log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY MARCH 9, 2025 >> SEE PG 2 DIVINE DILEMMA: CLASH OF FAITH, LAW & INFRA MAGAZINE MAGAZ 9 Journey of hand-held fan culture Miradouro: A café that rose like the perfect dough 11 Contradictions in the regulation of Goa’s comunidade lands IN SHORT >> Mhadei panel: Centre advertises 5 posts PANAJI: The Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation) has sought applications for the positions of Mhadei PRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare And Harmony) chairperson, secretary and three members.  >> See pg 3 Cops get 50 more bikes for patrolling PANAJI: Close to a year after launching mobile traffic patrolling, Goa police is ramping up enforcement with 50 additional two-wheelers to intensify surveillance, especially in the high-traffic and narrow lanes of the coastal belt.  >> See pg 3 Caretaker gored to death by bull VASCO: A 32-year-old caretaker of a cowshed from Zuarinagar Birla was gored to death by a bull near Velsao lake on Saturday. According to sources, Mehboob Walikar and his colleague were asked to manage a cowshed in Birla.  >> See pg 3 WEATHER >> Max: 34 C Min: 23 C Humidity: 70% TIDES Low: High: 01:27 13:17 06:01 20:58 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 260 Instagram.com/thegoanonline COMMITTEE PRESIDENT SAYS ‘PRASAD’ INDICATES TEMPLE SHOULD BE CONSTRUCTED AT THE SAME SITE PORVORIM Virtually rejecting the State government’s offer to reconstruct the demolished Dev Khapreshwar Temple  in Porvorim at an alternative location, the temple committee has insisted that the temple must be rebuilt at the same location at Vodakadde. The temple committee took this decision after taking the ‘Prasad’ of God Ravalnath at Mulgao-Bicholim regarding the shifting of the Dev Khapreshwar Temple on Saturday morning. When contacted, President of the Khapreshwar Temple Committee Kartik Kudnekar said the ‘Prasad’ they took indicated that the temple should be constructed at the Rift among devotees? Second group finalises another site PORVORIM: A division has emerged between the temple committee and a group of devotees over the location to reconstruct the demolished Dev Khapreshwar Temple in Porvorim. The group is reported to have shortlisted a site near Alcon showroom in Porvorim and are also reported to have obtained ‘Prasad’ at a temple in Socorro to rebuild the temple at the new location. They have asked Chief Minister and Tourism Minister ensure the temple construction at this location. Khapreshwar Temple Committee President Kartik Kudnekar, however, hit out the group of devotees. “I do not know these devotees and who directed them to take ‘Prasad’. They have no right to meddle in the affairs of the temple. Only the existing committee will decide about the reconstruction,” he said. same site. “In view of this ‘Prasad’, the temple committee has decided to rebuild the temple at the original site through public funds. There is enough space in the setback area at the old location and a small Mohun Bagan clinches ISL league shield in home glory Pg 7 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Temple panel firm on original Porvorim site THE GOAN I NETWORK Glitter, gold & discounts won’t save us Facebook.com/thegoan temple can be built without any hindrance to highway traffic,” said Kudnekar. He said devotees have already started contributing wholeheartedly towards the construction of the temple of Dev Khapreshwar. “Devotees can donate sand, cement, stone, tiles, electrical items, etc. in whatever form. It will be a temple of devotees,” said Kudnekar. I have been receiving support from devotees all over Goa and the wish of devotees will be communicated to Chief Minister”, he said. Authorities had faced the wrath of a large crowd of local residents, civil society and devotees during their drive to uproot the banyan tree, remove the idol and demolish the temple which came the way of the flyover. Madkaikar under police lens after corruption bombshell PRELIMINARY PROBE ON, SUMMONS LIKELY STORM BREWS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI As the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Goa police has begun a preliminary inquiry into explosive bribery allegations made by former minister Pandurang Madkaikar, he is likely to be summoned for questioning in the coming days.   Sources revealed to The Goan that Madkaikar’s statement will be crucial in determining whether an offense can be registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The team is also examining the viral video footage where the BJP leader allegedly admitted to paying Rs 15-20 lakh to a minister for clearing files.   “We need to establish who received the money, who was the minister that Madkaikar claimed was forced to pay the bribe, under what circumstances... The inquiry is exhaustive but on the fast track. If the evidence supports the allegations, an FIR will follow,” a senior official said, stating that ACB is directed to send a notice for his appear- „„Madkaikar’s statement to be crucial in determining whether an offense can be registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act „„Police examining viral video footage where he allegedly admits to paying Rs 15-20 lakh to a minister for clearing files „„Officials say need to establish who received the money and who was the minister that Madkaikar claimed was forced to pay ance soon. Statements of seven complainants who approached the ACB with a formal complaint based on Madkaikar’s public remarks are also expected to be recorded soon. Kashinath Shetye, Inacio Domnic Pereira, Ramchandra Manjrekar, John Francis Nazareth, Premendra Vernekar, Mariano Ferrao and Krishna Pandit have further urged the department to expose govern- Road sinks during flyover FINAL FRENZY IN DUBAI drilling work at Porvorim LEADS TO TRAFFIC JAM ALONG CHOGM ROAD THE GOAN I NETWORK PORVORIM A portion  of the highway caved in near the Nexa showroom in Porvorim on Saturday morning, while drilling work was in progress for the elevated corridor project. Traffic along one side of the highway was later diverted, leading to congestion along the CHOGM road. When contacted, Porvorim Traffic Inspector Sanjit Kandolkar said the traffic police on duty noticed the portion of the highway caving in at about 8 am. “I alerted my superiors who decided to immediately stop the movement of traffic from Panaji to Mapusa at the O’Coqueiro Circle,” said PI Kandolkar. In a bid to prevent any untoward incident, traffic proceeding from Panaji-Mapusa side of the highway was diverted at O’Coqueiro junction to proceed via CHOGM road and further through the newly constructed road opposite the Team India is all set to take on New Zealand in the final showdown of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. INDIA’S ROAD TO FINALS „„Beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets „„Won against Pakistan by 6 wickets „„Defeated New Zealand by 44 runs „„Overcame Australia by 4 wickets in semis PITCH REPORT A portion of the highway which caved in near the Nexa showroom in Porvorim on Saturday. Wellness Pharmacy to reach the Porvorim Bazaar slope on NH 66 for onward journey. Traffic was allowed to continue on the other side of the Mapusa-Panaji side of the highway. Traffic police were also deployed at all the major intersections and for guidance of motorists, as efforts were underway to repair the caved portion of the road. However, there was a traffic jam along the CHOGM road on account of the unexpected diversion in traffic. “After the caved portion of the road was partially repaired, it was decided to permit only light vehicles to proceed on the NH66 via the O’Coqueiro Junction. As soon as the damaged portion of the road is fully repaired, all vehicles will be allowed to proceed towards Mapusa on the existing highway,” said PI Kandolkar. „„Dubai pitch has been conducive for spinners so far „„Best time to bat will be in the Powerplay when the ball is new „„Once the ball gets older and softer hitting will become difficult „„Batters will need time to get acclimatized to pace of conditions ment officials involved in the alleged bribery scandal.   The complaint submitted to the ACB on Thursday -- copy of which is in possession of The Goan -- stressed that corruption is crippling governance. “Strict and swift action is needed. Corruption undermines democracy, hampers development, and erodes public trust,” it read.   Madkaikar’s remarks that “they are busy counting money” fuelled allegations of a deep-rooted corruption racket with the Opposition demanding an investigation.   “Nothing is moving. All ministers are busy counting money. Nothing is happening in Goa,” Madkaikar was heard saying in a video, where he admitted that he last paid a bribe for “a small work.” He further claimed how a minister’s assistant demanded Rs 15-20 lakh before clearing a file. Madkaikar hinted that he would name the minister once he quits the party. >Continued on P6 Drugs worth over `  1 cr seized in 1 raid at Guirim, youth arrested THE GOAN I NETWORK UPHILL BATTLE „„India always finds resilient Kiwis a tall mountain to surmount „„Kiwis hold 10-6 lead over India across all ICC tournaments „„New Zealand also has 3-1 edge over India in ICC knockout matches TOTAL SELLOUT „„All 25,000 tickets for the finals have been sold „„Prices range from AED 250 for general admission to AED 12,000 for exclusive Sky Box hospitality „„An estimated AED 9 mn has been generated from ticket sales ( Report on pg 8 ) PANAJI In the biggest-ever drug bust in Goa, Crime Branch sleuths seized hydroponic weed worth Rs 11.67 crore and arrested a youth during a raid at Guirim. The alleged drug peddler’s identity has been kept under wraps.  “The accused was arrested from Guirim after a thorough investigation and a month of intelligence collection and booked under relevant sections of NDPS Act,” reads a statement issued by SP (CB) Rahul Gupta.  Chief Minister Pramod Sawant congratulated the Crime Branch stating it is a testament to the relentless efforts of law enforcement agencies in keeping Goa drug-free. “The government remains committed to a zero-tolerance policy on drugs. Strong action is being taken against drug traffickers. We will continue to strengthen intelligence networks, enhance surveillance, and crack down on drug-related crimes,” CM said in his social media post. Israeli tourist among 2 Alarming online black magic boom exposes Goa’s dark secret gang-raped near Hampi WEB OF WITCHCRAFT WHO WILL CRACK THE WHIP? THE GOAN I NETWORK 3 MEN PUSHED INTO CANAL, 1 DEAD PTI KOPPAL Two women, including a 27-year-old Israeli tourist, were allegedly gang-raped and assaulted while stargazing near Hampi, police said on Saturday. Three male tourists who were with the women were also assaulted and pushed into a canal and one of them was found dead, they said. “Out of the three accused, we have arrested two and efforts are being taken to nab the third suspect,” Ram L Arasid- di, Superintendent of Police of Koppal, told PTI. After dinner, a 29-year-old homestay operator, along with the Israeli tourist and three male tourists, was sitting by the left bank of the Tungabhadra Canal near Sanapur Lake, playing the guitar, enjoying music, and stargazing. Among the male tourists, one was from the United States, while the others were from Odisha and Maharashtra. The opposition BJP in Karnataka flayed the Congress government over the incident.  >> See pg 6 PANAJI hile the Goa police have ruled out black magic as a motive in the murder of a 5-year-old child at Usgao, evidence suggests that occult practices otherwise remain prevalent in Goa. A day after claiming that accused Babasaheb Alar (52) and his wife Pooja (45) had confessed to sacrificing the child based on the advice of an occult practitioner, the police backtracked, stating that there is no link to black magic. Despite this, a quick online search reveals an alarming number of websites openly offering black magic and va- W „„Huge number of websites openly offering black magic and vashikaran services „„Many sites claim to provide solutions for love, marriage, career  „„Some even assure elimination of enemy without leaving any evidence „„Another website asserts offering services for personal and professional issues, boasting that black magic spells have provided hope to many „„While some claim to offer guidance and protection, others openly advertise services to harm adversaries shikaran services in Goa. Many of these sites claim to provide solutions for love, marriage, career and even enemy elimination, with one website explicitly stating that “magic spells can kill someone (enemy) without leaving any evidence.” Websites such as one „„https://www.specialistmolviji.in/black-magic-in-goa.html „„https://www.panditvikramsharma.com/goa/black-magic-specialist.html „„https://filmfreeway.com/91-9636763351KillEnemyByBlackMagicInGoa „„https://www.vashikaran-baba.com/goa/ „„www.astromeenaakshi.com/goa/black-magic-removal-specialist.htm (Links of black magic specialists available online) Astrologer Magic Specialist, Pandit Black Magic Spells Expert in Goa, and Black Magic Removal Specialist in Goa are among many promoting such illicit practices. One such website, which claims to be the “Best Black Magic Removal Specialist in Goa,” indicates black magic is prevalent in the State.   “Black magic is now the most popular means of hurting and harming others due to the rise in negative emotions in Goa such as resentment, jealousy, and irritation as well as greed, selfishness, negativity, and an inability to accept others’ happiness and growth. We are the prominent providers of Black Magic Removal Specialist Services in Goa,” the site stated. Another website, Pandit VS Black Magic Spells Expert in Goa, asserts offering services for personal and professional issues, boasting that black magic spells have provided hope to many. “With an unwavering belief in the supernatural’s potential, Black Magic Spells Expert in Goa skillfully crafts enchantments that transcend traditional realms, unveiling new dimensions of existence,” it stated. While some sites claim to offer guidance and protection, >Continued on P6