page 6 European carmakers rev up to challenge India’s market leaders REVIEW: Hero Xtreme 250R: A sporty streetfighter with thrill Gun powder depot goes up in flames on Betul plateau The sky lights up after the explosion at Naqueri-Betul. MARGAO: A warehouse storing gun powder was engulfed in a major fire on the Naqueri-Betul plateau on late Thursday night. Cuncolim police station in charge PI Diogo Gracias informed that no casualties have been reported in the mishap. The warehouse is believed to have been engulfed by fire at around 11 pm with locals saying they heard a loud explosion. The entire sky was lit by the fire for kilometers away. Sources said the gun powder was being stored at Naqueri by a company manufacturing magazines and cartridges. PI Diogo informed The Goan that the fire has been brought under control at around midnight. The fire personnel were at the site till late night. IN SHORT >> Agonda tourism hit, 27 structures sealed CANACONA: The famed Agonda beach witnessed a flurry of activity, as authorities began the process of sealing 67 tourism establishments. Officials sealed 27 structures while the drive to seal the remaining will continue on Friday.  >> See pg 3 Dept admits glitches in e-challan devices PANAJI: Traffic Department has admitted technical glitches in e-challan machines, which have been in use since March 1 for 100 per cent cashless transactions in compounding traffic offenses. While maintaining that such instances are minimal, the dept has sought rectification from National Informatics Centre.  >> See pg 3 13 pages Facebook.com/thegoan PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 272 KIRSTY COVENTRY BECOMES IOC’S FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT >> P13 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Digi Smart Network to be service provider   CABINET APPROVES 10-YR LEASE TO MUMBAI CO   EXPECTED TO EARN GOVT `25L PER MONTH DEAL THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Cabinet on Thursday gave its stamp of approval to the proposal to lease the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium on the Taleigao plateau to Mumbai-based showbiz company Dome Entertainment Private Pvt Ltd for 10 years. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the deal is expected to earn the government revenue of about Rs 25.5 lakh every month. Also, a provision in the deal will permit the government to use the stadium whenever the need arises at no cost. Sawant, however, did not say if similar or other concessions are provided for in the lease deal for national or in- KEY CABINET DECISIONS „„Transfer of land belonging to Amona Power Plant at Navelim-Bicholim GIDC estate to Kirloskar Pvt Ltd „„’Grant-in-aid’ institution status Kamaxi Devi Homeopathic College and Gomantak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya „„Goa Homeopathic Council Bill cleared… will be introduced in upcoming budget session of Goa Legislative Assembly ternational sports events. The Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium, the first indoor sports facility of interna- tional standards in the State, was built back in 2013-14 for the purpose of hosting the Lusofonia and National Games Crackdown on violations: 23 shacks ordered to shut DEPT CANCELS LICENSES FOR SUB-LETTING THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Tourism Department has ordered the closure of 23 beach shacks and revoked the licenses of operators caught sub-letting, as part of a crackdown on violations of the shack policy. The department spokesperson said the officials launched an inspection drive after reports of illegal subletting surfaced with a total of 110 show cause notices issued. The hearings have concluded in 54 cases. While 31 cases were dropped, 23 operators -- six of whom were non-Goans -- were found to be in breach of regulations and ordered to shut down. Officials found that payments for food and drinks were being processed under names that did not match the original license holders. In some cases, GST registrations were missing and deck beds did not have the required license numbers. "In the wake of allegations NO MORE LICENSE TO CHILL „„23 operators -- six non-Goans -- found to be in breach of regulations „„Payments for food, drinks processed under names not matching original license holders „„GST registrations missing in some cases „„Required license numbers missing from deck beds „„All ordered to vacate regarding subletting, the government had formulated the Goa Shack Policy 2023-26, well in advance before the tourist season commenced. It was done so after extensive consultation with stakeholders including shack operators and concerned associations to uphold transparency and fairness in the process," reads a statement issued by the department on Thursday evening. UNIVERSITY AWAITS DIRECTIONS FROM GOVERNOR PANAJI The State government has constituted a high-level enquiry committee under retired High Court judge RMS Khandeparkar into the alleged paper leakage by a faculty member at the Goa University. On Wednesday, the two-member Fact-Finding Committee of the Goa University had submitted its report to the Goa Governor and Chancellor P S Sreedharan Pillai. Instagram.com/thegoanonline power Showbiz set to take over Cabinet greenlightsproject dept’s smart meter Shyama Prasad stadium Four-member high-level panel to investigate GU paper leak THE GOAN I NETWORK The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) The Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) in an order issued on Thursday has constituted a four-member high-level enquiry committee, who is asked to submit the report at the earliest. The committee will also deal with the entire serious allegation in the matter. “The Government of Goa is pleased to constitute a high-level enquiry committee to conduct an inquiry in the alleged matter of paper leakage by a faculty member at Goa University and other shacks within 15 days „„Security deposits have also been forfeited „„Officials said crackdown was to ensure fair & transparent system for shack operators As a result, the Department revoked the licenses of those found guilty and ordered them to vacate their shacks within 15 days. Security deposits have also been forfeited. "The Department issued an order terminating the shack license allotted to the concerned operators, directing the immediate cessation of >Continued on P5 Govt sticks to April timeline for schools THE GOAN I NETWORK serious allegations appearing in local and national media,” Under Secretary Higher Education Safal Shetye said in the order. The other members of the committee are former DIG (retired) Bosco George, former GU registrar Radhika Nayak and Professor of VM Salgaonkar Law College MRK Prasad. Meanwhile, the Goa University is awaiting directions from the Governor before proceeding further into PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday announced that the new Academic Year 202526 will commence as per the schedule announced in April. Speaking to media persons, Sawant said “the academic year will start as per the schedule declared by the Education Department”. The High Court of Bombay at Goa is currently hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the parents challenging the start of the academic year in April, instead of June. >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 back in 2013-14 While at the Lusofonia Games the basketball and volleyball disciplines were conducted at the stadium, poor upkeep of the sports facility and its indiscriminate use for non-sport commercial events by the government left it in a condition that it could not be used for the same two disciplines when the National Games were eventually hosted in 2023. Goa's sports fraternity has often been critical of the government's neglect of this stadium which was built on land belonging to the Goa University. Meanwhile, in another decision the Cabinet approved >Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Cabinet gave its nod to the Electricity Department to introduce smart prepaid meters on the DBFOOT mode -- Design, Build, Finance, Own, Operate, and Transfer. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that Department has taken a service provider on board via a tendering process -- Digismart Networks Pvt Ltd -- and the firm will begin installing these prepaid smart meters first for commercial 3-phase consumers and for government institutional consumers only. The Goan had reported in January that the long-delayed smart metering project of the Electricity Department is set to take off soon with the tendering process attracting two bids -- Digismart which eventually won the contract for bidding lower and Adani Energy Solutions Ltd. After the bidding process was completed the proposal was sent to the Goa State Works Boards for the final decision on implementing the project in a phased manner over two years for which Rs 467 crore is sanctioned by the Union Power Ministry. According to the Electricity Department, the smart meters function on a real-time basis and record and store all electrical parameters such as consumption of energy, voltage and current levels, etc. The data will be used by the department for billing, to 14 FRIDAY MARCH 21, 2025 @thegoanonline On ry log on to thegoan.net Jan u a monitor power quality, load scheduling, demand management and fault analysis. Goa is one amongst few States whose progress on smart meters, distribution transformer meters and feeder meters installation is nil. The Ministry has sanctioned smart meters to around 7,41,160 consumers and 8,369 DTM and 827 feeder meters.