log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY JANUARY 25, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 17 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 218 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Djokovic exits amid boos from Australian Open  Pg17 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Unsound woman abducted, Govt grounds all paragliding Ops gang-raped at Cansaulim KERI TRAGEDY AFTERMATH page 6 Happy to visit Goa, place of my roots: Cardinal Coutts Goan-origin Austrian musician gets Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award IN SHORT >> 2-day session: Oppn readies united front PANAJI: Legislators from Opposition parties on Friday met at the Chamber of Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao at Porvorim to strategise for the upcoming winter session of the Goa Legislative Assembly. Alemao said, Venzy Viegas, Vijai Sardesai, Carlos Alvares-Ferreira and Altone D’Costa attended the meeting where they planned their strategy on how to tackle the government propaganda.  >> See pg 3 SSC exams start from March 1 PANAJI: The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education on Friday released the final schedule for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination, which will begin on March 1. The Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) exams are scheduled to start on February 1.  >> See pg 3 Carnival, Shigmo dates announced PANAJI: The annual Carnival and Shigmotsav float parade will be held in Goa in February and March, respectively. Tourism Director Kedar Naik said that Carnival will take place from February 28 to March 4 offering five days of colourful celebrations and float parades across Goa while the Shigmo festival will be held from March 15 to March 29, across 19 centres.  8 killed in ordnance factory explosion BHANDARA: Eight persons were killed after a blast at an ordnance factory in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district on Friday morning, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said. As per preliminary information, eight persons were killed and seven injured in the blast, Gadkari told reporters. Amul cuts milk prices by Re 1 NEW DELHI: Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets dairy products under the Amul brand, has reduced milk prices by Rs 1 per litre across India. However, the reduction in prices is only for one-litre packs. Tourism Dept to review registrations FOUR TEENAGERS AMONG FIVE FROM VASCO ARRESTED THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO In a heinous crime, a group of five, all hailing from Vasco gang-raped a mentally unsound woman at a guest house at Cansaulim after abducting her from the Margao KTC bus stand on Wednesday evening. Four of the accused persons are around 18 years, while the fifth is 22 years old. In a swift operation, the Goa police nabbed all the five accused. The vehicle used by the accused in commission of the crime has also been attached. All the five have been remanded to seven days police custody by a Margao court for further investigation. Briefing media after DIG Varsha Sharma took stock of the investigations on Friday evening, Superintendent of ABDUCTION & BRUTALITY: WHAT HAPPENED „„A mentally unsound woman from Quepem was at Margao KTC bus stand „„She was enticed and befriended by Adil who abducted her and took her by bus till Vasco bus stand „„Later on a scooter, Adil takes the victim to Dabolim junction „„Four others join them in their Baleno car „„They take the victim to a guest house at Cansaulim where Adil and the others engage in sexual intercourse „„The victim was later dropped at Nuvem junction early Thursday morning „„Police came to know about the crime after the victim waves to a passer-by, who in turn informed the control room „„Incident occurred on the intervening night of Wednesday & Thursday (According to SP Sunita Sawant) Police, South Sunita Sawant said the incident had occurred on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday when the mentally unsound woman, hailing from Quepem had reached the Margao KTC bus stand. She said the victim was enticed and befriended by accused Adil before abducting her from the bus stand to travel with him by bus till the Vasco bus stand. Thereafter, accused Adil used a scooter and made the victim sit pillion and travelled to Dabolim Junction, where other four accused -Ali, Shahzad, Viresh and Yasir -- joined them in their four wheeler Baleno car. “They then took the victim to a guest house at Cansaulim in a Bale- no car, where Adil engaged in sexual intercourse with her, followed by the other accused persons participating in the act one after another, thereby gang-raping her by exploiting her vulnerable condition”, SP Sawant stated. The district police chief said the victim was later dropped at Nuvem junction early Thursday morning. The TILLARI CANAL RUPTURES, DISRUPTS WATER SUPPLY n Bardez faces water shortage n Roads, plantations inundated n Significant damage to agricultural land THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA A major breach in the Tillari canal at Kudase, Dodamarg in Maharashtra has caused a significant disruption in the supply of raw water to Goa’s water treatment plants, affecting water availability across Bardez taluka. The rupture occurred hours before Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and officials were scheduled to inspect the repair work of the Tillari canal. The breach at Kudase-Dodamarg, inundated nearby roads and plantations, disrupting local transportation, and causing significant damage to agricultural lands. The breach has halted the flow of raw water from the Tillari canal, which is crucial for the operation of several treatment plants supplying potable water to Bardez. In response, the Public Works Department has announced that restricted water supply will take effect from January 24 and will remain in place until the flow from the Tillari canal is restored. `  28 cr boost for Tillari canal; reliable 1 water supply for 25 years: Govt PANAJI: The State government has announced significant progress in the repair and renovation of the Tillari water canal, with 50 percent of the work on the Goa side now complete. The project, which has so far cost the State government Rs 128 crore for the redesign and strengthening of the 28-km-long canal, is expected to ensure the canal remains durable for the next 25 years.  >> See pg 3 “The water supply timings across various localities in Bardez may be altered or changed, depending on the availability of treated water,” stated a press release issued by the PWD. Residents are advised to use water judiciously during this period. The Tillari canal has long been a critical source of raw water for Goa, but it has also faced recurring issues such as breaches and seepages. Officials have assured that efforts are underway to address the breach and restore normal water flow.  The incident is a stark re- minder of the recurring challenges the canal has faced since its inception, with breaches reported frequently due to inadequate maintenance and weak infrastructure. The Tillari canal, which is part of the joint irrigation project between Goa and Maharashtra, is vital for Goa’s water supply, particularly for drinking water requirements. Any disruption in the canal’s flow on the Maharashtra side has a direct spillover effect on Goa, which relies heavily on raw water from the canal for its treatment plants. Curchorem family duped of crypto currency valued at nearly `  cr 5 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Economic Offences Cell (EOC) of Goa Police has registered an offence against Sukanta Bhowmik and Ajay Dodamani of an online games services company, on charges of duping a family from Curchorem into investing in crypto currency, presently valued at Rs 4.82 crore. According to information received, Rupesh Bandekar from Curchorem filed a complaint stating that Bhowmik and Dodamani got the complainant and his family members into invest in the above company between July 15, 2017 and October 10, 2017. The complainant invested multiple sums of money in the online games services company. The company then invested 5.7558327 bitcoins in crypto currency and the complainant claimed his investment was valued at Rs 4.82 crore as per the current market price. Taking cognisance of the complaint, Inspector Rajshad Sheikh, under the guidance of EOC Superintendent Arshi Adil and Deputy Superintendent Francis Corte, has registered a case against the two suspects. WINDS OF CAUTION THE GOAN I NETWORK police was informed about the heinous crime after the victim waved to a passer-by, who in turn informed the Goa police on the control room. The Fatorda police has registered an Offence under section 138, 70(1) and Section 64(1) (k)(m) of BNS Act 2023 against all the five accused. The names of the accused were provide as Adil (18) from Vidhyamandir, Chicalim, Mohammed Ali Mulla (22) from Mangor Hill, Shahzad (18) from Khariwadda-Vasco, Viresh (18) from Vasco and Mohammed Yasir (18) from Sada-Vasco. After receiving the complaint, SP Sawant said multiple teams were formed and raids conducted. “Vehicle used for committing the offence has been >Continued on P11 PANAJI Following death of Pune tourist and a paraglider pilot during paragliding at Keri, last week, the government has suspended operations of paragliding activities (motorized and non-motorized) throughout Goa until further orders.  Tourism Director Kedar Naik has issued an order.  The Department said that it will undertake a review of all the existing registrations issued under the Goa Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1982, pertaining to paragliding activities throughout the State, to ensure compliance with the requisite safety standards.  The department has directed all operators engaged in paragliding activities to submit prescribed documentation to the Dept for inspection.   Last week, a woman tourist from Maharashtra, Shivani Dabale, and the paraglider pi- „„The Tourism Department has instructed all operators involved in paragliding activities, both motorized and non-motorized, to submit the required documentation to the Department for inspection. lot, Suman Nepali from Nepal, died after the rope snapped mid-flight at Keri plateau. Goa police have charged the paragliding company owner with culpable homicide. Police arrested Shekhar Raizada, the owner of Hike ‘n’ Fly for continuing with the activity without obtaining the requisite permission from the concerned authorities. The Tourism Department had clarified that it had not provided any “permission or approval” for paragliding at Keri plateau. South Goa hit by surge in cyber frauds, 15 fall victim Scammers impersonate cops, finance officials THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO Beware! If you receive a call from an unknown person pretending to be a police officer or an official from a financial institution asking you to transfer money or share an OTP in exchange for high returns on investments, do not transfer any money or provide the OTP. For, you may join the long list of victims of increased number of cybercrimes as the NO LET-UP IN CYBERCRIMES, MANY FALL PREY TO SCAMSTERS  >> See pg 2 South Goa police on Friday registered as many as 15 cases of cyber fraud. Police stations across South Goa, right from Ponda to Canacona, Curchorem, Colva and Vasco and others have registered cybercrime offenses based on the complaints received from the victims. Take the case registered by the Sanguem police. On January 14, one Shankar Gaonkar said he received a WhatsApp call from unknown persons impersonating as Mumbai police officers and instilled fear that he is involved in several money laundering cases for which he will be put behind bars and further induced the complainant to transfer Rs 90,000 into the fraudster’s bank account. A TASTE OF SOUTHERN SPICE AT C2C Experience the culinary delights of South India, thoughtfully crafted by our chef from Southern Spice, the award-winning restaurant at Taj Coromandel, Chennai. 24th January to 2nd February Lunch & Dinner Goa shines bright in NITI’s fiscal health index PTI NEW DELHI ineral-rich Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Jharkhand have emerged as top-performing ‘achievers’ among the States listed in NITI Aayog’s first Fiscal Health Index (FHI) report released on Friday. The report titled ‘’Fiscal Health Index 2025’’ ranked States for 2022-23, covered 18 major States that drive the Indian economy in terms of their contribution to India’s GDP, demography, total public expenditure, revenues, and overall fiscal stability. M FISCAL HEALTH INDEX REPORT „„Odisha, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh score highest average FHI score for 2014-15 to 2021-22 „„Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala worst-performing States „„Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka listed under ‘front-runners’ category „„Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Rajasthan & Haryana classified as performers „„Data used to calculate Fiscal Health Index (major variables and sub-components under each variable) sourced from CAG According to the report, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala were worst-performing states in Fiscal Health Index (FHI), each focusing significant fiscal challenges, and listed under ‘’aspirational’’ category. The report which aims to evolve an understanding of the fiscal health of States in the country has listed Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka under ‘’front-runners’’ category. Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Rajasthan and Haryana were classified as performers. As per report, released by Chairman of 16th Finance Commission Arvind Panagariya, Odisha excelled in fiscal health with the highest overall index score of 67.8. Referring to top five achiev- er States, the Aayog said these States have higher capital outlay of up to 4 per cent of GSDP, effective mobilization of non-tax revenue, are revenue surplus and have low interest payments, which is up to 7 per cent of revenue receipts. Analysing the performance of front runners, the government think tank said these States reported high total developmental expenditure up to 73 per cent, witnessed consistent growth in own tax revenue, had balanced fiscal management and improved debt sustainability with >Continued on P11 >Continued on P11 For reservaaons, please call: 0832-665-9227