log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline MONDAY OCTOBER 28, 2024 Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 131 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Cry against Bhutani project grows louder in Sancoale POLITICOS, LOCALS GATHER IN LARGE NUMBERS FOR PEACEFUL PROTEST THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO Elected representatives, political leaders, and locals gathered in Sancoale on Sunday to support former Sarpanch Premanand Naik, who entered the seventh day of his hunger strike against the controversial Bhutani project. Demands for immediate revocation of the project’s licenses were strongly voiced at a peaceful protest organized by the “Sancoale Against Mega Project” group, drawing wide participation from across Goa. Cortalim MLA Anton Vas reiterated his longstanding opposition to the Bhutani project, highlighting his attempts to halt the project through Assembly debates and official correspondence with the Panchayat and >> pg 6 Former Sarpanch Premanand Naik at the peaceful protest held at Sancoale on Sunday.  other departments. Vas stated, “as MLA, I have raised this issue in the Assem- bly and communicated my opposition to all relevant departments. Today, I am here with my Zilla Panchayat member wife to reinforce my support for the people.” Sancoale opposition Panch member Tulshidas Naik stressed the urgency of Naik’s deteriorating health due to his indefinite hunger strike, demanding that the Panchayat immediately revoke Bhutani’s licenses to end the strike. “Naik’s health worsens daily. Our only demand is for the Panchayat to revoke the licenses as Bhutani lacks the required approvals,” said Naik. Expressing his concern for Goa’s environmental future, AAP MLA Cruz Silva warned, “If such mega projects continue, Goa will be unrecognizable in five years. We need a regional plan to protect farmlands, forests, and hillocks, or Goan land will be lost to development pressures. Some panchayat members, instead Goa’s quest to identify land for IIT campus continues Rivona site kept on hold, issues with title documents FII action, Waaree IPO & 5 key factors likely to impact market this week Investing in startups on stock market: Opportunities and associated risks Nifty weekly analysis: Bearish momentum persists WEATHER >> Max: 33.5 C Min: 25.5 C Humidity: 97% TIDES Low: High: 01:51 14:54 08:24 21:09 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Goa government has initiated a fresh process to identify land to set up a permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa as it has kept on hold the Rivona site, following roadblock in the land acquisition. The decision of the government to keep the site on hold comes almost two months after the Selection Committee of the Union Education Ministry inspected and granted nod to the proposed 10.5 lakh sq mtrs of land at Rivona in Sanguem taluka to set up IIT Goa campus. The South Goa district collector had issued a public notice for the acquisition of the said land. However, lack of documentation has forced the government to backtrack on Self-declaration mandatory for sand mining THE GOAN I NETWORK was directed to ascertain and verify the title documents. “However, there were some issues as far as title documents were concerned. In the absence of documents or lack of mismatch in the documentation, the land acquisition process hit the roadblock,” sources said. Despite several attempts >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 RIVONA CONUNDRUM the proposed land and look for an alternative. Speaking to The Goan, Education Secretary Prasad Lolayekar, without going into the details said “we are exploring other options”. Sources said that the land under four survey numbers measuring 10,49,118 sq mtrs at Malewada-Rivona was identified by the government and the Revenue department of protecting our village, have aligned with Bhutani, forcing Goans to unite against this project.” Former Tourism Minister Micky Pacheco, defying potential government backlash, emphasized the urgency of revoking the project licenses. “Outsiders have gained footholds here, endangering Goans’ livelihoods. The TCP department must revoke this license immediately,” he stated. Goa Forward Party’s Mohandas Lolienkar pledged his support to the agitation, assuring that his party would work to scrap the Bhutani project. The protest drew support from other prominent figures, including Pratima Coutinho, environmentalist Olencio Simoes, and activist Aruna Wagh, all of whom shared messages of solidarity. PANAJI Gearing up for legal sand mining activities in the State, the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has mandated a self-declaration certificate from all those individuals intending to apply for sand extraction permits in River Mandovi and Zuari. The self-declaration mandates the applicant to declare whether he or she is a traditional or non-traditional sand extractor from the local community. The DMG is set to grant permits across 12 zones in both the rivers, together. Following the environmental clearance (EC) recommendation, the DMG, earlier this week, invited applications from the persons from the local community for  sand  mining, within a period of 30 days. DMG said that 70 per cent of the licenses would be „„Decision to keep Rivona site on hold comes almost two months after Selection Committee inspected and granted nod to 10.5 lakh sq mtrs of land „„South Goa district collector issued public notice for acquisition of the said land „„Lack of documentation forced government to backtrack on proposed land „„Education Secretary says “we are exploring other options” Goa-born singer shines at ‘The Voice Australia’ FRANKEY FERNANDES THE GOAN I MELBOURNE G oa-born singer Reuben De Mello has shot to global fame after having won the finals of the prestigious singing competition, ‘The Voice Australia 2024’. De Mello (31), who hails from Maina-Curtorim and is presently based in Perth, Western Australia, won The Voice Australia 2024 after the public voted during the grand finale on Sunday. He has won a cash prize of Australian $100,000, and an all-inclusive recording package. Following De Mello’s brilliant audition performance of Ed Sheeran’s ‘I See Fire’, The Voice coaches Guy Sebastian, Adam Lambert, LeAnn Rimes and Kate Miller-Heidke had all vied to mentor De Mello. But American singer-songwriter LeAnn Rimes succeeded in claiming De Melo for her team, and De Mello described her as an “incredible mentor.” Reuben De Mello GOAN CONNECT While preparing De Mello for his final performance ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by The Animals, Rimes brought out a photo of a little De Mello on the guitar and his cousin on the keyboard, which took De Mello back to his childhood in Goa. Rimes then sought to know where and when did music first start for De Mello. Sharing his earliest memories of being in Goa, Reuben said, “In my village where I grew up, people would gather together and sing at festivals or birthdays and the whole village would come together. Music has been part of my Rizwan replaces Babar as Pak white-ball captain Pg 12 culture for a long time.” “Seeing that photo made me realise that I have loved music from a very young age.” De Mello said his love for music continued when his family moved to Australia while he was 11 years. “I would pick up the guitar from my dad and would play at Goan functions,” said De Mello, a mine worker by profession. “My dad was more of a >Continued on P5 Parishad moots grants for Konkani schools in Maha, K’taka, Kerala THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The All-India Konkani Parishad has resolved that the Goa government should persuade the governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala to provide grants and salaries for teachers at Konkani medium schools in those States, similar to how Goa supports Kannada medium primary schools and teachers in high schools. At the concluding function of the 33rd edition of AIKP at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao seven resolutions were passed unanimously in the presence of the newly appointed president of the AIKP Fr Mousinho Ataide, former presidents of Konkani Bhasha Mandal Prashant Naik and Chetan Acharya, industrialist and chairman of Fomento Group Auduth Timblo and other dignitaries. Among the other resolutions demand was made that the training for government servants in Konkani Language and more specifically for the >Continued on P5 Chairman of the Fomento Group, Auduth Timblo speaking at the concluding function of All-India Konkani Parishad in Margao on Sunday.  Santosh Mirajkar Konkani should flourish: Timblo PANAJI: Chairman of Fomento Group, Auduth Timblo said “while I speak five languages fluently, Konkani has always been my mother tongue”. Speaking at the concluding ceremony of All-India Konkani Parishad in Margao, Timblo stated that knowing multiple languages is a privilege and a great exercise for the brain. “We need to encourage more people to speak Konkani so that the language can grow and thrive,” he said. Speaking further, he said learning more languages should not be an issue but let the roots of Konkani be strong and deep. Goa is a magnet and people from all over India come here for various reasons. “The State should ensure that the migrant population living >Continued on P5