log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2025 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 18 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 149 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 18 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 14 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 15 RajKummar Rao and Patralekha welcome a baby girl on their 4th anniversary Wellness reset Growing up spiritual Indian parents turn to yoga, meditation, chanting to raise calmer children SPORTS »PAGE 10 Jadeja wrecks South Africa as India closes in on three-day win Did Mridul blame Gaurav for his unfair eviction? Many diabetics are finding answer to this silent workplace Raising emotionally strong kids WC success fuels Harmanpreet’s call for better contracts >> SEE PG 2 TOURISM TROUBLES: A CRISIS BREWING Jobs scam accused plans to approach magistrate 11 Two decades of IFFI through Goan voices Minimalism as a superpower in modern design A taste of heritage, crafted the E’Delicious way Stray animals, Supreme Court orders, and Goa’s unique reality 13 IN SHORT >> Nine killed after seized explosives go off in Srinagar SRINAGAR: An ‘accidental’ explosion ripped through the Nowgam police station in Srinagar, killing nine people and injuring 32 others, senior officials said while underlining that it was not a terror attack. Director General of J&K Police Nalin Prabhat and MHA Joint Secretary Prashant Lokhande said the incident occurred while officials were handling samples of the large cache of explosives that were seized.  >> See pg 8 Govt to set up model tribal village: CM MARGAO: On the 150th birth anniversary of tribal leader, Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said his government is committed towards the upliftment of the Scheduled Tribes and unveiled government’s plan to establish a model tribal village in the state to show case the rich tribal culture and heritage.  >> See pg 3 ZP: Dy Directors, BDOs named ROs, AROs PANAJI A confrontation between the prime accused in the jobs-forcash scam, Pooja Naik and the Crime Branch intensified as Naik said she would turn to a Magistrate in the coming week because she no longer trusts how the Goa police are handling her case. Naik’s move comes two days after the Crime Branch held a press conference to specially announce that her claims did not corroborate with the evidence gathered so far. Speaking to The Goan, she alleged tampering with details in her statement. “The Crime Branch made me sit for hours and changed the statement during the questioning... The location, for example... I have said two flats in Porvorim and Secretariat, and they (CB) spoke about some flat. I have handed the cash „„Crime Branch officials these locations made me sit for hours and „„I had named the two changed the statement officers earlier and again during the questioning named them now... I will „„The location, for examnow place everything beple... I have said two fore the Magistrate flats in Porvorim „„We were a team and Secretariat, POOJA’S of nine people and they (CB) EXPLOSIVE who were tasked spoke about CHARGES with collecting some flat applications and „„I have handed bribe money the cash bribe to both „„I returned around 18the officers – IAS Nikhil 19 lakh to the job aspirants Desai and PWD Chief using my savings and Engineer Uttam Parsekar at selling gold bribe to both the officers – IAS Nikhil Desai and PWD Chief Engineer Uttam Parsekar at these locations,” she said. She, however, insisted the names of those she accused in the statement following her fresh allegations remained untouched. “The names of the officers are not changed. I have given the money to them and Minister Sudin Dhavalikar told me to contact Desai and Parsekar,” she claimed. Naik, who will be represented by Advocate Amit Pal- Tragedy strikes Belagavi zoo as 28 blackbucks die mysteriously Stray dogs: Edu institutions get fresh advisory for compliance THE GOAN I NETWORK ekar, said she will write to the Magistrate seeking permission to record her statement under the new criminal procedure law. "I had named the two officers even previously when I was arrested, but there was no action. I named them again now... I will now place everything before the Magistrate," she said. The accused has already claimed she forwarded around 613 applications between 2019 and 2022, for which job aspirants paid Rs 17.68 crore. “None of them got the job... We were a team of nine people who were tasked with collecting applications and bribe money. I don’t know how much others gave, but these numbers are from my side.” She further said she had returned part of the money to aspirants after her arrest. “I paid around 18-19 lakh using PANAJI The Directorate of Education issued a fresh reminder on Saturday to all educational institutions to implement safety measures mandated by the Supreme Court regarding stray dog management, with the first compliance report due on November 17. In a circular signed by Education Director Shailesh Sinai Zingde, institutions have been directed to file the status of measures taken to address stray dog presence on or before the deadline. “...All school managements in the State are hereby directed to strictly adhere to the directives of the Supreme Court of India and furnish the current status of response measures undertaken to address the presence of stray dogs in the vicinity of their respective institutions on or before November 17,” reads the circular. The order, issued earlier on November 11 to government, aided, and unaided schools, colleges, universities, and coaching institutes, cited public safety, health concerns, and the wider issue of stray >Continued on P8 >Continued on P8 SAYS SHE HAS LOST TRUST IN THE POLICE, ALLEGES OFFICIALS ARE TAMPERING WITH HER STATEMENT THE GOAN I NETWORK MAGAZINE MAGAZ Kokilaksha is making waves as a medicinal herb in the domain of health and wellness 5 Goan films make the cut for special screening at IFFI Open air film shows lined up THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI As part of its continued commitment to promoting regional cinema, the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) has announced the selection of five Goan films for special screenings at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), to be held from November 20 to 28. These films, chosen from 17 submissions by Goan directors and producers, will feature in the annual Premier and Non-Premiere sections curated to highlight local talent in both Feature and Non-Feature categories. The selections were made by a three-member Jury comprising noted filmmaker P Sheshadri (Chairman) and members Priya Krishnaswamy and Rajeev Bhatia. In the Goan Director’s Cut, the films selected are: ‘Zero Bulb’ directed by Soham Prasad Bhende, ‘Halad’ directed by Sobita Kudtarkar and ‘My Dad Invented the Vadapav: THE FIVE FILMS ‘Zero Bulb’ (Soham Prasad Bhende) ‘Halad’ (Sobita Kudtarkar) My Dad Invented the Vadapav (Sainath Uskaikar) ‘Meraki, By The Sea’ (Dr Gwendolynn De Ornelas) ‘Ghar’ (Sahit Studios LLP) Ashok Vaidya and Sons’ directed by Sainath Uskaikar. Under the Goan Producer’s Cut, ‘Meraki, By The Sea’ produced by Dr Gwendolynn De Ornelas and ‘Ghar’ produced by Sahit Studios LLP will be screened. In addition to the curated screenings, IFFI 2025 will host open-air film shows at Miramar Beach, Ravindra Bhavan, Fatorda, and Vagator Beach parking (Helipad). The IFFI Mile—from the ESG complex WISHING YOU A VERY PROBE LAUNCHED, BACTERIAL INFECTION SUSPECTED THE GOAN I NETWORK BELAGAVI Twenty-eight blackbucks have died under mysterious circumstances in the Kittur Rani Chennamma zoo, about 14 kms from Belagavi. The zoo had 38 blackbucks of which 28 have died, which has alarmed the authorities. According to the Assistant Conservator of Forest Nagaraj Balehosur,  eight blackbucks died two days ago while 20 died on Saturday. He said the veterinary doctor at the zoo suspected that they died due to a bacterial infection though actual cause is yet to be ascertained. "We have sent the viscera sample to the authorities at Bannerghatta Zoological Park in Bengaluru to find out the reason behind the death," Carcasses of the blackbucks that died at Kittur Rani Chennamma zoo in Belagavi. Balehosur told reporters. He added that precautionary measures are being taken on the advice of wildlife health experts of Mysuru. “We are in continuous touch with expert veterinarians to protect the remaining blackbucks. A team of specialist doctors from Mysuru is on the way to Belagavi,” he said. Expressing concern over May your leadership continue to inspire positive change, and may you be blessed with good health, wisdom and to serve the people with dedication. the deaths, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has ordered a probe. “Preliminary reports indicate that these deer died of an infectious disease, and all precautionary measures have been taken to prevent any other animal in the zoo from getting infected,” >Continued on P8 PANAJI: State Election Commissioner Menino D’Souza has issued an order appointing Deputy Directors and Block Development Officers of the Panchayat department as Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers respectively for the December 13 Zilla Panchayat elections.  >> See pg 3 Dengue cases fall six-fold this year PANAJI: Dengue, once considered a seasonal menace, is now being reported throughout the year, prompting health officials to classify it as a perennial challenge. However, between January and October 2025, only 84 dengue cases were reported in the State, compared to 511 during the same period in 2024 -- a nearly six-fold decline.  >> See pg 6 Mumbai man arrested for GST fraud in Goa PANAJI: Bicholim police arrested a 38-year-old man from Navi Mumbai for allegedly obtaining a GST registration in Goa using forged documents and causing financial loss to the exchequer.  >> See pg 6 SHRI. YURI ALEMAO Hon’ble MLA Cuncolim Constituency & Leader of Opposition BEST WISHES FROM SUDESH JAGANNATH TULASKAR & FLY. Demani, Cuncolim, Salcete Goa. >Continued on P8