TUESDAY MARCH 11, 2025 >> See pg 3 Visually impaired, this entrepreneur has message for PwDs: We should overcome IN SHORT >> Kalasa project: CM says ‘no comments’ PANAJI: While maintaining that the Goa government is serious on Mhadei river water, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday refused to comment on Karnataka’s move to appoint a contractor for the Kalsa-Bhandura diversion project. “Why should I comment on Karnataka’s Budget announcement,” Sawant said. >> See pg 3 Heat alert for Goa up to March 12 PANAJI: IMD has further extended the yellow alert for heat in Goa until March 12. In a news bulletin issued, IMD has warned of hot and humid conditions across the state till March 12. Goa has been on yellow alert since March 1.  >> See pg 3 RoRo ferries delayed by 2 more months PANAJI: The River Navigation Department’s ambitious plan to launch two roll-on-roll off (RoRo) ferryboats on Ribandar-Chorao route has been further delayed by another two months due to non-completion of the new ramp.   >> See pg 3 Shiv Sena aims 1L members in Goa BICHOLIM: Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has plans to enrol 1 lakh members across Goa over the next three months. North West Mumbai MP Gajanan Kirtikar stated that Sena will enter Goa with new vigour. >> See pg 3 CM orders clearance of welfare dues PANAJI: Ahead of presenting the State Budget 202526, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday directed the authorities to clear all the pending dues under various social welfare schemes at the earliest. >> See pg 3 WEATHER >> Max: 34.4 C Min: 24.8 C Humidity: 74% TIDES Low: High: 03:40 15:19 09:04 22:16 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 262 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Legal battle erupts over early school reopening HC ASKS CENTRE, GOA GOVT TO REPLY WITHIN A WEEK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The High Court of Bombay at Goa has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Education and Goa government in connection with a writ petition filed by a group of parents challenging the commencement of the Academic Year 2025-26 from April 1 for grade 6 to 10, instead of the first week of June. In their writ petition, a group of parents challenged the decision of the Education Department stating there was no proper consultative process involving the stakeholders and no debate before implementing the new academic year.  The matter came up for hearing on Monday, directing the government to file a reply within one week. The Central government, also one of the WHAT THE AG TOLD COURT „„Decision had been taken after due deliberation „„Assures to place before the Court what debates and deliberations took place before arriving at the decision „„Last year government wanted to start on April 1 till April 30 „„Govt decided to start new academic year from April for which the classes will be held till 11:30 am „„All academicians are well aware of the problem and have taken a decision in the interest of students respondents, is directed to file the reply. The Bench while adjourning the matter; however has not stayed the petition, which means the government can go ahead until any decision. During the hearing, Advocate General Devidas Pangam informed the Court that the decision had been taken after due deliberation.  The AG has assured the Bench to place before the Court what debates and deliberation took place before arriving at the decision to start the academic year from April.  “Last year also the government wanted to start on April 1 till April 30. We however decided to start from this year for which the classes will be held till 11:30 am. The classes will resume in June. This timing is an indication that due care has been taken,” he told the Bench.  Khapreshwar temple row: Clash of faith & politics QUESTIONS ON ROLE OF RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS IN POLITICS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The controversy surrounding the relocation of the demolished Khapreshwar temple has taken a political turn, with internal divisions emerging within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress stepping in to take a position. What ideally should have been a community-driven decision has now become a matter of political maneuvering, raising questions about the role of religious institutions in electoral politics. Fractured BJP stance Two factions within the BJP are reportedly at odds over the relocation of the temple. One group, led by temple committee president, Karthik Kudnekar, insists that the temple must be rebuilt at its original location. Kudnekar, who also serves as a Zilla Panchayat member and is a known BJP karyakarta, has cited religious sentiment and tradition as the primary reasons for resisting relocation. WILL KARMALGHAT TEMPLE BE UNDER THREAT DURING HIGHWAY EXPANSION? >> See pg 3 His position was further strengthened after he received special Prasad of Lord Ravalnath at Mulgao-Bicholim, a symbolic endorsement of his stance. On the other hand, another BJP-aligned group of devotees has proposed a different site close to the original location. This group has reportedly received Prasad from a temple in Socorro, lending religious legitimacy to their preference for an alternate location. The divergence of views within the ruling party has exposed internal rifts, complicating efforts to reach a consensus. Cong steps in The issue took a more political turn on Sunday when the >Continued on P5 Mumbai Indians outshines Gujarat Giants in thriller  Pg 12 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 He further asserted that all academicians are well aware of the problem and have taken a decision in the interest of the students. “This is in line with NEP and we have anyway delayed its implementation,” Pangam told the Court adding that during initial implementation such hiccups and objections are bound to happen.  The State informed the Court that Goa is not the only State to contemplate starting the academic year in April, there are many States that have already implemented it. “It is for the betterment of students and education. It’s time to move on and adjust with it,” he said.  For students up to Grade V, the classes will resume post summer vacation that is from June 4 onwards. The secondary and higher secondary >Continued on P5 Govt recovers `  3 cr from 1 bogus DSSS beneficiaries AROUND 6,000 ‘CLAIMANTS’ DELISTED FROM SCHEME THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major crackdown, the State government has recovered almost Rs 13 crore from close to 6,000 bogus beneficiaries of the Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS). The Directorate of Social Welfare had launched a Statewide survey in a bid to weed out untraceable and deceased recipients and has so far delisted around 6,000 such beneficiaries. Speaking to media persons, Minister Subhash Faldesai said that in the first phase 6,000 bogus beneficiaries have been identified and an amount of Rs 13 crore has been recovered so far with more recovery underway. “As the drive is underway, we expect more such cases to come up,” he said. Faldesai said that many at times banks also do not update passbooks of expired beneficiaries and the money remains with the banks while RY @thegoanonline ON in many cases, death certificates are not produced before the department and the financial benefits continue. He said that with 1.40 lakh ceiling, the scheme had reached its saturation point with no new applications being entertained. Efforts are on to weed out bogus or expired beneficiaries so that new applications can be considered, the minister informed.  The move has not only paved the way for clearance of the pending list -- subject to its eligibility -- but also UA log on to thegoan.net 17 FEB R made room for fresh applicants to benefit from the scheme, which provides a minimum monthly pension of Rs 2,500. “Since our upper limit is 1.40 lakh beneficiaries, this exercise ensures that genuinely deserving persons can now access the scheme,” he added. Faldesai, however, admitted delay in release of payment by a month or two. “Due to several reasons, the payments are delayed but we are trying to streamline it,” he said. Sawant likely to present Budget on March 25 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is likely to present the 2025-26 State Budget on March 25. The three-day Budget session of the Goa Legislative Assembly is scheduled from March 24 to 26. Sawant, who holds the Finance Portfolio, is expected to table the State Financial Statement on March 25, while the Budget would be passed during the monsoon session in July. Meanwhile, total 728 questions have been raised by MLAs for the 3-day session of which 180 are starred while another 548 are unstarred. Sources informed that the last date for submission of the questions has ended. The Business of the House will be decided during the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting which is yet to be scheduled. The Opposition parties have criticised the government over the short tenure of the budget session. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao claimed the issues of “corruption, job scams, financial mismanagement and the collapse of law and order” have forced the BJP to keep the session short. TANGY TEMPTATION: A vendor sells cashew apples in the bustling Panaji market on Monday. The fruits, known for their tangy flavor, are a seasonal delicacy in Goa.  Narayan Pissurlenkar AS MARCH 31 DEADLINE NEARS… Goa tells Centre of hurdles in completing Smart City works THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI With works worth over Rs 200 crore involving nine projects under Smart City Mission still undergoing -- with March 31 deadline nearing -- the Goa government informed the Centre that delay in obtaining clearances, land acquisition issue, seasonal rains and several other factors led to over- all delay in implementing and completion of the projects under the mission. Union Minister of State for Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu informed Rajya Sabha on Monday that of the total 51 projects, amounting to Rs 1,051 crore, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) has completed 42 projects at cost of Rs 849 crore as on March 4, 2025. Responding to the question tabled by Goa MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, the MoS said that nine projects amounting to Rs 202 crore are ongoing and that the Government of India has extended the Smart City Mission up to March 31, 2025 for completion of its all ongoing projects. >Continued on P5 Goa’s auto market hits roadblock amidst rising prices Bingo! Housie scene raises eyebrows with big bucks R ORGANISERS OFFER LAKHS OF RUPEES IN PRIZES SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO Has the ‘Housie’ come of age in Goa, after entertaining people at family get-togethers, social functions, sporting events et al, wherein citizens used to grab a coupon or two with a marker as a past time? Or, is the once common man’s housie taking the shape of gambling with organisers offering THE BIG LEAGUE „„Organisers offer prize money in lakhs „„Last week, total prize was 14 lakh, including Rs 8 lakh for full house „„One has buy three coupons for Rs 1000 prize money running into lakhs of rupees? Even as these and oth- er questions have become a subject matter of debate, there seemed no end to the rush of housie games, with prize money only going up by the day if one goes by the advertisements doing rounds on the social media platforms. Consider this. A glance at the housie games lining up during the next 10 days >Continued on P5 ising prices coupled with high taxation led to noticeable slowdown in sales of vehicle registrations in Goa in 2024 compared to 2023. Though the coastal State witnessed little over 3.50 per cent growth in new vehicle purchase, the rise is much lower compared to 2023, which reported over 14.81 per cent growth. The official data reveals a downward trend in the annual vehicle registrations growth; from 39.98 per cent growth in 2022, it has come down to 3.69 per cent in 2024. Officials say that the consumers are deterred by the increased cost FROM FAST LANE TO SLOW TRACK „„From 39.98% growth in 2022, vehicle registrations have come down to 3.69% in 2024 „„84,311 vehicles were registered in 2024 -- 3.69% increase against 81,313 in 2023 „„Cars, jeeps, vans, hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs achieved sales of 20,984 units „„Around 9,869 transport vehicles were purchased „„Petrol & diesel vehicles dominated sales -- 52,958 petrol and 5,330 diesel „„Almost 9,300 electric vehicles were also registered of buying a car. The State saw registration of 84,311 vehicles in 2024 -- 3.69 per cent increase -- against 81,313 in 2023. Though, there is recovery in Goa’s vehicle registrations since the pandemic years, only moderate growth is seen in last two years. YEAR-WISE VEHICLE REGISTRATION DATA Year Total vehicle Registered % growth 2025 (till date) 15,726 2024 84,311 3.69 2023 81,313 14.81 2022 70,821 38.98 2021 50,963 In 2022, the registration surged to 70,821, a remarkable 38.98 per cent jump, compared to 50,963 in 2021. For the current calendar year, 15,726 new vehicles have been registered as on date. Two-wheelers maintained their market dominance with over 55,000 units, accounting for almost 65 per cent of the total vehicle sales. Light motor vehicles -- cars, jeeps, vans, hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs -- achieved sales of 20,984 units, becoming the second most popular category in the market. Around 9,869 transport vehicles were purchased during the year. Petrol and diesel vehicles dominated the sales with >Continued on P5