log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2025 GOA Unfazed by spinal injury, this worker advocates sports to remain motivated IN SHORT >> PSI transferred over assault of AAP leader MARGAO: In response to the pressure for the suspension and arrest of Canacona PSI Rajshekar Reddy in connection with the assault on AAP leader Sandesh Telekar, District Police Chief SP Tikam Singh has transferred PSI Reddy to the South Goa police headquarters and has ordered an inquiry into the matter.  >> See pg 2 `1.060 cr for 4-laning Bhoma-Old Goa road PANAJI: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday announced sanctioning Rs 1,060.21 crore for the four-laning of the 7-kilometre Bhoma to Old Goa stretch along NH-748. The project forms part of the vital 153-kilometer highway, formerly NH-4A, connecting NH-48 near Belagavi in Karnataka to NH-66 near Panaji in Goa.  >> See pg 3 CM to pursue CRZ nod for sand mining PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said the State government will take up the matter of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for sand mining with the Centre in a bid to restart legal sand extraction activities in Goa.  >> See pg 5 Woman cop beaten up in Colvale jail MAPUSA: A female police constable was reportedly assaulted up by a female prisoner in Colvale Jail on Monday evening. However, the prison administration had not registered a complaint with the Colvale police in this matter till late at night.  >> See pg 5 Pedestrian dies in forklift mishap VASCO: A pedestrian lost his life after being hit by a forklift at Mormugao Port late Sunday night. The deceased has been identified as Dyanesh Harmalkar (53) of Headland Sada, Mormugao. According to police, the incident occurred around 10 pm when the accused, Mohammad Furakan Khan, a native of Budaun, Uttar Pradesh, was operating a forklift. >> See pg 5 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 31 C 26 C 68% TIDES Low: High: 02:45 14:03 08:02 20:49 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 290 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 2 3 14 babus face inquiry for inaction on demolitions Fight to save khazans: HC writ petition filed against Borim bridge project >> See pg 3 Facebook.com/thegoan GOA INFO NH-66 closure to start Apr 15 as corridor work enters new phase Disadvantages of eating tomatoes in excess FORMER BARDEZ DY COLLECTORS, MAMLATDARS SUMMONED, ASKED TO EXPLAIN REASONS FOR NOT EXECUTING HC ORDERS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major action against bureaucrats by the State government, 14 former Deputy Collectors and Mamlatdars of Bardez are being inquired for allegedly failing to implement High Court orders regarding the demolition of illegal constructions in the coastal taluka. The Revenue Department issued summons to these officers including Rahul Desai – who is also under investigation in a separate land grab case – seeking their personal appearance before Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Revenue) Sandip Jacques for questioning. The summons, a copy of which is in possession of The Goan, mentioned that the High Court on September 15, 2021 had directed the demo- THE PROBE: ACCOUNTABILITY „„14 former Deputy Collectors and Mamlatdars of Bardez are under investigation by the State government „„Rahul Desai among the summoned officers, also being probed in a separate land grab case „„The officers allegedly failed to implement HC orders for demolishing illegal structures in Bardez „„The demolition directive was issued on September 15, 2021, but remained unexecuted for over two years „„Earlier, on November 30, 2020, the GCZMA had also directed the North Goa Collector to carry out the demolition „„All officers served between 2018 and 2024 during the time of the alleged non-compliance lition of the illegal structures and restoration of the government land to its original condition. While this order into the Public Interest Litigation was not adhered to, the Court, in a subsequent contempt petition, noted a delay of two years and observed that the authorities had not even attempted to explain the delay. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had earlier directed the North Goa Collector on November 30, 2020, to carry out the demolition. It was this inaction that led to a contempt petition Atala’s arrest reignites probe into illegal stay, fake Aadhaar being filed in the High Court. The officers under inquiry – Laxmikant Kuttikar, Rahul Desai, Krishna Gauns, Dashrath Gawas, Pravind Gawas, Dhiren Banavalikar, Prataprao Gaonkar, Anant Malik, Akshay Potekar, Kapil Phadte, Rajesh Ajgaonkar, Gurudas Desai, Uday Prabhudesai, and Subhash Belgaonkar – had served in their respective roles between 2018 and 2024. Seven of them were questioned on Monday with the remaining expected to appear on Tuesday. They are being asked to explain the reasons for the delay in executing the demolition orders and clarify any administrative lapses. The summons also warned that failure to appear would be considered non-cooperation with the inquiry and could attract further disciplinary action. 8 SPORTS RCB overcomes late MI surge to claim 12-run victory 95.35 pc clear SSC exams; pass rate up by 2.97% from last year 173 schools secure 100 pc; Bicholim shines, Mormugao lags; girls outsmart boys again THE GOAN I NETWORK PORVORIM An overall 95.35 per cent of students have been declared successful at the SSC board exams, with 17,961 of the 18,837 students passing the exams conducted by the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in the State in March. The exam was conducted in 33 examination centres and the assessment was carried out in record time at 8 assessment centres across the State. The overall performance this year was an improvement as compared to last year (92.38 per cent). Addressing a news conference in Porvorim, Chairman of Goa Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary, Bhagirath Shetye said the girls outshone the boys yet again this year. While 9,147 of the 9,557 girls passed (95.71 per cent), the pass percentage for the boys was Zero pass rate for ITI candidates PORVORIM: It was a dismal performance for the entire batch of ITI (freshers) students, as all 12 failed the SSC exams with a 0% pass rate. The ITI scheme was notified by the government and the eligibility criteria was completion of 2 years ITI course in any trade. The equivalence criterion was that candidates have to appear and pass in 2 subjects (one subject in English 1 and the second subject is other language) at SSC examination of the Board. The objective of this scheme was to facilitate the candidates to pursue higher education and employment in government or private sectors. SEE PAGE 3 Schools reopen for new academic year Parents protest outside Education dept over start of new academic year 94.98 per cent with 8,814 of the 9,280 passing their exams. A total of 173 of the 407 In a tangled web of legal evasions, missing documents and several charges, notorious Israeli national Yaniv Benaim alias Atala has once again been under the scanner of law agencies including the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI-Goa). Despite his past brush with the law, Atala had been ‘peacefully’ living in Goa without a valid passport or visa for several years. His arrest in a high-stakes drug bust at Siolim by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) has reignited a multi-agency investigation into how the foreigner managed to live and travel in India with apparent impunity. “When he was arrested for possessing drugs, he failed to produce any valid travel documents. Instead, he argued that previous bail orders barred him from leaving India… These Court orders were manipulated by the accused to extend his stay in Goa/ India without travel documents,” a senior officer revealed to The Goan on condition of anonymity. The source added that Atala also produced a stack of Western Union receipts claim- to check into hotels without the mandatory C-form filing „„Authorities suspect he holds three different passports; their authenticity and usage are under investigation „„Atala claimed survival through Western Union transfers from his father and sister in Israel ing he had been surviving off money sent by his father and sister abroad. “He told us that his family in Israel has been supporting him financially,” the source added. What further raised alarms is that Atala is suspected to possess at least three different passports, now under scrutiny. “We are working to verify their authenticity and trace their usage across borders,” the officer added, claiming that Atala even managed to check into hotels without filling out the C-form as he possessed an Aadhaar card with a local address. Goa Police have now sought the assistance of the ACB-CBI Goa and the Uttarakhand police, both of whom have dealt with Atala in prior cases. After his release in the 2010 Prevention of Corruption Act case wherein Atala was arrested by Goa Police in the police-drugs mafia-politician nexus, he fled to Nepal. There, he was reportedly issued a one-time entry visa by the Israeli Embassy in Kathmandu. Records further show he was convicted under the Foreigners Act in 2006 in a case registered at Anjuna police station and directed to pay a fine of Rs 5,000. A year later, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment by the local court under the same Act registered by the Crime Branch. >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 PTI ATALA’S WEB OF EVASIONS? „„At the time of arrest, Atala failed to produce a passport or visa, instead citing old bail orders that he allegedly manipulated to remain in India „„He reportedly used a Goa address linked to a Bengaluru-based property owner to obtain an Aadhaar card, allowing him schools achieved cent per cent results, of which 43 are government schools, 123 are aided schools and 7 are unaided schools. Commenting on the performance at the taluka level, Shetye said Bicholim (29 schools) fared the best (98.50 per cent), while Mormugao (35 schools) registered the lowest pass percentage of 92.97 per cent. Cooking gas to be costlier by `50 from today PROCESSION OF THE SAINTS MULTIPLE AGENCIES TO INVESTIGATE HIS STAY, TRAVEL IN INDIA WITHOUT VALID DOCUMENTS VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI 13 The statues of the saints placed outside the church compound after the completion of ‘Santanchem Pursanv’ at Goa Velha. (Report and more photos on page 2)  Manuel Vaz CM defends Tivim pvt university project, promises jobs for locals THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Despite opposition from the locals over the setting up of a private university on a sprawling 2 lakh square metres plot of land in Tivim, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant backed the project stating that once the university comes it would bring significant benefits to the region, including job creation and infrastructure development. The university, to be set up by MIT University on a 2 lakh sq mtr plot, has drawn criticism from some locals who allege the land was handed over at a throwaway price by the local comunidade in collusion with the government. Protesters have vowed to challenge the move legally, claiming it is part of a larger land grab plan. Dismissing these concerns, Sawant accused a few individuals of opposing the project for political gain. “I have already informed MIT University that 100 per cent of non-teaching posts should be reserved for locals from Tivim and surrounding areas,” he said, assuring that the community would directly benefit from the development. He added that the project would not only create jobs but also open up opportunities for small businesses such as restaurants and lodging >Continued on P5 NEW DELHI The domestic cooking gas LPG price on Monday was hiked by a steep Rs 50 per cylinder across India and CNG by Re 1 per kg, while the government raised taxes on petrol and diesel to shore up its revenues. The increase in cooking gas price will be for the Ujjawala – poor beneficiaries who got LPG connection free of cost – and general users, and will be effective from April 8 and has been necessitated due to the rise in input cost, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. Cooking gas for Ujjawala users will cost Rs 553 per 14.2kg cylinder from the current Rs 503 in the national capital. The same for general users will now cost Rs 853. The rates, which vary from state to state depending on local incidence of taxes, were last revised in March last year when they were cut by Rs 100. Also, CNG prices were hiked by Re 1 per kg in the national capital and adjoining cities after the government last week raised input natural gas prices by almost 4 per cent. Alongside, the government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre each to raise about Rs 32,000 crore additional tax revenue. However, there will be no change in retail prices as the increase will be adjusted against the price cut because of falling global oil prices. Sensex sinks 2,227 pts as trade Child begging: System falters as agencies shift blame THE CRISIS: AGENCY DISCONNECT war fears engulf global markets THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI MUMBAI Stock markets crumbled on Monday with benchmark Sensex sinking by 2,226.79 points its steepest single-day decline in 10 months as a global market carnage following US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes and retaliation from China fanned fears of economic slowdown. The 30-share BSE Sensex crashed 2,226.79 points or 2.95 per cent to settle at 73,137.90, recording its third day of decline. During the day, the index slumped 3,939.68 points or 5.22 per cent to 71,425.01. MONDAY MAYHEM: MARKETS CRUMBLE „„At close, the Sensex was down 2,226.79 points or 2.95 per cent at 73,137.90 „„The Nifty was down 742.85 points or 3.24 per cent at 22,161.60 The NSE Nifty tumbled 742.85 points or 3.24 per cent to settle at 22,161.60. Intra-day, the benchmark dropped 1,160.8 points or 5.06 per cent to 21,743.65. All Sensex shares, except for Hindustan Unilever, ended with losses. Tata Steel fell the most by 7.33 per cent followed by Larsen & Toubro which cracked 5.78 per cent. Tata Motors, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Infosys, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HCL Technologies and HDFC Bank were the other big laggards. Hindustan Unilever ended marginally higher. As many as 3,515 stocks declined while 570 advanced and 140 remained unchanged on BSE. PANAJI espite visible evidence of children begging on Goa’s streets and the government records claiming zero rescues in 2025, officials now acknowledge a deep-rooted failure of coordination between police and child welfare agencies. The District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) and Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) point out that more than half a dozen children were rescued this year even as migrants from drought-affected regions of Maharashtra continue to pour into the coastal State. The discrepancy has triggered a fierce blame game amidst the D „„A lack of coordination between police and child welfare agencies is being blamed for poor intervention and follow-up „„CWCs and DCPUs say over six children were rescued this year—contradicting official figures „„Most child beggars are migrant children from drought-hit regions of Maharashtra, particularly Osmanabad „„Welfare officials say police prioritise ‘bigger’ crimes, often ignoring child begging and failing to arrest or probe accompanying adults „„Rescued children are often returned to their families with conditions, only to return to the streets within weeks „„Many children lack Aadhaar cards or provide vague addresses, complicating repatriation and long-term protection High Court of Bombay at Goa monitoring the issue closely. “The police chase ‘bigger’ cases. Child beggars don’t feature on their radar,” a CWC member stated requesting anonymity. The agencies continue to insist there are no child beggars of Goan origin, but only migrant children exploited by their respective families— largely from Osmanabad and other distressed districts of Maharashtra. “These children are often spotted at bus stands, yards and markets, especially in Mapusa,” another welfare official said adding, ‘We have seen patterns wherein migrant families already settled here calling in others, knowing Goa’s tourism brings generous handouts’. Officials allege police have not only been reluctant to take initiative in such cases but also failed to arrest accompanying adults or conduct deeper probes into possible trafficking networks. The CWC also alleged that merely producing rescued children before the Committee for rehabilitation does little to address the root causes, as underlined by recent High Court directions. “In several cases, children handed back to their families with instructions to >Continued on P5