log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan SUNDAY DECEMBER 28, 2025 MOVIES »PAGE 16 Bhaijaan celebrates his 60th Superstar Salman Khan celebrated his 60th birthday at his Panvel farmhouse Katrina wishes love & light to ‘Super Human’ >> SEE PG 2 Headlines that shaped 2025 MAGAZINE MAGAZ 9 Goa keeps festive spirit alive despite quieter season Advancements in Space and Earth Sciences during 2025 Art beyond entertainment: Learn to heal through theatre 11 When law reforms culture: Law as a living social force IN SHORT >> Scrap material goes up in flames at Nuvem MARGAO: A major fire engulfed scrap material stacked in an open space belonging to a décor unit at Kirbhat Nuvem on Saturday noon. Thick black smoke billowing from the spot could be seen from a distance, indicating that large amount of scrap waste was brunt in the incident.   >> See pg 3 Morjim gets season’s 1st turtle nesting pit PERNEM: Morjim got its first turtle nesting pit of the season when an Olive Ridley turtle arrived at the Temwada area of Morjim beach at about 9.30 pm on Friday and laid 99 eggs. A team from the Forest Department later relocated these eggs to a protected site on the beach.  >> See pg 5 700 km in 2 seconds: Train record in China BEIJING: China set a new world record by accelerating a maglev train to reach a speed of 700 km/h in just two seconds, becoming the first country to achieve the feat using superconducting electric maglev systems.   >> See pg 6 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 190 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 13 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 Shankar Toast to mindful New Year parties The great reset SPORTS »PAGE 8 England ends 18-match drought with four-wicket win at MCG CAROLS, CHAMPAGNE, AND CHEESE YEAR INDIAN MONEY GROWS UP Test woes put Gambhir’s red-ball role under scanner How Indian professionals rewrote ambition in 2025 A look at how India’s New Year Eve parties are becoming more mindful 2 key Porvorim roads to be shut for flyover work n SHUTDOWN EFFECTIVE FROM JAN 2 TO MARCH 2 n DAILY COMMUTE TO GET LONGER FOR MOTORISTS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Commuters, particularly daily office goers will have to brace for fresh traffic snarls as the government announced the closure of two crucial stretches of the national highway for PhaseI flyover works at Porvorim.  The shutdown will run from January 2 to March 2, next year, affecting thousands of daily travelers between Mapusa and Panaji. The closures include: P16 near ODP Road to P20 near Damian de Goa and P61 near Kadamba Restaurant to P55 at O’Coqueiro junction. Officials said one lane will remain open for traffic heading from Mapusa to Panaji but heavy vehicles carrying essential commodities will not be permitted on ODP Road from the Mapusa side.  Also, dedicated lanes will be reserved for emergency ve- TESTING TIMES AHEAD „„Closures include P16 near ODP Road to P20 near Damian de Goa and P61 near Kadamba Restaurant to P55 at O’Coqueiro junction „„One lane to remain open for traffic heading from Mapusa to Panaji „„Heavy vehicles carrying essential commodities banned on ODP Road from Mapusa side „„Dedicated lanes to be reserved for emergency vehicles „„Contractors directed to deploy traffic marshals at diversion points hicles. Contractors have been directed to deploy traffic marshals at diversion points and provide cranes under police supervision to ease congestion, the official said. The announcement has revived memories of earlier BSNL gets all clear for tower in Bhagwan Mahaveer sanctuary TOLD TO KEEP ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION WITHIN LIMIT TO PREVENT HARM TO WILDLIFE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) has granted its consent to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for installation of a 4G mobile tower in the protected areas of Bhagwan Mahaveer wildlife sanctuary. The NBWL has recommended the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) grant of wildlife clearance to BSNL for use of 0.02 ha of forest land from Bhagwan Mahaveer WLS for installation of mobile tower at Sonalium village in Dharbandora. The Board has however directed BSNL to keep electromagnetic radiation within permissible limit thereby en- GREEN SIGNAL FOR TOWER „„NBWL recommends to MoEF&CC for use of 0.02 ha of forest land „„BSNL asked to submit annual compliance certificate to State Chief Wildlife Warden „„Mobile tower to be installed at Sonalium village in Dharbandora „„Proposal says villagers lacking adequate 4G connectivity and there is no other government land available for mobile tower installation suring no disturbance to the wildlife. According to the proposal, the villagers are presently lacking adequate 4G connectivity and there is no suitable revenue or other government land available for mobile tower installation. Hence, BSNL identified forest sites in accordance with DoT and its guidelines. The project site is technically optimal for ensuring village-wide coverage and LOS connectivity, enabling cost-effective and timely commissioning of the mobile tower. “The proposal has been recommended by Chief Wild >Continued on P5 Visionary leaders Anju Timblo, Sachin Lawande shine at Pride of Goa awards THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Celebrating vision, leadership and excellence, the Pride of Goa awards 2025 recognised two distinguished achievers — Anju Timblo and Sachin Lawande — for their remarkable contributions to business and industry in Goa and beyond on Saturday. While Managing Director and CEO of Fomento Resorts and Hotels Pvt Ltd Anju Timblo was conferred the Kashinath Damodar Naik – Pride of Goa – Business Lifetime Achievement Award, President and CEO of Visteon Corporation Sachin Lawande was awarded the Kashinath Damodar Naik – Pride of Goa – Entrepreneur Award. The awards were presented at Gomant Vidya Niketan’s Fomento Amphitheatre amidst an august gathering of indus- Instagram.com/thegoanonline PROUD MOMENT: Managing Director & CEO of Fomento Resorts and Hotels Pvt Ltd, Anju Timblo being presented the Pride of Goa – Business Lifetime Achievement Award. (Right) President and CEO of Visteon Corporation Sachin Lawande honoured with Pride of Goa – Entrepreneur Award. try stalwarts and dignitaries. The awards, instituted jointly by Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) and the Kashinath Damodar Naik Memorial Trust were presented by industrialist Datta Naik and GCCI president Pratima Dhond in the presence of GCCI past president Shrinivas Dempo, industrialist Auduth Timblo, Sanjay Amonkar, Harshwardhan Bhatkule, >Continued on P5 closures for the same flyover project. Commuters routinely reported spending up to 45 minutes stuck between O’Coqueiro and the Secretariat junction, with school buses and officegoers bearing the brunt.  Taxi drivers too complained of missed airport connections, forcing them to leave much earlier than usual. Meanwhile, a separate traffic advisory has been issued for President Droupadi Murmu’s departure on Sunday.  Roads on her route from Dona Paula to Dabolim Airport via Bambolim, the New Zuari Bridge, Cortalim and Chicalim, will be closed from 7:30 am to 9:30 am for all vehicles except emergency services.  Commuters are advised to use NH566 from Birla Cross Junction, Verna, towards Dabolim Airport during the >Continued on P5 Chimbel residents up in arms as Unity Mall work resumes ACCUSE GOVT OF DEFYING COURT ORDERS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Residents of Chimbel have accused the government of defying court orders by resuming work on the controversial Unity Mall project, promoted by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC). At a press conference held at the project site, Govind Shirodkar, chairman of the Chimbel Biodiversity Management Committee, alleged that construction had restarted despite the District and Sessions Court suspending the mall’s construction license until January 8.  “The tourism minister and the chief minister, who made the laws, are breaking them today,” Shirodkar charged. The project, located in a watershed area, has not received mandatory clearance from the Goa Biodiversity Board, according to Shirodkar. He claimed the site contains several natural springs feeding nearby lakes, making it ecologically sensitive.  “If scientists study the area, they will find many springs,” he said. The controversy began when GTDC applied for a POINTS OF CONTENTION „„Construction has restarted despite Court suspending mall’s construction license until January 8 „„Tourism minister and chief minister, who made the laws, are breaking them today „„The project, located in a watershed area, has not received mandatory clearance from Goa Biodiversity Board „„Site contains several natural springs feeding nearby lakes construction license from the Chimbel panchayat which was rejected, citing errors in documents and strong local opposition.  GTDC then approached the Block Development Officer (BDO), who allegedly gave verbal assurances to permit the project. Locals challenged this decision in court on December 17 and secured a stay.  Yet, within hours of the hearing, the panchayat issued the construction license, which the court later suspended. Despite the suspension, Shirodkar said work has continued for the past four days, with officials insisting it is a government project and therefore exempt.  Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte has maintained that the site does not fall within a watershed area and that all necessary permits are in place. Residents, however, argue the project epitomizes disregard for environmental safeguards and judicial authority.  “We were denied the opportunity to present our objections before permissions were rushed through,” Shirodkar said. The Unity Mall, billed as a grand tourism hub, has faced opposition since its inception, with critics warning it could damage fragile ecosystems around Chimbel. The dispute now raises larger questions about governance, transparency, and respect for court orders. With the license suspended until January 8, locals say they will continue to monitor the site and press for accountability.