log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY DECEMBER 1, 2025 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 164 2 GSPCB told to reconsider fish-meal plant consent plea over procedural lapse GOA Stray cattle chaos prompts tough action by Anjuna panchayat 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Five home remedies using curry leaves for hair care EC extends revision of poll roll schedule by one week FINAL LIST OF VOTERS TO BE OUT ON FEBRUARY 14 PTI NEW DELHI The Election Commission on Sunday extended the entire schedule for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in nine states and three Union territories by one week amid allegations by opposition parties that the “tight timelines” were causing problems for people and ground-level poll officials. Election Commission (EC) officials said the schedule was tweaked to allow its booth-level officials to share details of dead, duplicate and shifted electors with booth-level agents of parties for greater transparency. In a statement, the poll authority said the enumeration form distribution for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will now continue till December 11 instead of December 4. The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 16 in place of December 9, while the final voter list will be out on February 14, 2026, in place of February 7, 2026. POLL ROLL TWEAK The officials said the Commission took the decision to extend the timeline for all phases of the SIR based on internal discussions with the chief electoral officers of the states and UTs where the exercise is underway. “An additional week is being given for sharing details of absent, shifted, dead and duplicate electors by the BLOs with the BLAs before preparing the draft rolls so as to ensure full transparency,” a poll panel functionary said. Booth-level agents (BLAs) are party workers appointed by political parties to help the booth-level officers (BLOs) update the voter list. Presence of BLAs enhances transparency in the exercise. Alleging that at least 40 BLOs have died during the SIR exercise, largely by suicides due to “stress of meeting tight deadlines”, the opposition parties have questioned the timing of the voter list revision. However, the EC has junked these charges, saying the exercise is going on smoothly. Reacting to EC’s decision to revise the SIR schedule, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said it was an indication that the poll panel knew the timelines were not “practical”. „„EC said plan changed to allow booth-level officials to share details of dead, duplicate and shifted electors with booth-level agents of parties „„Form distribution will continue till December 11 instead of December 4 „„Draft rolls will now be published on December 16 in place of December 9 „„Final voters’ list will be out on February 14, 2026 in place of February 7. The decision to tweak the SIR schedule comes on the eve of the Winter Session of Parliament beginning Monday. The last session was a virtual washout amid demands by the opposition for a debate on the SIR exercise, which was underway in Bihar at the time. The Opposition leaders, while emerging from an AFTER ‘KAMASUTRA’ CONTROVERSY… >> pg 6 RBI policy, auto numbers, PMI data & global cues to guide market direction IN SHORT >> 11 dead in Tamil Nadu bus accident SIVAGANGA: As many as 11 persons were killed and over 25 injured on Sunday after two State-run buses collided head-on, in Vairavanpatti near Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu police said. All the 11 persons -- 8 women, 2 men and a child -were killed on the spot. Major fire destroys scrapyard at Sancoale PANAJI: A major fire broke out at a scrapyard in Birla, Zuarinagar, Sancoale in the early hours of Sunday, prompting a massive firefighting response. Fire tenders from Vasco, Panaji, Ponda, Goa Shipyard, and MPA were deployed to contain the blaze. Now, ‘Tantra’ festival stirs fresh trouble in Arambol WOMEN’S GROUP FLAGS ‘FESTIVAL’ FIXED FOR JAN, WRITES TO TOURISM DIRECTOR SEEKING PROBE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Goa Women’s Forum (GWF) has urged the State government to investigate the upcoming Goa Tantra Festival 2026, scheduled from January 8 to 12 in Arambol, Pernem. The women’s collective fears the event could potentially project Goa as a sex tourism destination, raising concerns about the State’s image and safety. In a letter to the Director of Tourism, the GWF demanded immediate scrutiny of the organisers and the festival’s agenda. Copies of the representation were also sent to the Chief Secretary, North Goa Collector, Superintendent of Police (North), Director of Panchayats, Chairperson of the Goa State Commission for Women, Deputy Collec- GWF’S POINTS OF CONTENTION „„Event could potentially project Goa as a sex tourism destination „„Promotional material suggest workshops and sessions that could be misinterpreted as encouraging sexual practices under the guise of spirituality  „„Goa cannot be allowed to be branded as a hub for sex tourism „„Such events could exploit vulnerable communities and damage the State’s cultural fabric tor of Pernem, and the Director of ARZ, an NGO working against trafficking. The move comes close on the heels of the controversy surrounding the “Tales of Kamasutra & Christmas Celebration,” an event that sparked outrage earlier this month.  Following objections from the Goa Catholic Church authorities, NGOs and civil society groups, the State government banned that Relief for TN as cyclone Ditwah weakens into deep depression MOVES SLOWLY ALONG COASTAL AREAS PTI CHENNAI Cyclone Ditwah got weakened into a deep depression and the weather system would be centered over southwest Bay of Bengal within a minimum distance of 20 km from the coasts of North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry by morning of December 1, the Regional Meteorological Centre said. In an update, the weather office said the Cyclone Ditwah is located about 80 km east of Cuddalore, 130 km northeast of Karaikal, 90 km east southeast of Puducherry, 180 km northeast of Vedaranyam and 140 km southeast of Chennai. “The minimum distance of the centre of the cyclone from north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts is about 80 km. It is very likely to move nearly northwards parallel to North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts and weaken into a depression around morning of tomorrow (December 1)” the bulletin issued by the Met office late on Sunday night said. “The cyclone is moving at a speed of 5 kmph and the system would be centered over southwest Bay of Bengal within a minimum distance of 40 km and 20 km from the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coastline”, the bulletin said. The system is being monitored by the Doppler Weather Radars at Karaikal and Chennai, it added. Private weather bloggers said Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Chennai, and Ranipet districts may have some rains as the cyclone moves closer to Chennai later at night. festival, citing its potential to promote obscenity and tarnish Goa’s reputation. The GWF said the Tantra Festival appears to follow a similar pattern, with promotional material suggesting workshops and sessions that could be misinterpreted as encouraging sexual practices under the guise of spirituality.  “We cannot allow Goa to >Continued on P5 all-party meeting on Sunday on the smooth functioning of the Winter Session, said they will press for a debate on the SIR exercise. The EC announced SIR in nine states and three UTs on October 27. Nearly 51 crore electors will be covered in the massive voter list cleanup exercise. The states and UTs are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026. In Assam, where polls are also due in 2026, the revision of electoral rolls was announced separately. It is being called ‘’Special Revision’’. Most states had the last SIR of voter list between 2002 and 2004, and they have nearly completed the mapping of the current electors according to the last SIR held in their respective states. 9 SPORTS Treesa-Gayatri defend women’s title at Syed Modi International 12 SIR exercise marks 90,000 voters for deletion in Goa VOTERS EITHER DEAD, SHIFTED, APPEAR TWICE IN ROLLS OR ABSENT AT PLACE OF RESIDENCE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Nearly 90,000 voters in Goa have been flagged for deletion from the draft electoral roll under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Goel, IAS, said on Sunday.  The draft roll, now revised for publication on December 16, will exclude these 90,000 names categorised as ASDD -- Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate. Goel said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited these voters multiple times during the verification exercise. In many cases, voters were not found at their registered addresses, had permanently shifted, were reported deceased, or confirmed that they were enrolled elsewhere.  “These names will not feature in the draft roll,” Goel stated, adding that the deletions aim to ensure accuracy and transparency in the electoral process. Goel also said that the list of these 90,000 ASDD voters will be displayed on the CEO’s website, at the office notice boards of the DROs, and in major public institutions. Goa has 2.2 lakh ‘unmapped’ voters: Goel PANAJI: Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Goel, IAS, announced on Sunday that 2.2 lakh voters have been placed in a gray area as “unmapped” during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. These voters, though listed in the current 2025 rolls, lack corresponding mapping records in the 2002 SIR database finalised 23 years ago.  >> See pg 3 Revision not to affect Zilla polling PANAJI: The ongoing SIR exercise will have no impact on who can vote and who cannot in the upcoming Zilla Panchayat elections slated for December 20. CEO, Sanjay Goel, IAS, said all who exist on the rolls as of today will be eligible to vote in the ZP poll, even if the draft roll published after the first phase of SIR has their names deleted or marked for review. During the claims and objections period, any person flagged under ASDD can contest the categorisation by submitting applications in the prescribed ‘form 6’ along with supporting documents.  “If verified, their names will be reinstated in the final electoral roll,” Goel said. Goa, through the ongoing SIR exercise, has digitised 11.45 lakh enumeration forms, representing 96.5 percent of the total electorate.  Around 40,000 forms -roughly 3.5 percent -- are still awaited, Goel said, adding that the verification process is ongoing to ensure that the voter list is free of errors before the next phase of updates.  The CEO also addressed questions on Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders. He clarified that 88 OCI card holders registered in Goa remain eligible >Continued on P5 Sattari firing case: Air gun seized after combing Op THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a significant development in the recent gunshot incident at Podoshe, Sattari, Valpoi Police seized an air gun from the house of one Nandkumar Apte, who admitted to firing the shot. Police confirmed that Apte did not hold any license for the weapon and had been using it illegally. North Goa SP Harish Madkaikar said that Valpoi police, assisted by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team, carried out an extensive combing operation in the Housing Board area at Zariwada, Podoshe following the gun shot incident -- the second in the area. During the search at House No. 131/13, conducted in the presence of owner Apte, officers found nothing suspicious. However, police noticed a locked storeroom adjacent to the house. When Apte refused to unlock it, the police broke open the door. “Inside the storeroom, the team discovered a blue barrel >Continued on P5 PITCH PARTY: Virat Kohli and Harshit Rana celebrate Quinton de Kock’s wicket. India defeated South Africa in a thrilling 17-run win in the first ODI at Ranchi on Sunday with Kohli smashing a record-extending 52nd ODI century. (Report on pg 12) ZP polls code of conduct leads to suspension of gram sabhas THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA With the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into force following the announcement of the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections scheduled for December 20, all gram sabhas across Goa have been cancelled and will now be held only after December 22, when the code is expected to be lifted. A gram sabha that was scheduled at Anjuna Village Panchayat on Sunday, November 30, was among the first to be called off in compliance with the MCC. Panchayat officials confirmed that the meeting will be rescheduled after the conclusion of the election process. A senior official from the Directorate of Panchayats said the directive applies uniformly to all village panchayats. “Once the Model Code of Conduct is enforced, no official gram sabha can be held, >Continued on P5 WhatsApp without SIM will soon be a thing of the past AGENCIES NEW DELHI n a move that could reshape how millions of Indians use their favourite messaging app, the government is preparing stricter digital security rules for online communication platforms. Under the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025, issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), every WhatsApp account will be required to stay linked to an active SIM card at all times. Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal will not work on a device without an active SIM card inside it. The government says this measure is designed to curb I WHAT THE NEW TELECOM RULES STATE „„App-based communication services must be permanently linked to specific SIM card in the device within 90 days „„Web versions of mobile apps must auto-logout at least every 6 hours and require users to re-link via QR code „„Directions take effect immediately and to remain until changed or withdrawn by DoT „„All TIUEs that use mobile numbers to identify users or deliver services must follow these new rules „„Apps must submit compliance reports to DoT within 120 days „„Failure to comply will result in action under Telecom Act, 2023, Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024, and other laws the rapid rise of online fraud, impersonation, and spam— problems that have increasingly plagued digital platforms. The notification, issued on November 28, has come into force with immediate effect. “It has come to the notice of Central Government that some of the App Based Communication Services that are utilizing Mobile Number for identification of its customers/users or for provisioning or delivery of services, allows users to consume their services without availability of the underlying Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) within the device in which App Based Communication Services is running and this feature is posing challenge,” the document reads. The government has already notified the Telecom Cyber Security Rules in 2024 and updated them again in 2025. The rules define these apps as Telecommunication Identifier User Entities. They must follow all govt instructions meant to prevent the misuse of mobile numbers, telecom devices, networks, and services. “Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) within the device in which App Based Communication Services is running and this feature is posing challenge to telecom cyber security as it is being misused from outside the country to commit cyber-frauds,” the DoT clarified.