log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY MARCH 4, 2025 13 pages Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 255 Instagram.com/thegoanonline INDIA BRACES FOR FAMILIAR HIGHOCTANE AUSTRALIAN TEST >> P13 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INVESTMENT STARTS FROM >> See pg 3 Unfazed by polio, this library staff engages in sports knowing there is victory in every loss No respite from heat, IMD extends yellow alert in Goa PANAJI: Goa remained in the grip of scorching heat on Monday with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Goa extended yellow alert till March 5. Despite a marginal dip in temperatures -- from 37°C on Sunday to around 35°C on Monday -- humidity levels continued to soar. “Dry weather accompanied by hot and humid conditions prevailed over the state,” the IMD stated. People are advised to stay hydrated, avoid direct sun exposure during peak hours and take necessary precautions against heat-related illnesses. IN SHORT >> Mhadei panel to meet in Mumbai today PANAJI: The MhadeiPRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony) will meet in Mumbai on March 4 to discuss the Goa government’s proposal for joint site inspection of the Kalasa Nala project of Karnataka.  >> See pg 2 Stray dog attacks 80-yr-old UK man PANAJI: The menace of stray dogs continued to plague the beaches of South Goa with an 80-year-old tourist from the UK being bitten while taking a stroll along Benaulim beach. The incident has raised concerns among locals and tourists about stray animal management. PTAs want schools to start in June PORVORIM: Representatives of Parents Teachers Associations of different schools on Monday called on the Director of State Council of Educational Research and Training, to revoke the circular to start the academic year in April. WEATHER >> Max: 34.7 C Min: 23.5 C Humidity: 76% TIDES Low: High: 07.42 19.51 01.08 14.22 ` 1.29 Cr. Battleground of belief: Corridor makes its way   KHAPRESHWAR TEMPLE DEMOLISHED, IDOL RELOCATED   BANYAN TREE TRANSLOCATED TO A SITE IN SOCORRO Porvorim loses identity, soul The Dev Khapreshwar temple being demolished in Porvorim. [Right] The sacred banyan tree translocated opposite the petrol pump at Socorro on Monday.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Complaint against police, officials, NH contractor over temple demolition >> See pg 3 At about 3 am, a strong police force led by the SP and DySP went to the site. Under police protection, the devotees were kept at bay as the idol of Dev Khapreshwar and other religious items were removed. Labourers then razed a portion of the temple by about 3.30 am. The temple’s idol and other deities were relocated to a temporary structure opposite a car showroom near Damien de Goa in Porvorim under police protection. When contacted, Porvorim DySP Visvesh Karpe said the transportation of the idol of Goa gears up for 3rd district, Quepem to be headquarters CM MAY MAKE ANNOUNCEMENT IN BUDGET SESSION THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa is all set to get its third district, comprising four remote talukas of Canacona, Quepem, Sanguem and Dharbandora, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant expected to make the announcement in the State Budget 2025-26, which will be presented this month. Quepem has been designated as the headquarters of the third district, following government approval of a proposal submitted by a panel led by the Chief Secretary. Currently, the coastal State has two districts – North Goa and South Goa – with headquarters at Panaji and Margao respectively. Of the total 12 talukas, five are in North, seven are in South. Highly placed sources confirmed that the proposal has been vetted by the Law department and the final approval from the Chief Minister is also received. “The announcement will be made Khaunte slams ‘politics’ PORVORIM: Tourism Minister and local MLA Rohan Khaunte slammed the “political drama” surrounding the tension over the removal of the idol of Dev Khapreshwar, the demolition of the temple and the translocation of the banyan tree at Vodakkodem in Porvorim. Hitting out at accusations against him, Khaunte stated that he had been in the Opposition during the period from 2019 to 2022 when the consent forms were filed by people now staging protests. THE GOAN I NETWORK PORVORIM After nearly 24 hours of tension, unrest and a stand-off between authorities and protesters at Vodakkodem in Porvorim, a portion of the structure of the 200-year-old Dev Shree Khapreshwar temple was demolished in the wee hours of Monday. The temple’s idol and other deities were relocated to a temporary structure opposite a car showroom near Damien de Goa in Porvorim, while the sacred banyan tree was translocated to a site in Socorro later in the day, to make way for the six-lane elevated corridor on National Highway 66. After encountering stiff resistance from a large number of people throughout Sunday, authorities on Sunday night finally halted move to remove the idol of Dev Khapreshwar and demolish the temple structure. A group of devotees of Dev Khapreshwar, however, maintained vigil at the site. >> SEE PAGE 3 << NEW KID ON THE BLOCK „„Sources confirmed proposal has been vetted by Law department „„Final approval from Chief Minister also received „„Cabinet to thereafter give go ahead „„New district to comprise of four remote talukas of Canacona, Quepem, Sanguem and Dharbandora „„Eight member-committee has recommended establishing Quepem as headquarters with sub-district offices at Dharbandora & Sanguem. FLASHBACK: The third district was initially mooted by Ponda MLA Ravi Naik who had highlighted difficulties faced by people in travelling to 2 existing headquarters. in the State Budget by the CM,” sources said adding that the same would be cleared by the Cabinet thereafter. The Budget Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly is scheduled from March 24 to March 26. Sources further said that the eight member-committee has recommended establishing Quepem as the headquarters with sub-district offices at Dharbandora and Sanguem. The Chief Minister had ear- lier in January confirmed that the proposal for establishing the third district is in the final stage. The state had constituted a committee under the Chief Secretary in 2023 to assess the feasibility of financial aspects and administration for a third district and also to study whether the creation of the district would lead to development and welfare of the people in general and the backward talukas in particular. Dev Khapreshwar to a temporary site near Damien de Goa was smooth and peaceful. “The idol was placed in a container after performing all religious rituals. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had already assured on Sunday night a temple of Dev Khapreshwar would be constructed at Socorro.” Having relocated the idol of and razed a portion of the GMC introduces priority line for senior citizens THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a significant relief for senior citizens in the State, Goa Medical College on Monday introduced a dedicated priority line to streamline their access to medical services. A separate counter has also been set up to provide preference to senior citizens holding a priority card for OPD visits and other medical procedures. Registrations will be facilitated between 9 am and 5 pm, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free process. Additionally, assistance will be available at the counters, and a PRO will be present to guide senior citizens to their respective OPDs for check-ups and necessary investigations. This initiative aims to significantly reduce the hardships faced by senior citizens at the registration counters and enhance their overall experience at GMC. The dedicated priority line for senior citizens is in addition to Department of Geriatric Medicine which has been providing specialised facilities to senior citizens. temple structure, authorities then began the task of translocating the sacred banyan tree at Vodakkodem. “At about 9 am, a JCB lifted the banyan tree and placed it on a trailer. The vehicle then proceeded to be translocated in the field opposite the petrol pump at Socorro under the supervision of the experts of Doctor Tree India Pvt Ltd,” said DySP Karpe. MAPUSA: In the quiet darkness of early Monday morning, Porvorim lost more than just a tree. It lost a symbol of heritage, identity and faith. The banyan tree, a living relic of history, was translocated in a move that residents describe as not just an erasure of the past but a wound to the spirit of their community. For decades, the grand banyan tree stood as a silent witness to the lives and traditions of the people of Porvorim. Night vigil ends in heartbreak MAPUSA: For centuries, Dev Khapreshwar, revered as the Rakondar – protector deity – stood guard over the people. But on that fateful Sunday night, it was the people who stood guard for their deity, determined to protect it from being taken away. A group of around 20 local residents, gathered at the temple premises, refusing to leave. They lit a bonfire, their faces illuminated by flickering flames and unwavering resolve. Govt plans battery storage to boost peak-hour power POWER DEPT TO STUDY INDIA’S FIRST BESS SYSTEM SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI With Goa facing 120-150 megawatt of power shortfall during the peak hours, the State government is now considering having Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), the Stateof-the-art system that guarantees continuous electricity supply to it consumers, even in the event of technical faults or grid failures. For this, the Electricity department has decided to study India’s first BESS system, implemented in New Delhi by their power distribution company BSES. During the recently held State Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), the electricity department was asked to explore the possibility of implementing BESS system in order to meet the peak requirements in the State. The SAC also directed the State to explore options like ENERGY FIX: POWERING AHEAD „„Electricity dept asked to explore possibility of implementing BESS system in order to meet the peak requirements „„BESS system is implemented in New Delhi by power company BSES „„BESS are advanced systems that use rechargeable batteries to store energy generated from different renewable sources like sun and wind, and release it to the grid when needed „„They use algorithms and software to coordinate with electricity grid and decide whether to store or release energy Demand Side Management (DSM) -- a strategy to reduce energy demand by encouraging consumers to change their electricity usage habits especially industrial and commercial units -- to reduce the peak demand. “One of the key points of discussion was focused on 120-150 mw of shortfall in peak power faced by the State of Goa that leads to price excursions up to Rs 20 per unit. This forces the department to go to demand restrictions on industrial, hotel and commercial consumers who are then forced to run the diesel generator sets to meet their peak power requirement. This high price excursion will make an energy storage system to meet peak demand financially viable,” states the minutes of the meeting. “To design the energy storage system, the necessary >Continued on P5 Govt reserves 10% jobs for Mumbai’s DNEG powers ‘Dune 2’ to VFX Oscar freedom fighters’ children ‘Anuja’ loses best live action short Oscar to Dutch movie PTI THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Government on Monday ordered reserving 10 per cent vacancies, across all departments to the children of freedom fighters, under direct recruitment, in a bid to clear all the pending cases.  Home department has notified amendments in the scheme framed for providing employment to the children of Freedom Fighters.  The government has amended the Clause 3 of the scheme, thereby reserving *T&C Apply Sancoale, Goa RERA NO: PRGO03242174 | WWW.RERA.GOA.GOV.IN | WWW.BHUTANIGROUP.COM | Collection A/C Acqua Eden: Beneficiary Name: Parmesh Construction Company Limited | Account No: 99921102030405 | IFSC: HDFC0000088 | Bank Name: HDFC Bank * The government has amended the Clause 3 of the scheme, thereby reserving 10 per cent vacancies under direct recruitment quota for Group ‘C’ posts 10 per cent vacancies under direct recruitment quota for Group ‘C’ posts. “The said scheme shall be applicable for all vacancies under direct recruitment quota except vacancies under Group A and B, for which re- cruitment is done by Goa Public Service Commission,” the department said. It also maintained that prevalent reservation of 2% under Group ‘A’ & ‘B’ based on roster points shall continue vis-à-vis posts filled through GPSC for further period of one year with effect from March 1, 2025. ‘The scheme shall be valid for further period of one year w.e.f. March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026 or till the remaining registered children of Freedom Fighters in the Home Department get sponsored for the employment,” it added. NEW DELHI he Oscars this year had an India connect that few knew about -- Mumbai-based Double Negative (DNEG) played a critical role in creating the VFX for “Dune: Part Two”, which won an Academy Award for Visual Effects. And this, says CEO Malhotra, is one more evidence of India's growing power in the sector. “The country that does most of the visual effects, more than any other country, is India. There are more Indians working (on VFX) in any major Hollywood T NEW DELHI: ‘Anuja’, a New Delhi-set coming-ofage short film that was competing at the Oscars 2025 in the Best Live Action Short category, lost out on the award to Dutch-language movie “I’m Not a Robot”. ‘I’m Not a Robot’ is a science fiction film written and directed by Victoria Warmerdam. “After failing an online CAPTCHA test, Max film than there are in Indian films. That is a unique reality we are already in,” Malhotra told PTI on Monday shortly after the Oscar announcement. Paul Lambert, Ste- faces an existential crisis when he believes he might actually be a robot,” read its synopsis. ‘Anuja’, directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, follows a gifted nine-year-old Anuja, who must make a choice between education and factory work alongside her sister - a decision that will shape both their futures. It stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag. phen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer won the Oscar in the category for the Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi classic. Lambert, in his speech, acknowledged VFX vendors DNEG and Wylie Co, who helped them. Malhotra, whose company has worked on VFX of Oscar winners such as “Ex Machina”, “Blade Runner 2049”, “First Man” and “Tenet” in the category, hopes Indian films open up in a big way in the area. “Our artists and our capabilities are already ahead of what Indian filmmakers are using... We don't have enough big visual led effects projects here and that is where we are hoping to get to the next level.” Malhotra is hopeful there will soon be a time when Indian audiences and filmmakers “start to make visual effects a big part of their storytelling”. “It's a matter of time... We will find that opportunity very soon.” The Academy Award win for “Dune: Part Two” brought a feeling of validation because it comes from a “competitive group of the people who all have done incredible work”, he said.