log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY MARCH 30, 2024 GOA Readers can VOTE on a wide range of issues @ TWITTER POLLS presented by your pollster, The Goan. TODAY’S POLL : Will delay in announcing its candidates for both Goa seats in the Lok Sabha polls prove costly for Congress? n Yes n No n Can’t say To vote, follow The Goan on X (twitter) @thegoanonline Scan QR to vote YESTERDAY RESULT: By questioning AAP leaders, is the ED conducting a political witch-hunt against opposition parties? YES 80% NO 15% CAN’T SAY 5% IN SHORT >> Panels to adjudicate cash seizures The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO.282 Cold storage facility in limbo as SGPDA fails to hand over land for Phase III work THE G AN POLL-STIR Facebook.com/thegoan 2 GOA Plan to shift Mapusa excise office to Porvorim sparks outrage 3 THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO The intense race for the Congress ticket for the South Goa seat seems far from over, bringing the Congress camp under the close lens of party workers and well-wishers. Even as the Congress leadership comprising of GPCC chief Amit Patkar and Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao returned home from Delhi on late Thursday and announced that the party will declare the candidates for the Goa seats on Friday, reports emanating from Delhi now say that the candidates will be announced only on Easter Sunday. Sources further informed that the High Command has called the Amit-Yuri duo to Delhi on Sunday before the party leadership takes a final decision on the candidates, especially for the South Goa seat. That’s not all. Even as the suspense over the South Goa SUSPENSE & SPECULATIONS „„A post did the rounds on the social media speaking about rumours about mass resignations by party top leaders and by most of the blocks if the South Goa ticket is given to ex-GPCC chief Girish Chodankar „„The post must have been uploaded on the social media as a pressure tactic and to send a message clear to the party High Command not to take the local party leadership for granted „„A section of the party leadership is also keen in giving an honourable exit to four-time sitting MP Francisco Sardinha if the party decides to nominate either Girish or Captain Viriato for the South Goa ticket candidate continues, a post did the rounds on the social media speaking about rumours about mass resignations by party top leaders and by most of the blocks if the South Goa ticket is given to exGPCC chief Girish Chodankar. The leaders mentioned in the post were not available for comment, but it is believed in political circles that the post must have been uploaded on the social media as a pressure tactic and to send a message clear to the party High Command not to take the local party leadership for granted. The social media post also assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the Congress High Command has postponed declaration of the candidates from Friday to Sunday. It also assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the report that ex-PCC Francosco Sardinha Girish Chodankar PTI Siolim mishap victim succumbs to injuries MAPUSA: A 43-year-old man from Ghateshwarnagar in Khorlim-Mapusa, who was seriously injured in a road mishap at Bamanwada-Siolim, died on Friday while undergoing treatment at the GMC.  >> See pg 2 WEATHER >> Max: 30 C Min: 25 C Humidity: 68% Why and when to do an anomaly scan  HIGH COMMAND WANTS ANOTHER REVIEW, PARTYMEN GET RESTLESS  SOCIAL MEDIA ABUZZ WITH SPECULATIONS OF PULLS AND PRESSURES Mapusa woman reported missing MAPUSA: A male human skeleton has been found in a field at Sarvewada-Guirim and the deceased is suspected to be a person who has been missing since March 5.  >> See pg 3 9 INFO SPORTS Kolkata Knight Riders defeats RCB by 7 wickets 12 5% ARE BILLIONAIRES WITH ASSETS EXCEEDING `100 CR Another setback: Cong gets `1,823 cr fresh I-T notices Human skeleton found at Guirim RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Cong still in fix; Patkar, Yuri 225 out of 514 sitting MPs face criminal charges: ADR called to Delhi on Sunday PANAJI: Seizures during the election season due to restrictions on movement with liquid cash above the Rs 50,000 limit imposed by the Model Code of Conduct, will be dealt by a district level committee headed by the respective district magistrates.  >> See pg 2 MAPUSA: A 24-year-old woman from Peddem-Mapusa has been reported missing since Thursday. The missing woman, Kavita Chandrakant Satardekar, was working at a private establishment at Cosmos building in Mapusa.  >> See pg 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline LEFT PARTIES, TMC TOO SLAPPED WITH TAX RECOVERY NOTICES NEW DELHI The Congress on Friday said it has received fresh notices from the Income Tax department, asking it to pay around Rs 1,823 crore even as it accused the BJP of “serious violations” of income-tax laws for which it should be penalised to the tune of Rs 4,600 crore. The left parties – CPI and CPI-M – were also caught up in similar tax nets with the CPI saying it has received a notice from Income Tax department for using an old PAN card and the CPI-M slapped with a tax recovery notice of Rs 15.59 crore for not declaring a bank account in its tax returns for 2016-17. Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale also claimed he has received 11 I-T notices in the last 72 hours. With campaigning for Lok Sabha polls picking up, the Congress also accused the ruling BJP of indulging in “tax terrorism” to financially cripple the opposition party and alleged that democracy was “under threat” in the BJP government. Citing examples, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the I-T department has CAUGHT IN THE TAX NET „„Congress says the I-T department has now given a notice to the Congress for a total amount of Rs 1,823 crore and already withdrawn Rs 135 crore from the party’s accounts, which were funds collected by the party through crowdsourcing „„The CPI says it has received a notice from Income Tax department for using an old PAN card and the CPI-M slapped with a tax recovery notice of Rs 15.59 crore for not declaring a bank account in its tax returns for 2016-17 „„TMC also claims it has received 11 I-T notices in the last 72 hours now given a notice to the Congress for a total amount of Rs 1,823 crore and already withdrawn Rs 135 crore from the party’s accounts, which were funds collected by the party through crowdsourcing. All the parties are now seeking legal recourse and the Congress saying that its case is slated to be heard in the Supreme Court on April 1. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here along with Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and party treasurer Ajay Maken alleged that the BJP is in serious violation of income-tax laws and said the I-T department should raise a demand of Rs 4,617.58 crore from the saffron party for such violations. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of indulging in “tax terrorism” by misusing probe agencies and warned it, saying when the government changes, such exemplary action will be taken that no one will dare to do such things again. Meanwhile, the CPI said it has received a notice from the Income Tax department for using an old PAN card while filing tax returns during the last few years. A CPI leader earlier said the notice was for Rs 11 crore dues, but later another senior leader said the notice did not mention the penalty amount. Viriato Fernandes >Continued on P5 Durbhat temple burgled, cash of `50k stolen ACCORDING TO ADR REPORT PTI NEW DELHI Out of the 514 sitting Lok Sabha MPs analysed, 225 (44 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to the self-sworn affidavits analysed by poll rights body Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR). Out of those analysed, 5 per cent are billionaires, with assets exceeding Rs 100 crore. The report by the ADR, which scrutinised affidavits of the sitting MPs, revealed that among the sitting MPs with criminal charges, 29 per cent face serious criminal cases, including allegations of murder, attempt to murder, promoting communal disharmony, kidnapping, and crimes against women. Out of the sitting MPs with serious criminal cases against them, nine face murder cases. The analysis revealed that five of these MPs belong to the BJP. Furthermore, 28 sitting MPs have declared cases related to attempt to murder, with a majority 21 MPs belonging to the BJP. Similarly, 16 sitting MPs „„29 per cent face serious criminal cases, including allegations of murder, attempt to murder, promoting communal disharmony, kidnapping, and crimes against women „„Out of the sitting MPs with serious criminal cases, nine face murder cases. The analysis revealed that five of these MPs belong to the BJP „„28 sitting MPs have declared cases related to attempt to murder, with a majority 21 MPs belonging to the BJP „„16 sitting MPs face charges related to crimes against women, including three allegations of rape „„Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh stand out with more than 50 per cent of their MPs facing criminal charges „„The BJP and the Congress have the highest number of billionaire MPs face charges related to crimes against women, including three allegations of rape. The report also sheds light on the financial aspects of these lawmakers. Among major parties, the BJP and the Congress have the highest number of billionaire MPs, though the analysis shows significant representation from other parties as well. Regarding the distribu- tion of criminal cases among states, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh stand out with more than 50 per cent of their MPs facing criminal charges. Additionally, the analysis unveils disparities in wealth among MPs, with some >Continued on P5 PASSION OF CHRIST THE GOAN I NETWORK PONDA Burglars broke into the Sai Baba temple at Durbhat Ponda and stole cash of about Rs 50,000 on Thursday night. The temple was closed at 9.30 pm after the Aarti and other programmes on Thursday night. However on Friday morning, when the temple committee chairperson Vishwanath Naik entered the temple, he saw that the lock of the main door was broken and the fund box was missing. The empty fund box was found in the bushes about 100 metres from the temple. Jewellery, cash worth `14.76 lakh burgled from Siolim house >> See pg 5 A police team went to the site for the panchanama and also pressed fingerprint experts into service. The temple was first burgled around 10 years ago, and after that the temple committee had installed CCTV cameras. But these cameras have not been working for the past few years and this will make it difficult for the police to trace the accused. The temple committee chairperson Vishwanath Naik has lodged a complaint in the matter and Ponda PI Tushar Lotlikar is investigating. A live Way of the Cross enacted during the Good Friday service at Our Lady of Victory Church, Revora.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Drug network busted at Candolim, Methamphetamine seized 2 REPEAT OFFENDERS FROM RAJASTHAN HELD THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The NCB-Goa Zonal Unit cracked yet another major drug network involved in Methamphetamine trafficking within Goa. During a marathon operation spanning several hours, drugs valued at over half a crore rupees were confiscated while two persons from Rajasthan – repeat offenders – were arrested. NCB Additional Director (NCB-Goa and Mumbai), Amit Ghawate, stated they worked on intelligence inputs that indicated the presence of an interstate syndicate engaged in illicit drug activities in Goa. “Recognising the strict surveillance at airports, parcel offices, and land routes, alongside Goa’s status as a tourist destination, especially owing to the election code of conduct, a locally based syndicate saw an opportunity to facilitate narcotics distribution >Continued on P5 Taliban to recommence stoning State govt yet to act on Centre’s advisory to ban women in public for adultery ferocious dog breeds, onus may be on local bodies AGENCIES NEW DELHI The Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, has issued a disturbing proclamation, vowing to implement brutal punishments against women in public and reaffirming their opposition to Western democratic principles, according to a report. In a chilling voice message broadcasted on state television, Akhundzada directly addressed Western officials, dismissing concerns about violating women’s rights by stoning them to death. You say it’s a violation of women’s rights when we stone them to death. But we will soon implement the punishment for adultery. We will flog women in public. We will stone them to death in public,” — Mullah Akhundzada, Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader “You say it’s a violation of women’s rights when we stone them to death,” Akhundzada stated. “But we will soon implement the punishment for adultery. We will flog women in public. We will stone them to death in public,” he declared, marking his most severe rhetoric since the Taliban seized control of Kabul in August 2021. In his message, Akhundzada asserted that the women’s rights advocated by the international community contradicted the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. “Do women want the rights that Westerners are talking about? They are against Sharia and clerics’ opinions, ” he remarked. THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI espite incidents of pet dogs attacking humans which shook the public conscience in the recent past, the Goa government is yet to move seriously on the directives to curb people from having certain ferocious breeds of dogs as pets, more than a week after such a directive issued by the Centre’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. “We have not received any directions yet from the government on the Centre’s advisory,” a top official of the D Onus may fall on p’yats, civic bodies for policing the ban T he DAH&VS, meanwhile, may not be the nodal department to ensure that the ban on a list of ferocious dog breeds is enforced, the top official told The Goan. “The responsibility to prepare guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOPs) to enforce the ban may fall on us State Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (DAH&VS) said. The Centre’s directive was but actually policing the ban will eventually be the responsibility of local bodies,” the official said. Dog breeds such as Rottweiler, Pitbull Terrier and Wolf dogs, which are known to be owned by Goan pet lovers are in the list the Centre has banned for import, breeding and selling as pet dogs. sent in a letter to Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories to ensure that the ban is imposed with “immedi- ate effect” from March 12. No worry for owners of banned breeds Those already owning dogs as pets belonging to some of these banned breeds, meanwhile, can breathe easy as the Centre’s directive permits them to hold on to their pets, albeit with strict conditions. Their licences for the existing pet dogs will be renewed but they will have to ensure they are vaccinated and possess a ‘report’ of examination by a recognised and licenced veterinary doctor. However, no new licences can be issued to own new pets from among the banned list of breeds. >Continued on P5