log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY APRIL 20, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO.302 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 12 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 13 Ground Zero in J&K Cool as a cucumber Dark sweet indulgence SPORTS »PAGE 8 AIFF panel declares Churchill Brothers as I-League champion Of 3 ‘unsolved’ celebrity deaths Wellness infusion The Manoj Kumar melodies IPL 2025: LSG edges past RR in last-over classic Ground Zero Kashmir screening unites BSF jawans with cast and crew; Emraan Hashmi hails it as a major milestone GREETINGS THE GOAN wishes its readers, advertisers and well-wishers a happy Easter. May the Risen Lord bless you abundantly Discover cucumber’s hydrating, detoxifying, and beauty-boosting benefits with its nutrient-rich properties Fusion of chocolate with traditional Indian mithai is opening up new avenues to attract Gen Z consumers Sharp dip in tourist footfalls sets off alarm bells in Goa  LONG WEEKENDS FAIL TO DRAW TOURISTS  ALMOST 10% SHACKS DOWN SHUTTERS  BEACHES NEARLY EMPTY >> SEE PG 2 State vs Centre: Battle for Goa’s rivers MAGAZINE MAGAZ 09 Easter: A celebration of hope, faith and new beginnings Transforming education with a cultural touch 132 years of tiatr: A celebration with notes of discord Beyond sterilisation: A pragmatic approach to mitigating stray dog menace 11 VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI In a worrying turn for Goa’s tourism sector, stakeholders have been left grappling -- not due to government red tape or safety concerns, but because of an unexpected and sharp drop in tourist footfalls from mid-March onwards. The usual Easter buzz and summer surge have been replaced by shuttered shacks, nearly empty beaches  and  growing anxiety among shack and hotel owners alike. Despite a string of three long weekends within a month including the backto-back breaks for Ambedkar Jayanti and Good Friday, the anticipated tourist influx never arrived. Around 10 per cent beach shacks have shut shop nearly two months before the official end of the tourist season in May. BOOM TO GLOOM: VOICES OF CONCERN „„Cruz Cardozo claimed there was a 60% drop in domestic arrivals and an estimated 40% drop in international arrivals... British tourists have left since March-end and the Russians are few in numbers. The reality is, tourists aren’t coming owing to certain issues plaguing Goa „„Gaurish Dhond pointed to the unchecked behaviour of tourist taxi lobby as one of the key deterrents. He cited a case where a group of 14 tourists were not allowed to enter a hotel in Arpora because they arrived in a mini-bus (AC bus) „„Moses Fernandes a shack owner said our regular clients came in January and left by the end of March. New tourist arrivals after that were just five per cent of the usual count. We had no choice but to shut down on April 8 “We had a decent season till March 15 but it saw a sudden dip since thereafter. There’s a 60 per cent drop in domestic arrivals and an estimated 40 per cent drop in international arrivals. The British tourists are gone since March-end and the Russians are few in numbers,” President of the Shack Owners Welfare Society Cruz Cardozo said, speaking to The Goan. Of those that have closed prematurely include two each in Colva and Majorda, and one each in Cavelossim, Betalbatim, Arrosim and Calangute among other places. Cardozo stated that this time the responsibility doesn’t Indian student killed by stray bullet at bus stop in Canada PTI IN SHORT >> Luxury villas in eye of storm in Mandrem PERNEM: Locals in Mandrem have criticised the decision of Mandrem panchayat to permit luxury villas in the coastal village. On Saturday, a group of villagers along with advocate Prasad Shahapurkar met the sarpanch and submitted a memorandum to him, demanding that the Panchayat immediately withdraw permission granted to the villas.   >> See pg 3 24 candidates of JEE (Main) excel NEW DELHI: Twenty-four candidates scored a perfect 100 in the engineering entrance JEE (Main), the results of which were announced by the National Testing Agency on Saturday. Rajasthan had the highest number of candidates who attained a perfect score. One woman student is reported to be among the top scorers. FLAMES OF FAITH!: Fr Mario Carvalho kindles the Easter fire at St Anthony’s Church in Siolim during the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night. Churches in Goa resonate with solemn ‘light’ of Easter Vigil THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Easter Vigil services were conducted in Churches, Chapels and Catholic institutions across the State, as Christians joyfully celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Saturday night. Considered the most important Mass of the liturgical year in the Roman Catholic Church, the Easter Vigil services began shortly before midnight across the archdiocese. The kindling of the Easter fire, the lighting of the Paschal (Easter) candle to signify Christ as the 'light and life' and various readings from the Holy Bible were among the key rites of the midnight ser- vice. The blessing of the water of the baptismal font and renewal of baptismal vows by the Catholic faithful were also essential part of the services. While Cardinal Felipe Neri Ferrao presided over the Easter Vigil service at the See Cathedral in Old Goa, Auxiliary >Continued on P7 TARAN A 21-year-old Indian student was killed in Canada after being struck by a stray bullet while waiting at a bus stop, as shots were fired from a car. Harsimrat Randhawa, a student at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, was on her way to work when the incident occurred. Hamilton Police, which is investigating the case as a homicide, called her an innocent bystander. Back in Punjab, from where she hailed, her family urged the Indian and state government for their assistance in bringing back her body. In a statement, police said they received reports of a shooting near Upper James and South Bend Road streets at around 7.30 pm local time and found Randhawa there with a gunshot wound to the chest. She was rushed to a hospital but succumbed. Randhawa was struck by a bullet after a passenger in a black car opened fire on a white sedan, it said. Shortly after the shooting, the vehicles left the scene. lie solely with the authorities. “We can’t blame the government all the time,” he said adding, “we received our shack licenses early. The reality is, tourists aren’t coming owing to certain issues plaguing Goa and those who do come for weddings or business trips don’t visit shacks. The low-end tourists don’t spend on food and drinks in shacks.” From the hotel sector, the concerns echoed louder. President of the Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association Gaurish Dhond pointed to the unchecked behaviour of tourist taxi lobby as one of the key deterrents. “Just recently, a group of 14 tourists were not allowed to enter a hotel in Arpora because they arrived in a mini-bus (AC bus). This monopoly is hurting us all. Fancy rates, rude behaviour and threats to >Continued on P7 BHOMA ROAD PROJECT No temple, house to be demolished, assures Sawant THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured a delegation of villagers from Bhoma that the road (highway) expansion project in their village will not affect any portion of the temple or any residential house. “No portion of the temple will be demolished,” Sawant told the delegation of Bhoma villagers who met him in Sanquelim on Friday. He said his government was sensitive towards the sentiments of the local community. “We don’t want to demolish a single house. If any house is being affected, show me -I’m ready to change the plan,” Sawant is heard saying in a video of the meeting with villagers. Sawant also said that he would be meeting the Bhoma villagers again on Monday at the State Secretariat where a technical team will present a detailed  plan of the road expansion project besides addressing their concerns. The resistance to the highway expansion project by the villagers in Bhoma has stalled NEW DELHI ourth-term BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, one of the more vocal party members in the Lok Sabha, launched a broadside against the Supreme Court on Saturday, saying Parliament and State assemblies should be closed down if the apex court has to make the laws. He first made a terse post in Hindi on X and later, in remarks to PTI, accused the court of arrogating to itself Parliament's legislative powers by striking down laws passed by the legislature and even giving directions to the President who, Dubey noted, is the appointing authority of Supreme F D U B E Y ’ S B ROA DSI D E AGA I N ST A P E X CO U RT „„Kanoon yadi Supreme Court hi banayega to Sansad Bhavan bandh kar dena chahiye, Dubey said on X „„SC has sought documentary proof in cases involving temples, including Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, but has chosen to ignore similar need Court judges. “Kanoon yadi Supreme Court hi banayega to Sansad Bhavan bandh kar dena chahiye,” the BJP MP said on X. His comment came following the Centre's assurance to the court that it would not be implementing some of the contentious Waqf case „„Law-making is the job of Parliament, and the Supreme Court is meant to interpret the laws „„SC can order the government but not Parliament provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act till the next day of hearing after the court raised questions over them. It is hearing several pleas challenging the constitutionality of the Act, which was passed by Parliament in the first week of this month. Dubey appeared to ques- tion the court's critical observations on the Act's dilution of the “Waqf by use” provision, saying it has sought documentary proof in cases involving temples, including Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, but has chosen to ignore the similar need in the ongoing case. Citing Article 368 of the Constitution, he said that law-making is the job of Parliament, and the Supreme Court is meant to interpret the laws. The court can order the government but not Parliament, he asserted. Dubey cited the court's earlier decisions to decriminalise consensual homosexuality, which was covered under Section 377 of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, and to strike down Section 66(A) of the IT Act to target its alleged overreach. He claimed that the court decriminalised homosexuality despite all religions considering it wrong and that Section 66(A) was required to curb the increasing misuse of online platforms to send objectionable contents. Sawant has said he would be meeting the Bhoma villagers on Monday at the State Secretariat where a technical team will present a detailed plan of the road expansion project besides addressing their concerns the project for over two years. The locality falls in the jurisdiction of Priol constituency which is represented by Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude and the issue had been blowing hot and cold for long. They have been demanding a bypass instead of a flyover which they say will disrupt their village socio-culturally and also hamper their religious and cultural activities. Earlier this week, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had announced Rs 1,060.21 cr for four-laning of Bhoma to Old Goa stretch of road. Soon, 6-mth computer diploma must for tech-based govt jobs TECH, IT CERTIFIED CANDIDATES EXEMPTED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa government has made it mandatory for job applicants to hold a six-month computer diploma if the job requires computer knowledge. An office memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel stated that the new rule will come into effect from November 1.  The decision has been taken to streamline the pro- cedure to ascertain the computer literacy of candidates during direct recruitment. “Wherever knowledge of computer/course certificate in computer/computer literate, etc is prescribed under essential qualifications in the respective recruitment rules, minimum six-month diploma course certificate in computer from Information Technology Knowledge Centre/ Computer Institute recognized by Info Tech Corporation of Goa Ltd or from an institute recognized BJP MP takes SC head on, sparks fresh controversy PTI MONDAY MEET Wishing my beloved residents of Benaulim Constituency and fellow Goemkars a blessed Easter. May the resurrection of Jesus Christ bring peace, hope and divine blessings to every home and every heart. Happy Easter “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” – Matthew 28:6 Warren Alemao Social Worker- Benaulim Constituency by Government of India or minimum six months diploma course certificate in computer approved human resource development foundation affiliated to Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, shall be mandatory,” reads the order signed by Under Secretary (Personnel-I) Raghuraj Faldesai. “Candidates possessing degree/diploma certificate in computers/computer science/ >Continued on P7