log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY JULY 15, 2025 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 28 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 SWR refuses to shift iron ore operations from Kalem yard BJP conducts internal review, no word on Cabinet reshuffle GOA Govt bets on facial recognition tech to modernise p’yat administration INFO Dull complexion? Simplify and refresh with skin cycling SAYS THERE IS NO FEASIBLE OPTION TO RELOCATE ACTIVITY THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The South Western Railways (SWR) has declined to shift its proposed iron ore handling from the Kalem railway yard away from the boundary of the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. In a communication to the State Forest Department, Divisional Commercial Manager Santosh Hegde said that there is no proposal to shift the iron ore handling activity from Kalem beyond 2 kms of the wildlife sanctuary boundary as “there is no feasibility”. The Goa State Board of Wildlife (SBWL) during its meeting in March had deferred the decision on granting wildlife clearance to the proposal, while directing SWR to examine whether it is feasible for the railways to shift the handling of iron ore to the railway yard located around 2kms from the Kalem village away from the boundary of the sanctuary. The proposal has been rec- >> See pg 5 From palace halls to para champ: Rewriting life on his terms IN SHORT >> ED notifies new special court PANAJI: The Enforcement Directorate has announced establishment of new special court in Goa under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to expedite money laundering trials. Court of Principal District and Sessions Judge, North Goa has been notified as the special court, states a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue). Goa self-sufficient in water: Sawant BICHOLIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that the State is self-sufficient in water and has been able to provide regular water supply to all parts of the State. “In the last six years, the government has launched many ambitious schemes to make Goa self-sufficient in terms of water and many works are underway,” said Sawant.  >> See pg 2 GREEN CONCERNS SIDESTEPPED >> Goa State Board of Wildlife had deferred the decision on granting wildlife clearance to the proposal >> Had directed >> Proposal had been SWR to examine recommended by Chief whether it is Wildlife Warden feasible to shift handling of iron >> Had directed project proponent ore to the railway to ensure that no damage is done to forest and wildlife habitat during yard located the execution of work around 2kms from Kalem >> SWR had proposed to handle -village away from loading, unloading and transportation the boundary of of ore at Kalem railway station yard the sanctuary located in the protected areas ommended by the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWW), while directing the project proponent to ensure that no damage is done to forest and wildlife habitat during the execution of the work. The SWR had proposed to handle -- loading, unloading and transportation of ore at Kalem railway station yard located in the protected areas. As per the proposal, total area of land involved in the wildlife area is 0.7616 ha including yard and approach road in the village in Sanguem taluka, forming part of the Govt to introduce Bill to regularise illegal structures RAILWAYS STAND There is no proposal to shift the iron ore handling activity from Kalem beyond 2 kms of the wildlife sanctuary boundary as ‘there is no feasibility’ protected areas. The proposal was submitted in accordance with the directions of the High Court dated February 5, 2024, wherein the Court said to “consider the dispose of the application in accordance with the law and on their own merits after granting an opportunity of hearing the applicant and petitioner therein. Such application should be disposed of withing four weeks’. Meanwhile, activists and locals have raised strong objection to the CWW approval to the project, while appealing to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant not to grant green clearance. The proposal is set to come up before the next SBWL meeting. Goa Foundation director Claude Alvares said that this is a large scale assault on Goa’s wildlife sanctuary. Alvares has written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention into the destruction of the sanctuary. Addressing a press conference, Kalem Sarpanch Narendra said that the panchayat has already passed a resolution not to allow the project and has also submitted its objection to the government. He demanded that the facility or proposal be shifted two kms away from the boundary line. 10 PANAJI The Goa government will be introducing a Bill in the upcoming Assembly session to regularise unauthorised houses and structures built on government and comunidade lands.  COMUNIDADES PUSH BACK AGAINST GOVT’S MOVE TO REGULARISE ILLEGAL STRUCTURES >> See pg 2 Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho confirmed the move during Prudent Media's Head On, stating that humanitarian considerations and judicial precedents guided the decision. He insisted the government was acting in alignment with the directions issued by the High Court of Bombay at Goa. “The last time, our ordinance was almost ready... This Assembly session, there will be SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI In a major move to decarbonise the transport sector and a step towards a pollution-free bus fleet, the Goa government has proposed to convert diesel-powered State transport buses, which are less than seven years old, into CNG. The government also intends to provide subsidies for conversion of private buses and commercial vehicles from petrol or diesel to CNG. The proposal is part of draft ‘Goa Bioenergy Policy’ which has been prepared by the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) to create a framework for the promotion and regulation of bioenergy in the State. The policy speaks about blending CNG -- Compressed Natural Gas -- with CBG -- Compressed Biogas. The policy, once finalized, will make it mandatory for the Boilers using coal to use briquettes and pellets and completely phase out using coal in two years. According to the draft policy, bioenergy emerges >Continued on P8 THE GOA BIOENERGY POLICY „„Once finalised, it will be mandatory for Boilers using coal to use briquettes and pellets „„Seeks to harness opportunities „„The CNG shift by creating an enabling proposal is part of draft ‘Goa Bioenergy framework for investment, innovation, and adoption of Policy’ bioenergy technologies „„Policy to create „„Aims to position the State as framework for promotion, regulation a leader in sustainable energy transition of bioenergy „„Main goal is to promote „„Speaks about establishment of bioenergy blending CNG with units through private investors/ CBG (Compressed developers Biogas) as a critical pillar of Goa’s sustainable energy strategy. Technologies such as biomass pellets, briquettes, compressed biogas (CBG), ethanol, and biodiesel offer scalable and locally adaptable solutions to decarbonize the transport sector and reduce emissions. “These bio-based fuels can be integrated into exist- THE GOAN I NETWORK RoRo ferry services finally commenced on the Chorao-Ribandar route on Monday, drawing large crowds eager to experience the inaugural ride. (Report on pg 5)  Narayan Pissurlenkar Gajapathi Raju is new Goa Gov THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The President of India has appointed veteran politician Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju as the new Governor of Goa. He will be succeeding P S Sreedharan Pillai, who had taken the charge in July 2021. A senior leader of the Telu- gu Desam Party (TDP) and a prominent political figure from Andhra Pradesh, Raju is best known for serving as the Union Minister for Civil Aviation in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first cabinet from 2014 to 2018. His appointment as Goa Governor will take effect from the date he assumes charge of ing infrastructure, support rural livelihoods, and enhance energy security while aligning with national and global climate goals,” it said. The policy seeks to harness these opportunities by creating an enabling framework for investment, innovation, and adoption >Continued on P8 Man walks on tracks with earphones, hit by train at Sancoale FERRY TALE BEGINS SPEAK a Bill to legalise the houses. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured this and all ministers are aware,” he said. He questioned whether it was justifiable to evict entire families, some of whom have been living in these structures for three generations. “Whether Supreme Court or High Court, it does not say 13 Targets 7-yr-old buses; subsidies for pvt ones too MINISTER There are thousands of such illegal houses… can the government go ahead and demolish all these houses? There are only two options -- either continue demolitions or come up with a law to legalise these houses, wherever they may be, through legal process Heroic fightback ends in heartbreak as India collapse in Lord’s epic Govt moots CNG shift for its diesel buses to cut pollution Min says decision backed by humanitarian, legal grounds THE GOAN I NETWORK SPORTS office. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant welcomed the appointment of new Governor. “On behalf of the people of Goa, I warmly welcome Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, as the Governor of our beautiful State,” he wrote on X handle. >Continued on P8 VASCO A youth lost his life after being hit by a running train while walking on the tracks with earphones on near Sancoale on Monday morning. According to a wireless message flashed by Vasco Railway Police Station, the incident occurred at about 8 am between Cansaulim and Sancoale. A memo from the Deputy Station Master of Vasco Railway Station informed that a person was seen walking on the tracks, wearing headphones and talking on his mobile phone, when he was dashed by an oncoming train. The police, along with railway staff, visited the spot and found the deceased male lying beside the tracks with multiple injuries on his body. He was later identified as Arun Horo (23) of Munda Toli, Gulda, Tumdegi, District Simdega, Jharkhand. The train manager, during inquiry, confirmed that the deceased was walking right in the middle of the railway track while using an earphone and talking on his mobile phone. Despite several warning A train official said the youth was walking right in the middle of the railway track while using an earphone and talking on his mobile… Despite several warning horns being sounded to alert him, he reportedly did not move and was eventually hit by the train horns sounded to alert him, Horo reportedly did not move away and was eventually hit by the train. He succumbed to his injuries on the spot. All police formalities were completed on-site and the body was shifted to the South Goa District Hospital (SGDH) morgue in Margao for preservation and post-mortem examination. Vasco Railway Police has ruled out any foul play in the incident and registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 BNS 2023. Vasco Railway Police Inspector Amarnath Passi is carrying out further investigation under the supervision of Mormugao DySP Gurudas Kadam. Centre pushes depts to display Activists slam GCZMA’s claim on ‘review powers’ oil, sugar content in snacks THE GOAN I NETWORK NEW DELHI The Union health ministry has urged all ministries, departments and autonomous bodies to display “oil and sugar board” mentioning the sugar and oil content in snacks such as samosa, kachori, pizza, french fries and vadapav to promote healthy lifestyles and combat obesity and non-communicable diseases. It has also called for printing health messages on all official stationeries such as letterheads, envelopes, note- pads, folders, etc and publications to reinforce daily reminders on fighting obesity. In the letter written on June 21, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that India is witnessing a sharp rise in obesity among both adults and children. As per NFHS-5 (2019-21) more than one in five adults in urban areas are overweight or obese. Prevalence of childhood obesity is impacted by poor dietary habits and reduced physical activity. As per the Lancet GBD 2021 obesity forecasting study published in 2025, the number of overweight and obese adults in India is projected to rise from 18 crore in 2021 to 44.9 crore by 2050, making it the country with the second-highest global burden, she said. Obesity significantly raises the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and certain cancers. It also affects mental health, mobility, and quality of life, and imposes a heavy economic burden through increased healthcare care costs and productivity losses. A 025 PTI PANAJI ctivists have criticised the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) for claiming that it lacks the power to review its own decisions. In a case concerning permission granted to a resort in Bambolim to construct a compound wall, the Authority stated that once such permission is granted, it becomes final and cannot be revisited or reopened, as the Authority does not have the power to review its own decisions. St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar, the complainant, said that when the Authority can issue stop work orders or show cause notice, how can it not review its own permission if there are illegalities?  "We have no option but to approach the judiciary. I will also raise the issue in the Assembly demanding some amendment to the law," the MLA said. ON ,2 CALLS FOR HEALTH MESSAGES ON OFFICIAL STATIONERY J U LY 1 4 GCZMA has dropped the show cause notice and stop work order issued to a five-star resort at Bambolim pertaining to the alleged illegal construction carried out by the hotel. The show cause notice and stop work order was issued in April. The complainants had urged the Authority to review its permission granted to the hotel in September 2021 for construction of the compound wall and subsequently had obtained permission from the TCP in December 2021 and March, 2025 and a NOC from the local village panchayat in February 2022. Goa Foundation director Claude Alvares pointed out that in the permissions granted to any project, the Authority puts up a clause that in case of illegality or misinformation or fraud, the permissions would be revoked.  "If they have got no powers to revoke the permissions once granted then why do they even have the clause. They are basically running away from the responsibility of protecting the coast," he said.  Alvares said that the sole intention of the Authority is to protect the interest of the hotel and real estate lobby and not of the State. Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar, expressing surprise said “there is no authority or department, which cannot revoke its own permissions if they come across any illegalities. This is something I am not able to understand,” he said. Kerkar said that in such a situation, the aggrieved parties will have no option but to move NGT or the High Court for justice.