log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY MARCH 13, 2025 >> See PG 3 Vasco Bay Development Plan: From slipped opportunity to new hope? IN SHORT >> Sawant to present Budget on March 26 PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will present the 2025-26 State Budget on March 26. The three-day Budget Session of the Goa Legislative Assembly is scheduled from March 24-26. The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the State Legislative Assembly met on Wednesday to discuss the House business.  >> See pg 3 8 in fray for GSPCB chairperson’s post PANAJI: Incumbent Chairman Mahesh Patil, Additional Collector (South) Srinit Kothwale, Biodiversity Board member secretary Pradeep Sarmokadam and Commissioner Labour and Employment Levinson Martins are amongst eight candidates who have qualified for the post of Chairman of GSPCB.  >> See pg 2 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 264 3 BOOKED FOR ASSAULT; 2nd HELMET ATTACK INCIDENT IN 5 WEEKS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Calangute Police have booked three tourists after a local taxi driver was allegedly assaulted and his vehicle vandalised near Little Goa restaurant in Naikavaddo-Calangute on Wednesday evening. According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred around 4.30 pm when a group of tourists on four two-wheelers were travelling along the road. One of the two-wheelers reportedly collided with a taxi coming from the opposite direction, causing the rider to fall. Enraged by the accident, the tourists allegedly took the law into their own hands and began attacking the taxi driver with a helmet. Sensing the aggression, the driver fled the scene, leaving his car behind. The angry tourists then WEATHER >> Max: 31 C Min: 26C Humidity: 70% TIDES Low: High: 04:47 16:25 10:48 23:10 COMMITTEE TO BUILD KHAPRESHWAR TEMPLE, INSTALL NEW IDOL AT ORIGINAL SITE ON MAY 9 The vehicle that was damaged by tourists at Naikavaddo, Calangute, on Wednesday. HOW THE INCIDENT UNFOLDED „„Around 4:30 pm, near Little Goa restaurant in Naikavaddo, Calangute, a group of tourists was travelling on four two-wheelers „„One of the two-wheelers collided with an oncoming taxi, causing the rider to fall „„The tourists allegedly attacked the taxi driver with a helmet instead of resolving the matter peacefully „„Fearing further assault, the driver fled the scene, abandoning his vehicle „„The enraged tourists then smashed the taxi’s windshield and rear mirror, causing significant damage turned their fury on the vehicle, severely damaging it by smashing the windshield and rear mirror. Following the incident, Calangute Police registered a case against three tourists – Manish Tomar (40), Vijay Rajput (47) and Dhruv Rajput (21). Further investigation is underway. Incidentally, this is the sec- ond time in five weeks where tourists have used a helmet to attack a driver. There was widespread >Continued on P5 MAPUSA/PORVORIM The dispute over the Khapreshwar temple remains unresolved as the temple committee, led by its president Karthik Kudnekar, has rejected the government’s proposed plan. Instead, the committee, with the support of local villagers, has announced its decision to build a separate temple and perform the Punarsthapana to install a new idol at the original site on May 9. Speaking on the issue, Kudnekar asserted that temple matters should be left to the committee and the villagers, with no interference from the government. “The government’s role is to look after administration, not temple affairs. Politics and religion cannot go hand LISBON ortugal’s minority government lost a confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, forcing its resignation and bringing the European Union country’s third general election in three years. The government’s fall marks the worst spell of political instability since Portugal adopted a democratic system more than 50 years ago in the wake of the 1974 Carnation Revolution, which ended a four-decade dictatorship. A string of minority governments has been unable to forge alliances that might ensure the administration completes its constitutional four-year term without opposition parties teaming up to P „„The temple committee, backed by local villagers, has decided to construct a separate temple „„Punarsthapana of the idol is scheduled for May 9 at the original site „„The project will be funded entirely by the villagers, with no government assistance „„Donations from the public are already being collected for the new idol and rituals in hand,” he stated. At a recent meeting, the temple committee decided to proceed with the idol installation at the original location. Kudnekar emphasised that the project would be entirely funded by villagers, with no financial or logistical assistance from the government. “Whatever contributions the villagers make will be accepted, but we will not take any help from the authori- Goa records 6,052 cyber fraud cases in 4 years GOANS LOSE `149 CR, ONLY 6% RECOVERED A TRADITION COMES ALIVE: Villagers converge for a procession to offer 'Naman' at Mahalasa Temple, Mardol, marking the start of Shigmo festivities on Wednesday.   Narayan Pissurlenkar Madkaikar’s outburst stuns, unsettles BJP’s top echelons THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may have deftly put up a facade of composure but the startling and blunt allegations of political corruption hurled by one of its own leaders, former minister Pan- durang Madkaikar have ruffled if not rattled the leadership, both at the government and party level. Madkaikar’s public censure of the party’s government on as sensitive an issue as political corruption is being viewed seriously and is being internally assessed and investigat- ed by the party internally. BJP State President, Damodar (Damu) Naik, told The Goan that independent of the government’s response, the party is carrying out its own inquiries. “Of course the party has >Continued on P5 PANAJI Goans have lost over Rs 149 crore in various cyber frauds related cases in last four years, with State recording on an average more than 1500 cases annually. Interestingly, so far only 6 per cent of the total lost amount has been recovered or refunded to the victims. As per the data tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Goa has reported whopping 6,052 incidents of cyber fraud till February 28, on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) since its inception in 2020. According to the Ministry, the total amount lost reported was Rs 149.06 crore of which Rs 9.38 lakh have been recovered or refunded to the victims. Also, around Rs 13.7 crore amount is lying in the bring it down. A new election, likely in May, pitches the country of 10.6 million people into months of political uncertainty just as it is in the process of investing more than 22 billion euros ($24 billion) in EU development funds. The European continent, meanwhile, is facing immediate challenges to its security and economy. Voter discontent with a return to the polls could play into the hands of the radical-right populist party Chega (Enough), which has fed off frustration with mainstream parties. Portugal has been caught up in the rising European tide of populism, with Chega surging into third place in last year’s election. The government asked for the confidence vote, saying it was needed to dispel un- THE POLITICAL INSTABILITY? „„Portugal hasn’t experienced such political instability since it adopted a democratic system in the wake of the 1974 Carnation Revolution, which ended a four-decade dictatorship „„Once considered a model of level-headed governance, Portugal has seen its politics fragment, leading to fragile administrations „„Back-to-back minority governments have been unable to forge lasting alliances with parties in opposition and have fallen well short of finishing their four-year terms „„António Costa, Montenegro’s predecessor, stunned the nation when he suddenly resigned as prime minister in 2023 after a member of his staff came under investigation for corruption certainty about its own future amid a simmering political crisis that has focused on Social Democrat Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and distracted attention from government policy. After more than three hours of at times loud debate and following dramatic late twists as the government tabled proposals to avoid its defeat, the government called an hour-long recess and lawmakers went into a huddle. The government said it made a last-minute offer to the Socialists. Silence fell on the chamber after the result was announced. “Things are how they are. We gave our all,” Montenegro, the prime minister, told reporters as he left the National Assembly, Portugal’s parliament. Socialist leader Pedro Nuno Santos, the leader of the largest opposition party, described the government’s conduct as shameful, saying it resorted to manoeuvres, games, tricks to survive. The controversy has THE GOAN I NETWORK >Continued on P5 PANAJI: Despite strong rhetoric from the government about combating the drug menace, the State registered 469 cases under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) in the last three years. However, only three people have been convicted so far which is only 0.6 per cent of the total cases. revolved around potential conflicts of interest in the business dealings of Montenegro’s family law firm. Montenegro, who says he’ll stand for re-election, has denied any wrongdoing. He said he placed control of the firm in the hands of his wife and children when he became Social Democratic leader in 2022 and has not been involved in its running. It recently emerged that the firm is receiving monthly payments from a company that has a major gambling concession granted by the government, among other sources of revenue. The exact vote count wasn’t immediately available, but the speaker of parliament Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco said the centre-right government was defeated. Introduce English as MoI to save govt primary schools: Lobo >Continued on P5 Drug conviction rate at mere 0.6 pc despite 469 cases form of ‘line amount’ – the amount that is been withheld pending investigation. The information was provided by the Ministry to a >Continued on P5 question raised by Goa MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade. The Minister said that NCRP „„Goa reported 6,052 cyber fraud cases since 2020 on NCRP „„An average of 1,500 cyber fraud cases annually „„Rs 149.06 crore lost, out of which only Rs 9.38 lakh recovered „„Rs 13.7 crore is currently withheld pending investigation „„Cybersecurity awareness „„Government plans to strengthen the cyber cell and implement new innovations within the next two months  ties,” he added. “The committee has already started receiving donations from the public. The committee has decided to place an order of a new idol of Khapreshwar and after performing rituals, the idol will be installed,” said Kudnekar. “We are going ahead with the Punarsthapana of Khapreshwar idol by arranging MAPUSA Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has stirred a debate over the declining enrolment in government primary schools, stating that these institutions will continue to shut down unless the Medium of Instruction (MoI) is changed to English. He suggested that Konkani and Marathi should remain compulsory subjects in the syllabus but insisted that primary education should be imparted in English. Lobo emphasised that language should not be mixed with education. “How long will we turn a blind eye to this problem? We are only fooling ourselves. Most Goans prefer enrolling their children in good English medium schools, which is why government primary schools are shutting down,” he said. Currently, the MoI in government-run primary schools DATA IN RAJYA SABHA THE GOAN I NETWORK Portugal’s govt loses confidence vote, sets stage for 3rd poll in 3 yrs PTI COMMITTEE ACTION: THE ROAD AHEAD THE GOAN I NETWORK PORT LOUIS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday received Mauritius’ highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, calling it a tribute to the centuries-old cultural and historical bonds of kinship between the two nations.  >> See pg 8 KARACHI: Twenty-one passengers and four paramilitary soldiers were killed by militants holding hostages after seizing control of a train in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, an army general said on Wednesday.  >> See pg 8 Mumbai Indians faces Gujarat Giants in WPL Eliminator Pg 14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Tourists attack taxi driver, Temple row deepens as vandalise car in Calangute panel rejects govt plan Mauritius’ highest honour to Modi 21 passengers killed in Pak train attack Instagram.com/thegoanonline >> See pg 3