log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY APRIL 5, 2025 GOA Swindon Goans start hot meal initiative to needy people Studentships at Oxford University for 2025 in memory of Goan scientist Taleigao notified as urban area THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Taleigao, which has seen rapid development with several high-rise buildings coming up over the last decade, has been declared an urban area by the State government. The notification dated April 2 issued by the Revenue Department has notified Taleigao as an urban area under clause (38) of Section 2 of the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968. The declaration will come into effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette, the notification adds. IN SHORT >> Revise pay scales of DHS attendants: HC PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Health Department to revise the pay scale of 11 patient attendants and disburse arrears with effect from January 1, 2016, within six months. The aggrieved 11 Patient Attendants had filed a petition seeking enhancement of their pay.  >> See pg 3 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 287 Betul fire: Locals stage protest outside Collector’s office over delay in action page 6 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA IOs to be responsible for delays in chargesheet, warns Chief Minister 3 WEATHER >> Max: 34.6 C Min: 26.1 C Humidity: 69% TIDES Low: High: 09.58 23.29 02.41 17.51 INFO Up your beauty game: Capsule makeup kit essentials 13 ■ OFFICIALS TO CONFISCATE EQUIPMENT AT THE BORDER ■ TOUR OPERATORS, DRIVERS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a stern move to curb the growing nuisance of tourists cooking on roadsides and beaches, the Goa government officials will begin seizing cooking stoves and LPG cylinders at the borders itself. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant warned that tourists found cooking in public spaces, be it beaches, roadsides or open grounds, will face strict action and will not have their seized items returned. “Tourists cook and eat on beaches and roadsides, ultimately littering these places. But now the stove and gas will be seized at the border. If they sneak it in and are caught cooking in public places, action will be taken,” he said at a press conference after chair- ing a review meeting with the Chief Secretary, Prosecution Director and Goa Police at Porvorim on Friday. He urged visitors to respect the laws and environment of Goa adding that tour operators and bus drivers bringing in tourists with such equipment will also be held accountable. “Tourists can rent out a place to cook and eat. There is no need to dirty public spaces,” he further suggested, reiterating that such behaviour will not be tolerated. He also announced a crackdown on illegal activities along the beach belt. Beggars, illegal touts and unlicensed masseurs found operating on beaches will be arrested and not released. >Continued on P8 Only PIs, PSIs with bodycams can issue challans: Sawant PANAJI: Cracking the whip on complaints of police harassment and corruption, the government has barred all police personnel -- except inspectors and sub-inspectors wearing body cameras -- from issuing challans to violators. The new rule came into force across all police stations and traffic units on Friday with a notification expected on Saturday. “From today, during the day, only Police Inspectors (PIs) with body cameras are authorized to issue challans. WAQF BILL SPARKS UPROAR At night, PIs and PSIs with body cameras can do so. No other police personnel are permitted,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters after a meeting to review the Action Taken Report on the enforcement and implementation of the new criminal laws. The CM explained that the decision comes in the wake of complaints from tourists and locals alleging harassment by traffic police personnel on field duty. “Many complaints have Actor-director Manoj Kumar takes final bow come to me... I have taken this very seriously… Let me make it clear that on-the-spot challans can only be issued by PIs during the daytime and PIs and PSIs in the night hours. They need to mandatorily wear bodycams… violations will also be recorded through dash cameras, signal cameras and AI-enabled systems. The challans will be sent directly to the registered addresses of the violators,” he said. >Continued on P8 SPORTS Pandya’s maiden fifer in vain as LSG edges out MI 10 Road mishap turns violent, tourists assault taxi driver THE GOAN I NETWORK PORVORIM Porvorim police arrested three persons, including two tourists, on charges of assaulting a tourist taxi driver following a road mishap at Nerul on Friday morning. According to reports, a tourist taxi was taking guests from Candolim to Dabolim airport while a private car was moving in the same direction. The private car dashed the taxi at Nerul. The accused then entered into an altercation with the taxi driver and allegedly began assaulting him. The taxi driver later reported the matter to the Porvorim police and he was later sent to the GMC hospital at Bambolim for a medical checkup. In the meanwhile, a crowd gathered at the police station to demand action against the accused. Speaking to reporters outside the Porvorim police station, the President of the Tourist Taxi Union Sunil Naik condemned the incident. “We treat tourists with re- WHAT HAPPENED „„A tourist taxi was taking some guests from Candolim to Dabolim airport while a private car was moving in the same direction „„Private car dashes the taxi from the rear at Nerul „„Accused enters into an altercation with the taxi driver, begins assaulting him spect but they should not take advantage of us and abuse our goodwill. There have been incidents where tourists have assaulted taxi drivers. Government should take strict action in this matter,” said Naik. Porvorim police later arrested Ashish Kumar Pandit (30) of Housing Board Colony, Porvorim, Akansh Rana (30) of UP and Abhishek Pundir Singh (25) of UP under Sec 170 of BNSS, 2023. Further investigations are on. HC junks plea against April academic start ■ REJECTS CONTENTION THAT GOVT ACTED IN HASTE ■ RULES IT WILL NOT PREJUDICE STUDENTS IN ANY WAY PTI PANAJI: After a week of yellow alert for pre-monsoon showers, IMD Goa has now issued a yellow alert for heat, warning of hot and humid conditions till April 8. It stated that hot and humid weather is very likely at isolated pockets across both North and South districts.  >> See pg 3 BELAGAVI: Activists, farmers and environmentalists in the region have planned to intensify their agitation against plans by Karnataka to begin acquiring land for an underground pipeline to divert water from Bhandura and Singerhol nullahs into River Malaprabha for the Kalsa-Bhandura water diversion project.  >> See pg 3 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Govt to crack down on tourists cooking at roadsides, beaches IMD issues yellow alert for heat Protests planned against Kalsa project Instagram.com/thegoanonline Muslims protests on the streets in Kolkata against the Waqf Bill on Friday.  >>Details on pg 8 Bill clears RS test at 2.30 am NEW DELHI: After a stormy debate session lasting over 13 hours, the Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the early hours of Friday. The Bill was tabled before the House on April 3. It was introduced by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and passed at around 2.30 am on April 4. 128 Members of Parliament (MPs) voted in favour of the Bill while 95 MPs opposed the Bill. The Waqf Bill will now be sent to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent to become an Act. Huge protests in Kolkata, Chennai NEW DELHI: Thousands gathered on the streets of Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad on Friday after weekly prayers by the Muslim community to protest the Waqf Amendment Bill passed by Parliament. Visuals from Bengal showed a large crowd waving the national flag and carrying posters proclaiming ‘we reject Waqf amendment’ and ‘Reject Waqf Bill’ gathering at public meeting sites. Congress, AIMIM leaders move SC NEW DELHI: Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi challenged validity of the Waqf Bill in SC, saying it violated constitutional provisions. Jawed’s plea alleged the bill imposed “arbitrary restrictions” on Waqf properties and their management, undermining the religious autonomy of the Muslim community. The petition said it discriminated against Muslims by “imposing curs that are not present in governance of other religious endowments”. MUMBAI Actor-filmmaker Manoj Kumar, who personified the angst and aspirations of an evolving ‘Bharat’ in films such as “Upkar”, “Purab Aur Paschim” and “Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan”, died in a Mumbai hospital early Friday. He was 87. The actor, who came to be known as ''Bharat Kumar'' for his roles in a series of patriotic films, had been ailing for a while and died of age related issues at the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital around 3.30 am. “He is out of his misery now,” the filmmaker's son Kunal said, adding that his father had been battling multiple health issues and was bedridden for the last few years. Kumar, who had retreated into a quieter life behind the arclights for the last many years, was in and out of hospital. He was most recently admitted for pneumonia, his son said. The last rites of the actor, whose films ruled the box office in the late 1960s and 1970s, will take place on Saturday at Mumbai's Pawan Hans crematorium. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The High Court of Bombay at Goa has cleared the decks for the commencement of the new academic year 2025-26 for Classes VI to X and XII from April 7, dismissing petition filed by parents and activists who had challenged the early reopening. The Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Nivedita Mehta on Friday rejected the contention that the government had acted in haste while accepting the State government’s argument that the decision was already in the public domain and had undergone due consultation. “This was in the public domain for a long time. In January, a circular was issued and discussions were held at the taluka level involving various stakeholders including teachers and the parents’ community. Their views and suggestions were scrutinized and reviewed by the screening committee before the decision was finalized in the interest of students,” the Court said, referring to the government’s submission. Schools begin notifying students PANAJI: With it now official and final, prominent schools in Goa have begun notifying the start of the new academic year and commencement of classes on April 7. A prominent Margao city-based school in a notification to parents and students has said: “Dear Parents and Students, Please note we begin the academic year for VI to X standards on 7.4.2025. The timings are from 7.50 am to 11.30 am. Students come in your complete school uniform.” Schools in Panaji and several other areas including the Sanjay Special School at Porvorim have also notified their students of the April 7 start to classes for the new academic year. AG Devidas Pangam, representing the government, explained that the shift was necessary to meet the academic goals set under the National Education Policy (NEP). “As per new policy, every academic year must include 1,200 instructional hours. In recent years, schools could only manage around 1,045 hours. Meeting the NEP’s requirement was not feasible under the old schedule,” Pangam said, the submission accepted by the Court. Petitioners had also raised concerns about inadequate infrastructure and logisti- cal challenges for students. However, the Court noted that boards like ICSE and CBSE begin their academic sessions in March and have their summer breaks in May. “This has been the practice for years in other education boards, and it has not caused harm to students. The new academic schedule is feasible and will not prejudice students,” the Bench observed. The Court directed the government to follow the revised school timing of 8 am to 11:30 am until the end of the month, ahead of the month-long summer holidays. Trade war soars as China hits High stakes ‘Grand Housie’ in Quepem sparks probe COPS ON THE BACKFOOT back with 34% tariff on US THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI BEIJING China slapped a 34 per cent additional tariff on imports from the US in a tit-for-tat response to President Donald Trump's move to impose a similar levy on Chinese goods. Beijing also announced export controls on certain rare earth metals, aiming to hit American defence, computer, and smartphone industries. The tariffs on all products imported from the US will be imposed from April 10, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced Friday. US revises tariffs on India from 27 to 26 per cent WASHINGTON: The United States has revised downwards the import duties to be imposed on India from 27 per cent to 26 per cent, according to a White House document. These duties will come into force from April 9. The announcement follows the US decision to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on Chinese exports to America, a move that the commission said does not conform to international trade rules. It also seriously undermines China's legitimate rights and interests, and represents a typical act of unilateral bullying, the State-run Xinhua news agency reported. Criticising Beijing's move, Trump in a post said, China played it wrong, they panicked -- the one thing they cannot afford to do.” My policies will never change. This is a great time to get rich, he said. Beijing filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organisation after the US slapped “reciprocal tariffs” on trading partners, the Xinhua report said. SANGUEM uepem Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manohar Karekar has issued a memorandum to Quepem police, after a ‘Grand Housie’ with prizes worth Rs 8 lakh was conducted during a cultural event at the Government Sports Complex in Borimol-Quepem on March 31. Sources informed The Goan that a show-cause was also issued by the department concerned to the officer incharge of Government Sports Complex Quepem to explain how the event was permitted at the government complex. The 'Grand Housie' was part Q A banner advertising the ‘Grand Housie’ on April 8 has been displayed outside the Government Sports Complex at Borimol-Quepem. of a musical show presented on March 31 at 8.45 pm. The first full-house had a cash prize of Rs 6 lakh, followed by second full-house (Rs 50,000), Jaldi 5 (Rs 50,000), Jaldi 7 (Rs 50,000), Horizontal Line (Rs 50,000) and 10 spot prizes „„Dy Collector issues memo to police over ‘Grand Housie’ events in Quepem „„‘Grand Housie’ staged at Govt Sports Complex in Quepem on March 31 „„Quepem police asked to explain why no action taken despite directives from South Goa SP „„Dept issues show-cause to officer incharge to explain how event allowed at govt complex „„2 more ‘Grand Housie’ events planned in Quepem on Saturday and April 8 of Rs 1,000 each. The housie tickets were priced at Rs 1,000 per 3 tickets. On March 23, South Goa SP Tikam Singh said he had issued strict instructions to all the police stations in South Goa to stop the Grand Housie events in the South Goa jurisdiction. The memorandum served by the Quepem Deputy Collector reportedly follows a complaint of a 'Grand Housie' staged in the open at the Government Sports Complex in Borimol-Quepem and the failure of police to stop the event. “It is surprising as to why Quepem police is not initiating any action against the highly publicised 'Grand Housie' events despite huge banners being displayed all over the taluka. More so, even after strict directives were issued by the South Goa SP to stop such housie games in South Goa,” said the source. The memorandum issued by the Quepem deputy collector to the Quepem police states that Grand Housie games come under the Gambling Act and needs requisite permissions from the >Continued on P8