log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2024 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 160 >> pg 6 20 years of IFFI in Goa: Achievements, challenges, and future prospects IN SHORT >> Ayurveda medicine campaign launched PANAJI: A month-long campaign in Ayurvedic treatment was launched on Tuesday where government health centres and hospitals will be providing consultations on a daily basis. The ‘Desh ka Prakriti’ campaign  will have 982 ayurveda practitioners giving consultations and some one lakh people are expected to take benefit of the campaign. >> See pg 3 Jobs scam: Another case comes to fore MARGAO: The jobs-for-cash scam raised its ugly head again with two ladies accusing a husband-wife for duo of cheating them of Rs 14 lakh on the promise of giving government jobs for their kith and kin. Making matters worse the Margao police raised the issue of jurisdiction.  >> See pg 2 ESA committee arrives in Goa PANAJI: The Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)-appointed expert committee on Tuesday arrived in Goa for ground verification on the State government’s submission to delete 21 villages from the Eco-sensitive Areas (ESA) of Western Ghats.   >> See pg 3 Give kids time for artistic skills: CM PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant advised parents to give sufficient time to their children to develop their artistic qualities. He was addressing a function organised by the ‘Huppa Huiya ’ children’s section of the ‘Goan Varta’ at the Institute Menezes Braganza auditorium in Panaji.  >> See pg 8 WEATHER >> Max: 34.8 C Min: 20.5 C Humidity: 78% TIDES Low: High: 01:56 14:37 07:40 21:30 Instagram.com/thegoanonline NADA suspends Bajrang Punia for four years  Pg13 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 SC dismisses petition to Maharashtra on edge, no clarity yet on CM’s name revert to paper ballots Intense talks within Mahayuti alliance continue CITES EVM TAMPERING CLAIMS ONLY ARISE AFTER DEFEAT PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking to revert to paper ballot voting in elections in the country, saying allegations of tampering with electronic voting machine (EVM) raked up only when people lose polls. “What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs are not tampered with. When you lose the election, EVMs are tampered (with),” remarked a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale. Apart from ballot paper voting, the plea sought several directions including a directive to the Election Commission to disqualify candidates for a minimum of five years if found guilty of distributing money, liquor or other material inducement to the voters during polls. KEY SC OBSERVATIONS „„What happens is, when you win the election, EVMs are not tampered with... when you lose the election, EVMs are tampered „„If you shift back to physical ballot, will there be no corruption? „„When Chandrababu Naidu lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with „„Now this time, Jagan Mohan Reddy lost, he said EVMs can be tampered with When petitioner-in-person K A Paul said he filed the PIL, the bench said, “You have interesting PILs. How do you get these brilliant ideas?”. The petitioner said he is the president of an organisation which has rescued over three lakh orphans and 40 lakh widows. “Why are you getting into this political arena? Your area of work is very different,” the bench retorted. After Paul revealed he had been to over 150 countries, the bench asked him whether each of the nations had ballot paper voting or used electronic voting. The petitioner said foreign countries had adopted ballot paper voting and India should follow suit. “Why you don’t want to be different from the rest of the world?” asked the bench. There was corruption and in June 2024, the Election Commission announced they had seized Rs 9,000 crore, Paul responded. “But how does that make your relief which you are claiming here relevant?” asked the bench, adding “if you shift to physical ballot, will there be no corruption?”. Paul claimed CEO and co-founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, stated that EVMs could be tampered with and added TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, the current CM of Andhra, and former state chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had claimed EVMs could be tampered with. PTI MUMBAI Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde resigned on Tuesday in a constitutional obligation, paving the way for appointing a new government amidst intense negotiations within the Mahayuti alliance on who would take the top post -- BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis or Shinde -- the Shiv Sena head. Shinde, accompanied by Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, the two deputy chief ministers in the previous government, met with Governor C P Radhakrishnan, who asked the Shiv Sena leader to remain in a caretaker capacity until a new Chief Minister is sworn in. The urgency of the situation arose because the outgoing assembly’s term ended on Tuesday (November 26) . The Mahayuti coalition performed impressively in the recent elections, winning 230 out of 288 seats. Former Goa chief secretary denies he abused power THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa’s former Chief Secretary Puneet Goel has stated he is a bonafide purchaser of the property in Aldona and has not used or abused his power or position to gain any undue advantage or benefit. ALDONA LAND CONTROVERSY Goel, facing allegations of illegal land conversion, is also accused of alleged corruption in zone change by petitioners Dhirendra Phadte and Jose Maria Miranda in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the High Court of Bombay at Goa. In his affidavit, Goel refuted the allegations, asserting that the claim he participated in the approval process for personal benefit lacks merit or substance. He further clarified that he had no connection with the property owners until he agreed to purchase it after the zoning correction was approved by the government on March 11, 2024.  The petitioners alleged that the property, bearing Survey No. 36/1, was originally classified as a paddy field under the Regional Plan 2021 (RP 2021) but was later converted to a settlement zone. They accused Goel and an ex-PWD employee (earlier suspended on corruption charges), of >Continued on P7 MUMBAI: Even though the BJP has not yet opened its cards with regard to the Chief Minister’s post in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena on Tuesday took aggressive postures, saying that it has conveyed to the Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis that party chief leader Eknath Shinde should continue as Chief Minister. In a related development, Union minister Ramdas Athawale said in New Delhi that the BJP has decided to appoint Fadnavis as chief minister for a third term, although this has not been formally confirmed by the party. The BJP alone secured 132 seats, making Fadnavis the favourite for the CM’s post, followed by Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena with 57 seats and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party NCP) with 41. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat indicated that clarity regarding the chief minister’s position would emerge by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, following discussions among Shinde, Fadnavis, and Pawar with top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “The three leaders will meet in the evening and take an appropriate decision, which will be communicated to the media later,” Shirsat said. Earlier in the day, he said, since assembly elections were contested under Shinde’s leadership, there is a general feeling among the people that he should continue as CM. Siolim school gets Edu dept notice for endangering lives DoE says no intimation given to any authority, safety measures flouted GOEL’S AFFIDAVIT „„Refutes allegations that he participated in approval process for personal benefit „„Had no connection with property owners until he agreed to purchase it after the zoning correction „„Purchase of property made after all permissions and approvals were obtained Tug of war between Sena, BJP THE GOAN I NETWORK WEATHER WOES: Dense fog blankets the area around Guirim significantly reducing visibility on Tuesday.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Goa feels the chill: Mercury dips, marks onset of winter THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Goa has been experiencing a noticeable dip in temperatures over the past few days, bringing a refreshing change to the weather. According to the India Mete- orological Department (IMD), the mercury has dropped by nearly two degrees Celsius, with the minimum temperature recorded at 20.5°C in Panaji on Tuesday morning, about 2°C below normal. “The northerly winds are penetrating southern regions, causing this sudden chill,” said an official from the IMD Goa. While the drop in temperature isn’t significant enough for residents to bring out their winter wear, the cool >Continued on P7 PANAJI The Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued a show cause notice to the Chairman of the SFX Higher Secondary School, Siolim for failing to adopt and adhere to the safety measures during an Environmental field trip-cum-cleanliness drive at  Charavane waterfall in Sattari thereby exposing the students’ and teachers’ lives to risk. CHARAVANE FIELD TRIP On September 23, forty-seven  students and five teachers of the higher secondary school were rescued by Fire & Emergency Services (FES) personnel after they were stranded at the Charavane waterfall as water level rose sharply due to heavy rains in the area. The education department pointed out that despite a Yellow alert warning issued by IMD, the school went ahead with the field trip, without any safety measures in place. “The Chairman of SFX Higher Secondary School of Arts, Science and Commerce, Siolim, is hereby called upon to explain in writing within a period of seven working days as to why action deemed fit should not be initiated against the School under Rule 43 and Rule 56 of the Goa School Education Rules, 1986,” said director DoE Shailesh Zingade in the notice issued. Following the incident, the department, taking cognizance of the media report, via a communication dated September 29, had sought an explanation from the School Principal, as to whether prior >Continued on P7 `  00 crore fraud probe: Office Tuticorin to Goa: Pilgrims pay obeisance to St Xavier 1 of Idyllic Goa found deserted Vatican delegation arrives at Old Goa THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In alleged attempt to destroy evidence, the office of Idyllic Goa Gateways and Developments Private Limited, allegedly linked to Rs 100 crore share market-investment fraud that duped 50 investors, was found vacant during the search by the police on Tuesday. The Economic Offences Cell (EOC) stated that the office was found to be empty, with no employees or infrastructure in place. Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahul Gupta stated that EOC Investigating Officer had obtained a search warrant from the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao but when, the staff visited the premises and conducted a search panchanama the office was found empty with no staff or infrastructure the EOC Investigating Officer had obtained a search warrant from the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao, for Shop/Office No. 7 at Reliance Magnum Building, from where the accused allegedly operated the fake investment centre. Subsequently, the staff visited the premises and conducted a search panchanama in the presence of two panch witnesses. “The office was found empty with no staff or infrastructure present,” he said. The EOC on Sunday booked five directors of the real estate company in alleged connection with the scam with Myron Rodrigues and his wife Deepali Parab allegedly charged with masterminding the fraud scheme by luring investors of large returns on the stock market. PANAJI here is a striking similarity in the intensity and tenor of their faith in St Francis Xavier in the people of Goa and Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu -- both believe it is the saint’s intercession that protects their land from natural calamities. On Tuesday, a group of pilgrims from the Tamil Nadu coastal diocese of Tuticorin paid obeisance to the sixteenth century saint at Old Goa where his relics are kept at the See Cathedral for veneration. “He (St Francis Xavier) stayed in Tuticorin. The house where he lived when he was alive is very close to my native T PANAJI: A Vatican delegation comprising Archbishops, Monsignors and lay persons arrived in Goa and proceeded to Old Goa for the Exposition of St Francis Xavier where they were received by the Auxiliary Bishop Simiao Purificacao Fernandes.  Earlier on arrival, the delegation was received by a Goa government protocol team. Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, who is part of the delegation in a message said the heritage of St Francis Xavier is “priceless”. Parra, is a Venezuelan Archbishop and is the substitute of Vactican’s Secretary of State.  place,” one from among the group of pilgrims from Tamil Naidu told The Goan. History records that St Francis Xavier arrived in Tuticorin in October 1542 and lived there in a cave on a cliff for two years before departing from there in 1544.  While Goans regard St Xavier as ‘Goencho Saib’ in Tuticorin, natives especially the fishing community regard him as their ‘godfather’. Like RND LAUNCHES ‘TRIAL’ FERRY SERVICE TO OLD GOA >> See pg 3 many Goans do, they too believe that it is the Saint’s intercession and protection that ensures the land suffers minimal damage during calamities. One example cited by the pilgrims to illustrate the intensity of the faith people in Tuticorin have in St Francis Xavier, was of the Punnaikayal village which is an island and its natives believe it was the Saint’s intercession that protected them when the 2004 Tsunami hit.  “People carried the saint’s statue in a procession, washed his feet and let the water into the sea. The village suffered minimal damage from the massive tsunami,” one of the pilgrims in the group said, adding that those people believe it saved their village and rebuilt the Church of Saint Francis Xavier in 2007 as a mark of their gratitude. Many more pilgrims from Tuticorin diocese will be coming to venerate the saint’s relics in the duration of the Exposition. A large group will arrive on ‘Boxing Day’ -- December 26, they said. There were pilgrims at Old Goa from not just Tamil Nadu but several other States including Maharashtra and the North-eastern State of Tripura.