log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline WEDNESDAY MAY 27, 2026 GOA 3 chiefs, one tumultuous term: MMC’s five-year journey ends Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 339 3 GOA Irregular KTCL services leave commuters stranded across State 5 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Endometriosis cases rising in women aged 25–30 10 A heart attack that left Goa heartbroken SPORTS Patidar turns IPL Qualifier into one-sided affair 13 CCP revokes permission for ‘Enough is Enough’ meet at Azad Maidan GREEN CRUSADER FR BOLMAX DIES AFTER MULTIPLE CARDIAC ARRESTS, REMEMBERED FOR COURAGE BEYOND THE ALTAR; STATE PAYS TRIBUTE TO PRIEST WHO STOOD AT THE FOREFRONT OF GOA’S ENVIRONMENTAL STRUGGLES Statehood Day exhibition cited as reason for cancellation THE GOAN I NETWORK THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa woke up to grief on Tuesday with the news of the death of Fr (Dr) Bolmax Fidelis Pereira, the beloved parish priest of Chicalim and a fearless environmental activist, at 4:30 am at the Goa Medical College following multiple cardiac arrests. GMC's medical superintendent, Dr Mahesh Patil, in a statement to the media, said, Fr Bolmax, who was under emergency treatment since being admitted on Saturday morning, suffered a massive heart attack late on Saturday night and was put on life-support (ventilator) for observation. "At 4.30 am today, he unfortunately passed away," Patil said. On Saturday morning, Fr Bolmax, had suddenly collapsed at Vasco railway station, while preparing to join parishioners for a picnic to >PG 6 MANGALOREAN TILES AND THE SLOW FADE OF GOA’S TILED ROOF HERITAGE IN SHORT >> Vice Prez to chair Statehood Day event PANAJI: The Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun preparations for the upcoming Statehood Day celebrations, with Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan expected to chair the official function during his visit on May 30.  >> See pg 5 Duo held in `2.23 cr online fraud cases PANAJI: The Cyber Crime sleuths of the Goa police have arrested two men from Maharashtra in separate online fraud cases amounting to more than Rs 2.23 crore, including a purported share trading scam in which over Rs 2 crore was siphoned off from a Margao resident.  >> See pg 5 Rented vehicle mows down woman rider MARGAO: In a major hit and run accident involving a rent-a-car, a lady rider was knocked down by a speeding vehicle on the NH66 at Sirlim, leaving her critically injured. >> See pg 5 Funeral to be held on Thursday PANAJI: The last rites of Fr Bolmax will be held on May 28 with his mortal remains being placed at St Francis Xavier Church, Chicalim, at 7 am for parishioners and well-wishers to pay their final respects. A Eucharistic celebration will follow at 10 am. The cortege will then be taken to his residence in Quepem and the funeral procession will depart from there at 2:30 pm for the Holy Cross Church, Quepem, where an Eucharistic celebration will be held at 3 pm, followed by the burial. Collem. He was rushed to Daffodils Hospital near Tilak Maidan, where doctors managed to revive him. Later, he was shifted to Goa Medical College (GMC) for advanced treatment under a team led by Dr Guruprasad Naik. Through Saturday, his condition was described as stable and he even had meals and in- teracted with relatives. But by nightfall, his condition deteriorated sharply after another cardiac arrest around 10.20 pm, forcing doctors to place him on life support. Despite intensive care Fr Bolmax succumbed in the early hours of Tuesday, according to Dr Patil. A priest who went much beyond the altar, Fr Bolmax, aged 50, was more than a parish priest. He was a PhD scholar in Botany, researching the sustainable management of Goa’s wetlands, and also served as Assistant Professor at St Joseph Vaz College, Cortalim. His pastoral journey took him through parishes in Fatorda, Loutolim, Mapusa, Agassaim, Nerul, and finally Nearly 25 TPD garbage left untreated daily despite drop in waste volumes since 2021 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa’s municipal solid waste management system is showing signs of stress, with the quantity of untreated garbage increasing nearly five-fold over the last four years with over 25 tonnes of waste left untreated daily. The State’s waste processing efficiency has dropped from 98 per cent in 2021 to 87 per cent in 2025. Data on municipal solid waste generated and processed shows that while Goa generated its highest waste load of 250 tonnes per day (TPD) in 2021, it managed to process almost the entire volume, leaving only around 5 TPD untreated. However, despite handling lower waste quantities in recent years, the State has failed to maintain the same processing performance. In 2025, Goa is generating around 193 TPD of waste daily, but only 87 per cent is being processed, resulting in nearly 25 TPD remaining untreated every day, almost five times higher than the unprocessed waste recorded WASTE MANAGEMENT: THE SORRY STATE „„Waste processing efficiency drops from 98% in 2021 to 87% in 2025 „„Goa generated highest waste load of 250 TPD in 2021. Only around 5 TPD remained untreated „„Waste generation currently stands at around 193 TPD „„Processing levels stagnate at 87% since 2023 in 2021. The figures indicate a widening gap between waste generation and treatment capacity, raising concerns over the State’s ability to cope with increasing urbanisation and tourism-linked waste. Waste generation dropped sharply to 128 TPD in 2022, when the State processed 88 per cent of the waste generated. However, the waste load began rising again, FRAMEWORK AIMS TO SECURE RARE EARTH SUPPLY CHAINS NEW DELHI India and the US on Tuesday firmed up a key framework for cooperation in ensuring steady supplies of critical minerals, a move that comes amid growing concerns over China's export controls on rare earth elements and strategic metals vital for global technology supply chains. The framework on securing supplies of mining and processing of critical minerals VOICE FOR GOA’S SOIL FALLS SILENT FR BOLMAX: PASTOR, PROFESSOR, PEOPLE’S PRIEST GOA LOSES TIRELESS CRUSADER FOR ECOLOGY AND JUSTICE PRIEST WHO IGNITED CHICALIM, TURNING IT INTO A MOVEMENT GOA’S ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT SUFFERS 2ND MAJOR LOSS IN 3 MONTHS TRIBUTES TO AN INSPIRING LIFE CHICALIM YOUTH RECALL MENTOR WHO TRANSFORMED FEAR INTO CONFIDENCE Chicalim. However, he was best known as a voice for Goa’s pro-environment movement and shot into prominence when he passionately opposed the railway double-tracking project, fought against the destruction of Mollem forests, and mentored youth groups like the Chicalim Youth Farmers Club and Chicalim Bio Crusaders. His role in the #SaveMollem campaign cemented his reputation as a priest who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the people, defending Goa’s fragile ecology. News of his death spread instantly with political parties, politicians, and scores of prominent Goans and institutions paying tributes. Parishioners of Chicalim mourned the loss of a priest who combined faith, courage, and activism. For many, he was a shepherd who walked beside his people, inspiring them to fight for justice and the environment. Fr Bolmax’s passing leaves a void in Goa’s social and spiritual fabric even as he will be remembered as a priest, scholar, and activist who lived with humility and courage, and who dedicated his life in service to both faith and nature. PANAJI The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) has withdrawn permission granted to the 'Enough is Enough' movement to hold a public meeting at Azad Maidan on May 30. In a communication dated May 25, CCP informed the group that the approval issued on May 21 stood cancelled. The letter cites preparations for a government exhibition at Azad Maidan to commemorate Goa Statehood Day as the reason for the withdrawal. The CCP has assured that any fees paid will be refunded upon submission of the original receipt. The 'Enough is Enough' movement, a citizen-led initiative opposing illegalities and environmental destruction in Goa is spearheaded by retired Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Ferdino Rebello. The cancellation has come Goa’s unprocessed waste Govt plans digital crackdown rises fivefold in four years on poultry waste dumping India, US sign landmark pact on critical minerals PTI ON PAGES 2 & 3 was signed on the sidelines of the Quad foreign ministers' meeting here. “It is something very timely and critical,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “This framework aims to deepen our cooperation across the entire critical minerals and rare earth supply chain, including mining, processing, recycling and related investment,” he said. The external affairs min- ister said the framework will strengthen resilient and diversified supply chains, help finance projects, and ensure effective management of critical minerals and rare earths. “It is one more sign of how close our cooperation has been in a world where there are so many challenges but also so many opportunities,” he said. In his remarks, Rubio highlighted the strategic >Continued on P8 „„Concerns grow over widening gap between waste generation and treatment „„Urbanisation, tourism-linked waste adding pressure on system touching 181 TPD in 2023 and increasing further to 193 TPD in 2024, a level that has remained unchanged in 2025. Despite the increase in waste generation over the last three years, processing levels have remained static at 87 per cent from 2023 onwards. At present, Goa has two operational integrated >Continued on P8 WASTE CORPORATION TEAMS TO GEO-TAG CHICKEN CENTRES, SALONS ACROSS STATE AMID RISING POLLUTION COMPLAINTS THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Alarmed by the growing menace of chicken waste and other wet waste being dumped in open spaces, culverts and water bodies across the State, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) plans to launch a State-wide survey to map chicken stalls and salons in a bid to streamline waste disposal and tighten monitoring mechanisms. GWMC Managing Director Harish Adconkar said the corporation plans to identify and geo-tag chicken centres and salons across the State to understand how waste generated from these establishments is being handled. “We are going to map all salons and chicken centres in Goa. This exercise will help us understand why people are dumping waste in the open and where exactly the waste is being sent,” Adconkar said. “The surveys will also create awareness among business owners regarding proper disposal practices,” he added. The move comes amid increasing complaints about foul smell, clogged drains and contamination of water bodies caused by indiscriminate „„Establishments to be „„Complaints over foul geo-tagged across smell, clogged UNDER Goa drains rising THE „„Survey aims „„Salon waste SCANNER disposal also to trace waste dumping under GWMC hotspots scanner „„Poultry waste „„Biomedical found dumped in waste norms to be culverts, water bodies monitored GWMC to intensify drive against open dumping MAPUSA: The Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) is planning to intensify enforcement action against the rampant dumping of waste in open areas across the State, even as it continues awareness campaigns and infrastructure development to tackle the growing menace.  >> See pg 5 dumping of poultry waste, particularly along highways and roadside stretches. “Chicken stalls are one of the major areas we have identified. During highway waste collection drives, we frequently find chicken waste dumped in open areas and even inside culverts, where it putrefies and creates serious health and environmental hazards,” he said. Officials said the corporation intends to create a com- prehensive database using geo-coordinates and digital mapping tools, enabling authorities to identify dumping hotspots and formulate targeted intervention strategies. “All this will be mapped through Google Maps and geo-tagging so that we can identify vulnerable locations and understand how this issue needs to be tackled,” Adconkar added. >Continued on P8 THE SETBACK „„Activists question timing of cancellation days before scheduled event „„Azad Maidan described as traditional space for public protest and civic expression „„CCP says fees, if paid, will be refunded upon submission of receipt „„Movement likely to explore alternative venues to continue campaign as a setback to the group, which had planned the meeting at the iconic venue in Panaji to rally support for its cause, symbolically on Statehood Day. Azad Maidan has long been a space for public dissent and civic expression in Goa and >Continued on P8 Heavy rain alert issued for Goa over next 4 days THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Goa over the next four days, indicating an intensification of pre- monsoon activity across the State. According to the latest weather bulletin issued by IMD, Goa, along with Kerala and Karnataka, is expected to receive intense rainfall spells during the period. The weather agency has predicted heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, while cautioning about possible localised waterlogging, reduced visibility and disruption in low-lying areas if intense spells persist. IMD has also forecast light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over Maharashtra, Gujarat, Lakshadweep, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next four days. Goa has been witnessing moderate pre-monsoon showers in isolated parts over last few days. Goa IMD too has issued Yellow warning on Wednesday for the State. Scrapyard fires reignite questions over policy gaps THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI loud blast split in Dicarpale, Davorlim, before flames swallowed yet another scrapyard. Residents said the sound resembled a bursting tyre or an exploding gas cylinder. Within moments, fire spread rapidly through the yard, which also reportedly caught fire in 2019. The incident once again exposed a contradiction that has come to define Goa’s scrapyard crisis: fires continue to erupt with alarming regularity, while the State still has neither a relocation plan nor a regulatory framework in place. The Dicarpale fire came barely weeks after a massive A SCRAPYARD POLICY PARALYSIS „„Hundreds of unauthorised scrapyards operating across Goa „„No scrapyard in Goa has obtained a fire No Objection Certificate „„Corporation rules do not permit scrapyards inside industrial estates „„Govt had still explored blaze ripped through a cluster of scrapyards in Zuarinagar with firefighters struggling to contain flames fuelled by densely packed scrap material. Workers had rushed back from lunch to move gas relocation to industrial estates despite GIDC clarification „„Survey numbers of govt and comunidade land identified, but no site finalised „„Ownership issues delaying land finalisation process cylinders and flammable items before the fire could spread further. Yet despite repeated fire incidents, policy discussions and assurances, the government is yet to identify and UNAUTHORISED SCRAPYARDS Salcete ........................108 Bardez ..........................66 Tiswadi ..........................57 Bicholim .......................49 Ponda ...........................48 Mormugao .................... 39 Sattari .............................11 Pernem ..........................10 Canacona .......................10 Quepem ..........................7 finalise land to relocate scrap yards operating dangerously close to residential settlements, roadsides and each other. Official records accessed by The Goan show there are hun- Fire engulfs scrapyard at Dicarpale MARGAO: A major fire engulfed at scrap yard at Dicarpale in Davorlim panchayat area, destroying a plastic bottle glass machine and leaving a couple of vehicles damaged.   >> See pg 5 dreds of unauthorised scrap yards spread across Goa. Salcete alone accounts for around 108 – the highest in the State – followed by Bardez with 66, >Continued on P8