log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY JANUARY 1, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 15 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 194 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Jammed coastline, all-night parties Andhra tourist killed in Calangute shack brawl in Goa welcome New Year 2025 Shack owner among 4 arrested for murder 1,500 POLICE FORCE DEPLOYED IN NORTHERN BELT TO MANAGE CROWDS; BEACHES WITNESS SURGE IN TOURISTS DESPITE SOCIAL MEDIA DEBATES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With choc-o-block traffic in the lanes and by-lanes of beach hotspots in North Goa, the men-in-uniform had their hands full on New Year’s eve as tourists, both domestic and international, flocked to the State to bid farewell to the old and ring in the New Year 2025. More than checking drunken driving, police had a hard time regulating traffic flow especially in the Porvorim stretch of the NH-66 amidst the ongoing work on the flyover. Overall, the entire northern belt alone is policed by a 1,500-strong force for the New Year’s Eve, the police said. Meanwhile, despite the debate on social media that tourists are abandoning the BYE, BYE 2024, WELCOME 2025: Tourists bid farewell to 2024, watching the final sunset of the year from the sands of Calangute beach, on Tuesday.  Narayan Pissurlenkar State in preference for other destinations with pics of seemingly empty streets, beaches in the State saw a surge of crowds mostly tourists for the cliche New Year’s Eve do – watching the last sunset of the old year. Beaches in the northern belt were a sea of people. Many locals, particularly those belonging to the mi- nority Catholic community, preferred to ring in the New Year in the traditional way, thronging churches and other open air venues for midnight services and visiting each other’s homes. Fireworks at the stroke of midnight were visible across the State as people joined in revelry at various events, both traditional dances and commercial New Year parties at nightclubs and hotels. Another Goan tradition of burning the ‘Old Man’ was seen practiced in abundance both in cities and the rural locales. The tradition involves youngsters making an effigy using old clothes and hay with a paper mache face and placing it on an easy chair before it is burnt at midnight. It symbolises saying goodbye to the past year and welcoming the new one. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI An altercation over ordering of food turned fatal for a tourist from Andhra Pradesh after he was brutally assaulted at the Marina Shack on Calangute Beach in the wee hours of Tuesday. Four persons, including a beach shack owner, have been arrested in this connection. SP North Akshat Kaushal informed that the incident occurred around 1 am when a dispute over placing a food order escalated into a violent confrontation. According to the complaint filed by Spandan Bollu, a resident of Hyderabad, Telangana, the accused attacked Bolla Ravi Teja (28), a resident of Andhra Pradesh, with wooden sticks and physical blows. “The victim sustained a head injury and later succumbed to his injuries,” the SP said. According to sources, a group of eight former college HOW IT HAPPENED... „„A group of eight friends visit Marina Beach Shack on Calangute beach for dinner „„Shack staff asks them to order early as the kitchen was closing, and the group complies „„Later, the group attempts to order more food, but staff refuses „„An argument over the refusal escalates into a violent confrontation „„The accused allegedly snatches a tourist’s phone recording the incident „„Bolla Ravi Teja is assaulted with wooden sticks, causing a severe head injury „„Other group members also sustain injuries „„Teja falls unconscious inside the shack „„The accused, including the shack owner and staff, flee the scene „„The injured were taken to the Candolim Health Centre „„Doctors declare Bolla Ravi Teja dead upon arrival friends, which included the deceased Bolla Ravi Teja, and the complainant, Spandan Bollu, had arrived in Goa to welcome the New Year. The group had gone to the Marina Beach Shack on Calangute beach for dinner on Monday. The shack staff had asked the group to order food >Continued on P6