log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2024 GOA Q2 earnings & 6 key factors set to influence D-Street this week IN SHORT >> Dudhsagar operators commence tours PANAJI: Dudhsagar tour operators finally called off their agitation and commenced the tours from Sunday morning. The operators had met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday and were assured of reduction in fee up to Rs 200. Sawant, however, asserted that status quo would be maintained regarding the GTDC counter and online booking. Student ends life in college hostel PANAJI: In a tragic incident, a 19-year-old student of IIT Goa from Madhya Pradesh allegedly committed suicide in the hostel room at Farmagudi. The deceased was a student of second year engineering. A suicide note has also been found in the room.>> See pg 5 2 booked for obscene video circulation VASCO: Verna Police have registered an offence against two individuals for allegedly circulating an obscene video involving a local woman. The accused -- Dayasagar Kashyap and Neeraj Kumar -- both residents of Sancoale and originally from Fatehpur, UP, allegedly shared the video via electronic means. History-sheeter held at Calangute PANAJI: A known history-sheeter exhibiting suspicious behavior near the Calangute beach parking area was apprehended by the tourist police. Observing his unusual movements and suspicious actions, the tourist police acted swiftly, detaining him to ensure the safety and security of beachgoers and nearby businesses. 11 hurt in Srinagar grenade attack SRINAGAR: Terrorists lobbed a grenade at a CRPF bunker near a crowded flea market in the heart of the city here on Sunday, injuring at least 11 civilians, officials said. The attack, which took place near a heavily guarded complex housing All India Radio and Doordarshan Kendra near the Tourist Reception Centre, comes a day after security forces eliminated a top LeT commander. >> See pg 7 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 137 Finally, power load enhancement nod for Colva STP, all clear for launch >> pg 6 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA WRD to conduct site inspection of Oxel spring amidst construction controversy 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 10 INFO Stay fit and healthy without going to the gym SPORTS India hits nadir as New Zealand sweeps Test series 3-0 12 Goa gears up for Exposition Traders, vigilantes’ standoff may extend Cams at key Old Goa Carriage arrives, work underway beef shortage in Goa locations on cards to give it solemn look: Fr Falcao THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In preparation for the upcoming Exposition of St Francis Xavier’s relics, the Exposition Committee has decided to install CCTVs across major strategic points at Old Goa to ensure safety of the pilgrims. Also, for effective traffic management and hassle-free movement during the Exposition, the Committee has decided to deploy electric buses, across the State, to transport pilgrims to Se Cathedral- Old Goa. For this purpose, KTC EV buses would be roped in. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday chaired an Exposition Committee review meeting during which directions were issued to the authorities to ensure installation and monitoring of CCTV cameras across all major points like parking, entry and exit points and other crucial locations. Directions were also is- sued to police officials to create awareness among the pilgrims to be cautious about pick pocketing to ensure safety of their belongings. Speaking to media persons post meeting, Sawant said the entire infrastructure and other works related to the Exposition will be completed by November 15. He said that the road heading towards Old Goa would be tarred in the next eight days. 1200 VOLUNTEERS TO BE DEPLOYED FOR EXPOSITION >> See pg 3 Sawant said that public transport for pilgrims of Panaji, Margao, Mapusa and Vasco to Old Goa and back would be provided with due publicity for effective traffic management. He also said small EV buses could be used to ferry people from designated parking lots. THE GOAN I NETWORK OLD GOA Unlike previous Expositions of the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier, this time the Relics will be carried in a carriage, in a solemn procession from the Basilica to the Cathedral on the inaugural day and then again from the Cathedral to the Basilica on the closing day of the Exposition. Speaking to The Goan, Fr Henry Falcao, Convenor of the Exposition Committee of the Archdiocese, informed that the carriage will be a specially built electric vehicle which will be driven by a driver. "The carriage has arrived and now the work is underway of its decoration to give it a solemn look, and Fr Adrian Furtado parish priest of Betalbatim is in-charge of the same along with Mr Serrao of Crosscraft," Fr Falcao stated. However, Fr Falcao said that the Relics will be shouldered by a chosen few inside Delhi chokes, air quality index worst in country THICK SMOG, HAZE SHROUDS CAPITAL, SUBURBS CITY OF SMOG PTI NEW DELHI Delhi's air quality was on the brink of the ''severe'' category on Sunday with an overall AQI reading of 382 the worst recorded in the country for the day. Fifteen monitoring stations of the city recorded air quality levels in the ''severe'' zone, having AQI readings over 400, data showed. The city also recorded its lowest nighttime temperature so far, as thick smog and haze shrouded it in a dense cover during the morning and evening hours. The minimum temperature recorded on Sunday was 16.5 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees above normal, according to the weather department. The national capital''s 24hour average Air Quality Index, recorded at 4 pm every day, stood at 382, worsening from 316 the previous day. The locations where air pollution levels reached the ''severe'' zone are Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, NSIT Dwarka, Najafgarh, Nehru Nagar, Okhla Phase 2, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini, Wazirpur and Vivek Vihar. „„Fifteen monitoring stations record air quality levels in ''severe'' zone „„Most have AQI readings over 400 „„City records lowest nighttime temperature „„Thick cover of smog, haze during morning and evening hours „„24-hour average AQI recorded at 4 pm every day, stood at 382 „„Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, NSIT Dwarka, Najafgarh, Nehru Nagar, Okhla Phase 2 worst affected „„Pollution levels spike after Diwali Despite temporary relief provided by winds, Delhi saw a spike in pollution levels following Diwali, with a noticeable jump recorded on Sunday. Elsewhere in the country, several places recorded AQI levels in the ''very poor'' category, though still better than the national capital. Bahadurpura, in Telangana, recorded an AQI of 335, UP's Muzaffarnagar 302, Noida 313 and Sonipat 321. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ''good'', 51 and 100 ''satisfactory'', 101 and 200 ''moderate'', 201 and 300 ''poor'', 301 and 400 ''very poor'', 401 and 450 ''severe'' and above 450 ''severe plus''. The maximum temperature was recorded at 33.2 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees above normal, according to the weather department. The humidity level fluctuated between 64 and 95 per cent during the day. The weather office forecast said shallow fog was likely on Monday morning, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle at 34 and 17 degrees Celsius, respectively. Work in progress at the Betalbatim Church to decorate the carriage. the Basilica, up to the main door as also when it enters the Cathedral. “We have included different sections of people -- priests, religious, lay people, and those who are helping us for the Exposition,” Fr Falcao in- formed while adding the ones who would carry the Relics inside both the churches have already been chosen. “We have to provide to the police their names so that >Continued on P5 PANAJI Consumers in Goa will have to bear with shortages of beef as the standoff between traders and vigilantes which has disrupted supplies to local markets is showing no signs of ebbing. Govansh Raksha Abhiyan, a cow protection vigilante group in Goa had recently raised objection to transportation of beef by meat traders from North Karnataka to the State. The group led by Hanumanth Parab is accusing the traders of illegally transporting the meat and also alleging that it is the product of "unhygienic slaughter" of 'bulls' which is banned in Karnataka. Meat traders in Goa, mostly organised under the Qureshi Meat Traders Association, usually source their stocks from slaughter of animals at the Goa Meat Complex. However, the 50-odd animals slaughtered per day at the governmentowned abattoir in Usgao is not sufficient to meet The Govansh Raksha Abhiyan, a cow protection vigilante group in Goa, recently voiced objections to the transportation of beef. The group is accusing traders of illegally transporting meat and claims that it originates from "unhygienic slaughter" of bulls, which is prohibited in Karnataka the daily demand of the State, a member of the meat association told The Goan. "Some of us then rely on meat lawfully slaughtered in Karnataka. It is legal as we are required by Karnataka government to have proper certification from a Veterinary doctor before slaughtering the animal," the meat association's member said. Last week, the police had seized 400 kg of red meat at the Mollem check-post following a tip off from Parab's >Continued on P5 Villages in ESA list: Expert panel likely to visit Goa this month THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)-appointed expert committee to examine the views and objections of the State governments on Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Areas (ESA) is likely to visit Goa this month for ground verification on the State’s submission. The Goa government in its submission before the Union Ministry has proposed dropping 21 villages from the ESA list, based on the report submitted by the State appointed seven-member committee headed by Dr Devendra Pandey, former director general of Forest Survey of India. The committee has proposed 87 villages be categorised as ESA since they meet the criteria set out by the Ministry. The Centre, in its draft notification, issued in August, had proposed 108 villages from Goa as ESA as against the earlier list of 99 villages. Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira said following a request from Goa, the Ministry’s Expert Committee on ESA will be visiting the State, mostly likely this month >Continued on P5 PRIZED CATCH: The two seized boats from Malpe-Karnataka anchored at Panaji jetty on Sunday.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Two K’taka boats seized for illegal fishing in Goa waters THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a significant operation, two boats from Malpe, Karnataka, were apprehended for illegally fishing in Goan waters, specifically near Nerul. The incident was a collaborative effort between local traditional fishermen and the coastal police, highlighting the growing concerns over illegal fishing practices in the region. The operation unfolded when members of Goenche Raponkarancho Ekvot, spotted the boats engaging in unauthorized fishing activities. Demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility towards their fishing grounds, the fishermen pursued the in- truders and alerted the coastal police. Upon receiving the call for assistance, the coastal police quickly mobilized, joining forces with the local fishermen to intercept the boats. The operation culminated in the successful seizure of both vessels, which were then >Continued on P5 Coastal clubs keep beats booming, White House race heats up as poll day draws closer continue to disrupt lives of locals Democrat leader banks on Kamala PTI MOST FIND LOOPHOLES TO ESCAPE NOISE CURBS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Despite increased monitoring and several legal restrictions on noise pollution, loud music and rowdy parties in the Anjuna-Vagator area continue to disrupt the lives of local residents. During the recent Diwali weekend, popular destinations including Ozrant in Anjuna became a hub for allnight revelry. Loud music blared from nightclubs and bars, causing distress to locals who have Some of the most infamous clubs cited for noise violations include Dynamo, Romeo Lane, Salud, Thalassa by the Cliff, Raeeth, Vamos, Titlees, and Noah, all of which were reportedly found to have violated noise level regulations lations were Dynamo, Romeo Lane, Salud, Thalassa by the Cliff, Raeeth, Vamos, Titlees, and Noah, which were all said to have disregarded noise level regulations. Some residents even documented sound levels and provided them as evidence to the local authorities, but no action was reportedly taken. long raised complaints about noise pollution and sleepless nights. Among the most notorious clubs reported for noise vio- "Every festive season, it’s the same nightmare. The noise is relentless and even if RESIDENTS SPEAK >Continued on P5 NEW YORK he US 2024 presidential race has intensified as Election Day approaches with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both rallying hard in key swing states. Harris recently gained momentum in Iowa, a state Trump won in past elections, with polls showing her narrowly ahead. Both candidates are now focusing their final campaign efforts on battleground states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Michigan. High-profile endorsements, including actor Harrison Ford for Harris, have added to the campaign's heated atmosphere as each side works to secure crucial votes. T to boost India-US relationship WASHINGTON: The India-US partnership is the most important engagement globally and the cooperation will flourish further if Kamala Harris becomes the US president as she recognises the significance of the relationship, prominent Indian-origin Democratic leader Neil Makhija has said. In an exclusive interview with PTI, the young leader, considered to be close to Harris, also came down very hard on former president Donald Trump for his immigration policy that has triggered some concerns among immigrant communities in the US, including Indian-Americans. On the India-US partnership, Makhija said it is the most important relationship for the future. The results on Election Day will come down to seven States: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have visited them the most. Together, these states are likely to deliver the Electoral College votes needed for the winning candidate to get a majority of 270. It will be a game of hopscotch to keep up with key times in each of the states, which stretch across four different time zones. A look at the Election Day timeline across the seven, with all listings in Eastern Standard Time: Arizona Polls open at 8 am in Arizona, which Joe Biden carried in 2020 by 0.3 per cent. He was only the second Democratic presidential candidate to do so in nearly 70 years. Polls will close at 9 pm. Arizona does not release votes until all precincts have reported or one hour after all polls are closed, whichever is first. In 2020, The Associated Press first reported Arizona results at 10:02 pm ET on November 3, Election Day, and declared Biden the winner at 2.51 am ET on November 4. Donald Trump meanwhile, was set to rally supporters in North Carolina every day until the election day on Tuesday, a flurry of late activity in the only swing state that he won in both his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. Even as Trump looks to expand the electoral map and project strength with trips to New Mexico and Virginia, two Democratic states not widely viewed as competitive, he is putting considerable time into North Carolina, which last backed a Democrat for president in 2008.