log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SUNDAY MARCH 31, 2024 MOVIES »PAGE 16 STAGING PRIORITIES Actor plays an app creator in his next film THE FAVOURED STAR EASTER GREETINGS THE GOAN wishes its readers, advertisers and well-wishers a happy Easter. May the Risen Lord bless you abundantly. THE G AN POLL-STIR Readers can VOTE on a wide range of issues @ TWITTER POLLS presented by your pollster, The Goan. TODAY’S POLL : Will the assault on women footballers in Goa permanently scar the sport? n Yes n No n Can’t say To vote, follow The Goan on X (twitter) @thegoanonline Scan QR to vote YESTERDAY RESULT: Will delay in announcing its candidates for both Goa seats in the Lok Sabha polls prove costly for Congress? YES 65.8% NO 26.3% CAN’T SAY 7.9% >> SEE PG 3 WAR ZONE FOR LOK SABHA April Fool’s Day promises laughter and lighthearted pranks 9 Restoring environmental damage through proactive judicial intervention Night nourishing and magic of ‘beauty sleep’ 10 Understanding and managing kidney disorders in children Unique Gondhal Festival at Shri Gajant Laxmi temple in Volvoi 11 Auto Review Volkswagen charges into India’s EV market with the ID.4 SUV The Goan E-Paper (Playstore) 16 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 283 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 PLAY & PAUSE »PAGE 13 LIVE SMART »PAGE 14 Harmony of Colours Decoding M.I.C.E SPORTS »PAGE 8 Lucknow Super Giants opens account with win over Punjab CIRCLING THE SQUARE : When the canvas is not enough! 3 TIPS: Enjoy Your Day Siverio rescues point for Jamshedpur FC against Kerala Blasters Ongoing retrospective of Rumale Chennabasavaiha at NGMA celebrates the artist’s relationship with colours An in-depth exploration of the essence of M.I.C.E Top AIFF official arrested for assaulting women players INCIDENT TOOK PLACE AT A HOTEL DURING THEIR STAY IN GOA THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Mapusa police arrested All India Football Federation executive committee member Deepak Sharma on charges of assaulting and misbehaving with players of Khad Football Club, which is participating in the Indian Women League, during their stay in Goa. Two female players, aged 19 and 21, of Himachal Pradeshbased Khad FC, taking part in the League (second division) here lodged a complaint at the Mapusa police station on Saturday alleging that Sharma, the owner of the club, had barged into their room and physically assaulted them on the night of March 28. Acting on the complaint, Mapusa police registered a case under Sections 323, 341 and 354A of the IPC. Deputy Superintendent of Police Sandesh Chodankar said, “Sharma was called for questioning during the day after a formal complaint was received. He was arrested by Mapusa police under various sections, including caus- Committee will hear both sides: AIFF President NEW DELHI: Reacting to the incident, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said, there are two versions of the incident and we need to investigate both. “There are two versions and unless we come to the correct information ... the girl is saying he (Sharma) slapped her. He is saying the girl had gone out after 11pm and so it was a fatherly scolding and he was concerned more about her safety and security going out at 11pm. ing hurt, using force against women, among others”. North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal said further police investigation is in progress. The incident allegedly occurred in a hotel room on Thursday, with the players officially filing a complaint with the AIFF on Friday. According to the footballers, Sharma became upset when he found them preparing food in the hotel room and proceeded to physically assault them. They further al- “The girl is saying she was feeling hungry and she had gone out to buy eggs. He is saying since he is the secretary-general of the State association and owner of the club, it was his responsibility to take care of the safety and security of all the players and hence scolded them.” “Whether his (Sharma’s) actions were under the influence of alcohol or he did it due to genuine concern, he has to prove,” said Chaubey, adding that the probe by the AIFF’s panel will be independent of the police investigation. leged that Sharma was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident and had been drinking in their presence during their journey from Himachal Pradesh to Goa. One of the footballers recounted the incident, stating that Sharma verbally abused them for cooking eggs in their room and then physically assaulted her when she tried to explain the situation. The players also claimed that Sharma's wife, who manages the club, pressured them to Right of way major hurdle for power transmission projects FLASH REPORT CITES DELAY OF 44 PROJECTS ACROSS INDIA THE GOAN I NETWORK MAGAZINE MAGAZ Facebook.com/thegoan PANAJI Goa-Tamnar Power Transmission project, which is currently facing major hurdle following Karnataka government's rejection to carve out a power transmission line through the Western Ghats forest and further pending clearance from National Board of Wildlife (NBW) is one amongst the many projects -- across India -- which are facing delays thus weakening the transmission grid prospects. The transmission sector may impede India’s efforts for economic growth with 44 projects of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) being delayed by difficulties in obtaining right of way and forest clearance, according to Flash Report for December 2023. The Flash Report contains information on the status of 44 central sponsored PGCIL Projects costing Rs 150 crore and above. According to the report 60 per cent of the under KEY FINDINGS OF FLASH REPORT „„60% of under construction projects -- 26 out of 44 -- are delayed with an average delay of 27 months „„Delays are likely to incur a excess financial burden of Rs 7000 cr „„19 projects under Regulated Tariff Mechanism mode delayed by an average of 33 months with cost overrun of Rs 6,886 cr „„Seven RTM projects have also been delayed for construction projects -- that is 26 out of 44 -- are delayed with an average delay of 27 months. These delays are likely to cost over Rs 7000 crore excess financial burden. The Infrastructure and Project Monitoring Division (IPMD) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is mandated to monitor central sector infrastructure pro- more than 50 months with a cost overun of Rs 6,709 cr „„Another seven Tariff Based Competitive Bidding-based projects are delayed by an average of 11 months jects costing Rs 150 crore and above. The status is based on the information provided on the Online Computerised Monitoring System (OCMS) by the project implementing agencies. The report further points out that 19 projects under the Regulated Tariff Mechanism >Continued on P7 retract their complaint. In response to the allegations, the AIFF President, Kalyan Chaubey convened an emergency meeting with senior members of the AIFF to address the situation. Following discussions, a three-member committee was formed, including Pinky Bompal Magar, Rita Jairath, and Vijay Bali, to investigate the matter and submit a report within seven days. As part of the investigation, Deepak Sharma has been in- ‘GFA will offer legal support’ PANAJI: Goa Football Association (GFA) President Caetano Fernandes has stated that the association will provide legal support to the women players in the matter. “The women players had filed a police complaint against Deepak Sharma in this matter and the GFA will appoint lawyers at its own expense… GFA helped the victims file the complaint at Mapusa police station,” Fernandes told reporters. Sharma is also the secretary-general of the Himachal Pradesh Football Association. structed to refrain from participating in all football-related activities until the committee concludes its process. The Ministry of Sports has taken cognizance of the alleged assault, directing the AIFF to take prompt action >Continued on P7 Smart City mess being cleared for impending inspection by judges THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited and contractors engaged by it -M/s Bagkiya, M/s MVR and M/s Bansal -- are in overdrive mode to partly clear the mess and minimise the dust pollution in the capital city ahead of Monday's site inspection slated to be conducted by Judges of the Bombay High Court. Some measures like sprinkling of water on public roads, twice daily, in areas where excavation and construction work is carried out, covering and watering of excavated earth are being diligently being executed now. IPSCDL said in a media release that these measures help to dampen the dust and reduce its dispersion in the surroundings. "Also, the excavated earth is barricaded and watered to minimize dust as sewerage work progresses, currently standing at 85% completion,” the IPSCDL media release said. "The IPSDCL will also introduce sweeping and hosing of roads to complement dust control efforts from April 1," it said, adding that it is collaborating with executing depart- Another stretch of St Inez road shut PANAJI: The stretch of road from Sterling Apartments near Zakis Biryani to the PWD office (Water Division), St Inez covering approximately 150 meters has been closed for traffic. The proposed time period for completion of the road surface including curing time is 30 days, officials said. ments like PWD and GSUDA to address traffic management concerns. Barricading excavated pits and installing luminescent devices to enhance visibility, especially by night and mandating contractors to adhere to strict safety protocols are some other measures the IPSCDL said it is implementing. The Bombay High Court at Goa recently took cognisance of two public interest litigations filed by city residents to address concerns regarding dust pollution affecting public health and other inconveniences caused by the ongoing work in the capital. The Court also fixed an inspection of the work by judges for Monday. 10-year-old girl dies after eating cake ordered online on b’day AGENCIES PATIALA A 10-year-old died of suspected food poisoning after eating a cake on her birthday in Punjab. The girl's entire family, including her younger sister, fell ill after eating the cake, said her grandfather. The victim, was seen cutting the cake and celebrating with her family in a widely shared video on social media, just hours before her death. She cut the cake around 7 pm on March 24, by 10 pm the same night, the entire family fell sick, her grandfather Harban Lal said, adding that the sisters started vomiting soon after. Manvi asked for water, expressing extreme thirst and complaining of dryness in her mouth, he said. Later, she went to sleep, he added. The family rushed her to a hospital the next morning after her health deteriorated. She was put on oxygen and an ECG - a recording of the heart's electrical activity -- was performed Harban Lal said. But they couldn't save her. She was declared dead soon after. LIGHT & LIFE: Parish Priest Fr Walter de Sa lights the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil service at Immaculate Conception Church, Panjim.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Christians usher in Easter with midnight services THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Catholic community celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ by participating at Easter vigil services in churches, chapels and Catholic in- stitutions across the State on Saturday night. Considered the most important Mass of the liturgical year in the Roman Catholic Church, the Easter Vigil service began shortly before midnight in all parishes on the diocese, with Cardinal Felipe Neri Ferrao presiding over services at the Se Cathedral in Old Goa. The kindling of the Easter fire, the lighting of the >Continued on P7 2 held for extorting Demand high, but supply takes ‘hic’ out of urrack & feni `30L from bizman CLINTON D’SOUZA THE GOAN I PANAJI THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Mapusa police have arrested 2 persons on charges of extorting Rs 30 lakh from a businessman in Mapusa by pretending to be officials of the IT Narcotics Bureau in Delhi. According to police reports, the two accused Nivedita Sharma (29) of Uttar Pradesh and Bhuvan Arora (35) of Uttarakhand had gone to the bungalow of the victim, who is originally from Delhi, sometime in August 2023. The two accused are alleged to have assaulted the victim and further threatened to defame him by threatening to arrest him in a drug case and extorted Rs 30 lakh from the victim. The victim later lodged a complaint with the Mapusa police and a case was registered under Sections 342, 170, 323, 506(2), 389 and 34 of IPC. After investigation, the police arrested both the accused Nivedita Sharma and Bhuvan Arora. Police are on the lookout for other suspects in this case. One accused, Nivedita Sharma, was later released on bail by a court. C ashew farmers in Goa are facing tough times as their once-thriving industry grapples with a series of challenges, impacting the production of their famous drinks, feni and urrack. The cashew business, which has been a source of pride for Goa, is now on the decline. Cashew farmers in the region are facing challenges stemming from erratic weather patterns, pest infestations, forest fires, and a dearth of coherent governmental strategies. These converging issues have compounded to present CASHEW PRODUCTION: CAUSE & EFFECT „„Erratic weather patterns, pest infestations, forest fires and dearth of coherent govt strategies formidable obstacle for cashew growers „„Rising costs of labour too adds to problems „„Impact felt throughout production chain leading to a formidable obstacle for cashew growers. Additionally, the rising costs of labour are adding to their problems. The impact of these challenges is being felt decrease in output of feni & urrack „„A 35litre gallon of throughout the production chain, leading to a decrease in the output of feni and urrack, two of Goa's most well-known beverages. Victorino Fernandes, a vet- urrack now costs Rs 4,500 compared to Rs 3,500 in previous years „„Shortage of cashew fruit has also pushed urrak production across the border „„As demand soars, a bottle of urrack which costs Rs 200 is being sold at Rs 500 in some places eran in the distillery business from Korgao Pernem, shared his concerns about the decreasing cashew fruit and subsequent liquor production. He explained, "there is a decline GOVT NEEDS TO STEP IN „„Cashew farmers stressed need to preserve and promote legacy of local drinks like feni & urrack „„Underscore importance of concerted actions to tackle environmental and economic strains „„Stakeholders feel government needs to come out with policy and subsidies for safeguarding cultural and economic importance of feni and urrack in cashew fruits, which has greatly affected our business. Weather conditions, such as fog followed by sudden heat, can destroy the flowers. Additionally, factors like humidity and overall climate effects contribute to the decline in the season." Fernandes emphasised the vulnerability of cashew farming to environmental changes, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions to protect the industry. Throwing light on the pricing of feni and urrack, Fernandes noted a significant increase >Continued on P7