log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY APRIL 2, 2025 GOA Empowering lives through business, education, and social impact IN SHORT >> Power dept, internet providers settle row PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa disposed of a petition filed by the All Goa Internet Service Providers Association challenging the “arbitrary” snapping of fiber optic cables by electricity officials after the association submitted the dispute had been resolved. The bench was told that their grievances had been ‘worked out’ and that they no longer wished to press the petition. >> See pg 5 More time granted to restore paddy fields PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has granted an additional three months to the State to restore paddy fields in Socorro, Guirim and Sangolda, after it failed to meet the previous deadline.  >> See pg 3 Tenure of Pollution Board ends on Apr 4 PANAJI: The three-month extension granted to the existing Chairman Mahesh Patil-led Goa State Pollution Control Board is set to end on April 4, with the State government yet to decide on the new Chairman and Member Secretary. The Board under Patil was constituted in January, 2022.  >> See pg 3 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 284 Salpem Lake contamination: MMC races against time to comply with HC directives >> pg 6 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA Petitioner calls for full road closures during girder installation on flyover 3 Ganja worth `5L seized in Siolim MAPUSA: Anjuna police arrested a youth from UP on charges of possession drugs worth Rs 5 lakh in Siolim. Police had received info that drugs would be sold near Marna-Siolim health centre and accordingly caught Sonu Yadav who came there. WEATHER >> Max: 33.2 C Min: 26.6 C Humidity: 86% TIDES Low: High: 07.15 00.33 19.42 14.13 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Kitchen remedies for oily, dry and sensitive skin 11 Finally, ‘smart’ Panaji to be free of road digging, chaos ROAD, SEWERAGE WORK ENDS, EXCEPT FOR TADMAD STRETCH: SANJIT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI After over three years and a protracted PIL in the Bombay High Court at Goa during which judges walked through the streets to personally inspect the work, Panaji city will be free of the constant road digging and traffic chaos and its residents will hopefully breathe dust-free, cleaner air with authorities announcing on Tuesday the completion all the major infrastructure work under the smart city mission. Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) managing director and CEO Sanjit Rodrigues, IAS, said, that major work on all roads in Panaji and also the sewerage works had been completed, adhering to the timeline in the affidavit which was accepted by the court. Except for minor finishing work which is underway, 18th June, Borkar, Pissurlekar roads not part of Smart City work: Sanjit PANAJI: Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) managing director and CEO, Sanjit Rodrigues, IAS, on Tuesday said work on three main city roads -- Atmaram Borkar Road, 18th June Road and Pandurang Pissurlekar Road -- were not under the purview of the Smart City mission. “We were very categorical that these roads cannot be taken up under Smart City mission in its current form because the central drains run through these roads,” Rodrigues said. “The State government was informed. It has taken note and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has made special budgetary allocation to take up this work,” Rodrigues said. Sawant in his budget speech earlier last month had mentioned taking up “upgradation” of storm water drains along these three major Panaji roads. and rectification of settlements which is expected to happen due to the deep digging for the sewerage work, will be completed by May 31. Other landscaping work, including tree plantation will be finished by June 30, he added. AAP, Utpal allege work still incomplete >> See pg 3 “As of April 1, there is no road closure, barricading, open trenching or digging in Central Panaji under Smart City mission,” Rodrigues said. of a side road is currently undergoing ‘curing’ and will be thrown open in a day or two. He acknowledged that the last stretch of the sewerage work from the Tadmad temple to the STP at Tonca near Caculo Mall is incomplete due to complexities which required going down to a 12-meter depth underground. More time will be required to finish this approximately 200 meter stretch after which the road will be concretised, he said. Ribandar jetty A TAX EXEMPTION From April 1, you won’t have to pay income tax if your annual income is up to Rs 12 lakh. Additionally, salaried 14 BJP rules out MGP rift as Dhavalikar bros rush to Delhi Damu says all is well, allies united THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI BJP Goa President Damu Naik has dismissed speculation of a rift within the ruling coalition, insisting that the party and its allies remain united. “All is well. Everyone should meet our national leaders,” he said as MGP leaders Sudin Dhavalikar and Deepak Dhavalikar met BJP’s top brass including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National General Secretary B L Santosh in Delhi on Tuesday morning. Sudin currently holds cabinet status in the Pramod Sawantled cabinet. Responding to media queries after the party’s core committee meeting at BJP headquarters, Naik said the Dhavalikar brothers had informed him before their meeting. “We meet regularly to discuss party decisions, so no one should speculate,” he said. “There is no communi- Assembly polls: CM keen on going solo PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has expressed his intent for the BJP to contest the upcoming Assembly elections independently and set a target of winning 27 seats in 2027. “We have to convince the central leadership that our karyakartas can secure 27 seats on their own. BJP can win as a single party,” sources quoted Sawant as saying during the meeting. TWISTS, TURNS & TRAFFIC NEW DELHI The commerce ministry is working on different scenarios to assess the possible fallout of reciprocal tariffs to be imposed by the US administration on April 2 on its key trading partners including India, sources said. US President Donald Trump has said that April 2 will be ''Liberation Day'' as he plans to announce tariffs or import INSTITUTE HAS ALREADY LOST RESEARCH GRANTS The US is the largest trading partner of India. While responding to questions in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said India will be “dropping its tariffs very substantially”. “I heard that India, just a little while ago, is going to be dropping its tariffs very substantially. I said, why didn't somebody do this a long time ago. A lot >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 India prepares for US tariff fallout duties to bring down America's trade deficit, and promote the country's manufacturing. India and the US are also working on a bilateral trade agreement to promote twoway commerce and investments. The domestic industry and exporters have raised concerns over the possible impact of the US' reciprocal tariffs on India's exports as the duties could make the goods uncompetitive in the global markets. IIT Goa to miss out on infra grants as land issue haunts PANAJI The Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has granted environmental clearance (EC) to erstwhile mining leaseholders for handling iron ore dumps lying outside lease bound area. SEIAA during its recent meeting decided to grant EC to Chowgule and Company Pvt Ltd for a period of five years based on the recommendation of Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) for handling of ore dumps outside mining lease on a private property in Sirigao village in Bicholim taluka. The authority has directed the Project Proponent to follow the State government’s dump policy, dated September 13, 2023 for setting the ceiling limit of 25 million tonnes per annum for dump transportation. The company has been asked to install a minimum of two online sensor based ambient air quality monitoring stations for monitoring of air quality along the transportation route and at the dump site. “Validity of the EC accorded shall be for a period of five years and restoration/ rejuvenation/ reclamation of the Vehicles take a detour on National Highway 66 at Santa Cruz on Tuesday. The diversion was implemented due to the ongoing construction of a box culvert.  Narayan Pissurlenkar PTI Rodrigues said, except for a small portion of a side road at the Cafe Bhosale square taken up for concreting, all work is completed and the area opened to traffic. He said this small portion Mining firm gets EC to clear ore dump outside the lease area ed as per the deadlines mentioned in the affidavit submitted to the High Court. He said, bituminous concrete laying, road painting, traffic signage installation, Cafe Bhosale Square THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI As the State government continues to hunt for suitable land to set up a permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa, the premier engineering institute is set to miss out on the additional infrastructure grants from the Union Ministry of Education. Set up in July 2016, IIT Goa campus is temporarily housed in Goa Engineering College at Farmagudi and since then, in the absence of a permanent facility, the institute has already missed out on crucial research and infrastructure grants from the Centre. Highly placed sources confirmed that the State government is currently contemplating awarding around 9.50 lakh sq mts of land, belonging to the Revenue Department, but leased out to Sanjivani Sugar factory, for IIT campus. “The government has decided to take back around 2 lakh sq mts of land, allocated to International Law College. But the issue is to provide alternate land to college. The government decided to shift it to Mayem, but there is public opposition,” sources said. Sources said that if the Brace for impact as fresh financial regulations kick in! NEW DELHI s the new financial year begins, several key financial and tax rule changes have come into effect from April 1. These changes, announced in recent months, will impact taxpayers, investors, and everyday banking users. From higher tax exemptions to new UPI regulations, here’s everything you need to know in simple terms. Punjab Kings sees off Lucknow Super Giants with ease The jetty work at Ribandar which had to be built for use of Ro-Ro ferries, is also completed and it will be handed over to the River Navigation Department in the next few days. Rodrigues said, that it is for the RND to take a call on when to start operations of the RoRo ferries at this jetty. FROM TAX EXEMPTIONS TO NEW UPI RULES… AGENCIES SPORTS THE GOAN I NETWORK Rodrigues said all other major work was completed ahead of the March 31 deadline. I can say, 90% of the work is completed,” he said, adding that all road work is complet- CM: Master plan for Sanquelim in 3 yrs BICHOLIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has stated that a master plan for Sankhali town would be ready in the next 3-4 years. He said there were many difficulties in implementing this master plan but now that a BJP-backed group is in power at Sankhali Municipal Council, the plan will be completed.  >> See pg 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline individuals will get a standard deduction of Rs 75,000, making income up to Rs 12.75 lakh tax-free under the new tax system. UPI DEACTIVATION The National Payments Corporation of India has tightened security for UPI transactions. From April 1, UPI IDs linked to dormant numbers will be deactivated. Hence, if your mobile number registered with the bank has been inactive for an extended period, its UPI ID will be unlinked, resulting in the unavailability of UPI services. PENSION SCHEME MINIMUM BALANCE REQUIREMENT NEW DELHI: Big banks like State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), and Canara Bank are updating their minimum balance requirements. If you don’t maintain the required balance in your account, you might face a penalty from April 1. To prevent cheque fraud, banks will implement a Positive Pay System. If you issue a cheque of Rs 50,000 or more, you must electronically provide its details to the bank for verification before clearance. The Unified Pension Scheme will start from April 1. This is an option for central government employees who are currently under the National Pension System. Employees with at least 25 years of service will get 50% of their average basic salary (from the last 12 months) as pension. This move impacts about 23 lakh government employees, ensuring a structured pension system. PAN-AADHAAR If you haven’t linked your PAN with Aadhaar by March 31, 2025, you won’t receive dividend income. Also, your TDS will increase, and no credit will be given in Form 26AS. KYC verification is mandatory for mutual fund and demat accounts and nominee details must be re-verified for compliance and fraud prevention. GST RULES To enhance security, multi-factor authentication will be mandatory on the GST portal. Also, e-way bills can now only be generated on documents that are less than 180 days old. Hotels with room tariffs above Rs 7,500 per day will be classified as ‘specified premises’, attracting 18% GST on restaurant services and businesses can claim input tax credit. CREDIT CARDS SBI Cards will reduce reward points and remove free insurance coverage for air and rail accidents from July 26. Home loan borrowers will be able to avail of higher Priority Sector Lending limits, set at Rs 50 lakh in metro cities, Rs 45 lakh in Tier-2 cities, and Rs 35 lakh in smaller towns. cation gap and no differences. We are all working together.” On the frequent visits of BJP central leaders including B L Santosh to Goa, Naik said it should be taken optimistically. “It’s a good thing they are visiting. I am getting good >Continued on P5 CAMPUS H U N T „„Govt had first identified a site in Canacona but was dropped due to opposition „„Proposal was later shifted to Melauli, Sattari, where locals organised a sustained protest „„Cotarli in Sanguem chosen but site was rejected by the Ministry amid public outcry „„Recent attempt was at Rivona in Sanguem, but govt failed to pursue it due to lack of documentation State fails to identify land for the permanent facility, IIT may lose out to the additional infrastructure grants, as announced in the Union Budget, for one of the new IITs in the country, created after 2014. “In the past also, the institute was not able to secure some of the large research grants precisely because it couldn’t provide the space necessary to create the related laboratory infrastructure. These grants are meant to create an ecosystem involving nearby educational institutions in research activities,” sources said. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2025-26 announced that total number of students in 23 IITs has increased 100 per cent, from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh in the past 10 years, and that additional infrastructure will be created in the five IITs started after 2014 to facilitate education for 6,500 more >Continued on P5