log on to thegoan.net FRIDAY MAY 9, 2025 GOA @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 321 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 2 3 12 10 Pak escalates, India retaliates America’s first pontiff Process for construction of 4-lane Navelim to Cuncolim highway set in motion GOA No roadside stalls at Shirgao zatra next year, says committee NEW DELHI India on Thursday night swiftly thwarted Pakistan's fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles including in Jammu and Pathankot after foiling similar bids at 15 places in northern and western regions of the country, as tensions soared between the two countries amid fears of a wider conflict. The renewed attempts and intense shelling by the Pakistani forces on the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan came after India on Thursday morning targeted Pakistani air defence systems at multiple cities with one in Lahore being “neutralised”. The Indian armed forces on Wednesday had carried out precise missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan under Operation Sindoor'. page 6 SUVs roar, small cars stall: April’s auto race sees Mahindra jump the queue REVIEW: Lexus ES 300h: A luxury sedan that dares to be different IN SHORT >> Cable operators challenge `30L fine by Power dept PANAJI: Even as a writ petition challenging the disconnection of overhead cable wires is pending before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, cable operators have now filed a fresh plea seeking to quash the Electricity Department’s order directing each operator to pay Rs 30 lakh for using electricity poles.   >> See pg 3 Ahmedabad man held in crypto fraud PANAJI: The Cyber Crime police arrested a 39-year-old man from Ahmedabad in connection with a cryptocurrency trading fraud case amounting to Rs 2.63 crore. The accused, Ramesh Kumar Yadav, was taken into custody following a detailed probe based on a complaint filed by a resident of Tivim.   >> See pg 3 Champions League: PSG ousts Arsenal in semis, sets up final with Inter Milan How to stop night-time anxiety INDIA THWARTS FRESH PAKISTAN BID TO STRIKE MILITARY SITES IN JAMMU AND PATHANKOT; FOIL SIMILAR ATTEMPTS IN 15 CITIES, TARGETS PAK AIR DEFENCE SYSTEMS; BLACKOUT IN BORDER AREAS PTI SPORTS INFO Robert Prevost is Pope Leo XIV 24 airports shut amid Pak attack NEW DELHI: Twenty-four airports across the country were shut on Thursday amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, after the latter launched fresh missile and drone attacks in the Indian territory. X blocks 8,000 accounts in India NEW DELHI: Social media platform X said on Thursday that it has started blocking 8,000 accounts in India following executive orders from the government.  >> See pg 8 Indian air defence systems neutralised a swarm of drones and missiles from Pakistan targeted at 15 military sites. As the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reiterated that any attack on military sites in India will invite a suitable response, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Pakistan only can decide if it wants to de-escalate tensions with India as New Delhi responded to the “original escalation” triggered by the Pahalgam massacre. Blackouts from several cities and towns in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan were enforced as drones were sighted from across the border. “Military stations at Jammu and Pathankot and Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the International Border in J and K today. The threats were swiftly neutralised using kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities...,” according to a late night MoD statement. Indian air defence units successfully intercepted at least eight missiles fired by Pakistan towards the border areas of Jammu, including the strategically important Jammu Airport at Satwari on Thursday evening, defence sources said. The missiles were aimed at key locations, including Satwari (Jammu Airport), Samba, RS Pura, and Arnia, they said. A sudden power outage plunged Jammu city into darkness following two loud explosions, likely resulting from the interception of intruding drones. Immediately after, si- THURSDAY TURNS FATAL Conductor killed, 28 hurt as bus overturns at Verna 2 Goans among 6 dead in K’taka road mishap THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO A bus conductor was killed while about 28 passengers were injured on Thursday evening when a minibus travelling from Verna to Vasco overturned at the Queeny Nagar junction on the Verna highway. The bus, reportedly packed beyond its capacity with workers from the Verna Industrial Estate, toppled near the junction after the driver allegedly lost control while speeding over a dug-up road stretch. Thirteen injured passengers are undergoing treatment at the Chicalim Sub District Hospital, while others were shifted to the Cansaulim Primary Health Centre. A passenger, Sonam Namshekar, who is under treatment at Chicalim hospital, recounted the horrific experience. “The bus was moving at high speed and was packed beyond capacity. The driver braked suddenly, and the next thing we knew, the bus had toppled near Queeny Nagar,” she said. The mishap triggered a major traffic jam along the busy four-lane highway as rens echoed throughout the city, alerting panic stricken residents to seek shelter. Sound of massive explosions were heard in Jaisalmer and a blackout was enforced in western Rajasthan districts bordering Pakistan, plunging the whole stretch into darkness, police said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke separately with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz >Continued on P8 Pandita elevated as CTP-Land Use, Dagur as CTP-Admin THE GOAN I NETWORK bystanders rushed to assist the injured. Traffic on the Verna-Vasco route was affected and motorists were asked to take Cortalim–Chicalim route to reach Vasco and Dabolim Airport. Sources revealed that the bus was so overcrowded that its door remained open, forcing conductor Shiva Madar, a resident of Birla, to stand on the footboard. “The number of injured passengers could be as many as 28. The conductor was standing at the open door due to the overcrowded condition of the bus,” said a source at the site. Cortalim MLA Anton Vas, who visited the accident spot, confirmed the death of the BELAGAVI A trip to Karnataka’s tourist destination turned tragic as six persons, including two from Goa, died on the spot in a road mishap on Thursday morning. Two others were seriously injured after a speeding car crashed into a stationary truck on National Highway 48 near Motebennur village in Byadgi taluka in North Karnataka. The deceased have been identified as Farhan (27) of Harihar-Karnataka, Ummera Shifa Afroz Udagatti (16) of Ranebennur, Alisha Narangi (20) from Goa, Fulkhan Narangi (20) of Goa, Ummera Imamulla of Harihar and Asia Khalander Honnalii of Dharwad (16). Two 18-year-old girls, one from Goa and the other from Harihar were seriously injured in the mishap. According to police sources, the Goans were on a holiday with their relatives and the group had earlier attended a family function in Ranebennur before setting off on a holiday outing to Addi Garden Park. The group had planned PANAJI The State government on Thursday appointed senior town planner RK Pandita as the Chief Town Planner (Land Use) and head of the Town and Country Planning department with immediate effect. The government has also appointed senior town planner Vertika Dagur as the Chief Town Planner (Admin and Planning) apart from handling her own duties. The post of Chief Town Planner – Land Use, had fallen vacant as on April 30, following suspension of Rajesh Naik, who was serving service extension. The order of appointment has been issued by Under Secretary (Personnel) Durga Kinlekar. “RK Pandita, senior town planner, Town and Country Planning department, shall hold the charge of the post of Chief Town Planner (Land Use) declared as Head of Department, with immediate effect, in addition to his own duties and until further orders,” the order stated. It further states, “Vertika Dagur, senior town planner, shall hold charge of Chief Town Planner (Admin) and >Continued on P8 >Continued on P8 Pope Leo XIV appeared on St Peter’s Basilica balcony about 70 minutes after white smoke signalled a new pope had been elected. PTI VATICAN CITY Robert Francis Prevost, missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and took over the Vatican's powerful office of bishops, was elected the first pope from the United States in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church. Prevost, a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order, took the name Leo XIV. In his first words as Pope Francis' successor, uttered from the loggia of St Peter's Basilica, Leo said, Peace be with you, and emphasised a message of peace, dialogue and missionary evangelization. He wore the traditional red cape of the papacy a cape that Francis had eschewed on his election in 2013. Prevost had been a leading candidate for the papacy except, but there had long been a taboo against a US pope, given the country's geopolitical power already wielded in the secular sphere. But Prevost, a Chicago native, was seemingly eligible because he's also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop. Pope Francis clearly had his eye on Prevost and in many ways saw him as his heir apparent. He brought Prevost to the Vatican in 2023 to serve as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations from around the world, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. And in January he elevated him into the senior ranks of cardinals. As a result, Prevost had a prominence going into the Church in India hails election of Pope Leo XIV PANAJI: The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) have expressed its heartfelt gratitude and great joy upon receiving the news of the election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV as the 267th Successor of Saint Peter and Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.   >> See pg 5 Pope Leo XIV Robert Francis Prevost Born on September 14, 1955 Was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops Religious order: Saint Augustine He spent years as a missionary in Peru and is the Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in the South American country Italian who led the church from 1878 to 1903. That Leo softened the church's confrontational stance toward modernity, especially science and politics and laid the foundation for modern Catholic social thought, most famously with his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed workers' rights and capitalism. Eyes on the chimney earlier Thursday, large school groups joined the mix of humanity awaiting the outcome in St Peter's Square. They blended in with people participating in pre-planned Holy Year pilgrimages and journalists from around the world who have descended on Rome to document the election. For much of the past century, the conclave has needed between three and 14 ballots to find a pope. John Paul I the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 was elected on the fourth ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013. >Continued on P8 Teen dies in mishap at Sanquelim BICHOLIM: A teenager from Perwada in Naveli-Sanquelim succumbed to injures at the GMC hospital on Thursday, after he was involved in a road mishap near the Vividha Higher Secondary School in Naveli.   >> See pg 5 conclave that few other cardinals had. The crowd in St Peter's Square erupted in cheers when white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel on the second day of the conclave. Priests made the sign of the cross and nuns wept as the crowd shouted Viva il papa! Waving flags from around the world, tens of thousands of people waited to learn who had won and were shocked when an hour later, the senior cardinal deacon appeared on the loggia and said Habemus Papam! and announced the winner was Prevost. He spoke to the crowd in Italian and Spanish, but not English. The last pope to take the name Leo was Leo XIII, an THE PROCESS The cardinals opened the secretive, centuries-old ritual on Wednesday afternoon, participating in a rite more theatrical than even Hollywood could create. Bright red cassocks, >Continued on P8 Task Force flags 20 faults in Kala Academy HC raps govt over failure to enforce LED renovation work, submits report to CM fishing ban, orders surveillance overhaul PWD OFFICIALS MEET TODAY TO DISCUSS AND TAKE NECESSARY ACTION THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government constituted Task Force, to review the recently renovated work of the iconic Kala Academy, on Thursday submitted its findings to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, detailing nearly 18-20 faults in the renovation work that was undertaken at a whopping cost of over Rs 60 crore. The report, which according to the committee members, is expected by the Chief Minister, has recommended TASK FORCE REPORT „„A State-appointed Task Force submitted its findings to the Chief Minister, highlighting 18–20 faults in the Rs 60 crore renovation of the Kala Academy „„The report suggests the appointment of three consultants – Roger Drego, Sheetal Talpade, and Rajan Bhise – to oversee modifications and corrective measures „„The faults pertain to sound, lighting, air-conditioning systems, open auditorium, and the Black Box theatre appointing three consultants – Roger Drego, Sheetal Talpade and Rajan Bhise – to undertake necessary modifi- cations or alterations. Speaking to media persons, Sawant confirmed that the Task Force has submitted THE GOAN I NETWORK its report and a meeting with the officials of Public Works Department is scheduled on Friday, to discuss and take necessary action based on the findings. “I have not gone through the report…have just got it… will have a detailed meeting tomorrow with the officials and take decision,” Sawant said. The extensive renovation and strengthening of Kala Academy was in progress since 2021 before it was >Continued on P8 PANAJI n a scathing observation that exposed shortcomings in enforcing the ban on illegal LED fishing practices along Goa’s coastline, the High Court of Bombay at Goa noted that most of the speedboats or marine craft with the Goa Coastal Police are non-functional or not deployable for operations. Delivering its verdict on a writ petition on Thursday, the Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes directed the State government to take immediate steps to plug this gap I KEY COURT DIRECTIONS „„Goa Coastal Police and Home Department must urgently procure interceptor boats „„Strict enforcement of the LED, bull, and pair trawling ban must be ensured „„Fishing vessels at all jetties must be regularly inspected for banned equipment in enforcement by procuring interceptor boats and to place a status report on this issue by June 9, 2025. “It is evident that most of the speed boats or marine craft with the Coastal Police are not in working condi- tion,” the Bench noted, citing affidavits filed by the Home Department. The Directorate of Fisheries has submitted that a proposal has been sent to the Central Government under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sam- pada Yojana to sanction the purchase of five patrol vessels for the department and seven for the Coastal Police. The Court was also informed that none of the nine interceptor boats earlier allotted to Goa by the Ministry of Home Affairs are currently operational and hence, condemned. In this regard, the Home Department has written letters dated March 8, 2024 and April 14, 2024 seeking the procurement of three additional interceptor boats and making arrangements for one existing craft in its possession. >Continued on P8