthi festival. Additionally, a combo pack worth Rs 600 of six ‘Falar’ items like ‘neureo’ and ‘besan ladoos’, can be pre-ordered online until midnight on September 2 and it will also be delivered to you at your doorstep. Officials said, a tie-up with ‘Swiggy’ is being tapped to execute the home-delivery service and talks are on to take on board the delivery services peers, possibly Zomato and Blinkit. Included in the ‘Matoli’ combo pack at Rs 1,100 are 14 items: toring, mauling, ghagryo, fhrishele, nagulkudo, kewan, matta, amyache tale (mango leaves), kavandale, ambade, varsabhogi, supari, betel leaves and dry betel nuts and kangla. Goan neureo, besan ladoo, chakli, shakarpali, chivda and fenori are the six items that make up the ‘falar’ combo >Continued on P5