log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY APRIL 12, 2026 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 294 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 MOVIES »PAGE 16 GOOD LIFE »PAGE 12 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 SPORTS »PAGE 8 Does India have a problem with vulgar lyrics? Body care, reimagined Job hugging shift IPL: Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Capitals by 23 runs What’s new to watch in theatres and OTT Breath-work to nutrition: A path to manage ailments How to reclaim tech-life balance in the age of constant alerts Title dreams take a hit for Arsenal >> SEE PG 2 DRUG DEATHS: A CRISIS IN PLAIN SIGHT 9 MAGAZINE MAGAZ Goa’s juicy secrets: Celebrating the fruits of summer The day the sky stopped being the limit Jesus of Nazareth Feast: Faith, history and tradition Signals of conscience: Ending child exploitation on Goan roads 11 IN SHORT >> Multi-vehicle mishap in Bihar, 13 killed KATIHAR: At least 13 people were killed and 30 others injured following a collision involving a bus, a truck, and a pickup van in Bihar's Katihar district on Saturday evening, a police officer said. The accident took place at 6:30 pm on NH-31 in Kodha block of Katihar, Superintendent of Police Shikhar Choudhary told reporters. Store catches fire at Dabolim airport VASCO: A fire broke out in the storeroom of Terminal 2 in the Goa International Airport at Dabolim on Saturday, triggering brief concern within the terminal premises. The storeroom, which housed electrical items and appliances, sustained damage as the flames spread within the enclosed space. >> See pg 5 Satara man held in `60L digital arrest PANAJI: The Goa Cyber Crime Police arrested a man from Maharashtra in connection with a Rs 60 lakh “digital arrest” fraud, in which a Panaji resident was allegedly coerced into transferring money after being threatened with a forged money-laundering case. The case was based on a complaint that the accused contacted the victim through WhatsApp.  >> See pg 5 From neglected to nurtured, why body care is no longer an afterthought From quiet quitting to staying put, workplace priorities are being redefined Over `3 crore traffic fines come under legal cloud RECORDS REVEAL ENFORCEMENT TOOLS DEPLOYED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WITHOUT PROPER CERTIFICATION THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI A technology-driven traffic crackdown across Goa has come under immense legal strain after official records clearly show that enforcement tools were deployed for several months without the certification required by law. This has cast doubt on fines worth more than Rs 3 crore collected since 2024. Documents obtained by The Goan through Right to Information indicate that police in North and South Goa issued thousands of challans including for speeding and drunken driving, even before obtaining the mandatory certification required under Rule 167-A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. That rule requires electronic enforcement equipment to WHAT THE DOCUMENTS REVEAL „„Police issued thousands of challans for offences like speeding, drunk driving before mandatory certification of enforcement devices „„Under CMV Rules electronic enforcement equipment must be tested and certified for accuracy „„Certification granted only on February 20, 2026, meaning earlier enforcement may not meet legal requirements „„Penalties issued before certification may not hold up legally „„Govt collected around Rs 3.24 crore from enforcement drives conducted before certification „„Officials indicate fines and violations could be challenged „„Traffic police extensively used mobile phones to capture violations „„In North Goa 22,042 challans issued using mobile phone images „„In South Goa 30,249 challans issued; collected about Rs 97.07 lakh „„Mobile phones not certified enforcement devices under current rules be tested and certified for accuracy by a state-designated authority. The certification, as per official records, was granted only on February 20, 2026 which does not mention mobile phones. Moreover, the gap between deployment and approval has raised the prospect that penal- ties imposed before that date may not withstand legal scrutiny. By the government’s own accounting, enforcement Ponda by-election: Triumph, turmoil & the battle ahead INTERNAL CONFLICTS DEEPEN IN MAJOR PARTIES ASHLEY DO ROSARIO THE GOAN I PANAJI The cancellation of the Ponda by-election after the Bombay High Court at Goa quashed the Election Commission of India’s notification less than a day before polling was to start may have halted the electoral test for now but it has sparked accusations and new rivalries within the two major political parties in the fray -- the ruling Bharaitya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress. For the BJP, the abruptly cancelled process and campaign has exposed internal fault lines. Ritesh Naik, the younger son of Ravi Naik whose death prompted the by-poll, had secured the ticket. But now for the prized nomination in 2027, he faces resistance from the party’s South District President Vishwanath (Apurv) Dalvi, a long-time karyakarta who believes his seniority and grassroots work entitle him to the nomination. The party leadership will now once again be hard „„Internal rift in PONDA Bhatikar BJP exposed „„AAP least BY-POLL after cancellaaffected; used AND ITS tion campaign to AFTERMATH boost visibility „„It can be Ritesh vs Dalvi for „„Political battle future (2027) ticket now shifts to strate„„BJP leadership may gy rooms face tough call on selection „„FLASHBACK: High „„Congress likely to face Court quashed ECI notifiInternal competition -cation just before polling; Bhatikar vs Verenkar sparked blame game and rivalry within BJP & „„Rift spills into public; Congress leadership seen backing pressed to make the choice between the two, even as the Opposition parties push the narrative that the saffron party influenced the ECI to cancel the polls. Opposition leaders argue that the by-poll cancellation has bought time for the BJP to settle their internal disputes. The party on the other hand dismisses the charge as political opportunism. The Congress is no less di- vided than the BJP as its bypoll candidate, Ketan Bhatikar, will be vying for the 2027 ticket against Rajesh Verenkar, who incidentally had also performed strongly in the 2022 assembly elections. The by-poll cancellation has reignited tensions between the two camps which even spilled into the public domain as Verenkar publicly >Continued on P6 STORM BREWING AGAIN AGAINST RAILWAY DOUBLE TRACKING PROJECT 1 Activists from across Goa met in Margao to intensify the agitation against the controversial double tracking project, warning of environmental damage and pollution even as historian Prajal Sakhardande on Saturday urged Goans to storm the railway tracks in protest. Accusing authorities of pushing the project through villages like Cansaulim, Arossim and Velsao without consent, Sakhardande appealed for unity beyond caste and political lines, citing past collective resistance as a model for success. Former MLA Alina Saldanha claimed the project largely benefits Karnataka and warned of further land acquisition impacting homes. Activists including Jose Marie Miranda and Orville Dourado alleged the project serves corporate interests and lacks transparency. A public hearing is scheduled on April 16, as campaigners call for mass mobilisation. >> See pg 3 2 3 drives up to February this year brought in roughly Rs 3.24 crore. Officials familiar with the matter told The Goan that, in the absence of certification, both the penalties and the underlying violations could be open to challenge, leaving the State exposed to demands for reversal or refund. The disclosures also described the extensive use of mobile phones by traffic personnel to document violations. In North Goa alone, 22,042 challans were issued in 2025 using images captured on such devices, yielding more than Rs 1.08 crore in compounding fees. In South Goa, the traffic police issued a total of 30,249 challans during the same calendar year, collecting Rs 97,07,100 in compounding >Continued on P6 Instagram tightens content curbs for teenagers in India CLAMPS DOWN ON WHAT TEENS CAN SEE AGENCIES NEW DELHI Meta-owned image and video-sharing platform Instagram has announced that its updated age-appropriate content ratings and limited content settings will now be available in India for children aged 13 and above. The feature was initially rolled out in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The updated content settings will mean that teenagers in India will be able to view only content similar to what they would likely see in an age-appropriate movie. All users under 18 will be placed in this category going forward, and will not be able to change the settings without parental permission, Meta said in a blog post. 'Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear some strong language in a movie rated for ages 13+, teens may occasionally KEY INSTA CONTROLS „„Under-18 users get age-appropriate content only (like 13+ movies) „„Settings mandatory; can’t change without parental approval „„Teens blocked from following inappropriate accounts „„Restricted accounts hidden from search, feed, recommendations „„No DMs, follows, or comments between teens & such accounts see something like that on Instagram, but we're going to keep doing all we can to keep those instances as rare as possible. 'We recognise no system is perfect, and we're committed to improving over time,' Meta said. US-Iran talks hit ‘stalemate’ over Hormuz Strait control PTI ISLAMABAD Crucial talks between United States and Iran in Pakistan have reportedly hit a “stalemate" as both sides disagreed over the control of the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained a core issue for negotiations to end the war in West Asia. Sources said that discussions over reopening the Strait remained a sticking point as Iran insisted it retained control over the waterway and could impose a toll on vessels transiting the waterway. Earlier, a US delegation led TWO NAVAL WARSHIPS TRANSIT STRAIT OF HORMUZ, CLAIMS US MILITARY WASHINGTON: The US military said two destroyers transited the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing work, a first since the war began. Iran’s state media, however, earlier said Iran forced a US military ship that was attempting to cross the strait to turn around. by Vice President JD Vance reached Islamabad for the historic face-to-face talks with top Iranian negotiators. The Pakistan-brokered talks are being watched globally amid increasing expectations of a breakthrough. Ahead of the trilateral negotiations in Islamabad, the Vance-led US team and the Iranian delegation headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held separate meetings with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif. GRAB YOUR COPY BEFORE IT’S GONE!! AFTER MEGA SIR CLEANUP DRIVE… Voter lists in 12 States, UTs shrink by over 5 crore PTI NEW DELHI he combined voters’ list of nine States and three Union territories has been pruned by 10.2 per cent following the SIR exercise carried out by the Election Commission, with over 60 lakh dead voters removed, data shared by the poll authority and its State officials shows. When phase II of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was announced by the EC on October 27, the voter base across the 12 States and UTs stood at more than 50.99 crore. Post the exercise, the vot- T „„Electoral rolls in 9 States and 3 UTs (25.47 lakh) & West Bengal (24.16 lakh) reduced by 10.2% after SIR „„63.16 lakh names deleted after „„Total voters dropped from objections/adjudication 50.99 crore to 45.81 crore SIR II: KEY „„SIR Phase II completed across „„Net decline of over 5.18 FACTS AND 12 States/UTs crore voters „„Final rolls published for all FIGURES „„66.88 lakh deceased voters concerned regions including removed UP, WB, TN, Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa, etc. „„Highest deletions were from UP ers’ list stands at 45.81 crore -- a decline of over 5.18 crore. In percentage terms, the electoral rolls have been reduced by 10.2 per cent. As many as 66,88,636 deceased electors have been removed from the rolls, with the maximum of 25.47 lakh from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 24.16 lakh from poll-going West Bengal. Additionally, 63.16 lakh names were deleted following objections and adjudication during the SIR exercise. The second phase of SIR has now been completed with the final electoral rolls of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattis- garh, Kerala, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa published on different dates. Uttar Pradesh was the last state to release its final rolls on Friday. While the exercise, which kept the EC in the news, had earlier been completed in Bihar, the second phase covering the above-mentioned 12 states and Union territories, with nearly 51 crore electors, has now concluded. The remaining 40 crore electors will be covered across 17 States and five Union >Continued on P6 PANAJI St Paul’s bookstore, 18 June road St Paul’s bookstore, Fontainhas VASCO Lighthouse Gallery, St Andrew’s Church BUY ONLINE MAPUSA St Paul’s bookstore MARGAO Lighthouse Gallery Dogears Bookshop OLD GOA Basilica bookstore PILAR Pilar bookstore FOR E NQUIRIE S, CONTACT Melvyn Misquita | PH: 9860597117