log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 92 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Union Cabinet gives nod to ‘One Nation, One Election’ n GOVT TO BUILD CONSENSUS BEFORE BILL n IMPLEMENTATION GROUP TO EXECUTE KOVIND PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS PTI CYBER TECH Common cyber threats: Protecting yourself in the digital age >> See PG 7 >> See PG 3 A year on, work on new building for Old Goa police station yet to start IN SHORT >> 28 illegal structures razed in North Goa PANAJI: The Anjuna Comunidade undertook a demolition drive on Wednesday, targeting 25 illegal structures that had been built on their land at Vagator. Meanwhile, demolition of illegal structures along the Arambol coast continued for the second day, as authorities razed three more structures on Wednesday.  >> See pg 3 PWD to crack down on booster water pumps MAPUSA: Following protests by residents of Anjuna over irregular water supply, the PWD has announced plans to take strict action against the illegal use of booster pumps along the coastal belt.  >> See pg 3 Kerala reports 2nd Mpox case MALAPPURAM: Kerala reported a confirmed case of Mpox on Wednesday, marking the second such known case of infection in the country. NEW DELHI Moving ahead with its “one nation, one election” plan, the government on Wednesday accepted a high-level panel’s recommendations for holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and local bodies in a phased manner after a countrywide consensus-building exercise. Asserting that several political parties are already on board, the government said even those parties that are opposed to it may now feel pressure from within to change their stand due to the widespread support on the issue from the people of the country. Announcing the Union Cabinet’s approval to the proposal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ash- GOVT’S PLAN TO IMPLEMENT ONOP „„Simultaneous elections will be implemented in two phases „„In the first phase, Lok Sabha and assembly elections will be conducted simultaneously „„In second phase, local body elections to panchayats and municipal bodies will be conducted within 100 days of the general elections „„There will be a common electoral roll for all elections. Voter ID cards will be prepared by the ECI in consultation with state election authorities wini Vaishnaw said an implementation group would be formed to take forward the recommendations of the panel headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind and detailed discussions would be held on various fora across the country over the next few months. Asked by reporters when the recommendations could be implemented and whether a bill would be brought in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, Vaishnaw evaded a direct reply but pointed out that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the government would implement it Oppn MLAs stand firm against IPB Bill at House panel meet Say it undermines authority of local bodies; poses environment risks THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The select committee of the Goa legislative assembly on The Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation of Single Window Clearance (Amendment) Bill, 2024, met on Wednesday afternoon but there was no evidence of the ice being broken. At Wednesday’s meeting, Opposition MLAs who are members of the committee headed by Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho, stood their ground firmly in opposing the bill much in the same fashion as they did in the House which forced the government to concede the demand to refer it to a select committee. Vijai Sardesai, Carlos Alvares Ferreira, Venzy Viegas and Viresh Borkar are the Opposition MLAs on the panel. Others include Ganesh Gaonkar, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco and Krishna (Daji) Salkar, be- WHAT THE OPPOSITION SAYS… „„It strips power from local bodies and hands it over to the IPB. It completely sidelines the panchayats, GIDC, TCP and several other departments „„If a panchayat rejects, the bill allows the IPB to override that decision „„It could pose risks to the environment arguing that it permits exploitation of eco-sensitive areas for industrial purposes sides Godinho who as per protocol, heads it. Emerging from the meeting, Viegas told the media that they will continue opposing the bill as it undermines the authority of local bodies besides other departments like TCP and panchayats. He said, that the bill grants unprecedented power to the IPB. “It strips power from local bodies and hands it over to the IPB. It completely sidelines the panchayats, GIDC, TCP and several other depart- ments,” Viegas said while speaking to the media after the meeting. “If a panchayat rejects, the bill allows the IPB to override that decision. The IPB can direct the panchayats to approve it,” he said. Viegas said that it could pose risks to the environment arguing that it permits exploitation of eco-sensitive areas for industrial purposes. “The bill creates loopholes for the destruction of hills and >Continued on P5 India set to tackle spin challenge as Bangladesh series kicks offPg 14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 in its current tenure. After the discussions are completed, implementation would follow in steps and it would be the government’s endeavour to build a consensus over the next few months, he said. Once the consultation process is over, the government will draft a bill, place it before the cabinet and subsequently, take it to Parliament for simultaneous polls to come into effect, he added. In its report submitted to the government in March, just before the general election was announced, the panel recommended implementing “one nation, one election” in two phases – simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the first phase and elections for local >Continued on P5 Speaker to take up disqualification pleas on Oct 4 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Wednesday fixed the disqualification pleas pending before him since late 2022 for hearing on October 4. The petitions were filed following the September 15, 2022, defection by an 8-member group of Congress MLAs to the BJP. The petitions have been filed by GPCC president Amit Patkar and his predecessor Girish Chodankar. Chodankar then approached the Supreme Court and last week the Apex Court directed the Speaker to dispose the pleas in three months. One of the pleas filed by Patkar seeks disqualification of Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and former chief minister and Margao MLA, Digambar Kamat citing certain actions of the duo as anti-party activity and they having ‘voluntarily giving up’ membership of the Congress party. The other petitions seek disqualification of all eight MLAs who defected from the Congress to the BJP. 70% of govt websites lack security protocols, prone to cyber attacks Users face potential data breach warnings SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI Beware! Next time you log into a government website searching for information related to any government department, remember that they are not secured and prone to cyber hacking. While on one hand, the Pramod Sawant-led government speaks about ‘ease of doing businesses’ or promoting ‘digital working’, it is interesting to note that more than 70 per cent of the government websites including that of educational institutions like Goa University, are considered “not secure”. As per the information provided by the Department of Information and Technology, of the total 62 government websites, 45 departments have not renewed their Security Audit of their website, while another 17 website renewals are under process since over the last one year. Interestingly, these 62 department websites are not even embedded with SSL (Se- DIGITAL VULNERABILITY? „„Of the 62 government websites, 45 have not renewed their Security Audit, and 17 are still in the process, leading to an absence of SSL certificates that ensure privacy and protection „„Users visiting these websites are met with warnings about potential data breaches, with personal information at risk of being compromised by attackers „„Vulnerable websites include Women and Child Development, Economic Development Corporation, and even Goa University and police department websites „„IT experts suggest that users avoid accessing these unsecured sites until the necessary audits and security upgrades are implemented curity Protocol that provides Privacy, Authentication and Integrity to Internet Communication). As a result, one can see warnings on the site page saying the “website is not secure and your personal information can be compromised by attackers”. Sources in IT said that it is better to stay away from these websites even though it has information released by the government. The latest news of the Electricity Department website getting hacked is one such warning. The department website is neither embedded with SSL or has got their Security Audit renewed. Apart from the Electricity Department, the other public service oriented websites that are vulnerable to cyber-attack are Commercial Taxes, >Continued on P5 Goa records 91 swine flu cases between Aug-Sept Epidemiologist says nothing to worry ASHLEY DO ROSARIO THE GOAN I PANAJI With 91 detected in August and September till date, swine flu cases have shown a significant rise this year but it’s not a public health threat and there is nothing to worry, State Epidemiologist, Utkarsh Betodkar has said. According to official data, there were 71 cases of swine flu – the flu caused by the H1N1 virus – and an additional 20 cases in September thus far. The numbers are significantly higher than the two and 31 cases recorded in the same two months last year. However, the disease is not challenging in the context of its clinical management anymore and therefore not a threat to public health, Dr Betodkar said. “The world over, swine flu is now regarded as a “seasonal flu” like any other flu but we continue to maintain passive surveillance throughout the HEALTH DEPT DATA „„There were 71 cases of swine flu – the flu caused by the H1N1 virus – and an additional 20 cases in September thus far „„The numbers are significantly higher than the two and 31 cases recorded in the same two months last year „„Nearly 2,000 samples have been tested of which 106 turned up positive for the H1N1 virus so far this year „„Last year (2023), a total of 2,333 samples were tested and 105 turned out positive for the virus year,” Dr Betodkar said. Testing for swine flu is routinely done at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Bambolim and also at both the district hospitals in Mapusa and Margao. Nearly 2,000 samples have been tested of which 106 turned up positive for the H1N1 virus so far this year, according to the official data. Last year (2023), a total of 2,333 samples were tested and 105 turned out positive for the virus. Typically, swine flu patients are administered the Oseltamivir drug either as a tablet or a syrup formulation. Other symptoms like cold and fever, if present, are also treated simultaneously with appropriate medicines, he said. The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) through its >Continued on P5 K’taka environmentalists raise Neglected, Goa’s ferry ramps on shaky ground SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS concern over Mhadei diversion THE GOAN I NETWORK Say river diversion will turn North K’taka into a desert THE GOAN I NETWORK BELAGAVI Even as the Karnataka government is desperately trying to get a final nod from the Centre to implement the Mhadei project by diverting its share of Mhadei river water as allocated by the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT), several environmentalists are concerned over the adverse effects the diversion of Mahadayi will have on the vast forest in the Western Ghats. Noted environmentalist Captain Nitin Dhond from Parisarakkagi Navu (We for Environment) has expressed grave concern in this regard, stating that diversion of Mhadei will turn North Karnataka into a desert. He was presenting a case study of River Malaprabha at the two-day meeting held recently in Dharwad to discuss life-sustaining role of the Sahyadri range of mountains. He explained the climate science behind the critical role played by the contiguous forests of Khanapur taluka in bringing rain to the region, water to the Malaprabha, sustaining life and livelihoods of people of North Karnataka and deterring progressive desertification of North Karnataka. “Khanapur forests, a home to the origin of two major river systems, are facing the threat of destruction due to proposed infra projects, deforestation, change in land use, and unscientific agricultural practices. Any tampering leading to their fragmentation and loss would affect the water security of the region, compromise the climatic and rainfall cycles of the entire North Karnataka region,” Capt Dhond >Continued on P5 PANAJI arely three months ago, around 100 passengers were stranded when a ferry boat from Panaji to Betim ran aground on the banks of the Mandovi River due to low water levels. The rescue operation stretched over six hours and while this was the situation at the ferry wharf where the infrastructure is said to be “adequate,” Goa has six other ferry ramps left in complete disrepair for more than six years. The reason: Alleged neglect by the Public Works Department (PWD), which has repeatedly ignored urgent repair requests and reminders from the River Navigation Department (RND). B „„Around 100 passengers were stranded when a ferry from Panaji to Betim ran aground due to low water levels, highlighting ongoing issues with ferry infrastructure „„Goa has six other ferry ramps in disrepair for over six years, attributed to alleged neglect by the PWD „„The RND has repeatedly sent urgent repair requests and reminders to the PWD, which have largely gone unaddressed „„Minister Subhash Phal Dessai acknowledges the urgent need for repairs on several ferry ramps Several ferry ramps across routes including Keri-Tiracol, Tuem-Camurlim, Narva-Diwar, Old Goa-Piedade, Volvoi-Surla and Ribandar-Chorao are in urgent need of repairs, and this has also been admitted by Minister Subhash Phal Dessai. However, sources revealed to The Goan that the PWD Division V has not resolved the long pending problem despite official requests for maintenance and a bunch of subsequent reminders. “They don’t care. The condition of the ramps is unsafe and deteriorating,” said a senior RND official, adding that the RND has sent at least 25 reminders for each ramp during this period. “But no action has been taken. The PWD is least bothered,” the official added. At Tuem-Camurlim, the poor state of the ramp recently forced the RND to halt ferry operations due to low water levels. Similarly, at Keri-Tiracol, the ramp on the Keri side has been washed away. “We have had to stop ferry services for several hours. All this causes inconvenience to passengers, more than the ferry operators. If the ramps were in proper condition, even low tides wouldn’t disrupt operations,” the official explained. It was also revealed that with the PWD allegedly delaying or rather ignoring repair proposals, the government assigned the repair of one extension of the Ribandar ferry ramp to the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited for the operation of RoRo boats. “The PWD hasn’t even prepared estimates for any of these ramps, let alone started the repair work,” the official source lamented. Sources further stated the department was also considering appointing a retired engineer to ensure timely repairs but no progress has been made so far.