log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY APRIL 10, 2025 GOA Silent signals: A deluge of requests leaves Merces junction out of focus IN SHORT >> WhatsApp numbers for reporting illegal structures MARGAO: After constituting taluka-level flying squads, the State administration has unveiled WhatsApp numbers to facilitate the public in reporting illegal constructions. The WhatsApp numbers can be used by the public to report illegal activities such as unauthorised constructions, illegal landfilling, and hill cutting.  >> See pg 2 PIOs penalised for RTI lapses PANAJI: The Goa State Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on two successive Public Information Officers (PIOs) of the Mapusa Municipal Council for failing to furnish information under the RTI Act and defying directions issued by the Commission.   >> See pg 3 IMD predicts thunder showers in South Goa PANAJI: The India Meteorological Department, Goa on Wednesday, has forecasted thunder showers with strong winds at a few places over South Goa in the next 3 hours. Turtles saved from ghost nets in sea MARGAO: A group of tourists from Brazil, along with Benaulim-based fisherman Pele Fernandes, rescued two sea turtles while they were on a dolphin trip in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday morning. The Brazilian tourists lent a helping hand to the fishermen to rescue the turtles entangled in ghost fishing nets amidst waste and trash.   >> See pg 2 AI flyer urinates on fellow passenger NEW DELHI: An Air India passenger allegedly urinated on a fellow passenger during a flight from the national capital to Bangkok on Wednesday, according to sources. As an interim measure, the sources said Air India has put the male passenger who allegedly urinated on the fellow passenger in the no-fly list for one month.  >> See pg 8 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 30 C 27 C 70% The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 292 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 2 3 11 House repair simplified: P'yat secys to issue NOCs in 3 days Deputy collector halts illegal hill cutting in Sanguem villages >> See PG 3 Facebook.com/thegoan GOA INFO Villagers rally to save their locales from ecological ruin Seven household chores pregnant women should avoid DoP ISSUES CIRCULAR; APPLICANTS DO NOT NEED P’YAT MEETING APPROVAL; SAWANT SAYS MOVE TO ASSIST COMMON MAN THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a big move, the State government has instructed panchayat secretaries across the State to issue 'house repair' permissions for single-dwelling structures within three days of being applied for. The instruction was contained in an elaborate circular issued by Director of Panchayats Ms Siddhi Halarnkar and announced by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at a cabinet press briefing on Wednesday afternoon. The circular also contains a 'deeming provision' which says that the permission shall be deemed to have been granted if the panchayat secretary fails to determine whether it should be given or communi- CRITERIA FOR REPAIRS „„Only legal structures or those registered for house tax for at least 5 years „„Existing single-dwelling homes built on existing plinths only „„Applicants must submit a structural stability certificate from an architect/ engineer and proof of tax registration „„If no decision is communicated within 3 days, permission will be granted PAGE 3 >> Cabinet nod for 3 TA posts in GEDA, residual Exposition works Viksit Goa: Govt releases QR code for suggestions Scrap melas to auction condemned govt cars cate the decision to the applicant within three days of the application. Sawant meanwhile said, the panchayat secretaries will be the authority to issue these NOCs for house repairs provided that the structure is legal or has been in existence and registered for "house tax" purpose for a minimum of five years. The applicants will also have to submit an architect or Goa Police bust nationwide IPL betting racket; 44 held ASSETS WORTH `45 LAKH SEIZED; SYNDICATE OPERATED VIA CASHLESS MODE FROM RENTED PREMISES IN GOA THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In what Goa Police have described as one of the largest crackdowns on illegal betting in the country, the North Goa police and Crime Branch (CB) have arrested 44 persons and seized assets worth Rs 45 lakh in connection with a largescale Indian Premier League (IPL) betting operation. The arrests of the non-Goan accused were made across six coordinated raids conducted over the span of six days. Of these, two major operations led by the CB resulted in 34 arrests and the seizure of property worth Rs 40 lakh. Addressing a press conference at the police headquarters on Wednesday, Superintendent of Police (CB) Rahul Gupta said that the scale of the operation makes it one of the biggest in India with evidence pointing to extensive betting not only on IPL matches but also on other cricket series and football games. “Acting on reliable information and intelligence, we launched a targeted operation in coordination with IRB staff. The rackets were operating at a massive scale using sophisticated systems. The accused had set up dedicated custom- MAJOR RACKET: THE CRACKDOWN „„Goa Police arrested 44 individuals in one of the largest illegal betting operations in India, focused on IPL and other sports „„Raids conducted over six days across multiple rented properties in Goa, led by North Goa Police and the Crime Branch (CB) „„Assets worth Rs 45 lakh recovered — including digital devices, bank documents, and transaction records „„The racket used a er service teams, pay-in and pay-out mechanisms and robust technical infrastructure to avoid detection,” Gupta said. Assets recovered during the raids include 101 mobile phones, 17 laptops and desktop computers, 95 bank passbooks, 145 ATM cards, over 50 SIM cards, numerous cheque books, CCTV systems and internet routers. The SP added that the raiding teams also found registers and other documentation used to manage the illicit betting cashless, digital infrastructure — including QR codes, online wallets (Paytm), and dedicated customer support teams „„Over 100 mobile phones, 17 laptops/desktops, 95 bank passbooks, and 145 ATM cards seized; no physical cash found network. “The syndicate had been active since November–December last year, operating from rented properties across Goa. The entire operation was cashless, conducted entirely through digital transactions. We have recovered a significant volume of digital evidence including chat messages, QR codes from payment platforms like Paytm and other transaction records,” he added. >Continued on P8 Move raises questions amid HC crackdown on illegal structures PANAJI: Is the move to grant repair permissions within three days one option exercised by the State government to grant relief in the face of the recent Bombay High Court judgement which called for action against illegal structures across the State? Chief Minister Pramod Sawant denied the link saying the issue arising out of the Bombay High Court judgement is being dealt with separately. Nonetheless, the DoP circular leaves scope for owners of illegal structures, provided they were 'registered' with the respective panchayats for House Tax purposes for at least five years. engineer certified structural stability report and evidence of the five-year House Tax condition compliance, he added. The chief minister also said with Wednesday's circular, there will be no requirement for such applications to be put before the panchayat body's meeting for approval. "This applies strictly to existing single-dwelling >Continued on P8 SPORTS IPL: Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh lead GT to the top of IPL table 14 Govt, IOC ink pact for energy, tourist infra Oil firm to set up charging stations, public facilities along highway THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa government's Planning and Statistics Department on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with oil PSU Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) which encompasses the latter setting up various fuel and energy related infrastructure along highways in the State as part of the 'Viksit Goa 2037' plan. IOCL will set up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and tourist-friendly amenities in sporadic regions of the State alongside highways for which Goa Government will identify and provide land, according to the MoU. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the State government will provide land for setting up the infrastructure, including charging stations, changing rooms and toilets along highways. Sawant said stations for 'battery swapping' will also be set up by IOCL in major cities of the State under the deal which also encompasses the Indian oil major putting up a plant for recycling plastic waste under its CSR initiatives. TERI to advise govt on environ, blue economy PANAJI: In a significant move, the Goa government has roped in reputed environmental research institute The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to advise it on environmental protection issues and also for sustainable initiatives in agriculture and developing the State's blue economy. TERI will also work in the tourism sector to promote eco-tourism activities, he said and expressed hope that "time to time advise" from the institute will go a long way in making Goa's development sustainable.  >> See pg 3 RBI cuts repo rate MIDDAY INFERNO to 6 pc; home, auto loans likely to get cheaper PTI MUMBAI Home, auto and other loans are likely to cost less as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut interest rates on Wednesday for a second consecutive time and signalled more easing to come as it sought to bolster the economy that is facing further pressure from damaging US tariffs. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), consisting of three central bank members and an equal number of external members, voted unanimously to cut the repurchase or repo rate by 25 basis points to 6 per cent. Reserve Bank of India had reduced rates by an equal measure in February – the first cut since May 2020. The repo rate is the rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends money to banks to meet their short-term funding needs. With a 25 bps cut in the repo rate, all external benchmark lending rates (EBLR) linked to it will come down. And if the banks fully pass on this to the borrowers, equated monthly instalments (EMIs) on home, auto and personal loans will decline by 25 bps. The move lowers borrowing costs to the lowest level since November 2022, amid easing inflation and a fall in oil prices. A major fire engulfed the Dawood building at Khareband, Margao around noon on Wednesday, gutting around 10-12 tenements, mostly on the second and third floors.   (Report and photos on Page 2) Incomplete Smart City road works with photo proof submitted to HC THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The High Court of Bombay at Goa was on Wednesday informed that the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (IPSCDL) has failed to complete road works within the timeline it had assured the court. The matter came up during a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Chris- tus Cecilio Lopes, a resident of Caranzalem, who submitted an affidavit stating that IPSCDL had not honoured its undertaking to finish the road works by March 31, 2025. According to the affidavit, the agency had committed and recorded in the court’s order dated February 26, 2025 that the works would be completed within the stipulated deadline. This was treated as an undertaking by the court; however, the reality is far different. "It is most respectfully stated that IPSCDL has failed to comply with the undertaking given to this Court and works of the road have in fact not been completed by March 31, 2025," the affidavit states. Photographs submitted with the affidavit showed ongoing work at various >Continued on P8 HC orders immediate halt to K’taka meet opposes land acquisition for Kalsa project de-sealing of Candolim club Speakers call on North K’taka, Goa to unite against water diversion plans PULLS UP GCZMA; CITES BLATANT DISREGARD TO COURT DIRECTIVES, ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a sharp rebuke to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday ordered an immediate halt to the de-sealing of a controversial club in Candolim, citing a blatant disregard for prior court directives and environmental regulations. The court directed the GCZ- KEY COURT OBSERVATION We fail to understand the pressing urgency in permitting de-sealing of the premises and permitting removal of the extra structures in spite of the directions issued by this court on April 17, 2024 MA, along with the deputy collector and Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Bardez, to cease all activity related to de-sealing or demolition at the site of ‘Droplet,’ the club at the centre of an ongoing legal battle. The court further instructed authorities to restore the >Continued on P8 LOUIS RODRIGUES THE GOAN I BELGAVI Hubli-Dharwad activists claim water being diverted for agri, industries S tepping up their agitation against the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura water diversion project, activists, farmers and religious heads on Wednesday opposed Karnataka’s proposed land acquisition for the Bhandura water diversion to lay an underground pipeline in the ecologically sensitive Mhadei basin. They also resolved to oppose the construction of dams in the eco-sensitive region and the diversion of water from Mhadei. Capt Nitin Dhond, seers and activists handing over a memorandum to Tehshildar of Khanapur.  Louis Rodrigues At a public meeting in Khanapur under the campaign of ‘Save Mhadei, Save Malaprabha, Save Khanapur Taluka, Save Rains’, speakers condemned the project as a major threat to water security, forests, and livelihoods in BELAGAVI: Accusing Karnataka of misleading the public by branding the project as a drinking water initiative, speakers from Hubbali-Dharwad claimed the diverted water is required for growing sugarcane farms to the feed sugar factories which have sprung up in large numbers in North Karnataka. Former Karnataka Minister Shashikant Naik said the Karnataka government had being lying to the courts and tribunals that this is a drinking water project.  >> See pg 7 Goa, Belagavi, and North Karnataka. Farming leaders and activists passionately urged people from North Karnataka and Goa to come together to see that >Continued on P8