log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY MARCH 22, 2026 MOVIES »PAGE 16 Mumbai hosts Sitar for mental health Bollywood stars light up fashion runway Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 273 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 12 LIVE SMART »PAGE 13 SPORTS »PAGE 8 The freedom formula Soul, strings & the Blues Akash Deep out of IPL with back injury Understanding why problems like bloating, gas are on the rise Memory, art, and powerful voices Japan claims Third Women’s Asian Cup How breaking free from emotional baggage leads to inner peace Grammy-nominated Rayford returns to India for a high-energy performance Goa’s summer plans go haywire as West Asia conflict escalates TOUR OPERATORS REPORT MASS CANCELLATIONS, SPIKE IN COSTS VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI THE WAR EFFECT ON TRAVEL IN GOA The conflict in West Asia has begun to block one of Goa’s busiest outbound travel seasons, with tour operators reporting mass cancellations, rerouted itineraries and a sharp spike in costs that threaten to wipe out summer business. Departures to Europe and the United Arab Emirates -long favoured by Goan travellers -- have been severely disrupted as key transit corridors across the Middle East face airspace restrictions and closures. What began as a geopolitical flashpoint has quickly cascaded into a full-blown travel crisis, with April–May bookings, largely leisure-driven, bearing the brunt. “Departures to Europe and the UAE, particularly through Gulf transit hubs, are significantly disrupted, as parts of the Middle East are airspace affected or restricted, triggering a cascading impact on travel plans. Several trips „„Europe & UAE routes disrupted (airspace closures) „„Gulf transit hubs heavily affected „„April–May bookings hit hardest (leisure travel) „„Trip cancellations & postponements rising „„Airlines rerouting or suspending flights „„Iran & Qatar airspace closures worsen impact „„Refunds and rescheduling options rolled out „„Travellers hesitant about westbound trips scheduled for April-May have already been cancelled or postponed, with leisure travel accounting for the bulk of these bookings. Groups to other destinations are also in two minds towards operations westbound,” Owner of Travel World Goa Sagar Kulkarni said. The disruption has been compounded by the closure of Iranian and Qatari airspace, forcing airlines to suspend or reroute services. Carriers including Gulf Air, have offered full refunds for cancellations up to mid-April, while Qatar Airways, where operations have been halted, is providing refunds till April 30 along with rerouting options. Several other airlines have also been constantly posting updates on their sites. For many, however, the logistical relief has not translated into financial ease. Interest in eastern destinations rises PANAJI: As tensions in West Asia intensify, travellers are increasingly turning toward eastern destinations. Countries like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia are witnessing a surge in interest, although they too are feeling the impact of rising fuel-related surcharges. “...most travellers are opting for other options like Japan, South Korea and the Far East like Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. However, they also charge surcharges on the rising oil prices. So it’s a complete loss for our holiday season with constant disruptions and uncertainty about overall tours, hotels and other services operations,” owner of Travel World Goa Sagar Kulkarni said. “The US dollar strengthening against the rupee has pushed up every component, such as airfares, hotels, ground operations... Add to that rising oil prices and airlines are passing on fuel surcharges,” Kulkarni said. For travellers, the uncertainty has proved decisive. Ahraz Mulla of Goa Adventure Club said nearly 90 percent of passengers bound for the UAE, particularly Dubai, had FESTIVE BOND: Two young boys greet each other on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr at St Inez on Saturday. Eid was celebrated across the country with special prayers for peace, progress and brotherhood.   Narayan Pissurlenkar PONDA BY-POLL: BATTLE BEYOND BALLOT 9 MAGAZINE MAGAZ 11 Ponda by-election: Dalvi falls in line, reconciles to party diktat THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Ponda BJP leader Vishwanath Dalvi, who had earlier expressed disappointment at being denied the party ticket, has now reconciled with the BJP’s decision. Speaking on Saturday, Dalvi described himself as a “disciplined worker” of the party, signaling that he has come to terms with the leadership’s choice. His statement is seen as an effort to quell speculation about internal dissent within Big jump in HSSCE results, pass percentage nears 93%  Science stream leads  Pernem emerges top performer  Girls outshine boys yet again THE GOAN I NETWORK >> SEE PG 2 World Water Day: A tribute to people’s fight for Goa’s water bodies Goa at the crossroads of climate change ORO Baking Pizzas: A local oven and a steady rise Governance cannot pause for the health of its executive head Instagram.com/thegoanonline the local unit. The BJP has announced it will field Ravi Naik's son Ritesh for the Ponda by-poll while Dalvi’s supporters had initially urged him to contest independently. >Continued on P6 cancelled flights originating from Goa. “Flights from Mumbai to Dubai are still operating, so some continued their journey from there... Transit passengers from Kuwait and Doha heading to Europe shifted to other carriers like Emirates,” he added. Refunds have nevertheless softened the blow, he added, >Continued on P6 PORVORIM Higher secondary schools in the State recorded an overall pass percentage of 92.96% at the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) exams, a big improvement from last year’s 90.64%. Declaring the results of the HSSC exams at a news conference on Saturday, Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Chairman Bhagirath Shetye stated that 16,067 passed from the 17,283 candidates who had appeared for exams. “Girls outshone boys yet again this year. Of the 9,080 girls who appeared, 8529 passed (93.93%), while 7538 (91.89%) passed from the 8,203 boys who appeared,” said Shetye. He said students from Science stream performed exceptionally well this year, with 5,097 of the 5,428 students passing with an overall passing percentage of 93.9. In the Arts stream, 3,790 of Two students get zero for using ChatGPT at exams PANAJI: Two HSSC students were awarded zero marks after they were caught using a mobile phone and attempting to access answers through ChatGPT during a board examination. Chairman of Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Bhagirath Shetye told reporters that the cheating by the two students was detected at an examination centre when supervisors found they sneaked mobile phones into the classroom, in violation of rules. “An inquiry revealed that they had photographed the question paper, and one of them had uploaded it to ChatGPT >Continued on P6 the 4,110 students passed the exams with a passing percentage of 92.21, while the commerce stream recorded a passing percentage of 92.9, with 4,936 of the 5,313 clearing the exams. In the vocational stream, 2,244 (92.27%) of the 2,432 students were declared successful. “In terms of performance distribution, the majority of students scored between 60–80%, accounting for 8,280 students, while 2,034 students secured marks in the 81–100% range,” Shetye said. Taluka-wise, Pernem taluka registered highest pass >Continued on P6 Fresh sewage discharge at Dabolim housing complex triggers outrage POLICE TEAM RUSHES TO THE SITE AFTER RESIDENTS COMPLAIN THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO Tensions escalated at the Prabhu Violetta residential complex in Dabolim on Saturday after residents alleged that untreated sewage water continued to be discharged in the garden area, despite directions from authorities to stop such practices. Following complaints, a team of Vasco police rushed to the site and conducted a spot inspection. The incident has further aggravated concerns among residents already grappling with 158 diarrhoea cases and contamination. According to residents, the alleged discharge was noticed in the early hours, prompting immediate calls to the police and local authorities. A resident, who first raised the alarm, said he was taken aback after witnessing sewage water being pumped into the open area within the complex. “I had gone for a walk inside the complex and stopped near a cross and a banyan tree Shocking fecal coliform level found VASCO: A water sample test of the STP at the Prabhu Violetta housing complex at Dabolim revealed a shocking fecal coliform level of 920x104 (92,00,000) MPN per 100ml, instead of the permissible limit of less than or equal to 100 MPN/100ml. A report of the test conducted by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) clearly indicated that Fecal Coliform had exceeded the permissible limit. According to the report, 250 ml from the final treated STP water sample was collected for analysis on March 16. >> See pg 3 to offer prayers for the recovery of residents affected by the ongoing health crisis. It was then that I noticed sewage water being pumped into the garden area, despite instructions from authorities to halt such discharge,” the resident said. He further stated that he immediately alerted both the police and the Chicalim panchayat. “I contacted the police and informed the sarpanch. They responded promptly and reached the spot, where they saw first-hand how the sewage water was being discharged. The waste was also being diverted into an adjoining property owned by the same builder,” he said. Police officials, upon arrival, inspected the site and carried out a panchanama to document the situation. “The police visited the location and conducted a panchanama. We have presented our concerns before them and urged both the police and the panchayat to initiate action against those responsible,” the resident added. ON PAGE 3 WRD seals borewell VASCO: Acting on rising health concerns and alleged violations of groundwater usage norms, the Water Resources Department sealed a borewell at the Prabhu Violetta residential complex, following the expiry of a three-day show cause notice issued earlier. The action comes in the backdrop of 158 reported cases of diarrhoea from the residential complex, which triggered alarm. 2 more cases detected VASCO: Two suspected cases of typhoid have now been detected at the Prabhu Violetta complex in Dabolim, triggering concern among residents and health authorities. The situation has been under close watch by the Cortalim Primary Health Centre (PHC), with medical teams deployed at the site since early this week. Good news for hospitality sector, Blast at Iran’s nuke site sparks fears of catastrophe Centre ramps up supply of LPG PTI DOMESTIC OUTPUT RISES; PANIC BOOKINGS FALL PTI NEW DELHI The government has approved an additional 20 per cent allocation of commercial LPG to States and Union Territories, taking the total allocation to 50 per cent, as increased domestic output is helping the situation crawl back to normalcy. The three-week-long war in the Middle East disrupted energy supplies to India, leading to initial curtailment in LPG supplies to commercial estab- lishments like hotels to prioritize supplies to household kitchens. Later, a fifth of their supplies were restored, and the government offered an additional 10 per cent, subject to states expediting piped gas projects. On Saturday, the government announced a 20 per cent enhanced allocation to key hospitality sectors such as restaurants, hotels, industrial canteens, food processing units, community kitchens and subsidised food outlets, while also supporting migrant workers through targeted distribution. The additional allocation will be subject to commercial establishments registering with oil companies and applying for a piped natural gas connection, according to a letter written by the oil secretary to states. An official statement said domestic LPG supply remains stable, with no reported shortages at distributorships and normal delivery operations continuing. DUBAI fresh strike has rattled Iran’s most sensitive nuclear nerve centre, deepening fears of a wider catastrophe as the Middle East war entered its fourth week on Saturday. Explosions were reported at the heavily fortified Natanz nuclear facility, a site already scarred by earlier attacks, even as Israel swiftly distanced itself, saying it was “not aware” of any operation there. Iran’s official news agency, Mizan News Agency, maintained that there was no radiation leakage following the strike at Natanz, located about 220 kilometres southeast of A US lifts sanctions on sale of Iranian oil at sea WASHINGTON: The United States has announced the temporary lifting of sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil stranded at sea in an effort to cool down soaring global crude prices. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the temporary measure will make available 140 million barrels of Iranian oil to global markets. Tehran. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Iran and was assessing the situation, while earlier estimates suggested most of Iran’s roughly 970 pounds (440 kg) of enriched uranium remained buried “This temporary, short-term authorisation is strictly limited to oil that is already in transit and does not allow new purchases or production,” Bessent said in a long post on X. The price of Brent crude witnessed sharp swings from USD 70 per barrel before the war began to as high as USD 119.50 this week. under debris at the Isfahan nuclear facility, with smaller quantities at Natanz. Adding to mounting global alarm, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that such attacks carry a “real risk of catastrophic disaster” across the Middle East. Satellite imagery had already shown visible damage to buildings at Natanz from strikes in the war’s opening days—marking yet another hit on a facility that has repeatedly found itself in the crosshairs. Britain, meanwhile, con- demned Iran for targeting a UKUS base in the Indian Ocean. Iran’s attack on the Diego Garcia air base -- about 4,000 kilometres away -- suggested Tehran has missiles that can go farther than it had previously acknowledged, or that it had used its space programme for an improvised launch. Iran’s capital saw heavy airstrikes overnight, residents said, as thousands of worshippers converged on Tehran’s grand mosque for prayers marking the end of Ramadan. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said attacks would “increase significantly” next week. He spoke shortly after fragments from an Iranian missile slammed into an empty kindergarten near Tel Aviv.