log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY OCTOBER 15, 2024 >> See pg 3 Struck by polio, this man goes all out to take life in his stride, friends by his side IN SHORT >> MoRTH approves `  57 cr for Bhoma 5 highway expansion PANAJI: Amidst stiff opposition from the villagers over land acquisition, the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has approved Rs 557 crore for the 4-laning of the national highway stretch from Ponda to Bhoma. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday announced that the Ministry has approved Rs 557 crore for the 4-laning of the 9.6 km stretch from Ponda to Bhoma on NH-748, to be executed on EPC mode.  >> See pg 3 WEATHER >> Max: 32.3 C Min: 25.8 C Humidity: 92% TIDES Low: High: 02:27 08:52 15:10 21:27 Facebook.com/thegoan 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 118 PANAJI xpressing concern over Goa being tagged as accident-prone State, the State government has decided to install AI-powered night vision cameras at strategic locations to enhance traffic monitoring and accident prevention. The government is also working on to amend the State Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) in a bid to strengthen traffic protocols among citizens and tourists. Addressing a State-level function marking Road Safety Week, Chief Minister Pramod E Gambhir advocates high-risk approach for India in Tests RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 FIVE ARRESTED, CLUB SEALED, OWNER ON THE RUN THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA A violent altercation involving 10-15 bouncers armed with wooden clubs at a club along the popular Baga’s Tito’s Lane left two youth severely injured, while five persons have been arrested and the club were the incident took place has been sealed. The incident triggered public outrage and many villagers gathered at the Calangute Police Station late Monday evening to condemn the incident and to demand action in the matter. The attack occurred in the early hours of Monday when two youths attempting to stop a fight at Down Town club in Baga were brutally beaten, leaving them with severe head injuries. According to witnesses, the two youths were trying to rescue a friend involved in a skirmish when they were attacked by bouncers wielding wooden Candolim assault: Shack owner claims docs instigated incident MAPUSA: The owner of the Goan Hut shack in Candolim, Sonia Parsekar, has denied allegations of assaulting three veterinary doctors, claiming the altercation was instigated by the intoxicated doctors themselves. The incident, which occurred late Friday night, led to the arrest of two shack employees, but Parsekar insists the situation escalated due to the doctors’ behaviour.  >> See pg 3 clubs. Both victims sustained serious injuries, with one requiring 12 stitches and the other 8. Their skull fractures resulted in heavy bleeding, sparking public outrage. Calangute Police quickly responded by arresting five individuals involved in the incident, but the club’s owner, Maninder Singh alias Pagi, managed to evade authorities. The Down Town club has since been sealed and the police have assured that further arrests will follow. TRIMMING THE ESA „„21 villages include 12 from Sattari, five from Dharbandora, three from Sanguem and one from Canacona „„Of the 87 villages proposed under ESA, 51 villages are from Sattari, 23 from Sanguem, eight from Dharbandora, four from Canacona and one from Ponda Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The Centre, in its draft notification had proposed 108 villages from Goa as ESA. Earlier, the State government had urged Centre to drop 47 villages from the list. Sources informed that the committee has recommended dropping 21 villages that includes 12 from Sattari, five from Dharbandora, three from Sanguem and one from Canacona taluka. Of the total 87 villages proposed under ESA categories, 51 villages are from Sattari taluka, 23 villages from Sanguem, eight from Dharbandora, four from Canacona and one from Ponda. Sources said that a total of 1,247 sq kms of area in Goa is proposed for categorization under ESA. In July, the Union Ministry had issued a draft notification naming 108 Goa villages, instead of 99 villages, as the Western Ghats’ ESAs. Citing several issues, the State had >Continued on P8 Soon, AI-powered night vision cams to keep vigil on roads THE GOAN I NETWORK PG14 Bouncers of Baga club brutally assault Tourists harass Goan girls in two local youth, attack caught on cam Calangute, locals up in arms PROPOSES 87 VILLAGES BE CATEGORISED AS ESA PANAJI The State government appointed committee has recommended dropping only 21 villages from the list of ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) of the Western Ghats region. State Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira has left for Delhi with the representation, to be submitted to the Union Minister for Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Bhupender Yadav. The seven-member committee headed by Dr Devendra Pandey, former director general of the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, has proposed that 87 villages be categorised as ESA since they meet the criteria set out by the Ministry of Instagram.com/thegoanonline Coastal belt’s dark side surfaces again Goa makes case to exclude 21 villages from ESA list THE GOAN I NETWORK The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) FROM PARADISE TO CAUTION „„CM issues instructions for new rules in MV Act „„Three main reasons for accidents -- driving under influence of alcohol, use of mobile while driving and reckless speeding with stunts „„RTO to conduct alcohol tests of all public bus drivers, especially at night Sawant, pointing to the fact that on an average one road fatality is reported daily in the State, said that considering the alarming situation there is “Bhivpachi Garaz Asa”. He also said that daily, a minimum ten patients, with serious road accident injuries, get admitted to GMC, alone. “During Covid times, even one or two deaths in a day were a concern. But today, atleast one death is reported due to accidents daily. I used to say, Bhivpachi Garaz na during Covid time, but seeing accidents and its related >Continued on P8 The disturbing video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, shows bouncers charging out of the club with wooden clubs, aggressively chasing people down the street. In one clip, a man can be seen using pepper spray against an individual outside the club, further escalating the situation. The incident has upset the local community, with many villagers gathering at the Calangute Police Station late Monday evening to demand Disqualification plea dismissed PANAJI: Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Monday dismissed a disqualification petition filed against eight MLAs, who had defected from Congress to join BJP in September, 2022.  >> See pg 3 action. Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and local panchayat members also visited the station, expressing their concern over the severity of the attack. Lobo condemned the violent actions of the bouncers and demanded their immediate arrest. "The local boys were severely beaten by the bouncers and the owner of the club, who is known for running two notorious establishments in the area, should also be arrested," Lobo said, visibly agitated after viewing the video. He called for stricter policing in the Tito’s Lane area, particularly over the weekend, stating that such incidents tarnish the reputation of the State. "Armed police should be stationed along Tito’s Lane from Friday to Sunday to prevent further violence and restore law and order," Lobo >Continued on P8 THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA A Dandiya event in Calangute early Sunday morning turned distressing for a group of young Goan girls when they were allegedly molested by two men, sparking anger and demands for action from the local community. The incident occurred at Porba-vaddo, Calangute, when two tourists reportedly approached the girls with inappropriate remarks and assaulted them. Calangute Police have arrested the two accused, Prem Kumar Pandey (30) and Krishna Bhaudev Singh (24), both natives of Uttar Pradesh, who were temporarily staying in Candolim. The men have been remanded to three days police custody as investigations continue. According to a complaint filed by the victims, the accused men allegedly ap- WHAT HAPPENED „„Accused approach girls with “Ati he kya” remark… offer them money „„One of the girls hit back at them in anger „„Accused grope, hit her back „„Situation draws attention of nearby villagers who intervene and call the police (According to police complaint) proached the girls with the remark "Ati he kya" and offered them money, implying inappropriate intentions. One of the girls, in a video statement, described how she and her two friends were harassed and physically assaulted after she retaliated against their advances. "They made lewd comments and promised to pay us money. I hit back at them in anger, but they groped me and hit me in return," the vic- tim recounted. The situation quickly escalated, drawing the attention of nearby villagers who intervened and contacted the police. However, locals expressed dissatisfaction with the initial police response, accusing them of siding with the accused rather than helping the victims. "Instead of assisting the girls, the police seemed more focused on protecting the accused and took them away in their vehicle," a local villager claimed, adding to the frustration and anger of the community. The incident has sparked widespread outrage in Calangute, with villagers demanding a crackdown on what they describe as growing illegal activities in the area, including dance bars and massage parlours. Locals gathered at the Calangute Panchayat office > Continued on P8 India, Canada expel diplomats in tit-for-tat move NEW DELHI: India on Monday asked Canadian diplomats in New Delhi to leave the country by Saturday after Ottawa said it was investigating its Indian ambassador and other diplomats as "persons of interest", after the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a major downturn in already frosty ties between the two nations. In a tit-for-tat move, Canada too has asked six Indian diplomats to leave the country after its police collected evi- dence they were part of an Indian government "campaign of violence".  >> See pg 8