log on to thegoan.net FRIDAY APRIL 25, 2025 GOA @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 307 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 2 3 13 10 Diplomatic war erupts between Tour operators reeling after Kashmir attack India, Pak over Kashmir attack A decade later, BJP leaders reignite push for long-stalled Davorlim flyover project GOA Affordable raw water supply now available for Bardez industries SPORTS INFO Hazlewood’s death over brilliance seals RCB’s first home win Beyond the scale: The silent struggles of obesity Several tours cancelled; refunds in limbo  NEW DELHI REVOKES ALL VISAS TO PAK NATIONALS  PAK PUTS SIMLA PACT ON HOLD, CLOSES AIRSPACE PTI NEW DELHI India on Thursday announced revoking all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 and advised Indians residing in Pakistan to return home at the earliest even as Pakistan put the Simla Agreement and other bilateral accords with India on hold, suspended all trade and closed its airspace for Indian airlines as tensions between the two countries escalated over the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. New Delhi also announced suspending visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect as part of the retaliatory measures over the cross-border links to the worst terror strike on civilians in India since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Pakistan also said any attempt to divert the water IN SHORT >> Overhaul of tourism road shows on cards PANAJI: Against the backdrop of criticism over official foreign tours yielding few tourists, the Empowered Committee on Marketing and Public Relations has called for an overhaul of Goa’s road shows and trade shows, both domestic and international, to align with measurable outcomes and performance benchmarks.  >> See pg 5 India will identify, track, punish all terrorists involved, vows Modi MADHUBANI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday declared that India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers involved in the Pahalgam carnage and pursue the killers to the ends of the earth, as it stepped up the diplomatic offensive against Pakistan. Delivering a stern message in his first public speech after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed, Modi vowed that terrorism will not go unpunished and that every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done, adding India''s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. >> See pg 8 meant for it under the Indus Water Treaty will be considered an Act of War. Islamabad also closed the Wagah border post, cancelled visas given to Indians under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and asked military advisers at the Indian High Commission to leave -mirroring steps taken the previous evening by India. The latest move came a day after India announced a raft of measures against Pakistan including expulsion of Paki- stani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post. The Ministry of External Affairs said all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April 27. It said medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29. The MEA said all Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave the country before the expiry of visas. It also “strongly advised” Indian nationals to avoid travelling to Pakistan. “In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate ef- Cylinder explosion reduces Sanguem house to ashes Lucky escape for mother-daughter duo as they had spent the night at neighbour’s house BEd admissions from April 25 PANAJI: The Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) has announced that the admissions for Bachelor of Education Programme (BEd) for the year 2025-26 will commence from April 25. The online admission process will continue till May 5.  >> See pg 3 Mounting garbage woes grip Mapusa MAPUSA: The garbage crisis in Mapusa has escalated significantly, with uncollected waste piling up at various locations across the town. Despite repeated complaints, the Mapusa Municipal Council appears ill-equipped to manage the worsening situation.  >> See pg 3 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 30 C 26 C 74% The mangled remains of household items after the Wednesday night’s explosion. THE GOAN I NETWORK SANGUEM A devastating fire completely destroyed the residence of Srimati Rohidas Gaonkar in a late-night incident at Velipwada, Sanguem. The blaze, reportedly triggered by a gas cylinder explosion, quickly engulfed the house, reducing it to ashes. Fortunately, no one was injured, as the house was unoc- cupied at the time. Gaonkar and her daughter, Teja, had chosen to spend the night at a neighbour’s home due to ongoing concerns about the safety of their own residence. The fire has left the mother and daughter homeless, with all their belongings—clothing, food supplies, and essential household items—completely destroyed. Dependent on community support and assistance from the widow welfare scheme for their daily needs, they now find themselves in an even more precarious situation, relying solely on the generosity of others for shelter and basic necessities. In the wake of this tragedy, Gaonkar and her daughter have appealed to the government for aid to help rebuild their home. They have also requested that Speaker of Lok Sabha consider including their case under Shramdan scheme. fect,” the MEA said in a statement. “All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked from April 27. Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till April 29.” “All Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave India before the expiry of visas, as now amended,” it said. The number of Pakistani nationals holding Indian visas is not immediately known. “Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid travelling to Pakistan. Those Indian nationals currently in Pakistan are also advised to return to India at the earliest,” the MEA said. The new retaliatory actions shut down the few existing diplomatic mechanisms between the two sides taking bilateral relations to yet another new low. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In the aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 tourists and a resident, Goa-based travel operators are grappling not only with mass cancellations to Kashmir -- one of India’s most sought-after summer destinations -- but also with stalled refunds from hotels and adventure service providers. Goa Adventure Club’s (GAC) co-proprietor Ahraz Mulla said his agency has already cancelled upcoming hotel bookings for travellers heading to Kashmir. Still, the process of obtaining refunds has hit a wall. “The hoteliers have not processed refunds claiming there’s been no official communiqué from their government or Tourism Department. Flight refunds are being processed, but only for cancellations made till April 30 and minus the convenience fees,” Mulla told The Goan. GAC had package Jammu & Kashmir trips scheduled for April 27 and May 2 and while TRAVEL PLANS DERAIL „„Goa Adventure Club’s co-proprietor Ahraz Mulla says his agency has already cancelled upcoming hotel bookings for travellers heading to Kashmir „„GAC had package J&K trips scheduled for April 27 and May 2 and while April 27 is cancelled, May 2 is on hold „„Daxal Naik of Travel Bug Goa also says his agency has cancelled three group tours and about 7-8 individual trips including honeymoon packages Assagao couple with 2-year toddler left Kashmir two days before terror strike >> See pg 3 April 27 is cancelled, May 2 is on hold. “We are waiting for clear safety instructions from the government,” he added. For Daxal Naik of Travel Bug Goa, the struggle is similar. He is coordinating the return of a 26-member group currently in Srinagar, through a rescheduled plan. “Only five seats were available for Thursday. But it looks like they will return on April 26 as originally scheduled,” he said. Shocking news! Power bills may increase by nearly 6% GED PETITIONS JERC; PUBLIC HEARING ON MAY 9 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A nearly 6 per cent spike of power bills looms over Goa's consumers across categories, including domestic, as early as from the current financial year if Goa Electricity department's (GED) proposal for tariff hike in three consecutive years -- 2025–26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 -- contained in its petition is accepted by the Joint Electricity Regularity Commission (JERC). The proposal, part of GED's petition under the Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) framework,  has already been submitted to the JERC and the regulatory body has fixed the public hearing for May 9. The petition proposes a 5.95% overall hike in tariffs for the current financial year (2025-26) and a further 5.64% hike in tariffs for 2026–27.  Another 4.88% tariff hike is proposed for FY 2027–28 while there will be no further increases in 2028–29 and 2029– 30 as per the petition which seeks the JERC's approval for the Department's five-year business plan for the five consecutive financial years from the current year up until March 31, 2030.  Public response sought in 21 days PANAJI: The Electricity Department has asked members of the public to file their response to their proposal to hike power tariffs to the Secretary, Joint Electricity Commission (JERC). Objections, suggestions and comments are solicited which can be filed online directly on the JERC's website www.jercuts.gov.in, where the petitions can also be accessed. Copies of these suggestions and objections filed by the public are also required to be sent to the office of the Chief Electrical Engineer. The JERC has fixed the public hearing on these petitions starting at 10 am on May 9 at the Institute Menezes Braganza, Panaji. A second petition filed simultaneously by GED before the JERC also seeks the "trueup" of FY 2023–24 and for tariff determination.  The  tariff hike proposal of the GED documents an increase in both fixed charges as well as the charges for per consumed unit. While the fixed charges are being proposed to be increased by  60 paise per Kilowatt of the consumer's total load, the energy charges are proposed to be hiked by between six paise to 35 paise per unit of consumed  energy based on the consumption slabs. Despite taking these proposed tariff hikes into account the GED's 'business plan' projects that the department will face a 'revenue gap' (losses) of Rs 408.76 crore in the current financial year on realising revenues of approximately Rs 3,081.97 crore and incurring an expenditure of Rs 3,490.73 crore. >Continued on P8 Regarding future bookings, Naik confirmed that his agency has already cancelled three group tours and about 7-8 individual trips including honeymoon packages. “The flights are refunding fully till April 30, but the hotels haven’t returned a rupee. They probably understand tourists won't be returning any time soon,” he said adding, “The government-run Gulmarg Gondola is refunding, but other activities, especially those managed by private hoteliers, are not.” Naik conceded that tour operators are facing mounting >Continued on P8 Tillari canal claims life of 26-year-old in Cunchelim THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a tragic incident on Thursday afternoon, a 26-year-old youth from Mapusa drowned in the Tillari canal near the water treatment plant at Cunchelim. The deceased has been identified as Omkar Prabhudesai, a resident of Altinho, Mapusa. According to sources, Omkar had gone for a swim in the canal with a friend. He reportedly jumped into the water and did not resurface. His friend immediately alerted local residents and contacted the police and fire services. Mapusa fire personnel, with assistance from locals, recovered Omkar's body from the canal after an extensive search operation. The Tillari canal, part of the Tillari Irrigation Project, has been a site of concern due to previous incidents that ocurred in the area. This incident underscores the dangers of swimming in canals and other water bodies without proper safety measures in place. Local officials are investigating the incident, and further details are awaited pending an official report. Goa’s cities gear up for clean Thousands queue up to pay last respects to Pope sweep under Swachh mission Doctor recounts the last moments of Pope Francis PTI GOVT CONSTITUTES HIGH-POWERED COMMITTEE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa government has constituted the State High Powered Committee (SHPC) for implementation and management of Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0, (SBM) which aims to make all cities ‘garbage free’. Headed by the Chief Secretary, the Committee has to approve the overall Action Plan for achieving SBM objectives with planning for fund flow in the short, medium and long term and consider additional resource mobilization wherever required. The committee has to approve the selection of clusters so that common infrastructure could be shared between a group of cities/towns/contiguous rural areas and ensure that land free from encumbrances is made available for setting up necessary infrastructure. The committee has to also ensure convergence of action for sanitation and waste management in the urban and rural areas of the State and bringing about inter departmental coordination for implementation. The mission launched by the Union Government in October 2021, for a period of five years, aims at completing the work remaining of the Mission 1.0, institutionalizing ‘swachh’ behaviour and making it sustainable. The Centre in partnership with States/ UTs and ULBs is committed to make all cities >Continued on P8 VATICAN CITY housands of mourners lined up to see Pope Francis lying in state in a simple wooden coffin inside St Peter's Basilica that the Vatican kept the doors open all night due to higher-than-expected turnout, closing the basilica for just an hour for cleaning. The basilica is bathed in a hushed silence as mourners from across the globe make a slow, shuffling procession up the main aisle to pay their last respects to Francis, who died Monday after a stroke. The hours spent on line up via della Conciliazione through St Peter's Square and through the Holy Door into the basilica T ROME: Pope Francis' doctor found the pontiff with his eyes open and breathing normally, but unresponsive when he was called to the Vatican early Monday morning, the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Thursday. Alfieri was alerted at 5:30 am Monday by Francis' health care assistant, Massimiliano Strappetti, that Francis had been stricken and needed to be taken to the hospital. has allowed mourners to find community around the Argentine pontiff's legacy of inclusion and humble persona. Emiliano Fernandez, a Catholic from Mexico, was waiting in line around mid- “I went into his room, and he had his eyes open. I noted that he did not have respiratory issues, so I tried to call him but he did not respond,” Alfieri was quoted as saying. He also did not respond to stimuli, even painful ones. In that moment I understood there was nothing more to do. He was in a coma.” The pope died two hours after suffering a stroke. “I gave him a caress, as a farewell,'' the doctor said. night, and after two hours still had not reached the basilica. “I don't even care how much time I wait here. It's just the opportunity to (show) how I admired Francisco in his life,” said Fernandez, whose admi- ration for pope grew during his 2016 visit to Mexico. “I think because of the respect that I have for him and the great person he was, it's worth. The last numbers released by the Vatican said more than 20,000 people had paid their respects during the first 8 hours of the public viewing on Wednesday. The basilica closed for just one hour Thursday morning, from 6 am until 7 am, the planned opening time. Among the first-day mourners was a church group of 14-year-olds from near Milan who arrived for the now-suspended canonisation of the first millennial saint, as well as a woman who prayed for a successful operation and an Italian family who brought their children to see the pope's body. We came because we didn't bring them when he was alive, so we thought we would bring them for a final farewell,” said Rosa Scorpati, who was exiting the basilica.