log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY JUNE 6, 2024 GOA After Margao debacle, all eyes on Digambar Consolidation of non-BJP vote proved costly for saffron brigade in Cuncolim Marginal increase in Nuvem votes pushes Sequeira on the backfoot Curtorim segment sent out clear message: Do not take people’s power for granted BJP saw a surge in Navelim votes, but failed to contain Cong march Rumblings seen within BJP’s fabled booth-level apparatus Defector MLAs struggled to boost BJP’s electoral fortunes in Bardez The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 13 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 350 5 GIDC to take call on tech to address pollution in Cuncolim at next meet ON PAGES 2, 3 & 5 Facebook.com/thegoan GOA 9 members of trekking team die in Uttarakhand expedition 7 PTI Max: 31 C Min: 28 C Humidity: 72% TIDES Low: High: 04:42 17:19 11:55 22:45 How to treat dandruff with coconut oil NEW DELHI Preparing to take oath for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s members who unanimously elected him as its leader. NDA MPs will meet on June 7 to formally elect Modi as their leader and the alliance leaders will then go to the President to submit their letters of support, HAM (Secular) leader and former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said after attending the meeting. The new government may be sworn in over the weekend, some sources said, adding that there is a view to wrap SWEARING-IN AFTER NEGOTIATIONS? Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar greeting each other at the BJP-led NDA meeting on Wednesday. up the formalities quickly to not allow any mood of uncertainty to build up, something a buoyant opposition may push. How soon the BJP and its allies reach an agreement on matters like the share of min- istries each party may get and other terms of negotiations could also be a factor in deciding the timing of the swearing-in or they could put off the tricky issues for resolution at a later stage. TDP leader N Chandraba- „„How soon the BJP and its allies reach an agreement on matters like the share of ministries each party may get and other terms of negotiations could also be a factor in deciding the timing of the swearing-in or they could put off the tricky issues for resolution at a later stage bu Naidu, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, LJP(R) leader Chirag Paswan, JD(S) leader H D Kumarawamy, Jana Sena’s Pawan Kalyan, AGP’s Atul Bora and NCP’s Praful Patel Cocaine worth `  30 cr seized 1 off Gujarat’s Kutch coast PTI RGP’s debut in parliamentary polls yields modest gains in Bardez WEATHER >> INFO 8 MPs TO MEET ON JUNE 7 FOR FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENT; NEW GOVT SWEARING-IN LIKELY BY WEEKEND 2 Tiswadi turncoats disappoint BJP MLA cites late inclusion of Carlos for BJP’s poll performance in Vasco RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Day after result NDA sets ball rolling, elects Modi as leader LS poll headwinds expose chinks in Monserrate’s PanajiTaleigao turf Congress faces stiff challenges in Aldona amidst BJP’s resurgence Instagram.com/thegoanonline BREAK FROM FISHING: Fishing trawlers anchored at Malim Jetty on Wednesday after the 61-day ban on fishing came into effect on June 1.  Narayan Pissurlenkar North dist hospital CT scan out of order for 3 months, patients referred to GMC THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA The CT scan machine at the North District Hospital in Mapusa has been out of order for the last three months, forcing patients to proceed to the GMC hospital at Bambolim for routine scans. According to sources, the CT scan service at the North Goa District Hospital has been disrupted for the last three months, as the machine is out of order. An average of 20-30 patients usually avail of CT scans on a day basis, but since this service has been stopped, patients are referred to the GMC hospital. This has caused considerable inconvenience to patients and their families. Many have expressed surprised that an important machine like the CT scan has remained out of order for three months, especially since it is vital in diagnosis of patients with injuries or other ailments. “The government should repair or replace this CT scan machine immediately, so that patients are not subjected to further trauma and anxiety,” said social activist Baban Kandolkar. Sources said there is a >Continued on P7 GANDHIDHAM Thirteen unclaimed packets of cocaine, valued at Rs 130 crore in the international market, were recovered from a creek area near Gandhidham town in Gujarat’s Kutch district in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. A preliminary probe suggested the smugglers had hidden the contraband at the sea shore to avoid getting caught, Kutch-East division Superintendent of Police Sagar Bagmar said, adding this is the second major drug recovery from the same creek area in eight months. “A joint team of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Special Operations Group recovered 13 unclaimed packets of cocaine valued at Rs 130 crore from the creek area passing from Mithi Rohar village near Gandhidham town,” he said. The contraband was hidden there by smugglers and the packets are similar to the ones recovered from the same area in September last year, Bagmar said, adding the ATS was conducting further investigation. were among the 21 leaders from 16 parties who attended the meeting besides Modi and BJP’s Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and J P Nadda. Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha, who was present in the meeting, said the formalities related to the formation of the government at the Centre under Modi are expected to be over soon. All parties expressed confidence in Modi’s leadership, he added. A resolution passed at the meeting said the NDA government will continue working to lift people’s living standards for the country’s all-round development while conserving its heritage. “We are all proud that the NDA fought the 2024 Lok >Continued on P7 13 SPORTS India begins T20 WC campaign with crushing 8-wicket win over Ireland ‘INDIA’ decides to sit in Opposition Kharge says it will continue to fight ‘fascist’ BJP PTI NEW DELHI INDIA bloc will sit in the opposition and make no attempts to form the government, it will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise the people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday following the opposition alliance’s first meeting after the Lok Sabha poll results. Addressing the media after the nearly two-hour meeting which was seen as the alliance keeping its options open and not staking claim at government formation for now, he said the opposition leaders resolved to continue their fight against the “fascist rule” of the BJP led by Narendra Modi even as they thanked the people for their overwhelming support to the INDIA bloc. “We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s gov- We will take appropriate steps at the appropriate time to realise people’s desire not to be ruled by the BJP’s government,” — Mallikarjun Kharge, Cong president ernment,” Kharge said while reading out a statement adopted by all the alliance constituents after the deliberations at his residence. He said the decision has been taken by all constituents of the INDIA bloc in one voice. The Congress president had convened the meeting to discuss the political situation and the election results, explore any possibility of government formation and whether to reach out to their old partners Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. He also said that the >Continued on P7 Govt warns industrial units without ETP of shutdown Plans to incentivise efficient waste management by linking funds to green certification THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA Chief Minister Pramod Sawant issued a stern warning on Wednesday, stating that industries lacking an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) to manage their wastewater effectively will be shut down. This announcement was made during a World Environment Day programme in Panaji, where Sawant emphasised the government’s commitment to environmental protection. Sawant also highlighted plans to incentivise efficient waste management by linking funds to green certification for panchayats demonstrating effective solid waste management. He mentioned that this green certification initiative would extend beyond local bodies to include schools and higher education institutions. “Industries are welcome, but not at the cost of our environment. Industries will have to treat their wastewater in their ETP,” Sawant declared. SAWANT’S STERN WARNING „„Industries are welcome, but not at the cost of the environment. They will have to treat their wastewater in their ETP „„To stop transporting industrial wastewater to the STP at St Inez „„Industry tankers with effluent will not be allowed at the St Inez plant THE INCENTIVE „„Plans to incentivise efficient waste management by linking funds to green certification for panchayats demonstrating effective solid waste management „„The green certification initiative would extend beyond local bodies to include schools and higher education institutions He also specifically instructed industries to stop transporting industrial wastewater to the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at St Inez, stating that only STP tankers would be allowed, not ETP tankers. “The days of taking the industrial wastewater to the Rs 27 crore STP at St Inez and spoiling it are over. Industry tankers with effluent will not be allowed at the St Inez plant,” he asserted, underscoring the government’s re- solve to enforce stricter waste management practices. Industries are now expected to install ETPs to treat and purify wastewater before its safe discharge into the environment. Sawant appealed to industries to collaborate with the government in maintaining a green environment, stating that the Pollution Control Board and Environment >Continued on P7 Govt mandates EVs for office Despite win in North, BJP’s reliance on turncoats use, sets price cap at `30 lakh backfires, vote share drops; Cong’s declines too THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a major decision, the Goa government has mandated that all government vehicles must be electric, with a price cap of Rs 30 lakh. This announcement, coinciding with World Environment Day, does not apply to emergency vehicles or other utility vehicles. The Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Finance (Expenditure) on Wednesday refers to its standing instructions regarding the purchase of electric vehicles by government departments, corporations, and autonomous bodies while modifying one of the guidelines to make it mandatory to purchase EVs THE GOAN I NETWORK OFFICIAL MEMO „„In order to discourage any new additions to the existing fleet of vehicles, proposal for purchase of new vehicles shall be made against vehicles that have been condemned and disposed of „„The proposal for purchase of new vehicles shall contain a certificate from the concerned head of department that there are no vehicles in off-road condition that require condemnation and disposal for government use. “In order to discourage any new additions to the existing fleet of vehicles, proposal for purchase of new vehicles shall be made against vehicles that have been condemned and disposed of. The proposal for purchase of new vehicles shall contain a certificate from the concerned head of depart- ment that there are no vehicles in off-road condition that require condemnation and disposal,” it states. For Chief Secretary and Chairpersons of government-owned corporations and autonomous bodies, the EV price ceiling is set at >Continued on P7 PANAJI t was a resounding victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in North Goa. Seasoned politician Shripad Naik clinched victory for the sixth consecutive time, surpassing his 2019 margin of 80,247 votes. However, not all is well with the figures across constituencies, particularly where the ruling party heavily relied on turncoats to boost its vote share. As the numbers dropped significantly, Naik’s victory was bittersweet. The party is now confronted with this contentious factor. In Calangute, represented by Michael Lobo, the vote I DECLINE IN KEY CONSTITUENCIES „„Calangute: Michael Lobo’s constituency witnessed a nearly three% drop in vote share from 30.51% in 2019 to around 29.01% in 2024 „„Siolim: Delilah Lobo’s contribution saw a decline in vote share from 36.61% in 2019 to around 35% in 2024 „„Cumbarjua: BJP’s vote share dropped significantly from 38.44% in 2019 to 34.25% in 2024 „„Mandrem: From 53.77% in 2019, the vote share dropped to 41.41% for the BJP „„Panaji: Babush Monserrate’s constituency witnessed BJP’s vote share drop from 39.63% in 2019 to 36.08% in 2024 „„St Cruz: BJP’s vote share declined from 30.14% to 28.42% share dropped nearly three per cent from 30.51 per cent in 2019 to around 29.01 per cent in 2024. Delilah Lobo’s con- tribution in Siolim also raised questions as the vote share declined from 36.61 per cent to around 35 per cent. Unarguably, the Congress also began losing traction but despite a significant decrease in the INDIA bloc’s vote share, the turncoat MLAs couldn’t capitalise on this. For instance, Congress vote share in Calangute was 40.26 per cent in 2019, which dropped to 37.37 per cent for INDIA. Likewise, Siolim’s vote share decreased from 34.54 per cent in 2019 to just 27 per cent in 2024. The BJP instead saw a decline in its own vote shares too. Cumbarjua was a major disappointment for both BJP and INDIA, but more for the BJP. There’s a clear drop from 38.44 per cent vote share registered in 2019 to 34.25 per cent this time. The now BJP MLA Rajesh Faldessai couldn’t help BJP give a gain. The decline also did not bode well for INDIA as in 2019 Congress secured a vote share of 32.24 per cent, which decreased to 29.38 per cent. The INDI alliance however made significant strides in Mandrem although vote shares did not noticeably increase. But BJP’s vote share dropped drastically. INDIA’s vote share rose to around 28.16 per cent compared to the 2019 elections recording 26 per cent - giving Naik a major challenge in MGP MLA Jit Arolkar’s constituency. From 53.77 per cent in 2019, the vote share dropped to 41.41 per cent for the BJP. The >Continued on P7