log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY MARCH 20, 2025 >> See PG 3 Margao’s Master Plan: Grand vision or forgotten blueprint? IN SHORT >> Govt to HC: Will review objections to academic change PANAJI: The State government on Wednesday informed the High Court of Bombay at Goa that it will consider objections to the draft notification amending rules under the Goa School Education Act, 1984, before issuing a final notification within the next 15 days.   >> See pg 3 Iranian charter tourists arrive in State VASCO: In a significant boost to Goa’s tourism sector, two sets of international tourists arrived in the state on Tuesday, marking the resumption of flights from Iran after a long pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  >> See pg 2 Respite from heat for third day in a row PANAJI: For the third consecutive day on Wednesday, Goa continued to experience a respite from the heatwave-like conditions. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 34°C while the minimum ranged between 24-25°C. The heat index also dropped, going from around 41°C on Tuesday to 37-39°C on Wednesday. >> See pg 3 10 wild boar piglets drown in well at Keri PERNEM: In a tragic incident, 10 wild boar piglets drowned after falling into an open well at Keri-Pernem on Tuesday night. Forest department officials have expressed the possibility that the 10 piglets may have fallen into the well while attempting to drink water. On receiving information about the incident, a forest team went to the spot and conducted a panchanama. Man booked for assaulting girl MARGAO: The Cuncolim police has registered an offence against a resident of Paddi-Barcem village for assaulting a girl as a result of which she sustained grievous injuries on her head and face.  >> See pg 2 13 pages Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 271 Instagram.com/thegoanonline CHHETRI SCORES ON RETURN AS INDIA BEATS MALDIVES 3-0 >> P13 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 HC orders closure of 67 businesses near Agonda’s turtle nesting site DY COLLECTOR DIRECTED TO HALT ACTIVITIES WITHIN 24 HOURS; COURT RAPS CRZ AUTHORITY FOR NON-COMPLIANCE OF ORDER THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Deputy Collector to halt all business activities of 67 establishments on Agonda Beach – a protected turtle nesting site – within 24 hours. The Court on Wednesday also observed a breach by the CRZ authority in complying with its previous order, which had directed the authority to consider whether these establishments should cease operations. “The last time, the Court issued an order based on my statement that the CRZ authority could consider whether businesses of these establishments should be stopped. Unfortunately, the CRZ failed to comply with that state- Anxiety, confusion over court direction Some tourism structures close to the turtle nesting site on the northern side of Agonda beach. ment, putting them in contempt of court. As a result, the court has now passed this order,” Advocate General Devidas Pangam said while briefing on the hearing. The High Court had earlier directed the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to take action against business establishments built near the protected nesting site. The petitioner had argued PERFORMANCE REVIEW BEING CONDUCTED BASED ON DIRECTIONS BY HIGH COMMAND Suspended Excise Inspector faces probe over K’taka liquor racket THE GOAN I NETWORK Speculations were rife about cabinet reshuffle to accommodate Congress turncoats for quite some time or rather since the time Lok Sabha polls were held. The buzz got momentum after Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar announced the possible PANAJI The Goa Excise Department is likely to quiz suspended excise inspector Pramod Juvekar for his alleged involvement in liquor smuggling into Karnataka. The officials are also expected to probe his past inter-State travel without official permission. Sources confirmed to The Goan that Juvekar, who is nearing superannuation, had previously travelled to Karnataka, though the purpose of these trips remains unclear. Reports suggest that he did not obtain the necessary permission to travel to another state. The department is also inquiring whether Juvekar was apprehended by Karnataka's excise officials or police during any of his past visits for allegedly smuggling Goa-made alcohol. “We will request a report from the Karnataka Excise Department regarding his recent arrest and any previous cases. We need to establish if he was detained or arrested earlier >Continued on P8 >Continued on P8 THE GOAN I NETWORK Chief Minister Pramod Sawant discussing Goa’s political development with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. ation report of the Ministers to high command. “The performance review was conducted based on the directions of the High Command. The reports are submitted and necessary discussions have taken place,” sources said. Sources said that any changes, if to be taken place, would be only after the Budget Session. >Continued on P8 >Continued on P8 CM submits ministerial report card to Centre PANAJI Amid speculation about a potential cabinet reshuffle in Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant submitted a performance cum report card of his cabinet colleagues to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior BJP leaders. Sawant, who is currently in Delhi along with BJP State President Damodar alias Damu Naik, also briefed Shah on the likely political development in the State. BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh and other senior leaders are expected to visit the State next week. Speaking to The Goan, Sawant confirmed about having political discussion with Shah; but refused to speak in detail. “I am still in Delhi…will speak in detail later,” he said. Highly placed sources confirmed that the Chief Minister as well as party president has submitted performance evalu- CANACONA: Confusion and anxiety prevailed in Agonda on Wednesday shortly after the high court ordered the deputy collector to halt within 24 hours the operations of those 67 establishments at the beach which are operating around the protected turtle nesting site. Following news of the high court ordering a halt of 67 structures, many concerned business operators were planning to convene a meeting with all stakeholders, as they anticipated swift action by authorities. However, no official visited the coastal village till late Wednesday evening, and the business operators are now anxious about officials sealing of their structures on Thursday morning. Stating that the panchayat is unaware of the matter and had not officially received any intimation, Agonda Sarpanch Nilesh Pagui said he had come to know about the high court order through social media. GU paper leak issue: Fact-finding panel submits report to Guv THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The two-member Fact-Finding Committee of the Goa University on Wednesday submitted its report on the alleged paper leak issue. The report has been submitted to Goa Governor and Chancellor PS Sreedharan Pillai. The Goa University is now awaiting directions from the Governor before proceeding further. Speaking to The Goan, Vice Chancellor Harilal Menon confirmed that the Fact-Finding Committee has submitted its report and the same is placed before the Governor. “Waiting for further directions from the Governor on the report,” Menon said refusing to speak further. GU Registrar Sunder Dhuri said that the report will be now placed before the executive council for further decision or inquiry, whatever is required. “The report is confiden- The Goa University is now awaiting directions from the Governor before proceeding further. tial,” he added. The committee, set up on Monday, following two police complaints, was directed to submit the report within 48 hours. Sources at Raj Bhavan also confirmed that the VC has submitted the report to the Governor, who had taken serious note of the issue. Goa University on Monday suspended an assistant professor Dr Pranav Naik, from the School of Physical and Applied Sciences, on allegations of leaking an examination paper to a female student pending inquiry proceedings. The University has so far denied any such charges claiming to have not received any paper leak complaint. >Continued on P8 Williams, Wilmore return to Earth after 9-mth space saga ASTRONAUTS SAFELY SPLASH DOWN IN GULF OF MEXICO PTI CAPE CANAVERAL Stuck in space no more, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday, hitching a different ride home to close out a saga that began with a bungled test flight more than nine months ago. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico in the early evening, just hours after departing the International Space Station. Splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle, bringing their unplanned odyssey to an end. Within an hour, the astronauts were out of their capsule, waving and smiling at the cameras while being hustled away in reclining stretchers for routine medical checks. It all started with a flawed Boeing test flight last spring. The two expected to be gone just a week or so after launching on Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule on June 5. So many problems cropped HOME AT LAST: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams smiles while being taken away in reclining stretchers for routine medical checks. UNPLANNED SPACE ODYSSEY „„Williams and Wilmore spent 278 days longer in space than anticipated, circling Earth 4,576 times and traveling 121 million miles „„Williams and Wilmore set a record for the most time spent in space on a single mission, with Williams also setting a record for the most time spent spacewalking by a female astronaut up on the way to the space station that NASA eventually sent Starliner back empty and transferred the test pilots to SpaceX, pushing their home- coming into February. Then SpaceX capsule issues added another month's delay. >Continued on P8 In a first, Economic Census E-challan devices falter, violators seek payment proof E-CHALLANS: THE TECHNICAL GLITCHES to start digitally in April VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI STATE, DISTRICT-LEVEL COMMITTEES TO MONITOR EXECUTION THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The 8th Economic Census, which will take place from April, will be carried out digitally in Goa for the first time. A web-based mobile app is being developed for precise data collection. The State Statistics Department has appointed District Collectors as the Charge Officers for conduct of the census, which will go on till October. The department has consti- T H E N OT I FI C AT I O N The Census entails collection of data on smart phones using mobile app, validation, processing of data for finalisation, monitoring of progress of all EC activities through dashboard and generating statistical reports at various levels tuted a State-level coordination committee (SLCC) under the Chief Secretary and district level coordination committees (DLCCs) under Collectors to monitor execution of the 8th Economic Census in the State. “The Census entails collection of data on smart phones using mobile app, validation, processing of data >Continued on P8 N ot all is well with Goa Police’s e-challan devices! The fully cashless traffic fine system is faltering, which has now left motorists fuming and traffic personnel helpless. A fresh technical glitch in the e-challan machines, if not all, has led to payments being deducted without generating challans – turning routine enforcement into a bureaucratic nightmare. Several traffic police personnel are reporting a surge in complaints with violators demanding proof of their payments. Even the seniors on field duty are grappling with the alleged malfunctioning „„Payments are being deducted without challans being generated, leaving motorists frustrated and traffic police helpless „„Violators are demanding proof of payment, questioning whether their money is properly accounted for „„Screens display an ‘Upload Status: Pending’ message, with repeated attempts failing to process transactions „„A senior officer acknowledges the issue, citing possible server problems, and assures a resolution soon devices as motorists have been questioning whether their money has gone into the right hands. “The amount gets deducted from the violators’ respective accounts but the challan is not processed. We try explaining that they receive an SMS confirmation but many insist on a physical copy arguing it is official documentation,” a traffic officer told The Goan wishing anonymity. When such a situation arises, violators are shown the POS machine’s screen displaying the challan details includ- ing the fine amount, payment status and an “Upload Status: PENDING” message. However, repeated attempts to process these challans have failed, with the system saving them only as drafts. A senior police officer conceded to the problem terming it a “teething issue” that would be rectified soon. “There could be server issues, but violators do receive an SMS confirmation. The technical difficulties will be resolved at the earliest,” he assured. Glitches continue to mar cashless ambitions Barely a week into the department’s rollout of the 100 per cent digital system, the first red flag appeared when the cash payment option remained active on the devices. With nearly 10,000 challans issued under the new system, the Traffic Department had sought the National >Continued on P8