log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY DECEMBER 15, 2025 25 years on, yet another Zilla Panchayat poll, but no powers Markets in focus as key data, currency cues & trade talks guide sentiment IN SHORT >> Diaz club sealed for repeated violations MAPUSA: In a continued crackdown on nightlife establishments flouting licence norms, the State government late Saturday sealed the controversial Diaz Club at Anjuna, citing repeated violations of statutory conditions and failure to comply with earlier notices issued by multiple departments. During the inspection, the club was allegedly found operating without valid fire safety clearance and in breach of conditions stipulated in its trade and excise licences.  >> See pg 3 Booster for mining as 2 firms get ECs PANAJI: Giving a fresh push to iron ore mining, the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority has granted prior environmental clearance to the Onda Mineral Block (X) owned by Agravanshi Pvt Ltd at Ona village in Sattari. The Authority also issued EC to Chowgule and Company Pvt Ltd for handling of iron ore dump, lying outside the lease area.  >> See pg 3 Ex-MLA saves life of US woman mid-air PANAJI: Former MLA and AICC Goa desk co-incharge Dr Anjali Nimbalkar saved an American passenger’s life mid-air on a Goa–New Delhi flight. Soon after take-off, the woman suffered severe chest pain, breathlessness and a weak pulse. Dr Nimbalkar’s quick response stabilised the situation.  >> See pg 3 Upgrade for Panaji’s footpaths, drains PANAJI: Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited has floated a tender worth Rs 3.88 crore for improvement of storm water drainage, footpath upgradation and development of green spaces along Dayanand Bandodkar Road from the Old Secretariat to Bal Bhavan in Panaji. The project is aimed at strengthening urban infrastructure. The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 178 GOA >> pg 6 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA Supervisory lapses exposed at KTC bus stand in Mapusa 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO The Postpartum Hair Paradox: Understanding & managing hair loss 9 Arshdeep, Harshit star as India takes 2-1 lead vs SA Hafta raj along the coast: An open secret laid bare 2 lives snuffed out in bike accident at Cortalim flyover THE GOAN I NETWORK BIRCH TRAGEDY EXPOSES PROTECTION RACKETS, POLITICAL PATRONAGE ALONG CANDOLIM–VAGATOR BEACH BELT AGNELO PEREIRA THE GOAN I MAPUSA The protection money racket – popularly known as hafta system – along Goa’s coastal belt has for years been an open secret among locals, activists and those who matter. The deadly fire at Birch by Romeo Lane in Arpora has now blown the lid off what locals describe as a well-oiled racket involving nightclubs, politicians and enforcement agencies. According to multiple allegations from former public representatives, activists and residents, restaurants- cum-nightclubs operating along the Candolim–Calangute–Anjuna– Vagator stretch have survived not on compliance with the law, but on regular payoffs that allegedly travel up the political and administrative hierarchy. A TRAGEDY LONG ANTICIPATED A lmost every club along the coastal belt is allegedly illegal in one way or another – lacking fire clearances, environmental permissions or mandatory licences. For many, paying off the “high and mighty” has allegedly become the only way to stay in business. The hafta culture, residents allege, runs deep – managing everyone from politicians at various levels to enforcement authorities. The Arpora fire tragedy has merely torn the veil off a system that many insist has existed for years. Unless this nexus is dismantled, critics warn, Birch by Romeo Lane will not be the last tragedy – and the cost of this criminal indifference will continue to be paid in human lives. A former sarpanch of Anjuna, while speaking informally to this reporter during coverage of noise pollution violations, had bluntly stated that all clubs and restaurants in the coastal belt paid to operate. “The money goes right to the top,” he claimed, even urging the reporter to expose the hafta  collections that, he said, emboldened establishments to flout laws with impunity. When asked to be quoted, however, the former sarpanch retreated into silence. ‘Offers’ to restart sealed clubs That silence cracked last week when a coastal sarpanch publicly stated that af- Goa loses big on central edu funds over delays in reports `  31.52 CR WITHHELD UNDER SAMAGRA SCHEME, REVEALS RAJYA SABHA DATA THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa has lost access to nearly 28 per cent of the total funds approved by the Centre under the Samagra Shiksha scheme over the past four years due to delays in submitting utilisation certificates and audit reports, and for failing to comply with the scheme’s prescribed guidelines. According to details placed before the Rajya Sabha, the Centre sanctioned Rs 112.62 crore for Goa under the centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha programme since 2022–23. However, the State received only Rs 81.10 crore, with the remaining Rs 31.52 crore withheld owing to non-adherence to mandatory conditions under the scheme. The data shows that Goa CENTRAL GUIDELINES „„Release of Centre’s share is contingent upon submission of utilisation certificates, audit reports for previously released funds, along with physical &nd financial progress reports, the State’s matching contribution, and strict compliance with scheme norms managed to secure its full sanctioned allocation only in 2022–23, when it received the entire Rs 29.86 crore approved for that year. In the following financial year, 2023–24, the State received Rs 18.75 crore against a sanctioned amount of Rs 30.78 crore. ter he shut down four to five clubs for irregularities, some owners approached him with “offers” to restart operations. His candid admission has lent credibility to long-standing allegations that enforcement is routinely neutralised through inducements. Former Calangute MLA Agnel Fernandes has open- Scrap fairs bring `  .77 cr to govt 2 kitty; over 500 vehicles sold THE GOAN I NETWORK A similar shortfall continued in 2024–25. Of the Rs 24.27 crore approved as per the Annual Work Plan and Budget, only Rs 16.34 crore was released by the Centre. In the current financial year as well, the trend has persisted, with Rs 16.15 crore released so far against a sanctioned allocation of Rs 27.71 crore. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan explained that the release of the Centre’s share is contingent upon the submission of utilisation certificates and audit reports for previously released funds, along with physical and financial progress reports, the State’s matching contribution, and strict compliance with scheme norms. Pradhan informed PANAJI Hundreds of condemned vehicles belonging to government departments, State-owned corporations and autonomous bodies have been scrapped in Goa over the past seven months, clearing longstanding clutter from public spaces and generating revenue. According to official data, four “scrap fairs” organized by the Goa Waste Management Corporation have disposed of 518 vehicles, including twowheelers and fourwheelers. The sale has brought in Rs 2.77 crore to the State exchequer. Many of the vehicles had been lying unused for years, some more than 15 years old, parked outside offices or on roads where they contributed to congestion.  Earlier, disposal was carried out through a tendering process that officials described >Continued on P7 12 SPORTS ly alleged that a deeply entrenched  hafta  culture exists along the coastal belt. According to him, Birch by Romeo Lane was allegedly paying around Rs 25 lakh per month, while smaller clubs paid about Rs 10 lakh. Ex-police officer breaks ranks A former senior police officer, speaking to this newspaper on condition of anonymity, said the allegations were neither exaggerated nor new. “Everyone in the system knew what was happening. When establishments repeatedly violate noise norms, fire safety rules and licensing conditions yet continue to function, it doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because money changes hands – regularly,” the officer said. The officer further said >Continued on P7 HOW IT HAPPENED VASCO  Two youths riding a motorcycle were killed in a road accident at the Cortalim flyover after their vehicle allegedly rammed into a road divider, crossed into the opposite lane and collided with a car in the early morning hours of Sunday. The accident occurred at around 1.20 am, when the rider of a TVS motorcycle, K H Bikram Singha, a resident of Consua, Cortalim and a native of Assam, was proceeding from Panaji towards Verna with pillion rider S Pariton Singha, also a resident of Consua, Cortalim and a native of Assam. Police said the motorcycle was being ridden in a rash and negligent manner and, upon reaching the Cortalim flyover bridge, dashed against the road divider, veered into the opposite lane and further collided with a Skoda car coming from Verna towards Panaji. Both the rider and the pillion rider sustained serious injuries in the impact. A wireless message was later „„Two bike-borne Assam residents were proceeding from Panaji to Verna at 1.20 am „„Upon reaching Cortalim flyover bridge, the motorcycle hit a road divider „„Bike veers into the opposite lane and collides with a Skoda car received from the casualty police at GMC Bambolim informing that both were brought dead, making it a case of fatal vehicular accident. Based on a state complaint filed by Head Constable  Sudeshkumar Dessai of Verna police station, Verna police registered an offence under sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is being carried out by Lady PSI Pramila Fernandes of Verna police station, under the supervision of PI Anand Shirodkar and the guidance of Mormugao DySP Gurudas Kadam. Terror attack at Bondi beach in Australia, 11 massacred ONE GUNMAN FATALLY SHOT, OTHER ARRESTED PTI >Continued on P7 SYDNEY Two gunmen shot dead at least 11 people on Sunday during a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Australian authorities said, declaring it a terrorist attack. One gunman was fatally shot by police, and the second was arrested. The suspect was in critical condition, authorities said. At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, including two policemen, said Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located. The massacre at one of Australia’s most popular and iconic beaches followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn’t suggest those episodes and Sunday’s shooting were connected. They said one of the gunmen was known to the security, but that there had been no specific threat. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared it an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation. This attack was designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community, the state’s Premier Chris Minns said. The massacre was declared a terrorist attack due to the event targeted and the weapons used, Lanyon said. Hundreds had gathered for the gathering at Bondi Beach called Chanukah by the Sea, which was celebrating the start of the eight-day Hanukkah festival. Chabad identified one of the dead as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a key organiser of the event. Chabad is an Orthodox Jewish movement that is known for its outreach to non-religious Jews. GOA EDITION Major fire at Baga resort, loss @ `  0L 1 PANAJI: A major fire incident was reported at Baga after a generator caught fire at a resort near the Bullet showroom. Firefighters rushed to the spot and managed to douse the flames. No injuries were reported even as estimates put the loss at around Rs 10 lakh. The Diamonds You Deserve SCAN TO VIEW Batteries worth `  L 4 stolen from Sancoale WITH AMAZING OFFERS! VASCO: Burglars broke into Agam Batteries Pvt Ltd at the IDC Sancoale industrial estate and decamped with 45 batteries worth around Rs 4 lakh. The theft occurred when unknown persons gained entry into the company premises by forcefully opening the rear-side door. 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