log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY MAY 18, 2026 GOA IRAN TENSIONS, OIL PRICES, RUPEE, GLOBAL MARKETS TO INFLUENCE D-STREET THIS WEEK IN SHORT >> RGP dismisses rumours of split PANAJI: Finally, the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) leadership responded on Sunday to the ongoing internal turmoil in the party, apparently vertical split between factions aligned to its president Manoj Parab and their lone legislator, Viresh Borkar, and dismissed speculation of a split or dissolution.  >> See pg 3 4.39 lakh sq mts to be marked as NDZ PANAJI: The State government has proposed to notify over 4.39 lakh square metres of land in Tiswadi taluka as “No Development Zone” (NDZ), effectively restricting construction and development activities in ecologically sensitive areas under the Regional Plan (RP) 2021.   >> See pg 3 Rains lash Sanguem, disrupt feast fair SANGUEM: Unseasonal rain lashed the Sanguem region on Sunday, severely disrupting the annual Purumentachem feast fair and triggering panic among traders and vendors. Shopkeepers were seen scrambling to safeguard their merchandise, covering goods with tarpaulin and plastic sheets in a bid to minimise losses.   >> See pg 3 Anjunem Dam viewpoint in danger VALPOI: The scenic viewpoint near Anjunem Dam in Chorla Ghat, a popular attraction drawing large numbers of tourists daily, has become increasingly hazardous following damage to sections of its iron railing. With tourist footfall expected to rise during monsoon, locals have expressed concern over the possibility of accidents.   >> See pg 5 Indian dead in drone attack in Moscow MOSCOW: An Indian worker was killed and three others were injured in a drone attack in the Moscow region, the Indian embassy in Russia said Sunday. Russian media reported that three people were killed and another six suffered injuries in the Moscow region in the Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday night. The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 330 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 9 50 sq km of ‘unclassed’ forest land comes under govt lens Monsoon fear grows over unsafe buildings in Margao >> pg 6 Facebook.com/thegoan GOA From Sodiem to Anjuna, Siolim’s roads tell a different political story INFO The art of scent: Exploring the benefits of different perfume types QUESTIONS ARISE OVER ENCROACHMENTS, KUMERI GRANTS SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI THE ‘UNCLASSED’ FOREST LAND SAGA A major legal and administrative exercise is underway in Goa over nearly 50 sq km of “unclassed forest” land -- areas that are under the custody of the Forest Department but are not officially notified either as Reserved Forests under Section 20 or Proposed Reserved Forests under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The emerging issue has opened up questions over encroachments, old cultivation rights, Kumeri grants, and alleged illegal land allotments made after the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 came into force. The issue has now come to fore following the setting up of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) at the taluka level to identify and prepare an inventory of reserved forest land currently in possession of the Revenue department and probe whether any such land was allotted to private individuals or institutions for non-forestry purposes. SITs will recommend and initiate action to take back possession of such lands. Sources explained that un- „„Lands in question are forest dept lands not officially notified as Reserved or Proposed Reserved Forests „„Many patches have seen encroachments over the years „„Occupants claim traditional or cultivation rights „„Old “Kumeri” grants also in focus as land could only be used for cultivation like other States, Goa does not have forest land formally vested with the Revenue Department. Forest areas in the State broadly fall under Reserved Forests, Proposed Reserved Forests and a separate category of “unclassed forests”-- tracts handed over to the Forest Department mainly for protection purposes. Officials said many of these unclassed forest patches have witnessed encroachments over the years, while certain occupants claim traditional or fruit-bearing purposes „„If cultivation had stopped, land legally reverted to govt „„Unused portions of granted land liable to be or cultivation rights that were never formally recognised. The scrutiny has also brought focus on “Kumeri” grants issued by the Revenue Department in forest areas. Under such grants, beneficiaries were only permitted to cultivate or use the land for fruit-bearing purposes, without ownership rights over the land itself. Sources said under the grant conditions, if cultivation activity ceased, the land automatically reverted to the taken back by the State „„Authorities examining whether present occupation matches original grant conditions „„Any forest land diversion or allotment after 1981 without Centre’s nod may be treated as illegal „„Exercise may impact several occupants claiming cultivation or traditional rights government. Similarly, if only part of the granted land was cultivated, the remaining portion was liable to be resumed by the government. “These lands are now under examination because several cases involve occupation patterns that may not match the original grant conditions,” sources stated. Another key issue pertains to land diversions and grants issued after the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 came into force. The central law effec- tively curtailed the powers of district collectors and mandated prior approval of the Central Government for diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes. Officials indicated that any allotment or diversion of forest land made after 1981 without mandatory central approval could be treated as illegal and may either be restored to forest status or reconsidered under the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The exercise is expected to involve a detailed examination of historical land records, revenue grants, occupation claims and forest notifications. Sources said the review could have far-reaching implications, particularly in areas where occupants are claiming cultivation or traditional usage rights over forest patches that were never formally regularised. The Supreme Court, last year, directed all States and Union Territories to examine cases where reserved forest land may have been diverted for non-forest use and to take corrective action within one year. SPORTS Delhi Captials keep season alive with convincing win over Royals Door-to-door Phase-1 houselisting census Ops conclude in Goa Second phase in Feb next year THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The month-long door-to-door exercise under Phase I of Census 2027 concluded in Goa on Friday, May 15, marking the completion of the Digital Layout Mapping (DLM) of buildings and houselisting operations (HLO) across the State. With the completion of the exercise, no new household entries will now be made on the Houselisting Operation application. The survey, which commenced on April 16, involved 3,086 enumerators, including teachers and government staff, who carried out extensive door-to-door visits across Goa. The first phase focused on collecting detailed information on houses and households. Data gathered included building and census house numbers, construction materials used for floors, walls and roofs, the usage and condition of houses, ownership status, number of rooms, and the number of usual residents in each household. Enumerators also recorded details of the head of the household, including name, gender and social category, „„Out of 191 panchayats, „„Centre has made on177 listed as ‘Sankalp line reporting of Gram Defaulters’ Sabha proceedings mandatory „„North Goa SANKALP has 91 default„„Digital DEFAULTERS: reporting ing p’yats, OFFICIAL while South intended to has 86 ensure public DATA access to p’yat „„Failed to subdecisions mit GPDP decisions on Panchayat Nirnay „„System to help monitor portal developmental works at village level „„‘Sankalp Defaulter’ tag relates to non-compliance „„Move aims to improve with GPDP, digital govertransparency in rural nance rules governance agendas, record resolutions or submit Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) related decisions on the Union government’s digital governance platform. The Centre has made digi- tal reporting of Gram Sabha proceedings and development planning mandatory under its Panchayat e-governance framework aimed at >Continued on P7 „„House & household details „„Building materials, house condition „„Ownership status, number of rooms „„Number of household residents „„Number of married couples „„Access to basic amenities such as Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Information regarding the number of married couples in a household was also collected. The exercise further captured data on access to basic amenities, including drinking water, electricity, toilet facilities, wastewater outlets, bathing and kitchen facilities, and the type of cooking fuel used, including LPG and PNG. As per the 2011 Census, Goa had a total of 3,43,611 households, of which 1,24,674 were >Continued on P7 PTI MAJORITY FAILED TO CONDUCT GRAM SABHA MEETINGS, UPLOAD RESOLUTIONS ON PORTAL PANAJI More than 92 per cent of Goa’s village panchayats have been flagged as “defaulters” by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj for failing to conduct mandatory meetings or upload developmental resolutions on the Panchayat Nirnay Portal during the last financial year. Official data accessed from the Centre’s Panchayat governance monitoring system shows that out of Goa’s 191 village panchayats, as many as 177 have been listed under the “Sankalp Defaulter” category. Of these, 91 panchayats are from North Goa district while 86 are from South Goa. The “Sankalp Defaulter” or GPDP defaulter classification is used for Gram Panchayats that fail to schedule mandatory Gram Sabha meetings, upload meeting PHASE-1 FOCUS Nothing will be left of Iran if nuke deal fails, warns Trump Over 92% p’yats flagged as defaulters by Centre THE GOAN I NETWORK 12 EXPRESS FIRE: Dense smoke engulfed parts of the Rajdhani Express after a fire erupted on the train in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district on Sunday, triggering panic among passengers. (Report on pg 7) Tirumalla Society to get fresh NOC, to restart Goa operations THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Nearly three months after withdrawing its approval, the State government has decided to grant fresh No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Tirumalla Tirupati Multistate Co-operative Credit Society Ltd in a bid to allow them to resume operations and open branches in Goa. The Office of the Registrar of Co-operative Societies (RCS), Goa, confirmed that the Society has applied for fresh NOC after compliance with regulatory requirements. Registrar Ashutosh Apte told The Goan that the government has decided to grant the Society fresh NOC. "They have applied for fresh NOC on com- pliance of all conditions prescribed by Central RCS, Govt of Goa has considered to issue fresh NOC to them," he said. The NOC had been withdrawn in February after the Registrar’s office initiated regulatory action following an inspection into the society’s functioning. The withdrawal >Continued on P7 WASHINGTON After Tehran's lukewarm response to the US' five-point list for Iran talks, Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning. The US president warned that there won't be anything left of Iran unless it agrees to a deal. "For Iran, the Clock is ticking, and they better get moving, fast, or there won't be anything left of them. Time is of the essence," US President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump's latest threat comes hours after he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. The two leaders discussed the possibility of renewed fighting with Iran, while Trump also briefed Netanyahu on his recent visit to China, Israeli news outlet Kan reported. Earlier, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that the US had presented a five-point list, which included uranium transfer to Washington and put nuclear limits on Tehran. Education ministry clears air on Planned dog shelters under scrutiny over space, timelines DOG SHELTERS: KEY CONCERN AREAS CBSE’s On-Screen Marking THE GOAN I NETWORK SAYS IT ENABLES TRANSPARENT EVALUATION PTI NEW DELHI The Ministry of Education on Sunday dismissed concerns about On-Screen Marking (OSM) affecting students' scores in the class 12 exams, saying it is not new for the CBSE and special attention was given to ensure that the marking remained accurate. OSM is a norm followed internationally to conduct transparent evaluation, School Education Secretary, Ministry of Education, Sanjay Kumar, said at a press conference here. This comes amid concerns being raised by students and parents that the drop in the pass percentage in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) class 12 exams is due to OSM. Kumar said the OSM system is not something new nor has it been implemented for the first time. “The CBSE had introduced OSM in 2014. At that time, from a technical perspective, it was felt that continuing it immediately would not be feasible because of the exist- ing infrastructure and setup. However, we have reintroduced it this year,” he said. He said a major advantage of introducing OSM is the flexibility it provides. “Earlier, when the CBSE conducted evaluation or marking, it was generally done within the geographical jurisdiction of the respective regional offices. However, with OSM, it has now become possible to have answer sheets evaluated even outside the regional office area,” the school education secretary explained. MAPUSA onths after the Supreme Court pushed States to address rising concerns over stray dog attacks in public spaces, the State government’s proposed plan to establish dedicated dog shelters in three districts is emerging as one of the State’s most closely watched public safety initiatives – but critical questions remain over execution, funding and whether the facilities can meaningfully reduce conflict between humans and stray animals. The shelters, proposed by the Directorate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, are intended to house M „„Timelines for land, construction, operational rollout still unclear „„No public details released on shelter capacity „„Uncertainty over availability of veterinary staff, trained handlers „„Rehab protocols for dogs not yet outlined „„Shelters could become overcrowded if intake exceeds capacity „„Poorly planned shelters risk turning into long-term holding centres „„Questions on which agency will monitor, oversee Ops „„Unclear how dogs will be classified as “dangerous” or bite-prone „„No clarity yet on mandatory behavioural assessments and rehabilitate dogs involved in bite incidents, particularly those found near “sensitive public areas” such as schools, hospitals, markets and bus stands. Officials say the move is aimed at balancing public safety with animal welfare obligations under existing law. The decision follows mounting pressure from residents and local bodies amid growing anxiety over stray dog attacks across urban pockets of Goa. But even before the shelters become operational, questions are surfacing over whether the State possesses the infrastructure, manpower and long-term rehabilitation framework required to make the project viable. Senior officials in the animal husbandry department have indicated that land identification and operational planning are underway, though timelines for completion remain unclear. Details regarding shelter capacity, district-wise allocation, veterinary staffing and rehabilitation protocols have also not yet been made public. The proposed facilities represent a significant shift in Goa’s handling of stray dog management. For years, the State’s primary strategy revolved around sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination >Continued on P7