log on to thegoan.net Facebook.com/thegoan @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2024 14 pages The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 76 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 Std IV boy brutally assaulted by 2 teachers in Camurlim school GOA Citizens question waste management at Sonsodo amid NGO’s contempt threat GOA Panels to probe landslides reconstituted, directed to submit report within 3 months INFO Best foods to eat when you have stomach flu 9-YR-OLD SUFFERS CUT MARKS, BRUISES, BLOOD CLOTS BOTH TEACHERS BOOKED BY POLICE EDU DEPT INITIATES PROBE THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Two teachers from a private primary school in Camurlim-Bardez have been booked by police in connection with the brutal assault on a Class IV student, leaving the 9-year-old boy with severe injuries, including cut marks, bruises and blood clots. The incident, which occurred at the Shree Saraswati Vidyamandir Primary School in Vagali-Camurlim on Monday morning, sparked outrage and prompted swift action from both the police and the Education Department. The two teachers who have been booked by police are Sujal Gawade of Verem and Kanisha Gadekar of Pirna. According to police reports, the assault began when one of the teachers beat the student with a steel ruler for allegedly tearing some pages from his notebook. The child was struck on his hands, thighs, THE UNSPEAKABLE ASSAULT „„Teacher beats the student with a steel ruler for allegedly tearing some pages from his notebook „„Child struck on his hands, thighs, legs and his back „„Slapped in the face, kicked in the stomach „„Teacher later grabs the boy by his right ear and drags his face against a writing board, causing bleeding and swelling injuries „„Force of blows so intense that it leads to blood clots on several parts of child’s body „„Second teacher faces charges for restraining the victim during the assault and later threatening the boy’s cousin legs, and back, and was also slapped in the face and kicked in the stomach. The violence escalated when the teacher grabbed the boy by his right ear and dragged his face against a writing board, causing bleeding and swelling injuries. The force of the blows was so intense that it led to blood clots on several parts of the child's body. The second teacher involved in the incident is facing charges for restraining the victim during the assault and later threatening the boy’s cousin, who also attends the same school, warning her not to report the incident to their family. Following the attack, the school management reportedly attempted to handle the situation privately by visiting Action will be taken against teachers: CM PANAJI: Reacting to the brutal assault on the 9-year-old boy from a private primary school in Camurlim, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured that action will be taken against both the teachers. “Action will be taken against the private primary school teachers in the assault case”, Sawant said. Meanwhile, Secretary of Education, Prasad Lolyekar disclosed that both the teachers have been summoned for interrogation. the boy’s home. However, the child's father chose to seek justice through legal means, filing a complaint with the local police and demanding accountabil- Death of migrant worker at Mobor stirs hornet’s nest AUTHORITIES CLUELESS ON NUMBER CHINCHINIM HEALTH OFFICER’S LETTER SPEAKS OF DEATH IN AUG THE GOAN I NETWORK >> pg 6 From trends to laughter: Sharing relatable comedy on social media IN SHORT >> AGMUT postings announced PANAJI: Ministry of Home Affairs announced the postings of 12 IAS officers and 9 IPS officers of AGMUT cadre, after completion of their Phase II training. Among them, Mohd Shabir (IAS-2022) and Akshat Ayush (IPS-2022) have been posted to Goa. MARGAO Will authorities shed light on the number of deaths of migrant fishing crew members at Cutbona fishing jetty as well as at Mobor on the other side of River Sal after the outbreak of cholera, gastroenteritis and diarrhea? For, it is now clear that the death of the 19-year old fishing crew worker, a native of Odisha, who succumbed to diarrhea at the Cutbona fishing jetty on Sunday is not the lone death caused by diarrhea/ cholera that has been reported so far. A glance at the letter written by the Chinchinim Health officer, Dr Nixon Fernandes to the South Goa district Collector on August 26 speaks of a death at Mobor as well in August. This has only thrown up a question or two as to how many migrant workers have so far succumbed to diarrhea/ cholera since the outbreak of the disease at the Cutbona jetty and at Mobor. The authorities also need POINTS OF CONCERN „„Five cases of acute gastroenteritis leading to severe dehydration among boat-workers in Mobor reported on Aug 19 „„The migrants were admitted to South Goa District Hospital after falling ill while sailing near Karwar „„Initial investigations suggest potential outbreak of cholera „„Letter dated August 26 indicates 11 cases received domiciliary treatment, 10 were admitted to SGDH and 3 are being treated at GMC ON PAGE 2 All’s not well at Mobor, inspection at fish landing reveals poor working conditions Has South Goa Collector ordered mandatory database for migrant workers? to compile the number of migrant workers at both Cutbona and Mobor hit by diarrhea and cholera till date. For, a further glance at the letter reveals that the Chinchinim PHC was intimated on August 19 by the South Goa District Epidemiologist about five cases of acute gastroenteritis leading to severe dehydration amongst boat-workers at Mobor. The letter stated these migrant labourers were admitted at South Goa District Hospital after they fell sick while sailing, near Karwar and were brought back to Goa for treatment. Preliminary investigations point towards an outbreak of cholera, the letter >Continued on P5 ity for the assault on his son. In response to the incident, the State Education Department has taken a firm stance. "This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable. Corporal punishment is banned, and such an attitude from a teacher will not be tolerated," said Shailesh Zingade, Director of Education. He added that he has instructed the zonal officer to investigate the matter and has summoned the teacher to report to the directorate. The case has drawn attention to the critical need for ensuring student safety and well-being in schools, as well as the importance of swift and decisive action against any form of violence or misconduct in educational institutions. The police have booked the accused teachers under Section 118(1), 126(2), 351(2) r/w 3(5) of BNS, and Section 8 of the Goa Children Act, 2003. The investigation is ongoing. Edu Dept mulls taluka visits to address NEP challenges 1 As the State moves ahead with stagewise implementation of National Education Policy 2020 for Class IX this year onwards, the Education Department has proposed to hold taluka-level visits to engage with individual schools to address any challenges faced by them in the new education system. 2 While the curriculum for Foundational Stage I and II has been developed and made available to the schools, the govt appointed committee is in process of developing curricula for the preparatory and middle stages under NEP. 3 Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was informed that State Curriculum Development Committees for the Preparatory and Middle Stages are in the process of developing curricula for NEP implementation at their respective stages, starting from the next academic year. >> See pg 3 9 SPORTS 13 Bandodkar Trophy: FC Goa go marching into final, set to face Odisha FC Pit bull that fatally mauled Anjuna child found dead CAUSE UNKNOWN, AUTOPSY TO BE CONDUCTED; DOCTOR SAYS POSSIBLE IT HAD RABIES THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a surprising development, the Pit bull involved in the recent fatal attack on a seven-year-old child in Anjuna has died while in the custody of a private animal shelter organisation. The three-year-old dog, which was handed over to Welfare for Animals in Goa after the tragic incident, was found dead on Tuesday morning. The exact cause of death remains unknown and will be determined following an autopsy. Anjuna Police confirmed that after the child’s death, the Pit bull was initially taken into custody by the State government’s veterinary department. However, due to lack of a dedicated shelter facility within the dept, the dog was transferred to WAG, a shelter based in Siolim. The veterinary department has since retrieved PIT BULL SAGA „„The Pit bull was initially taken into custody by veterinary dept „„Due to lack of dedicated shelter facility within the dept, the dog was transferred to a shelter based in Siolim „„On Tuesday, the dog was found dead at the shelter home the dog's body and conducted an autopsy to uncover the cause of death. "When we handed over the dog to the veterinary department, it was normal," stated Anjuna PI Suraj Gawas. He added that the cause of death will be confirmed once the post-mortem report is received. An incident that may have contributed to the dog’s sudden demise was the change in its eating schedule following the arrest of its owner, Abdul Kader Khwaja, who was taken into custody after the fatal attack. The veterinary dept suggested this disruption could have played a role in dog’s death. Dr Gustavo Pinto, a wellknown veterinarian based in Panaji, expressed his shock at the dog’s death and raised concerns that the Pit bull might have had rabies. "The death is surprising. There’s a possibility the dog had rabies. A thorough investigation of the dog’s brain should be conducted to determine if rabies was a factor," Dr Pinto remarked. In a related development, Abdul Khwaja, the owner of the Pit bull, was granted bail on Tuesday. The fatal incident, which occurred last week, involved the Pit bull mauling a seven-year-old boy to death. The child had accompanied his mother to her workplace in Anjuna when the tragedy occurred. Goa makes fresh letter on K’taka Mhadei violations PRAWAH ALERTED ON HOW RIVER’S NATURAL FLOW HAS BEEN DIVERTED INTO MALAPRABHA BASIN THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Days after Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony in its report failed to note the violations of Karnataka government over Mhadei river diversion, Goa government has made a fresh submission before Authority, along with evidence, highlighting how Karnataka has diverted the natural flow of the river into Malaprabha basin. The third meeting of the Mhadei-PRAWAH is scheduled on September 6 in Delhi. The incumbent in-charge of Central Water Commission (CWC) Navin Kumar will chair the meeting, following superannuation of P M Scott. Sources informed that while the meeting agenda is yet to be finalised, the discussion is likely on the expenses of the authority, including salary, infrastructure like office premise in Panaji-Goa -- that will be borne by the three riparian States -- Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra in equal GOA’S CONTENTION „„Water that should have come to Goa has been diverted „„Goa has also brought to the notice of PRAWAH the same violations that they missed out during the visit „„PRAWAH team visited Mhadei basin areas in Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, in July, but interestingly skipped visit to prime violation site at Kankumbi shares. The Centre will make an initial contribution of Rs five crore for setting up and functioning of the authority, which shall be later reimbursed to the Centre by the Authority after contributions are received from the party States, sources said. Sources said that the Goa government has made a fresh letter to PRAWAH pointing out the various violations undertaken by Karnataka to divert the natural flow of the Water. “Goa has put on record various violations along with evidence. The water that should have come to Goa has been diverted,” sources said adding ‘there is no clarity whether the letter would come up for discussion during the meeting or not’. PRAWAH team visited the Mhadei basin areas in Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, in July; but interestingly has skipped visit to the prime violation site at Kankumbi during their visit. “Goa has brought to the notice of PRAWAH the same violations that they missed out during the visit,” sources said. >Continued on P5 CM orders headcount of illiterates Clay Ganesh idol makers seek support beyond subsidies ahead of 100% literacy deadline THE GOAN I NETWORK MOVES AFOOT BY EDU DEPT TO TRAIN THEM THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI As Goa government intends to make the State’s population 100 per cent literate by December 19, the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has directed Directorate of Panchayat and Municipal Administration, to identify the list of illiterates across all rural and urban areas and impart them training. Sawant had on Monday chaired a meeting to review the New India Literacy Mission, under which the government has set an ambitious target to achieve 100 per cent The office of the Chief Minister has asked Panchayats and Municipalities to issue a certificate confirming that the ward, locality, village, or city, within their jurisdiction is literate literacy by December 19, this year. “During the meeting, the Chief Minister instructed the Director of Panchayats and the Director of Municipal Administration to direct Secretaries and Chief Officers to provide a list of illiterates in their respective Panchayat or Municipal areas,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement issued on Tuesday. CMO said that the Panchayats and Municipalities are also directed to issue a certificate confirming that the ward, locality, village, or city, within their jurisdiction is literate. As per National Family Health Survey for 2019-21, released earlier this year, Goa’s literacy rate is up to 93 per cent from 88.7 per cent as >Continued on P5 MAPUSA espite government's efforts to ban entry of plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in the State, traditional clay idol artisans are facing stiff competition. The PoP idols, often perceived as more aesthetically appealing and easier to transport due to their lightweight nature, continue to dominate the market, overshadowing the work of clay idol makers. This year, the government has increased subsidies to encourage traditional artisans who craft Ganesha idols from clay. However, the artisans themselves believe that financial support alone is insufficient. They are advocating for D Veteran clay idol artisan Priyadarshan Salgaonkar amid the idols he has crafted in his Nachinola workshop. a more sustainable solution: investment in training programmes to inspire the younger generation to join the profession. "This will not only create new artisans but also generate more jobs for the youth," said Priyadarshan Salgaonkar, a veteran clay idol artisan from Nachinola. "The new workforce entering the field will benefit senior clay artisans, who can then hire these young individuals to assist in idol-making." Salgaonkar, who has been in the profession for 30 years, produces around 200 idols each season, serving clients across the State, including in Aldona. However, he points out that the biggest challenges they face are a shortage of labour and difficulty in sourcing the right kind of mud needed for the idols. "The lack of workers is a pressing issue," Salgaonkar explained. "The government should focus on training new artisans by organising workshops. This would not only provide employment opportunities for the youth but also ensure that seasoned artists have the help they need. Moreover, it would enable budding artists to receive the necessary training." He also emphasised the economic benefits of such an initiative. "If we can produce more idols, there will be a greater supply in the market, which could potentially reduce the influx of PoP idols," he said. Salgaonkar, who holds a degree in Fine Arts, began making clay idols as a hobby before turning it into a fulltime profession in 1993. His handcrafted idols are in high demand across various parts >Continued on P5