log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY JULY 17, 2025 GOA Kharewaddo beach getting washed away from map and memory The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 30 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 10 SC judgement puts brakes on land grab via tenancy claims Margao fish market nears launch, but sopo fee tender still in limbo >> See PG 3 Facebook.com/thegoan GOA INFO Assagao Comunidade to oppose legalising illegal structures Can ginger pulp beat smelly feet? RULING REINFORCES PROTECTIVE INTENT OF AGRICULTURAL TENANCY ACT; Delhi-Goa IndiGo CRITICS CALL FOR STRICTER ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS AND BETTER SCRUTINY MUMBAI: A Goa-bound IndiGo flight from Delhi made an emergency landing here after it was diverted to the city due to a mid-air engine failure, according to a source. The flight, operated with an Airbus A320neo, made an emergency landing at 9.52 pm, the source said. “A technical snag was detected on flight 6E 6271 while flying from Delhi to Manohar International Airport, Goa on July 16. Following procedures, the aircraft was diverted and landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai,” the IndiGo spokesperson said. IN SHORT >> Hotels told to step up safety measures for children, women PANAJI: In view of rising concerns related to incidents of child and women exploitation and abuse taking place within lodging establishments, the tourism department has directed the hospitality stakeholders to take immediate proactive measures to safeguard and provide respectful working environment to women and children.  >> See pg 3 Yellow alert for Goa from July 19 to 21 PANAJI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall in Goa over the coming weekend, issuing a yellow warning for the state from July 19 to July 21. Goa has experienced moderate to heavy rainfall over the past two days, with daily average rainfall recorded at 63.5 mm and 48.6 mm, respectively. Fake cops con elderly woman of `1.8L gold VASCO: A 75-year-old woman from Chicalim was duped into parting with her gold ornaments worth approximately ₹1.8 lakh by two unidentified individuals posing as police officers.  >> See pg 3 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 28 C 26 C 79% THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The recent Supreme Court ruling reaffirming that land acquired under the Agricultural Tenancy Act cannot be diverted for non-agricultural use has cast a sharp spotlight on a long-standing method allegedly used by vested interests to grab land – particularly Comunidade and private lands – under the garb of tenancy claims. In its judgement, the Apex Court rejected an appeal filed by the Tivim Comunidade seeking to settle a tenancy dispute through an out-ofcourt agreement, essentially reinforcing that the Agricultural Tenancy Act is a protective legislation that cannot be bypassed through private arrangements. But the case has opened up a wider conversation in Goa – not just about the sanctity of the Tenancy Act, but about how its loopholes are allegedly being exploited to grab land in a State already grappling with complex land ownership issues. W H A T T H E Y S A Y. . . Some Comunidades in Bardez have perfected this model. They first oppose the claim, then settle, splitting the land – essentially facilitating a legalised land grab. Mamlatdars must lift the veil and examine the genuineness of claims to prevent misuse,” — Carlos Ferreira, Senior Advocate and Aldona MLA Once you accept someone as a tenant, then you’re bound by the Agricultural Tenancy Act. You cannot circumvent it… Tenanted agricultural land cannot be used for anything other than agriculture,” — Andre Pereira, votary of comunidade system Modus Operandi This law should have included a cut-off date for all tenancy claims… Instead, even 50 years later, claims are being filed, keeping the door open for collusion between tenants, landlords and builders,” — Radharao Gracias, former MLA and senior advocate “Some Comunidades in Bardez have perfected this model,” Ferreira said. “They first oppose the claim, then settle, splitting the land – essentially facilitating a legalised land grab. And now in Tivim, the Comunidade went to the SC, claiming it is protecting land, but in reality, it is enabling fraud,” he alleged. He pointed to the need for the Mamlatdar – the designated officer under the Tenancy Act – to scrutinise such claims rigorously. “When a claim comes, the Mamlatdar must lift the veil and examine its genuineness. Otherwise, this becomes a formula for misuse – brokers put up someone as a tenant and the exhausted landlord is forced into a settlement,” he added. Akbar brutal and Babur ruthless: New NCERT book on Mughal era Goa's tenancy law, while protective in spirit, suffers from a lack of closure. Former MLA and senior advocate Radharao Gracias blamed the absence of a "sunset clause" in the Agricultural Tenancy Act for the current chaos. “This law should have included a cut-off date for all tenancy claims. Once tenanted and non-tenanted lands were identified, there would have been no scope for manipulation,” he explained. “Instead, even 50 years later, claims are being filed. This keeps the door open for collusion between tenants, landlords and builders,” he alleged. Gracias contends that the loopholes are not accidental. “They’re left there deliberately – to enable a collusive defeat of the law,” he said. Sunil Chhetri raises alarm over football’s uncertain future AUTHORS DENY DEMONISATION, CITE ‘HISTORICAL REALITIES’; MEDIEVAL HISTORY SHIFTED TO CLASS 8 SYLLABUS PTI NEW DELHI Akbar's regime was a blend of “brutality” and “tolerance”, Babur a “ruthless conqueror” while Aurangzeb was a “military ruler” who reimposed taxes on non-Muslims, says the NCERT's new Class 8 textbook while describing the reign of Mughal emperors. The book, “Exploring Society: India and Beyond”, released this week, is the first in the new NCERT curriculum to introduce students to the Delhi Sultanate, Mughals, Marathas and the colonial era. While earlier versions covered some of these topics in Class 7, the NCERT says the timeline has now been shifted entirely to Class 8, in line with the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023. At the beginning of the book is a section titled “Note on Some Darker Periods in History”, where the NCERT offers context for the inclu- EXPLORING SOCIETY INDIA AND BEYOND > The textbook highlights ‘many instances’ of intolerance during the Mughal rule > Jiziya tax is presented as a source of ‘public humiliation’ and a conversion incentive „ „ H I ST O RI C A L FI GU RE S Babur: Described as a ‘brutal and ruthless conqueror’ responsible for city-wide massacres Akbar: Characterised as a ruler with a “blend of brutality and tolerance” Aurangzeb: Called a “military ruler” who reimposed jiziya, destroyed temples and gurdwaras sion of sensitive and violent events, primarily war and bloodshed. The note urges students to understand “the historical origin of cruel violence, abusive misrule or misplaced ambitions of power” dispassionately and states, “No one should be held responsible today for events of the past.” In the new book, the chapter covering Indian history from the 13th to the 17th century “Reshaping India's Political Map” spans the rise and fall of the Delhi Sultanate and resistance to it, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mughals and the resistance to them, and the rise of the Sikhs. >Continued on P8 Legal loopholes or deliberate delays? Legal experts argue that Builder-tenant nexus Goa’s unique land tenure system, particularly the existence of Comunidades – collective village land-holding >Continued on P8 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa government through the Electricity Department signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) for power allocation to the State from the latter's plant in Chhattisgarh expected to be commissioned in 2029. The formalities of signing the PPA were completed at the office of the Chief Electrical Engineer, Stephen Fernandes, at the department's headquarters Vidhyut Bhavan in Panaji on Wednesday. The allocation, when it happens, will be from Sipat Stage-III, located in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh and will be in addition to the current allocations to the State from the national grid managed by NTPC. However, the quantum of allocation will be finalised by the NTPC closer to the date of commissioning the plant, a senior official of the Goa Electricity Department said. NTPC Ltd is a Central government-owned power company and the largest in the POWER BOOST „„Goa government, via the Electricity Department, signed a PPA with NTPC Ltd „„Allocation will come from Sipat Stage-III power plant in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, scheduled for commissioning in 2029 „„Power allocation will be in addition to Goa’s current share from NTPC’s national grid supply „„Final quantum of allocation will be confirmed closer to the plant’s commissioning date country producing and trading electricity. The electricity department has projected Goa's power demand to grow by 50 per-cent in the next five years from 6,523.71 million units currently to 10,132.35 million units in 2030, according it its five-year business plan from 2025-26 to 2029-30. SOWING LESSONS: Former minister and Priol MLA Govind Gaude toils in the field along with schoolchildren at AmeywadaBetki on Wednesday. PTI WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has indicated that the ongoing negotiations between India and the US for a much-anticipated interim trade deal are on track and it could be sealed soon. Trump said the proposed deal could provide American companies greater access to the Indian market in line with the trade pact between the US and Indonesia. India and the US have been holding negotiations for the trade pact primarily to keep the tariffs below 20 per cent. “We made a deal with Indonesia...We have full access into Indonesia,” the US president told reporters. The US president said his administration is going to announce a few other trade deals and mentioned India in that context. Under the trade deal, Indonesia is giving the US access to the country, which we never had, Trump said. “That's probably the biggest part of the deal...India is basically working along that same line,” he said. 12 Goa plugs future power needs with NTPC agreement Prez Trump hints at greater US market access in India trade deal Senior advocate and Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira minced no words when he called the Tivim Comunidade’s appeal to the Supreme Court “backdoor manipulation.” According to him, one of the most misused tactics is filing a tenancy claim – sometimes in collusion with landlords or Comunidade members – only to settle it later with a 50:50 share of the land. THE BOOK flight diverted to Mumbai over technical glitch SPORTS Narayan Pissurlenkar Ex-chief secy’s tenure curtailed, transferred to Manipur cadre THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Pending public interest litigation (PIL) over alleged illegal land conversions in Goa, the former State Chief Secretary IAS Puneet Kumar Goel’s central deputation has been curtailed by the Union government while shifting his services to the State cadre. In an order issued on July 15, the Ministry of Personnel has approved the inter-cadre deputation of Goel, who was currently serving as Secretary to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, to the Manipur cadre. Goel is an Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre IAS officer from the 1991 batch. This in- volves shortening the officer’s tenure on central deputation before its scheduled end. He is now been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Manipur. Prashant Kumar Singh, 1993 batch, who was currently serving as the Chief Secretary of Manipur, is now promoted to the Union government. >Continued on P8 UPI transactions soar, Goa logs Millets to grilled fish: Parliament’s nutri-rich diet ` 162 cr average daily turnover HEALTHY BITES PTI THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa has been logging an average daily turnover of Rs 162 crore in transactions via the digital (UPI) mode, including apps of nationalised and private banks as well as digital payment gateways such as Google Pay, PhonePe, etc. Union Finance Ministry released statistics show that in the three months of April, May and June this year an average of Rs 162 crore has been transacted in Goa per day via the UPI app which includes the individual apps of nationalised and private banks and T H E DATA : Q UA RT E R O N E „„Rs 14,754 crore transacted in Goa over April, May, and June 2025 „„Monthly Break-up: April: Rs 5,041 crore; May: Rs 5,659 crore; June: Rs 4,053 crore „„Goa logged 10.5 crore transactions in three months „„Averages to 3.5 crore transactions per month or roughly 11.53 lakh per day „„Goa ranked 23rd among Indian states in terms of UPI payment quantum online payment gateways like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm and BHIM Pay. The finance ministry statistics also show a whopping Rs 14,754 crore transacted in Goa through UPI apps in these three months. >Continued on P8 NEW DELHI rom ragi millet idli and jowar upma to moong dal chilla and grilled fish with vegetables, Parliament's new 'Health Menu' plans to serve up a plateful of nutrition for lawmakers, officials and visitors to the temple of democracy. Designed at the instance of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to support wellness without sacrificing flavour, the revamped culinary offerings aim to nourish parliamentarians and officials as they navigate long hours of debate and decision-making during Parliament's sessions. The Parliament canteen has F Along with delicious curries and elaborate 'thalis', also on offer are millet-based meals, fibrerich salads and proteinpacked soups, part of a broader effort to support a healthy diet rolled out this special menu that blends tradition with nutrition to promote healthier lifestyles in the corridors of power. Along with delicious curries and elaborate 'thalis', also on offer are millet-based Each dish has been carefully crafted to be low in carbohydrates, sodium, and calories while remaining high in essential nutrients meals, fibre-rich salads and protein-packed soups, part of a broader effort to support a healthy diet. Each dish has been carefully crafted to be low in carbohydrates, sodium, and calories while remaining high in es- The Health Menu has the number of calories mentioned against the names of the dishes sential nutrients. Besides, the Health Menu has the number of calories mentioned against the names of the dishes. “Each dish is carefully curated to meet the highest nutritional standards low in carbohydrates, low in sodium and low in calories, while being high in fibre and rich in protein,” the menu stated. Millets, thrust into the national spotlight during the UN-declared International Year of Millets in 2023, take the centrestage in the menu. Highlights include 'Ragi Millet Idli' with 'Sambhar' and 'Chutney' (270 kcal), 'Jowar Upma' (206 kcal) and a sugar-free 'Mix Millet Kheer' (161 kcal). Popular Indian staples like 'Chana Chaat' and 'Moong Dal Chilla' also feature prominently. For lighter snacks, MPs can choose from a range of colourful salads such as >Continued on P8