log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY JANUARY 18, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 211 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Pg 13 I-League: Churchill Brothers strengthen hold on top spot  RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Ex-Fatorda MLA Damu Govt readies fifth tender to take BJP’s hot seat for Bainguinim plant AFTER SEVERAL MIS-STARTS… page 6 Goa’s traditional ‘3 Kings Feast’ dance recreated in London Pereira clan marks 50 years of nurturing bonds of unity IN SHORT >> HIV incidence in youngsters drops  PANAJI: Goa’s HIV/AIDS statistics for 2024 have a silver lining much to the relief of health officials overseeing the programme to contain it: new HIV cases among the young adult age demographic has reversed and dropped during the year. In 2023, this younger age demographic (25-34 years) had sharply increased sending alarm bells among the DHS echelons.  >> See pg 3 Panchayat secretary of Usgao suspended PANAJI: Panchayat Dept has suspended Usgao-Ganjem Village Panchayat Secretary Honaji Morajkar following a case of alleged molestation against him. Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho had sought for his suspension saying such behaviour, particularly by a government employee, will not be tolerated.  >> See pg 3 WAS LONE CANDIDATE TO FILE NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Former Fatorda MLA Damu Naik is poised to succeed Sadanand Shet Tanavade as the BJP’s State President. Naik was the only candidate to file his nomination papers on Friday, that saw the presence of BJP National General Secretary Sunil Bansal, who chaired the election process. Naik, a Bhandari community leader, will be officially announced as the new president on Saturday. Sources revealed that the BJP high command had communicated its preference for Naik after which the State party unanimously decided to support his candidature. Other leaders whose names were under consideration and submitted to the party high command included ex-ministers DAMU’S ROAD TO PRESIDENT’S POST „„BJP high command had communicated its preference for Damu Naik „„State party unanimously decided to support his candidature „„Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and other senior leaders were present at nomination process „„The Bhandari community leader will officially be announced as new president on Saturday Dayanand Mandrekar, Dilip Parulekar and Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar, ex-South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar former MLA Dayanand Sopte and senior leader Govind Parvatkar. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and other senior lead- ers present at the nomination process refrained from commenting. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane stated the party’s collective approach. “We are all loyal, and the direction of the party is final,” was his only comment to the entire election process. 77 booked for violence at Poriem temple CM: Goa leading in robotics learning THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday claimed that Goa is leading in robotics instruction in schools and has even left the IT and software hubs beyond. He said over 60,000 students are undergoing training under the Coding and Robotics Education in Schools scheme. >> See pg 3 Galgibaga gets more turtle eggs CANACONA: With 116 Olive Ridley eggs being laid at the Galgibaga Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (TRC) in the wee hours of Friday, as many as 1,191 eggs are now being preserved at the two TRCs in Agonda and Galgibaga.  >> See pg 5 MOMENT OF GLORY: President Droupadi Murmu presents Armando Colaco the Dronacharya Award (Lifetime category) during the National Sports Awards event, in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on Friday.  (Report on pg 12) Smart cards unlock smooth journey on KTC’s e-buses WEATHER >> THE GOAN I NETWORK TIDES PANAJI A month after its launch, the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited’s (KTCL) Smart Transit Card initiative, branded as ‘One Card, Many Destinations’ is making waves. Max: 34.6 C Min: 23.2 C Humidity: 80% Low: High: 07:55 01:44 19:27 13:27 Naik also avoided direct remarks but expressed his willingness to take on any responsibility assigned by the party. “BJP is the world’s largest party with 15 crore members in India and 4.5 lakh members in Goa. The party always prioritizes the nation, then the organization and individual,” Naik said, adding that his focus would be to strengthen the party in Goa. Outgoing President Sadanand Shet Tanavade, meanwhile, revealed that three BJP leaders – Dilip Parulekar (ex-minister), Vasudev Gaonkar (ex-MLA) and Suvarna Tendulkar (ex-South Goa Zilla Panchayat Chairperson) – have been nominated as national council members. They will participate in the election for the BJP National President which will also include votes from Goa. Strictly enforced on three routes -- Orange, Indigo and Green -- in Panaji, passengers without these cards are barred from traveling on the now conductor-less buses. However, other routes within and outside Panaji continue to allow travel even if without the card. KTCL introduced the Smart Card system as part of its move toward modernizing public transport across Goa including under the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development >Continued on P5 VALPOI  Valpoi police has now booked 77 persons on charges of violence during the traditional Kalotsav celebration of Bhumika Temple in Poriem-Sattari on Wednesday, which caused injuries to around 40 persons, including 15 police personnel. Police have stated that the number of arrests could go up, as investigations continued into the clashes between two rival Mahajan groups – Majik and the Rane-Gaonkar – over rights to conduct rituals. After the violent clashes had been brought under control, the traditional Kalotsav was celebrated on Wednesday, followed by the Gawlan Kala festival on Thursday. The two festivals were celebrated amid a strong police force, which remained at the site. On Friday, the police force was withdrawn from the site as peace and normalcy had been restored around the temple premises. Valpoi police are, however, monitoring the situation to ensure that the clashes do not erupt yet again. Tender to have enhanced terms to attract bidders THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA After multiple setbacks, the State government is gearing up to issue a fresh tender for the fifth time for the much-anticipated solid waste management plant at Bainguinim. The project, which has faced numerous hurdles over the years, is expected to be revived with updated terms to attract more bidders and integrate advanced technology. Minister for Waste Management Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate has confirmed the decision to restart the tendering process.  This will be the fifth attempt to establish the plant, as four previous tenders floated for the facility either did not find any takers or were shelved midway, leaving the project in limbo. The Goa Waste Manage- Fresh tender with revised terms MAPUSA: With the tender now delayed by over two years, the government has decided to restart the process from scratch. A senior official stated, “Since the RFQ was floated two years ago, the government has decided to introduce new conditions to attract more agencies. Additionally, we are exploring plants with better technology and the project estimates will be revised accordingly.” The updated tender is expected to include terms that reflect advancements in waste management technology and ensure that the plant meets current environmental and operational standards. ment Corporation (GWMC) initially floated a tender in 2019 for a 250-tonne-perday (TPD) solid waste treatment plant at Bainguinim.  However, due to various challenges, including bidders failing to meet the technical qualification criteria, the process was lapsed. A senior GWMC official explained, “Initially, no bidders qualified under the stipulated conditions. To address this, we decided to relax certain terms and refloat the request for qualification (RFQ).” Subsequently, the corporation >Continued on P5 Cable operators move HC to stop wire cutting drive Seeks injunction restraining Power Dept THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Cable TV Networking and Service Providers Association has filed a petition before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, seeking relief against the Electricity Department’s drive to disconnect cables hanging from electric poles. In the writ petition filed by the Association and businessman Anand Talwalkar, they urged the court to issue an interim injunction restraining the Electricity Department and its Executive Engineer from cutting, snapping or disconnecting cables that provide connectivity to their subscribers until the final disposal of the case. The High Court has scheduled the matter for hearing on January 22. The petitioners stated that there exist around 240 cable television operators who earn their livelihood out of the income derived from providing Senior official from Electricity Dept Kashinath Shetye cuts cables hanging on electric poles in Margao on Friday. (Report on pg 2) Santosh Mirajkar digital cable, television viewing and broadband services. There are about 1.5 lakh digital cable television users and around 50,000 broadband subscribers. These include both members and non-members who operate as cable service providers across the State. According to the petitioners, some of their members had previously applied for licenses under the Goa Telecom Infrastructure Policy 2020 for using public infrastructure to lay cables. They claimed that despite their willingness to comply with the policy and pay the requisite fees, the Electricity Department (Respondent No. 2) failed to respond to their applications. “Even after considering all the said factors, some of the petitioners have been ready and willing to take the course as per the policy and pay the >Continued on P5 Need to sensitise cops on invoking Mumbai braces for 3-day Coldplay frenzy from today abetment of suicide offence: SC PTI PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Friday said the offence of abetment of suicide under the Indian Penal Code should not be invoked mechanically against individuals only to soothe feelings of the distraught family members of the person who has died. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and K V Viswanathan said the investigating agencies should be sensitised so that persons were not subjected to the abuse of the process of a totally untenable prosecution. “Section 306 IPC appears to be casually and too readily resorted to by the police. While the persons involved in genuine cases where the threshold Section 306 IPC appears to be casually and too readily resorted to by the police… the provision should not be deployed against individuals, only to assuage immediate feelings of distraught family — Supreme Court is met should not be spared, the provision should not be deployed against individuals, only to assuage the immediate feelings of the distraught family of the deceased,” said the bench. “The conduct of the pro- posed accused and the deceased,” the court went on, “their interactions and conversations preceding the unfortunate death of the deceased should be approached from a practical point of view and not divorced from dayto-day realities of life. Hyperboles employed in exchanges should not, without anything more, be glorified as an instigation to commit suicide.” The top court said the trial courts also should exercise “great caution and circumspection” and should not adopt a “play-it-safe syndrome” by mechanically framing charges, even if the investigating agencies in a given case showed utter disregard for the ingredients of Section 306. MUMBAI early 1,000 cops will be deployed to maintain law and order during the Coldplay concert in Navi Mumbai, police said on Friday. As part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour’’, the British rock group has three shows scheduled at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21. Nearly 45,000 fans are expected to attend the event, for which elaborate security arrangements have been made, said a release by the Navi Mumbai police. The release said 70 officers and 434 policemen will be inside the stadium as part of their bandobast. Also, 21 officers and 440 policemen will be deployed outside the N stadium each day, it said. Heavy vehicles from Uran, Nhavasheva, Pune and Thane have been banned in the area during these days. The Thane city police have also issued similar directives, restricting the movement of heavy vehicles within their jurisdiction. There are designated parking areas during the event, the release added. Meanwhile, Disney+ Hotstar announced that it will be broadcasting Coldplay’s concert live from Ahmedabad on January 26 as part of its partnership with the British band. Coldplay’s highly-anticipated concerts in India are touted to be the biggest draw of 2025. As part of their ‘’Music of the Spheres World Tour’’, the British band has three shows at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on January 18, 19 and 21. A fourth show will be held at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on January 25. In a statement, Disney+ Hotstar said the move is aimed at redefining the future of entertainment by democratising access to high-quality experiences, enabling fans to experience this monumental event on every screen across the country. “Hello to all our friends in India. We are delighted to announce that our concert from Ahmedabad will be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar, enabling you to witness it from anywhere in India. We eagerly anticipate your presence and hope to explore your captivating country. We extend our warmest regards,” said Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The streaming platform will provide high-quality visuals and an immersive experience, complemented by exclusive behind-the-scenes content for subscribers. Coldplay had earlier performed in the country in 2016 at the Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai.