log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2025 page 6 Hero MotoCorp’s leadership shake-up: What’s next? REVIEW: BMW iX1 LWB: Balancing luxury space and affordability IN SHORT >> McLaughlin case: Verdict today MARGAO: The South Goa Sessions Court will finally pronounce the order in the sensational 2017 rape and murder of young Irish national Danielle McLaughlin on Friday. The Court was scheduled to pronounce the verdict on Thursday after adjourning the matter on Wednesday. However, the verdict is expected on Friday.  >> See pg 2 Mhadei panel to meet on March 4 PANAJI: The Mhadei- PRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony) will meet on March 4 in Mumbai to discuss the Goa government’s proposal for joint site inspection of the Kalasa Nala project of Karnataka. >> See pg 3 Aid for Sanjivani staffers till Mar 31 PANAJI: In a major relief to sugar factory staffers, the govt has extended the scheme for providing grant-in-aid to Sanjivani Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana Ltd till March 31. A notification said the government has decided to extend the financial benefit to the factory till March 31 or until the employees take voluntary retirement. >> See pg 3 Panels to address medicos’ grievances PANAJI: The govt has constituted district level committees to address the grievances of medical professionals in case of violence. The seven-member committee comprises of Under Secretary Home, Health, Director of Prosecution, Director Health Services, Dean Goa Medical College and Hospital Medical Superintendent of North and South Goa district hospital.   >> See pg 3 President’s rule imposed in Manipur NEW DELHI: President’s rule was imposed in strife-torn Manipur on Thursday and the State assembly put under suspended animation, days after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned from his post. Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 237 Instagram.com/thegoanonline TRUMP ANNOUNCES RECIPROCAL TARIFFS SAYS INDIA HAS MORE TARIFFS THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY AGENCIES WASHINGTON In a bombshell announcement during Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s Washington visit, Trump revealed his plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on Thursday, stating that US would charge countries same tariff rates they impose on US. He said “India has more tariffs than nearly any other country”. “On trade, I have decided that for the purpose of fairness, I’ll charge reciprocal tariffs -- meaning, whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them -- no more, no less. They charge us with tax and tariffs, it’s very simple we will charge them with exact tax and tariffs,” Trump said. Targeting India’s trade practices, Trump remarked, “India has more tariffs than nearly Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets billionaire businessman Elon Musk ahead of his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump. any other country,” reinforcing his push for what he calls ‘fair trade’. The announcement comes as Trump prepares to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House, where trade is expected to be a key topic of discussion.  Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he decided to impose reciprocal duties, telling New drinking water dept: Reform or political ploy? Sparks mixed reactions from citizens, politicos THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The State government’s decision to create a separate department for drinking water has stirred mixed reactions among citizens and public figures. The move comes in the wake of a severe water crisis triggered by the breach in the Tillari canal, leaving parts of the State parched. While some believe this step could streamline water supply, others argue it will only increase bureaucracy and strain public finances. Currently, water supply is managed by two departments: the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Water Resources Department (WRD). The PWD oversees pipeline installation and household distribution, whereas the WRD manages water supply to reservoirs. Critics question whether forming a new department BIG SPLASH: VOICES OF CONCERN „„Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira expressed skepticism saying merely establishing a new department without centralising authority would not address the issue effectively „„Former MLA Radharao Gracias alleged that the move was politically motivated, suggesting that splitting PWD into multiple departments would allow more ministers to benefit financially „„Calangute MLA Michael Lobo gave a thumbs up to the proposal saying It is a very good idea „„RTI activist Jawaharlal Shetye questioned whether the govt had conducted a thorough study before proposing the new department will solve the ongoing issues or simply add another layer of administration. Congress MLA and senior counsel Carlos Ferreira expressed skepticism, stating that poor coordination between departments is the root cause of water supply issues. “If there is a pipeline burst or a need to lay new pipelines, it falls under PWD, while WRD handles raw water supply. Unless one department has com- plete control, the problem will persist,” Ferreira said. He argued that merely establishing a new department without centralising authority would not address the issue effectively. Former MLA Radharao Gracias echoed similar concerns, emphasising that ensuring the proper functioning of existing departments should be >Continued on P8 RCB begins title defence against Giants in WPL2025 opener  Pg 14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 reporters that US allies were often “worse than our enemies” on trade issues. The levies would be tailored to each US trading partner and consider factors including value added tax (VAT). Trump has announced a broad range of tariffs targeting some of the biggest US trading partners since taking office, arguing that they would help tackle unfair practices -- and in some cases using the threats to influence policy. The president has referred to tariffs as a way to raise revenue, remedy trade imbalances and pressure countries to act on US concerns. Analysts have warned that reciprocal duties could bring a broad tariff hike to emerging market economies such as India and Thailand, which tend to have higher effective tariff rates on US products. Tribunal stalls appointment of Bodgeshwar temple panel THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Administrative Tribunal has stayed the appointment of the new committee of Shree Dev Bodgeshwar Devasthan, Mapusa. The order comes after the High Court of Bombay at Goa dismissed a writ petition filed by the President of the Devasthan, Anand Bhaidkar, directing to raise the matter before the Tribunal. The petition challenged the decision of the temple administrator to grant voting rights to new Mahajans for the election of Shree Dev Bodgeshwar Devasthan.  The election for the Temple committee took place on February 9. On February 7, the temple administrators accepted a list submitted by temple secretary, which included 1,416 voters. Among them were 254 newly inducted Mahajans. An order was subsequently issued allowing these new Mahajans to participate in the election, and the process was conducted based on this updated list.  Chilling video exposes Kerala ragging horror HC bars transportation of iron ore at night in Pilgao Directs Vedanta to submit undertaking IN THE HIGH COURT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The High Court of Bombay at Goa has disallowed Vedanta Ltd from transporting iron ore during the night through the alternate route in Pilgao, Bicholim while also directing the company to submit an undertaking by Friday.   The order on Thursday came during the hearing on miscellaneous civil applications. In the first plea, Pilgao resident Anil Salelkar alleged that Vedanta was transporting iron ore at night in violation of environmental and regulatory guidelines while Vedanta’s plea sought to resume transportation on the original EC-approved route that allowed more trips. Both the pleas were dismissed.  The High Court upheld that only daytime transportation would be permitted. “The High Court has cancelled night-time transportation of „„Pilgao resident alleged Vedanta was transporting iron ore at night in violation of environmental and regulatory guidelines while Vedanta’s plea sought to resume transportation on original EC-approved route „„According to Adv Alvares HC upheld that only daytime transportation would be permitted and Vedanta can transport only 40 trucks per hour, which aligns with the government’s SOP for mining ore passing through villages ore on the non-EC-diverted route. Vedanta can transport only 40 trucks per hour, which aligns with the government’s SOP for mining ore passing through villages,” Advocate Norma Alvares, representing the villagers, said.  The Court asked the company to file undertaking to not carry out night operations.  The Directorate of Mines and Geology, in its order dated December 11, 2024, had permitted Vedanta Ltd (Block-I Bicholim Mining Block) to transport 40 trips per hour from 9 am to 5 pm and 50 trips per hour from 11:30 pm to 5:30 am. However, after objections were raised, Advocate General Devidas Pangam assured the court in the previous hearing that ore transportation would be restricted to 5:45 pm in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of Directorate of Mines and Geology.   During Monday’s hearing, allegations of night-time transportation re-surfaced after which Pangam assured investigation and strict action. >Continued on P8 Collector to probe land for Pvt varsity THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a significant development, the State government has directed the Collector to investigate and submit a report on the demand from certain  gauncars  of Tivim for the cancellation of approval granted for the allocation of approximately 2 lakh square meters of  comunidade  land to MAEER without an auction. The directive follows a complaint from some  gauncars, who wrote to the Chief Secretary and Secretary (Revenue) on December 16 last year, alleging that the managing committee of the Tivim comunidade had fraudulently allocated the land to the private university in violation of Article 334-A of the Code of Comunidades, 1961.  >> See pg 3 Find the perfect venue for a day filled with romance, sweet surprises and unforgettable moments. HORIZON HERITAGE C2C 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM THE BARBEQUE 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM DPB - TERRACE GARDEN BAR 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM BEACHSIDE DINING FOR TWO 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM ALFAMA 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM Junior nursing student tied to bed, stripped half-naked, pierced with compass all over PTI KOTTAYAM Disturbing visuals of the brutal ragging of a junior student at the Government Nursing College surfaced on Thursday, showing the victim being tied to a cot and his body repeatedly pierced with a compass. According to footage received by the Gandhinagar police, the victim was stripped half-naked and subjected to horrifying acts, including having dumbbells placed on his private parts after being tied to a cot and having facial cream poured into his mouth. Kottayam District Police Chief Shahul Hameed said INVESTIGATION REVEALS HORRIFYING ACTS „„Senior students pierced various parts of his body with the compass, counting, one, two, three „„Dumbbells placed on his private parts after being tied to a cot; facial cream poured into his mouth „„Victim screams in pain, accused mocked him, taunting and insulting him by calling him a “sexy body” „„Complaint stated senior students regularly extorted money from juniors on Sundays to buy alcohol and frequently assaulted them that police are investigating whether more students were subjected to ragging. “The case has been registered based on a complaint from one student but we will record statements from others to determine if there are more victims,” he told reporters here. Hameed added that the investigation will also examine whether there were any lapses on the part of the college authorities. The five students arrested on Wednesday in connection with the case are currently in the district jail after being remanded by a court here. The visuals aired by TV channels showed the junior student--lying on the bed with lotion all over his body and his hands and legs tied with a rope--screaming in pain, unable to move while his body was repeatedly pierced with the compass. The senior students pierced various parts of his body with the compass, counting aloud, “one, two, three”. As the victim screamed in pain, the accused mocked him, taunting and insulting him by calling him a “sexy body”. The video recorded by third-year students captured this brutal act of ragging, police said. The abuse took place in the boys’ hostel targeting firstyear nursing students. The arrested students have been identified as Samuel Johnson (20), Rahul Raj (22), Jeev (18), Rijil Jith (20), and Vivek (21). One of the arrested students was an office-bearer of a nursing student organisation, police said. They were arrested after a case was registered under the Prohibition of Ragging Act, >Continued on P8 Vainguinim Beach, Dona Paula, Panaji, Goa 403004 Horizon: 0832 665 9227 | Heritage: 0832 665 9226