log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline TUESDAY JUNE 9, 2026 GOA THE ROAD LESS TAKEN: AN ASCENT TO THE HIGHEST MOTORABLE PASS SORPOTEL: A JOURNEY FROM SURVIVAL TO CELEBRATION IN SHORT >> 8 killed in mishap at steel plant VISHAKAPATNAM: At least eight workers of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (Vizag Steel Plant) were killed and six others injured here on Monday after molten iron spilt on them, officials said. “Eight workers were killed, and six others were injured, some of them grievously,” an official said.  >> See pg 8 CM: Goa records 36% rise in engg exports PANAJI: Goa recorded a 36 % growth in engineering exports during 2025-26, with exports rising from 405.8 million dollars in 2024-25 to 550.6 million dollars, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said on Monday. Sawant said the State has emerged as one of the fastest-growing contributors in the western region. Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat 3 days a week PANAJI: The Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat Express will run only thrice weekly during the monsoon season, following the Konkan Railway’s annual monsoon timetable. The revised schedule will remain in effect from June 15 to October 20, aimed at ensuring safer train operations amid heavy rainfall along the Konkan route. Two Kerala students test +ve for Shigella KOCHI: Two students of a school in Kerala's Wayanad district tested positive for Shigella infection, state minister T Siddique said on Monday. A high-level meeting has been convened on Tuesday to assess the situation and review measures to prevent further spread of the disease. Major Philippine quake kills 35 DAVAO: An offshore earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 hit the southern Philippines on Monday, killing at least 35 people, injuring more than 200 others mostly in ruined buildings and sending a 1-metre tsunami into nearby coasts. Several mostly low-rise buildings collapsed or sustained heavy damages in the hard-hit city of General Santos.  >> See pg 8 WEATHER >> Max: Min: Humidity: 30.7 C 24.4 C 84% The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 352 Another school year, same traffic mess in Margao >PG 6 Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA Garbage management gets overhaul in Mapusa following public outcry 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO How to stop hair damage and nurture new growth 10 BJP in tight spot over ST quota for assembly poll  BJP FACES PROSPECT OF GIVING TICKETS TO 6 ST CANDIDATES  NOTIFICATION DELAY WILL PUSH IMPLEMENTATION TO 2031 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The BJP finds itself walking a political tightrope over the implementation of Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservation in the Goa Legislative Assembly, with the move expected to reshape the party’s electoral strategy ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. While the BJP's Goa unit is aggressively pursuing the issuance of the final notification to operationalise The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Act, party leaders privately acknowledge that the exercise could present significant political challenges. At the same time, there is growing apprehension within the party that if the notification is not issued within this month, implementation of ST reservation could be deferred until after the next Assembly elections, effectively pushing it to 2031. „„BJP under pressure to & Sanvordem issue ST reserva„„Could upset tion notification TESTING existing ticket quickly distribution and TIME „„Four Assemambitions of FOR THE bly seats likely current MLAs SAFFRON „„Party faces to be reserved PARTY for ST candidates balancing act -- Priol, Quepem, between boosting Sanguem, and Nuvem/ ST representation and proCurtorim tecting electoral equations „„May need to field up to „„Internal political equasix ST candidates, not just tions within BJP could shift four, due to tribal leaderbecause of new reservation ship strength in Canacona system The legislation provides for reservation of four Assembly constituencies for ST candidates. Based on the existing demographic matrix, the constituencies likely to be reserved are Priol, Quepem, Sanguem and either Nuvem or Curtorim. However, BJP leaders point out that the party's electoral calculations extend beyond the four proposed reserved seats. Given its current political strength and the prominence of tribal leaders in certain constituencies, the BJP may ultimately have to field as many as six ST candidates in the 40-member Assembly election. Apart from nominating can- Govt extends shack policy, new framework deferred  DRONE SURVEILLANCE, WORK PODS MOOTED  SHACKS TO OPERATE TILL JUNE 10 THIS YEAR THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government has extended the existing beach shack policy for another year, opting against introducing a new framework ahead of the upcoming tourism season while simultaneously unveiling a series of measures to promote sustainability, improving beach surveillance and modernising coastal tourism infrastructure. Speaking to reporters after a consultation meeting with the tourism officials and the ‘ambassadors of tourism’ on Monday, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte announced that the current shack policy would continue under the same terms and conditions for the 2026-27 season. As a special measure this year, shacks will be permitted to remain operational till June 10 instead of the usual May 31 closure, subject to weather conditions. PROPOSED NEW INITIATIVES „„QR-code identity cards for all shack employees „„Drone surveillance along coastline „„Centralised ‘beach lab’ for monitoring illegal activities „„High-speed Wi-Fi on selected beaches „„Beach shacks to function as co-working spaces „„Support for tourism biz like water sports operators „„Temporary beachside pods for work & leisure spaces “We had to decide whether to introduce a new shack policy or extend the current one, and the government and the Department of Tourism, along with the shack owners, have decided to extend the existing shack policy for one more year under the same terms and conditions,” Khaunte said. The minister said the extension would provide continuity to operators while allowing the government to sharpen its focus on sustainability and regulatory compliance. “We are implementing a fo- cus on sustainability, specifically looking at how we can replace plastic and ensure we use sustainable products at the shacks, giving a very clear message of regenerative tourism,” he said. The Tourism Department has also set an ambitious timeline for processing renewals for the forthcoming season. Khaunte said operators would soon be able to begin renewal applications under the extended policy and >Continued on P8 FLASHBACK „„BJP delegation led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Sunday, seeking early issuance of the notification required to implement the reservation provisions before the 2027 elections didates in the four reserved constituencies, the party is expected to face pressure to retain ST representation in Canacona and Sanvordem, where tribal leaders have established strong political bases and emerged victorious despite the seats being unreserved. This has placed the ruling party in a delicate balancing act as it attempts to honour its commitment to enhancing ST representation while simultaneously managing aspirations of sitting legislators and preserving its electoral equations. “Under the new law, four seats will be reserved for ST candidates. However, the party will also have to consider fielding ST candidates in Sanvordem and Canacona. That means a total of six tickets could go to ST candidates. This is one of the concerns before the party leadership,” a senior BJP office-bearer told The Goan. The leader said that while the reservation is expected to strengthen tribal representation in the Assembly, it could also trigger a realignment of political equations within the BJP. The issue gained momentum after a BJP delegation led by Chief Minister Pramod >Continued on P8 SPORTS India eves begin WC preparations with dominant win over Windies 12 NIT hiring on hold after Goa’s concern over jobs for locals CM raises issue with Union minister THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that the ongoing recruitment process to fill up non-teaching posts at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Goa campus has been kept on hold by the Centre following the concern raised by the State over opportunities going to candidates from outside Goa. Speaking to media persons on his Delhi visit, Sawant said that he met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and discussed recruitment-related concerns at the NIT, Goa campus in Cuncolim. Sawant said that he urged the Centre to review the recruitment process to ensure that Goan youth receive a greater share of employment opportunities at the institute. “The NIT recruitment matter involves posts that were handled through agencies based outside Goa. We are ensuring that eligible Goan candidates are given fair consideration. At present, the process has been kept on hold, and we will move ahead with the next steps at the ear- CM: VOCAL FOR LOCAL „„Jobs must go fairly to Goan youth „„Present hiring handled by outside-Goa agencies „„Fresh recruitment process to be started „„Aim is max opportunity for local youth liest so that local youth are not deprived of these opportunities,” Sawant said. The chief minister said that the fresh recruitment process will be initiated to ensure that local youths get maximum opportunity. The issue came to light after Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai, who visited the Cuncolim campus and flagged concerns over alleged bias in the selection process. He demanded an independent audit of the hiring exercise, including details of how many Goan candidates were selected and why some who cleared initial stages were not taken forward after interviews. US attacks ship off Oman coast with 24 Indians; all crew safe PTI NEW DELHI All 24 Indian crew members of a Palau-flagged tanker that caught fire after it was attacked by the US Navy off the coast of Oman on Monday were rescued with the help of Omani authorities. The vessel, MT Marivex, was blacklisted and sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the US Treasury Department, people familiar with the matter said. The OFAC acts against vessels involved in violating US sanctions on the sale of Iranian and Russian oil. The vessel caught fire after it was attacked by the US Navy off the coast of Oman. MT Marivex is not Indian-owned and over the last few days, it made four attempts to evade the US blockade of Iranian ports, the people said. On three occasions, the vessel turned away after repeated warnings by the US Navy, they said. NATURE’S FURY: A massive banyan tree that crashed along the Canacona-Agonda road near the old Dhavalikar Hospital on Monday. (Report on pg 5) Several Indian workers killed in tragic Dubai minibus accident PTI DUBAI Several Indian workers were killed on Monday when a minibus collided with a truck that had stopped in the middle of a road in Dubai, the authorities said. “Deeply saddened by the tragic road accident in Dubai that claimed the lives of several Indian workers,” the Indian Consulate in Dubai said in a post on X. The mission said that it is working closely with local authorities to provide all possible assistance and support. Brigadier Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, said that preliminary investigations showed the truck had stopped suddenly in the middle of the Emirates Road due to a techni- cal fault. “The bus driver, who allegedly failed to pay attention and keep a safe distance, then rammed into the truck from behind,” he said in a statement. “The accident resulted in seven fatalities and nine injuries, including five serious and four moderate injuries. All injured were transported to the hospital for treatment,” he added. State gets leeway to use CAMPA Over 1,000 beneficiaries to get title documents today funds for wildlife, rehabilitation THE GOAN I NETWORK CEILING ON FUNDS INCREASED BY 50 PER CENT THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa will soon be in position to utilise a substantially larger share of its CAMPA funds for key forestry and wildlife conservation initiatives, including voluntary rehabilitation of human settlements from protected areas, as the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) has relaxed as well as increased the existing spending ceilings under the Net Present Value (NPV) and Interest Fund com- ponents. The move will benefit the forest department by enabling it to channel more funds towards activities such as demarcation of forest boundaries, relocation of villages from protected areas, establishment of wildlife rescue and veterinary treatment centres, and implementation of the Centre's "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" plantation initiative. As per a communication issued by the National CAMPA Authority to the State while inviting Annual Plans of Operation (APOs) for 2026-27, it has said that it can now seek allocations exceeding the current ceiling of 20 per cent under the NPV component. The limit has been proposed to be enhanced to 30 per cent which is 50 per cent of available NPV funds. Similarly, the ceiling for utilisation of Interest Fund resources is proposed to be increased from the existing 10 per cent to 20 per cent. The revised framework also permits greater spending on wildlife rescue centres and >Continued on P8 PANAJI ore than 1,000 beneficiaries from across North Goa will receive Sanads and ownership rights certificates under the Mhaje Ghar initiative at a district-level function on Tuesday. M MHAJE GHAR SCHEME North Goa Collector Ankit Yadav told reporters that the certificates pertain to applications that have already undergone scrutiny and approval under various government schemes. The distribution programme, scheduled at Menezes Braganza Hall in Panaji, HC bars house demolition till plea is decided PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday directed authorities to restrain demolishing an unauthorised dwelling house owned by two petitioners until their application for regularisation is decided. The petitioners, during the hearing, informed the court that they had applied on February 24, 2026, for regularisation of their house under the Mhaje Ghar scheme. Stating that their application had remained pending with the authorities will cover beneficiaries drawn from several talukas. The event is expected to be attended by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, ministers, legislators and senior govern- for more than three months, the petitioners approached the court seeking protection against any demolition action. The court directed the concerned authorities to decide the regularisation application within three months and communicate the decision to the petitioners within eight days thereafter. It further ordered that no demolition of the unauthorised structure be carried out until the application is decided. ment officials. Yadav said the administration has intensified efforts to clear pending cases and is monitoring progress regularly to ensure applications are dis- posed of within the stipulated timelines. He noted that final orders are being issued systematically after completion of the required procedures. The Collector further said the district administration plans to continue similar outreach programmes in talukas and villages to facilitate the delivery of certificates to a larger number of eligible beneficiaries. Addressing concerns related to land documentation, Yadav said the administration has not received any grievances regarding the issuance of Comunidade certificates. He maintained that authorities are adhering to a standard operating procedure and following provisions laid down under the relevant Act while processing such cases. He added that a detailed compilation of data relating to various land categories would be released separately.