log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY JANUARY 21, 2025 GOA Major holiday booking racket busted, four arrested Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 15 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 214 2 5 GOA Govt may seek update on request for joint inspection at Kankunbi Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Microblading: The beauty trend redefining eyebrows Outcry against paragliding grows after Keri tragedy n UNREGULATED ACTIVITY FUELS DEBATE ON SAFETY n RESIDENTS, ACTIVISTS WANT GOVT TO STEP IN THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA There is an unusual calm along the Arambol-Keri-Terekhol coastal belt, and it is not without reason. The tragic paragliding accident that claimed the life of a 26-year-old tourist from Pune and the 25-year-old paraglider pilot, has sparked outrage among locals, with many blaming unregulated adventure sports for the incident. The tourist and the pilot lost their lives when their paraglider crashed into rocky terrain over the weekend, reportedly due to a technical malfunction. The incident has brought adventure sports along the scenic Arambol-Paliem-Keri-Terekhol coastline to an abrupt halt, with locals demanding accountability and stricter regulations. “This is not the first time such a tragedy has happened. >> See pg 5 Faced with lbinism and visual impairment, twin brothers hail NAB for giving them a shot at life IN SHORT >> Two dead in car mishap at Sancoale VASCO: Two persons were killed while one was injured when two cars collided with on the NH366 highway near Sheela Bar and Restaurant at Terepal-Sancoale in the wee hours of Monday. >> See pg 2 Roy gets life term in RG Kar case KOLKATA: A Kolkata court sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment until death after he was convicted of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.  >> See pg 9 Hyderabad man shot dead in US >> See pg 9  Most operators are non-Goans: MLA MAPUSA: Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar has raised serious concerns over the dominance of non-Goan operators in the paragliding and adventure tourism sector along the Arambol-Paliem-Keri-Terekhol coast, alleging that most of them operate without adhering to safety protocols. Following the tragic paragliding accident on Saturday that claimed the lives of a 26-year-old Pune resident and a pilot, Arolkar reiterated his long-standing opposition to these activities. >> See pg 5 IN GOOD TIMES: Adventure enthusiasts enjoy the thrill of paragliding from the scenic Keri hill.  Nivrutti Shirodkar SARPANCH EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, SAFETY OF RESIDENTS  >> See pg 5 Most of these operators run without proper permissions or safety measures. The authorities must step in and put an end to these dangerous ac- tivities before more lives are lost,” said Pratamesh Naik, a Keri resident. Anger is also mounting against local panchayats, with accusations of complicity in allowing these activities to continue unchecked. “It’s clear that some local bodies are turning a blind eye for personal gain. The lives of >Continued on P9 Cops urged to stop paragliding at Colva MARGAO: As the Keri paragliding incident only brought back bitter memories of 2022 Colva motor paragliding incident wherein an elderly German national lost his fingers, NGOs and activists have once again knocked the doors of the Colva police to stop motor paragliding at Colva beach. With the Tourism department granting permission for motor paragliding at the Colva beach overruling the strong objection from Colva panchayat, the Colva Civic and Consumer Forum has demanded an immediate halt to the motor paragliding at Colva beach in view of the latest incident at Keri. >> See pg 5 MLAs leave half of devpt funds untouched in 3 yrs Of ` 300 cr, only ` 149 cr was used THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In the last three years, nearly Rs 150 crore remained unutilised by the MLAs from their entitled Rs 300 crore fund under the MLA Local Area Development (LAD) scheme. Interestingly, four legislators exceeded their ceiling limit and together spent additional over Rs 4.29 crore on various developmental works in their constituencies. The amount would now be adjusted against their next annual sanction. Under the scheme, the MLAs can get projects worth Rs 2.5 crore sanctioned annually. The State Level Scheme Sanction Committee (SLSSC) has announced that no additional work proposals would be considered under the scheme unless the ceiling limit is available for sanctioning. Total Rs 300 crore was allocated across 40 constituencies since 2022, when the scheme MLA-LAD SCHEME: FACTS & FIGURES „„Each constituency allocated of Rs 7.50 cr for development „„Of total Rs 300 cr, works worth Rs 149 cr approved „„Four MLAs exceeded ceiling limit, together spent additional over Rs 4.29 crore „„Vasco & Dabolim did not submit a single proposal under the scheme „„Sanvordem, Cuncolim , Sanguem, Mayem, Saligao, Sanquelim and Cumbharjua utilized funds but within the limit „„Priol, Quepem, Thivim, Cortalim, Poriem & Navelim spent the least was notified. Each constituency has got a total allocation of Rs 7.50 crore. As per data, of the total Rs 300 crore, works worth Rs 149 crore have been approved that includes Rs 4.29 crore spent beyond the ceiling limit by constituencies like Valpoi (1.48 cr), Bicholim (1.88 cr), Velim (76 lakh) and Marcaim (17 lakh). The total works sanctioned for these constituencies amount to Rs 34.30 crore. While these constituencies have spent beyond their limit, constituencies like Vasco and Dabolim, has not submitted a single proposal under the scheme with the entire Rs 7.50 crore each remaining unspent. The MLA-LAD scheme, introduced in lines with MPLAD, is a scheme that was set up  to enable the elected representatives to recommend >Continued on P9 Trump returns to White House as 47th Prez n Set to sign 10 executive orders n Illegal immigrants on edge PTI WASHINGTON President Donald Trump is expected to sign a series of executive orders to fulfil his campaign poll promises, including declaring an emergency at the southern border, addressing a national energy crisis, and defining sex-related policies, senior White House officials from the new administration said on Monday. Trump, 78, was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, marking his remarkable return to power for a second term. He is expected to sign 10 executive orders related to immigration, among which the most prominent is ending President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office in the Rotunda of the US Capitol on Monday. the automatic recognition of birthright citizenship. Hours before his inauguration, Trump said, “very soon we will begin the largest deportation exercise in Ameri- can history.” Explaining the executive order that defines sex, the official said it recognises that the erasure of sex in language and policy has had a corrosive impact, not just on women, but also on the validity of the American system. The official said that recognising males who identify as women has undermined key aspects of women’s lives, including opportunities, privacy, safety, and fairness. This approach disregards inherent biological differences and needs, such as privacy and physical size differences. Another executive order will end the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programmes. It is meant to create equal treatment and end DEI inside the federal government, the official said. “It explains a lot of the equity programming that has resulted from the Biden administration, said the official. 10 SPORTS Lucknow Super Giants appoint Rishabh Pant as captain 15 Goa faces bleak future as groundwater level drops Over 40% used for domestic needs, and is safest for consumption, reveals report SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI With over 40 per cent of the groundwater being extracted for domestic use, Goa has got the least net groundwater available for future use among the Indian States after Sikkim. As per the ‘National Compilation on Dynamic Groundwater Resources of India, 2024’ report, the groundwater level is substantially declining in Goa; however, the water is the safest for consumption. “In the States/UTs of Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep the groundwater extraction for domestic uses is more than 40 per cent,” the report stated. The data reveals that for Goa, the net groundwater available for future use is 0.24 billion cubic meters (bcm), after Sikkim (0.22bcm). The net groundwater level in the Union Territories ranges between 0.04 bcm to 0.00 bcm. “As compared to 2023 assessment, the Total Annual Groundwater Recharge (the DROP BY DROP „„In Goa and 13 other States and UTs groundwater extraction for domestic use is more than 40% „„Net groundwater available for future use in Goa is 0.24 billion cubic meters „„Net groundwater level in Union Territories ranges between 0.04 bcm to 0.00 bcm „„Decrease in groundwater recharge observed despite heavy rainfall „„Annual groundwater extraction also marginally increased due to increase in domestic, industrial and irrigation needs amount of water that is added to the groundwater supply)  in 2024 decreased from 0.396 bcm to 0.38 bcm and Annual Extractable Ground Water Resources (the amount of groundwater that can be extracted annually after accounting for natural discharge and ecological flow) decreased from 0.317 bcm to 0.31 bcm,” the report stated. The decrease in groundwater recharge was observed despite receiving heavy rainfall. “The Annual Groundwater Extraction has also marginally increased from 0.068 bcm to 0.071 bcm, due to increase in domestic, industrial and irrigation. The Stage of Groundwater Extraction has marginally increased from 21.37 % to 22.91 %,” it added further. Groundwater occurs under unconfined to semi-confined conditions in beach sands, laterites, weathered and fractured crystalline rocks. The development of groundwater from the phreatic zone is mostly through dug wells and shallow bore wells. “The Groundwater Resources have been assessed taluka-wise. Total Annual >Continued on P9