log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY MARCH 15, 2026 MOVIES »PAGE 16 Anil Kapoor reveals he declined a Dhurandhar Underworld pressured Khans in 90s: Farah Khan >> SEE PG 2 DECODING THE PANAJI POWER GAME 9 MAGAZINE MAGAZ Saras: A mixed feeling From trails to waterfalls, litter spreads across Goa’s natural landscapes The report card we never examine: Our own When law yields to power; retribution and the rule of law 11 Two senior citizens killed in mishaps MAPUSA: Two senior citizens died after being struck by cars in separate accidents in Saligao and Siolim. One incident took place near the church in Saligao at about 6 am on Friday while the other incident occurred near the local branch of the SBI Bank at Siolim.  >> See pg 3 ‘Procession of Saints’ to be held on Mar 23 PANAJI: The unique Penitential Procession of Saints (Santanchem Pursanv), which takes place in the fifth week of Lent, will be held at St Andrew's Church in Goa Velha on March 23 at 4.30 pm. The life-sized statues of the Saints will be kept open for public veneration on March 23, 24 and 25 at St Andrew's Church, Goa Velha, throughout the day.   >> See pg 5 Centre revokes Sonam Wangchuk's detention NEW DELHI: Incarcerated for nearly six months, activist Sonam Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur Jail, hours after the Union Government announced its decision to revoke his detention under the National Security Act, a move welcomed by political parties and agitating Ladakh outfits.  >> See pg 6 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 33.7 C 24.1 C 82% Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 266 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 12 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 SPORTS »PAGE 8 Stretch, support, recover Your brain, explained Meet the tiny team running your entire life India falls to England in women’s hockey qualifiers final Being truthful, seeking self-awareness, and more With LPG shortages causing concern, here are a few efficient alternatives This could be Dhoni’s last season: Irfan Pathan Discover the benefits of the stretchy therapeutic K-tape for muscle support, pain Eateries bear brunt of gas shortage, trade in turmoil  MENUS SHRINK, KITCHENS SHUT  STAFF BEING LAID OFF VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI The ongoing LPG shortage in Goa is beginning to ripple through the State’s restaurant and hospitality industry, forcing eateries to shut entire kitchen sections, scale down menus and send workers home as cooking gas becomes increasingly difficult to secure. Across several places, restaurant managers admitted that daily operations have turned into a precarious exercise -- planning menus not around demand, but around how much gas remains in the kitchen. At Soul Curry, a multi-cuisine restaurant in Panaji, the impact is already visible on the menu and in the kitchen. “At least one cylinder is needed even after restricting cooking. Right now we can manage with the stock we have today. From tomorrow, we may not „„Restaurants planning serve only basic items like menus based on available thalis gas instead of cus„„Traditional dishtomer demand es, bulk cooking „„Some kitchen stopped in some GAS sections SHORTAGE: places (Chinese, South „„Staff from CAUSE & Indian) shut closed sections EFFECT „„Limited food left temporarily options available without work for customers „„Workers face income „„Many restaurants now uncertainty, especially have a cylinder,” Roy Shishir, assistant manager at the restaurant, said. The shortage has forced the restaurant to shut down its Chinese and South Indian sections entirely, leaving staff from those departments temporarily without work. “We are serving thalis but not the authentic Goan meals and not in bulk cooking,” he said, adding, “The thali price Consumer concerns continue over push for smart meters Questions over data privacy, billing THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government’s ambitious plan to install 7.5 lakh smart electricity meters across Goa has ignited a debate and concerns remain over whether the rollout will be made mandatory for consumers. The Rs 890.11 crore project, largely funded by the Centre under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), is being pitched as a step toward modernizing power distribution and improving billing transparency. A top engineer of the Electricity Department said the smart meters will eliminate manual readings, reduce theft, and provide real-time monitoring of electricity usage for consumers. “The installation will be free of cost, with payments to the Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Provider (AMISP) spread over 93 months”, the official said, has gone up slightly because staffers now come much earlier in the morning to cook on chulhas (earthen stove). Lighting the flame and preparing everything takes much longer.” Only the tandoori counter and a limited range of gravies continue to operate. A few meters away, the situation is even more difficult at Sheetal Pure Veg, a well- Finally, govt reconstitutes rights panel for children THE GOAN I NETWORK adding that the rollout, which began with government consumers late last year, is expected to gradually cover households Statewide. Yet, consumer groups and residents have voiced unease and many fear that PANAJI Goa government has finally reconstituted the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR), bringing an end to a nearly two-year period during which the statutory body remained defunct after the tenure of its previous members expired. In an order issued by the Directorate of Women and Child Development, the government stated that the Commission has been constituted, with Shashikant Punaji as its chairperson. The other members include Snehal Salgaonkar, Sanjiwani Dessai, Vibha Bhonsale, Shalaka Dessai, Esther Roe Torres and Sofia De Souza. The tenure of the newly constituted Commission will be three years from the date of its constitution, the order stated. The Commission had remained non-functional since May 19, 2024, when the term of its chairperson, Peter Borges, ended, followed soon after >Continued on P6 >Continued on P6 POINTS OF WORRY „„Fear of no consumer choice with mandatory installation „„Data privacy concerns over smart meter usage „„Doubts about billing accuracy „„Skepticism from past digital system glitches „„Worry over unexpected charges or errors „„Concern that costs may lead to higher future tariffs FIVE YEARS ON… Only 40 Goan films screened at IFFI: Data THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI he International Film Festival of India (IFFI) screened only 40 Goan films in five years across official and non-official sections. The information was provided by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the Information and Publicity portfolio, in response to an unstarred question by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai in the Assembly. Some of the Goan films screened at the 56th edition of the Festival included Claudia, directed by Rajendra Talak, which was screened under the Instagram.com/thegoanonline T Konkani films that were screened at the 56th edition of IFFI. Indian Panorama section. Other films showcased were Zero Bulb, directed by Soham Prasad Bhende; Halad, directed by Sobita Kudtarkar; and My Dad Invented the Vadapav: Ashok Vaidya and Sons, directed by Sainath Uskaikar. Sawant also stated that the State has spent over Rs 104 crore on hosting the festival during this period. The data shows that the State spent Rs 15.39 crore on the 52nd IFFI in 2021, Rs 23.06 crore on the 53rd edition in 2022, Rs 24.98 crore on the 54th edition in 2023 and Rs 29.53 crore on the 55th edition in 2024. Expenditure for the 56th IFFI in 2025 has so far reached Rs 11.20 crore. Together, the expenditure over the five editions amounts to more than Rs 104 crore. The government also disclosed that financial assistance from the Centre for organising the festival was comparatively limited. >Continued on P6 migrant employees „„Restaurants using alternatives like chulhas, induction cooktops „„Cooking takes longer, requires staff to start work earlier „„Food prices have increased (tea, coffee, snacks) „„Some restaurants close to shutting temporarily known South Indian restaurant. Proprietor Surendra Shetty said the restaurant has been reduced to serving only thalis after running out of cooking gas. “We have no stock and we are uncertain how to continue if the situation continues like this. The gas agencies are not responding and customers have definitely reduced. The restaurant is almost shut,” he said. With sections closed and customers dwindling, the uncertainty has begun weighing on workers, as well as many of them are migrant employees who depend entirely on restaurant jobs. “Some staffers are sitting idle because their sections are closed. For many of them, this is their only source of income,” a cook at a Porvorim-based fine-dining restaurant said. Other establishments are attempting to keep operations afloat by turning to alternative cooking methods. At Mudra Cloud Kitchen in St Cruz, owner Rajeshri Vaigankar said the kitchen has shifted much of its cooking to traditional chulhas and induction cooktops. “Chulha and induction are handling most of our work right now,” Vaigankar said, >Continued on P6 Justice Patel flags TCP Section 39A Says Goa not meat in butcher’s shop to be carved and sold THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Former Bombay High Court judge Justice (Retd) Gautam Patel has called for a people’s referendum to scrap Section 39A of the Town and Country Planning Act, describing it as a threat to Goa’s environment and identity. Speaking at the launch of the fifth edition of Fish, Curry and Rice, the Goa Foundation’s landmark book on the environment, Justice Patel minced no words. “Goa is not meat in a butcher’s shop which can be carved out and sold,” he declared. He referred to Section 39A as the “gorilla in the room.” The provision, he said, gives sweeping powers to the chief town planner while reducing citizens to “mere supplicants.” Patel warned that Goa was on the brink of an environmental disaster. “Section 39A is fundamentally wrong. The people of Goa must have the right to vote against this Section,” he said. JUSTICE SPEAKS „„Section 39A is the ‘gorilla in the room’ „„Gives sweeping powers to chief town planner „„Citizens reduced to ‘mere supplicants’ „„Goa on the brink of environmental disaster „„People should have the right to vote against it „„Goans becoming ‘others’ in their own State The retired judge also lamented that Goans were becoming “others” in their own State. “Non-Goans are being allowed to take charge. Goa is being dismantled bit by bit. This is not alright,” he said. Switching to Marathi, Patel congratulated tribal women of Chimbel for their 44-day fast against a proposed mall >Continued on P6