log on to thegoan.net FRIDAY JANUARY 9, 2026 Page 8 EVs lose their charge in 2025 after GST cut fuels ICE rush All new Kia Seltos: Sharper, smarter & more comfortable IN SHORT >> Justice Rebello hands Citizens’ Charter to CM PANAJI: Former Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Justice (Retired) Ferdino Rebello, on Thursday met Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and personally handed over the 10 demands of the 'Citizens’ Charter' adopted at Tuesday's consultative meeting held at the Institute Menezes Braganza. Rebello urged the Chief Minister to take immediate action to safeguard Goa’s fragile environment.   >> See pg 2 Justice Shinde is new Lokayukta PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the appointment of retired Bombay High Court judge Justice Sandeep Shinde as the new Goa Lokayukta, filling a post that had remained vacant since December 2024.  >> See pg 3 PM POSHAN: Govt mulls 2 social audits PANAJI: As the Central govt prepares for a comprehensive restructuring of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme, formerly known as the mid-day meal prog, the Goa govt has proposed conducting social audits twice a year.  >> See pg 3 E-auction of ore dumps postponed PANAJI: The Directorate of Mines and Geology has postponed the e-auction of iron ore dumps that was scheduled to be held on Thursday and Friday.  >> See pg 3 @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 202 QUESTIONS ACCOUNTABILITY, FLAGS SAFETY LAPSES THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Serious questions have been raised over accountability and oversight in the costly renovation of the iconic Kala Academy, with the Task Force Committee stating that critical works remain incomplete and that the building continues to show signs of distress despite an expenditure running into over Rs 50 crore. The committee disclosed that a team from IIT Madras, which conducted a visual inspection in September, submitted a draft report flagging visible cracks, water leakage and unfinished works, raising concerns over the structural integrity of the recently renovated complex. Significantly, IIT Madras has recommended infrared and thermal scanning to scien- KEY OBSERVATIONS OF THE PANEL „„IIT Madras flagged visible cracks, water leakage, and incomplete works „„Visual inspection alone is insufficient; infrared and thermal scanning needed to for structural integrity „„Renovation failed to ensure safety for next 50 years „„Public funds spent without guaranteeing durable, safe outcomes „„Questioned who approved the reopening despite technical red flags „„Concern raised over continued events without safety assessments „„Follow-up inspection to be conducted within a month to check compliance and fix accountability tifically assess the building’s structural strength, indicating that the extent of damage and vulnerability cannot be ascertained through visual inspec- tion alone. Terming the Rs 50 crore renovation and strengthening exercise a “waste of public money,” the task force South Goa MP gets EC notice, asked to prove ID for poll roll VASCO South Goa Member of Parliament Captain Viriato Fernandes on Thursday expressed serious concern after receiving a notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI) asking him to appear with documents to prove his identity in order to retain his name in the electoral roll. Fernandes said the notice comes despite the fact that every contestant in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including himself, was subjected to the “highest level of scrutiny” by the ECI before being cleared to contest the polls. Pointing to his long record as a voter, the MP said he has been exercising his franchise since 1989, after the voting age was lowered to 18 following an initiative of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. PANAJI The magisterial inquiry into the Birch by Romeo Lane fire, which exposed sweeping failures by the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and contradictions in its inspection report for Maizons Lake View Resort, has now revealed an even more startling lapse: approvals were issued despite no application being filed. BIRCH TRAGEDY The department, during the inquiry, had submitted to the committee that Birch or any other establishment operating from Survey No. 159/0 in Arpora had never applied for a fire NOC. “No application for Fire NOC or any fire-related per- >Continued on P9 Ecologist Madhav Gadgil no more PTI Parishad elections. “If a sitting Member of Parliament, whose credentials were thoroughly verified just months ago during the Lok >Continued on P9 >Continued on P9 Authorities point to system glitch VASCO: Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, Mormugao, has issued a clarification that the Booth Level Officer of Part No. 19 had collected the enumeration form of Captain Viriato Hipolito Mendonca Fernandes during the SIR exercise where it was observed that the form did not contain mandatory details from previous SIR, including Assembly Constituency number, part number and serial number in the electoral roll. Officials stated that since these particulars were not filled, the BLO application could not be automatically linked with the existing electoral roll record. As a result, the system categorised the form as “unmapped” and, as per prescribed procedure, a hearing notice was generated and issued automatically. He recalled that during his 26 years of service in the Indian Navy, he travelled to Goa from distant places of posting on several occasions solely to cast his vote in Lok Sabha, Assembly, Panchayat and Zilla questioned the quality of execution and the decisionmaking process that led to the reopening of the building without addressing long-term safety concerns. “The core issue is not cosmetic repairs but whether the structure has been made safe for the next 50 years, which was the stated objective of the renovation,” a task force member said, adding that public funds appear to have been spent without ensuring durable outcomes. The committee further pointed out that Rs 10 crore has been kept on hold, pending implementation of the expert recommendations, and questioned who cleared the building for public use despite the red flags raised by technical experts. PUNE Noted ecologist Madhav Gadgil, known for his work on the conservation of Western Ghats, has passed away in Pune after a brief illness, family sources said on Thursday. He was 83. Gadgil breathed his last late Wednesday night at a hospital in Pune, the sources said. He played a pioneering role in shaping India's ecological research and conservation policy. Gadgil was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), popularly known as the Gadgil Commission. THE GOAN I NETWORK FUTURE PERFECT: PANEL’S RECOMMENTATIONS „„Mandatory to share all trade licence details with Fire Dept for timely inspections „„Strictly enforce fire safety compliance as per National Building Code of India „„Exercise enforcement and preventive powers granted to the Fire Dept „„Maintain updated lists of premises with and without Fire NOCs at all fire stations „„Station Fire Officers to regularly review and update lists „„Take action under relevant Sections against premises operating without fire NOCs „„Issue closure notices for non-compliant premises through the concerned local bodies mission was received from Birch by Romeo Lane, situated at Sy. No. 159/0 of Arpora village or M/s Being GS Hospitality or M/s Maizons Lake View Resort, or any other entity located at survey number 159/0. No fire NOC or provisional NOC or renewal was granted by the department to any establishment/ club located in survey number 159/0 at any point of time,” the report mentioned while examin- ing the records submitted by DFES. The committee further observed that, despite this, a fire NOC was granted to M/s Maizons in respect of the hotel and boarding house located in survey number 158/1 of Arpora village in the year 2004. “The NOC has been granted to M/s Maizons Lake View Resort, 502/1, Sankhwadi, Arpora, and the same has been renewed till date” it added. The inquiry also criticized the casual and improper inspection process, stating that for a property on Sy No. 158/0, the fire inspection was conducted by Shailesh Gaude, Station Fire Officer at the Fire Prevention Cell, Panaji, without informing the local field officer in Mapusa. “A copy of the NOC was not even endorsed to the station fire >Continued on P9 AUSTRALIA BEATS ENGLAND, WIND ASHES SERIES 4-1  >>P14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 `50 cr KA renovation a ‘waste’: Task Force Probe reveals Fire Dept issued NOCs without clubs applying THE GOAN I NETWORK Instagram.com/thegoanonline Education system set for major revamp from new academic yr Govt to implement new school Act SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI Goa’s school education system is set for a major overhaul from the academic year 2026–27, with the State preparing to implement the new Goa School Education Act and Rules, 2025, aimed at ensuring a smoother transition in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which is being introduced in a phased manner. The amended Act and Rules are expected to be placed before the Goa Legislative Assembly during the Budget Session, likely to be held in February–March. The government will hold consultations with stakeholders before notifying it. A special Task Force, constituted to draft the new legislation, submitted “The Proposed School Education Act and Rules, 2025” to the Education Department in April WHAT THE DRAFT OUTLINES „„Aligns school education reforms with NEP „„Replaces the 10+2 system with a 5+3+3+4 schooling structure „„Introduces high-stakes board examinations at Classes X and XII „„Proposes April as the start of the academic year for all grades in future „„Scraps the no-detention (no-fail) policy „„Defines schooling stages by age groups: Foundational stage: 3–8 years; Preparatory stage: 8–11 years; Middle stage: 11–14 years; Secondary stage: 14–18 years 2025. The draft outlines key structural changes to facilitate the shift from the existing education framework to the NEP-aligned system and was subsequently forwarded to the State government through the Law Department for approval. Speaking to The Goan, Secretary Education Prasad Lolayekar said the draft Act and Rules are currently in the final stage of vetting by the Law Department. “The government has already finalised the draft, which is aligned with NEP. Since NEP implementation has already begun, the new Act and Rules will help ensure a smoother transition,” he said. Lolayekar added that a stakeholders’ committee has already been constituted >Continued on P9 Murder accused makes threat call to complainant from jail HC FURIOUS, SLAMS PRISON DEPARTMENT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The High Court of Bombay at Goa has issued a stinging reprimand to the Prison Department following revelations that an undertrial, accused of murdering a 12-year-old boy, made a threatening phone call to the complainant from Colvale Central Jail. A Bench of Justice Shriram Sirsat has directed the Deputy Superintendent of Prisons to submit a comprehensive status report by January 20. The report must detail the implementation of long-pending security measures, including mobile jammers, enhanced CCTV coverage, cellular inspection systems, and stricter monitoring to curb the smuggling of phones, chargers, and „„Seeks implementation gers, and contraband of long-pending secu„„Sets Jan 20 deadrity measures like line to submit mobile jammers, comprehensive enhanced CCTV status report COURT coverage, cellu„„Observes CRACKS lar inspection that systemic DOWN systems lapses pose di„„Calls for stricter rect threat to safety monitoring to curb of victims, integrity of smuggling of phones, charwitness testimony contraband. The accused, Chandu Patil, is currently facing trial for the alleged murder of Sameer, the younger brother of his colleague Harshad Ali. The incident occurred in Bicholim on September 21, 2024, reportedly after Patil lost his job. The security breach came to light during proceedings in the Children’s Court, when Harshad informed the President that Patil had phoned him from prison, questioned him about the case and issued >Continued on P9