@thegoanonline SATURDAY DECEMBER 20, 2025 GOA IN SHORT >> Pune excise sleuths seize Goa liquor PANAJI: The Pune division of the Maharashtra State Excise Department seized liquor and allied materials valued at nearly Rs 48 lakh, allegedly illegally transported from Goa, in two separate enforcement drives conducted on highways in Satara and Solapur districts.  >> See pg 3 GPCC issues show cause notice to Elvis PANAJI: GPCC has issued a show-cause notice to its executive committee member Elvis Gomes, accusing him of working against the party’s official candidate in Aldona ZP constituency. Amit Patkar said the central leadership had received a complaint alleging that Gomes campaigned for an independent candidate.  >> See pg 3 4 AGMUT cadre IAS officers promoted PANAJI: Four Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories (AGMUT) Cadre IAS officers—Sanjit Rodrigues, Yatindra Maralkar, Sanjeev Gadkar, and Shakeel Rehman—have been promoted to the Selection Grade, recognizing their service and contributions within the civil administration. GBA activists stopped from protesting, paying homage at martyrs' memorial Using dry shampoo: Is it good for dry hair? CAFÉ CO2’S FIRE CLEARANCE GRANTED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF SEALING REVOKED AFTER BACKLASH OVER DUE PROCESS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Facing sharp embarrassment after revelations that fire safety clearances were granted within days to nightclubs sealed for serious violations, the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services on Friday withdrew the fire No Objection Certificate issued to Café CO2, citing public safety concerns. The revocation order was issued by Assistant Divisional Officer (North) Bosco Ferrao, who cancelled the NOC granted to M/s Café CO2 with immediate effect, barely three days after it was issued. Significantly, Café CO2 had been sealed by a government-appointed Joint Enforcement and Monitoring Committee on December 14 for failing to obtain mandatory fire safety clearances. However, records show that the Fire Department issued the NOC on December 16 – just two days after the sealing. Referring to The Goan’s front-page report, Ferrao stated in the revocation order: SEALED, CLEARED, CANCELLED O “It has been noticed as per the media news dated December 19 that the Joint Enforcement and Monitoring Committee constituted by the government has sealed your premises for non-compliance of safety measures. Therefore, the NOC issued on December 16 is hereby revoked with immediate effect in the interest of public safety.” Sources within the department said panic set in after the report exposed how swiftly fire clearances were granted to establishments that had been shut down for grave N D C 19 E safety lapses. Senior officials reportedly held emergency meetings to contain the fallout and review the clearances issued. Officials familiar with the procedure said obtaining a Fire NOC is a multi-step process that typically takes a minimum of one week. “The applicant has to apply online, submit a complete physical file, after which an inspection is conducted. If deficiencies are found, compliance is sought, followed by a second inspection. Only after all requirements are met is the WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 32.1 C 19.2 C 83% TIDES Low: 05.12 16.51 High: 09.53 ---- „„Panic after a report in The Goan reveals unusually fast fire clearances for establishments previously shut for safety violations „„Senior officials hold emergency meetings to manage fallout and review issued clearances „„Usually, normal fire NOC procedure is multi-step and takes at least a week „„Process involves online application, submission of physical documents, inspection, compliance correction, and a second inspection before approval „„Rapid clearance raised serious internal concerns NOC issued,” a senior official said, adding that the rapid clearance raised “serious internal questions”. In its Friday edition, The Goan had reported that within days of being sealed, several nightclubs approached the district Collector seeking de-sealing of their premises, claiming they had obtained Fire NOCs. Six nightclubs – Clara and Salud at Ozran, Vagator, Mayan Beach Club, Diaz, Club Goya and Café CO2 – were sealed by the joint enforcement committee after in- spections revealed major deficiencies in fire prevention systems, emergency preparedness and, in some cases, structural instability. The speed with which Fire NOCs were allegedly issued triggered outrage among residents and activists, who questioned whether mandatory inspections and due processes were bypassed. Following public scrutiny and media exposure, the Fire Department moved to revoke the controversial NOCs, indicating damage-control measures within the department. Curlies nightclub sealed over CRZ violations, eye on demolition THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI: Mopa Airport Police seized tobacco products worth about Rs 4 lakh during a search at Sakral, Torxem, Pernem. Two carrier vehicles were attached. The illegal stock was seized, and storeroom owner of Angod, Mapusa, was booked. WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery programme that allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to US. Homeland Security Secretary said that, at Trump's direction, she is ordering the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the programme. RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Tobacco products worth `4L seized Trump halts green card lottery prog Instagram.com/thegoanonline 3 2 10 Fire NOC farce exposed, dept withdraws nod to sealed club GOA 025 Goan diaspora gets into festive spirit Goans across globe mark Feast of St Francis Xavier The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 183 Mixed waste mess returns to haunt Margao civic body Page 8 Facebook.com/thegoan ,2 log on to thegoan.net discharge of hazardous waste or untreated wastewater into rivers and nalhas. “Industries must ensure strict compliance with environmental norms. Protecting our rivers and natural resources is a shared responsibility,” he said. Sawant noted that the government has established multiple waste management plants across the State to improve scientific handling MAPUSA Continuing its enforcement drive against non-compliant nightspots along the coastal belt, the State administration on Friday sealed the controversial restaurant-cum-nightclub Curlies at Anjuna, following directions of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA). The sealing action was carried out by a joint team comprising officials from the office of the Bardez Mamlatdar, Talathi, GCZMA, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) officials and Anjuna police, amid allegations of violations of CRZ norms and related environmental regulations. Officials said the action was taken as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal structures operating along the coastline. Curlies, an iconic but frequently controversial nightlife establishment abutting the Anjuna beach, has been under the scanner for years for alleged >Continued on 7 >Continued on 7 FESTIVE FUSION: Students perform during the Liberation Day celebrations at the Goa University grounds, Bambolim on Friday. (More photos on pg 3) Narayan Pissurlenkar Sawant sounds wake up call, links cleanliness to sustaining tourism THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has called upon citizens, tourists and industries to take cttollective responsibility for keeping Goa clean and green, stressing that environmental protection is crucial for safeguarding the State’s fragile ecosystem and sustaining its tourism-driven economy. Addressing the issue of waste management and envi- ronmental degradation on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day, he said every individual must be conscious of their duty towards maintaining cleanliness. He appealed to Goans as well as visitors to cooperate with local panchayats and municipal bodies and refrain from dumping garbage in open areas, rivers or along roadsides. Highlighting the role of industries, Sawant issued a stern warning against the SPORTS India outgun South Africa as Pandya scripts record-breaking night 13 Voters to decide fate of 226 zilla candidates today Counting of votes on December 22 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa heads to the polls on Saturday for 50 Zilla Panchayat constituencies across North and South Goa. Voting will be conducted through ballot papers from 8 am to 5 pm, with security forces deployed to ensure smooth conduct. A total of 226 candidates are contesting -- 111 in North Goa and 115 in South Goa -- seeking the mandate of a little over 8.69 lakh voters. Counting of votes will take place on December 22, at the taluka level, and since the polling is by ballot papers and not EVMs, the process is expected to take longer and results likely only after noon. The elections are being fiercely contested, with several multi-cornered battles and an overwhelming majority of new faces in the fray making outcomes difficult to predict. Campaigning ended Thursday morning, after which candidates fanned out across villages for last-minute doorto-door outreach. The campaign period remained peaceful, with no reports of violence FACTS & FIGURES „„50 seats, 226 contenders in fray „„111 in North Goa, while 115 from South „„Nearly 40 seats witnessing 4-cornered contests „„Around 8.6 lakh voters to exercise franchise or major controversy. On Friday, ballot papers and polling materials were dispatched to booths, while police tightened security across constituencies. This election marks a significant churn in local politics. Many sitting members were unable to contest due to constituencies being reserved for women and the other categories such as Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Only nine incumbents have thrown their hats in the ring, >Continued on 7 ZP duty: Govt turns a deaf ear to exemption requests COPS FACE BRUNT AS HUMANITARIAN PLEAS IGNORED THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Several police couples in Goa with young children have been assigned Zilla Panchayat (ZP) election duty despite requesting exemption, triggering discontent within the force as the long-standing practice of keeping one parent out of duty in such cases appears to have been ignored. Polling is scheduled on December 20 while counting will take place two-days later on December 22. Multiple police personnel from stations including Saligao, Bicholim and other parts of North Goa have submitted written representations to their superiors seeking exemption on humanitarian grounds. The common plea: both husband and wife are in police service, have been assigned ZP election duty, and have no alternative arrangement to care for their minor I N H UM A N AT T I T U D E ! „„Several police couples “through proper channel” in Goa with minor children rejected without relief assigned ZP duty despite „„Similar exemption seeking exemption on pleas from other departhumanitarian grounds ments, including teach„„Both husband and wife ers, also turned down being in police service „„Authorities show leaves no caregiver for little flexibility despite young children durgenuine family ing duty hours hardship OFFICIAL TAKE „„Applibeing Police officials insist cations highlighted election duty is a statutory forwarded obligation, with exemptions allowed only in “exceptional children. husband, circumstances” dismissOne such a police ing humanitarian representaconstable atconcerns tion, accessed tached to a local by The Goan, was addressed to the Superintendent of Police, Election Cell, Panaji. In the letter, a woman police personnel requested exemption from election duty stating that her police station, has already been deployed for ZP duty. She further pointed that their eight-yearold son has no one else to >Continued on 7 Coast Guard gets booster with K’taka House unites, pushes Centre on Kalsa project new-gen patrol ship from Goa KARNATAKA’S CRY FOR WATER THE GOAN I NETWORK VESSEL HAS HIGH-SPEED, LONG-RANGE CAPABILITY THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO Strengthening India’s coastal security architecture, the Indian Coast Guard on Friday commissioned ICGS Amulya, the third vessel of the new-generation Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessels, at a ceremony held in Goa. The ship was commissioned by Amitabh Prasad, IA&AS, Joint Secretary (IC), Ceremonial and Chief Administrative Officer, Ministry of Defence, in the presence of Inspector General Jyotindra Singh, Deputy Director General (HRD), senior dignitaries from the Central and State governments, and officials of Goa Shipyard Limited. Named ‘Amulya’, meaning priceless, the vessel reflects the Indian Coast Guard’s resolve to ensure safe, secure and clean seas in furtherance of the nation’s maritime interests. Designed and built indigenously by Goa Shipyard Limited, the 51-metre Fast Patrol Vessel sets a new benchmark in indigenous shipbuilding, with over 60 per cent indigenous content. The ship highlights the growing synergy between the Coast Guard’s operational vision and the Government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. ICGS Amulya is powered by two advanced 3,000 kW diesel engines, enabling a top speed of 27 knots and an endurance of 1,500 nautical miles. The vessel is equipped with indigenously >Continued on 7 BELAGAVI n a strong show of consensus, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on late Thursday evening unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Union Government to expedite environmental and forest clearances for the Kalsa-Banduri project -- a long-pending water infrastructure scheme aimed at improving drinking water supply in North Karnataka. The resolution, passed during the winter session in Belagavi, directs the State government to formally convey this demand to the Union Ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, „„Kalsa Bhandura water diversion project is an inter-basin water diversion plan proposed by Karnataka „„Plans to divert water from Mahadayi River to Malaprabha River basin „„Will supply water to drought-prone districts I and Jal Shakti. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil moved the resolution, underscoring the project’s importance for drinking water and regional development. The Kalsa Bhandura Water Diversion project is an in- such as Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gadag „„Project envisages constructing barrages on Kalasa and Bhandura tributaries „„To shift about 7.56 thousand million cubic feet of water to address chronic drinking water shortages ter-basin water diversion plan proposed by the Government of Karnataka to divert water from the Mahadayi (Mandovi) River to the Malaprabha River basin, which supplies water to drought-prone districts such as Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gadag. The project envisages constructing barrages on the Kalasa and Bhandura tributaries to shift about 7.56 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water to address chronic drinking water shortages in these regions. First proposed in the 1980s, the project has been stalled by long-running inter-state disputes and clearance issues. In 2018, the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal awarded Karnataka a share of the river’s water, but the project still requires clearances under statutory forest and environmental laws before construction can proceed. Current status and challenges: Despite Central Water Commission approval of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) in 2022, key statutory approvals — particularly from the National Board for Wildlife and forest authorities — have faced delays. >Continued on 7