log on to thegoan.net Facebook.com/thegoan @thegoanonline FRIDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2024 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 15 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 148 Instagram.com/thegoanonline Govt to alter recruitment rules for sports persons RESERVATION, DIRECT RECRUITMENT IN THE PIPELINE SHWETA KAMAT MAHATME THE GOAN I PANAJI The Goa government is likely to revise its existing recruitment rules -- on employment and promotions -- in a bid to facilitate direct recruitment of sportspersons-cum-medal winners in government jobs. While, the government is considering reserving 3-4 per cent Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts, the direct recruitment for Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ would be considered for medal winners who are degree holders or post graduates.  Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in his 2024-25 Budget announced that sportspersons who win gold medals at the national and international level will be rewarded THE WINNING FORMULA „„Govt considering reserving 3-4% in Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts „„Direct recruitment for Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ to be considered for medal winners who are degree holders or post graduates „„Jobs to be reserved would only be to sportspersons born in the State and who have won medals at with government jobs. Following National Games success, Sawant along with Sport Minister Govind Gaude had promised 4 per cent job reservation for Goan sportsmen, national or international level „„Scheme likely to be notified by February next year „„Move aimed at bolstering sports in the State who win medals. Accordingly, the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs drafted a scheme to provide jobs to medal winners in various government departments. „„Govt likely form Selection Committee headed by Sports Minister or Secretary Sports to clear posts in various categories FLASHBACK: Following the National Games success, Chief Minister along with Sport Minister had promised 4 per cent job reservation for Goan sportsmen, who win medals However, the Finance Department raised certain queries with regards to recruitment rules and qualification for direct recruitments. “We are now complying Toyota’s record-breaking year in India: Profits soar with hybrids, partnerships, and strategic expansion REVIEW: The all new DZire: Maruti Suzuki’s safest car yet ner, with a copy also marked to MPDA. The letter refers to the development permission issued to Bhutani Infra by MPDA on February 2 and the construction license subsequently issued by the Sancoale Panchayat on February PONDA A hoax bomb threat caused panic among officials and students at the IIT Goa complex in Farmagudi on Thursday. According to reports, an email was sent at about 4 am to the IIT office located in Goa College of Engineering premises in Farmagudi, stating that a bomb had been planted in the IIT building. The IIT officials informed the Ponda police at about 10.30 am and Ponda DySP Shivram Waingankar, Police Inspector Vijayanath Kavalekar along with a police team rushed to the spot and evacuated the students and staff who were studying in IIT and other classes. Incidentally, the exams of the IIT students was scheduled to begin from 2 pm and a number of students had been awake till about 4-5 am preparing for their exams, before going to sleep. However at about 11 am, the police woke up the sleeping students and took them out of the campus. >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 SIT nets one more accused in land grab IMD puts Goa on Yellow Alert PANAJI: Most parts of the State witnessed rainfall on Thursday evening as IMD issued a Yellow Alert for Goa forecasting light to moderate rainfall over the next two days.  >> See pg 3 >Continued on P5 THE GOAN I NETWORK IN SHORT >> PANAJI: The Special Investigation Team (Land Grab) arrested a ‘hardened criminal’ on charges of grabbing land by forging documents and evading arrest for five years. The accused Siddiqui alias Suleman Khan, 54, was arrested in Hubli, Karnataka after a three-month investigation by the SIT that tracked his movements.  >> See pg 3 with the queries. We will have to amend the recruitment rules for direct recruitment and subsequent promotions. When we speak about direct recruitment of group A and B posts, we will have to see that the people employed there are qualified and able to do justice to the post. We will also have to give a dignified position to the medal winners at International or national level,” Sports Minister Govind Gaude told The Goan. “Though, direct recruitment at high level posts are considered, we will have to see whether it is practically possible,” he added. The Minister also clarified that the jobs to be reserved Bomb scare sparks panic at IIT complex in Farmagudi page 7 CELEBRATING CHILDHOOD: Children await their turn to perform in the cultural programme on the occasion of Children's Day at Bal Bhavan, Panaji, on Thursday. The Gomant Bal Bhushan awards were also presented during the event.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Sancoale panchayat moves TCP for technical view on Bhutani THE GOAN I NETWORK VASCO In a move to ensure compliance and transparency, the Sancoale Panchayat has adopted a resolution to seek a technical opinion from the Chief Town Planner of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department and the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) concerning the construction license granted to Parmesh Construction (Bhutani Infra). On Wednesday, Sancoale Panchayat Secretary Orville Vales sent an official letter to the TCP Chief Town Plan- Snehal, Kashyap hit triple tons as Goa crush ArunachalPg14 RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 SC raps Goa Chief Secy for changing HC service rules Says CS needs to be taught a lesson KEY SC OBSERVATIONS AGENCIES NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Thursday rebuked the Goa Chief Secretary for defending the State’s decision to alter the rules prepared by Bombay High Court with regard to the recruitment and service of court employees at Goa bench of the High Court. A Bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih took specific exception to the fact that the High Court of Bombay at Goa Officers and the Members of the Staff on the Establishment (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules 2023 were published as if they had been framed by the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court though the latter was not consulted. “This is a brazen act. What is this happening? Look at the affidavit of Chief Secretary. He is confident enough to defend „„This is a brazen act... What is this happening? Look at the affidavit of Chief Secretary „„He is confident enough to defend the rules... these rules are to be immediately withdrawn „„We therefore direct Chief Secretary to present before this court via VC next Friday. We direct him to explain the conduct done „„You do everything correctly… we need to teach Chief Secretary a lesson... such a brazen act the rules. These rules are to be immediately withdrawn,” the Bench stated. The Chief Secretary should be taught a lesson, the Court stated while ordering him to appear before it via video-conference next week. “We are shocked to know that instead of withdrawing the rules, the Chief Secretary has defended them. We therefore direct Chief Secretary to present before this court via VC next Friday. We direct him to explain the conduct done,” the Bench ordered. The Court was hearing a suo motu case registered by it on the basis of a representation made by former employees of the Bombay High Court Registry that they had not received pensionary benefits even after three to seven years of retirement. The counsel representing the employees submitted that the rules prepared by the High Court were altered by the Goa >Continued on P5 PWD to provide updates on water quality, supply To introduce reforms in rural, urban areas THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a first, Public Works Department (PWD) will soon begin informing consumers about the quality of water it supplies and also update them with a list of all past outages. ALL GOVT, SEMI-GOVT ESTABLISHMENTS GET MANDATE TO CONVERT LIGHTING TO 100% LED LAMPS >> See pg 3 Also, consumers will start getting updates of restricted water supply planned by the PWD “at least one month in advance.” A notification issued by the PWD’s current Principal Chief Engineer, Uttam Parsekar states that the PWD will implement the reformative measures in the entire State of Goa, for both rural and urban areas through its ‘works divisions’ with immediate effect. Parsekar through the notification mandates that an on- Plumbing work to be done only by registered plumbers, contractors PANAJI: Households will henceforth be required to get both internal (inside homes) and external plumbing work for water installations to be executed only by registered contractors or licenced professionals. Citing Rule 9 of the Goa Provision of Water Supply Rules, 2023, Principal Chief Engineer, Uttam Parsekar said in the >Continued on P5 line dashboard be published for water quality information. The online dashboard for water quality will provide information on water pressure and water quality tests in a time bound manner,  including giving details of water quality testing  laboratories and various parameters, the notification states. Parsekar also states in the notification that the department mandates that consumers and the public be notified of planned outages at least one month in advance.  It said, the information shall be displayed through digital platforms which should also carry data on past water outages. Currently, the PWD has Water Testing Laboratories and all its Water Treatment Plants (WTP) are equipped with one, including a State PHE-Laboratory. Also all the water testing laboratories are NABL accredited/recognised laboratories and tests are carried out as per Quality Standards (IS; 10500):2012, reaffirmed in 2018. Delhi gasps for breath as air Sunburn’s Dhargalim move triggers room rate boom quality hits hazardous levels Locals make Sunburn dance, EDM may return to Anjuna THE GOAN I NETWORK PTI NEW DELHI A dense layer of smog enveloped the national capital as the pollution levels continued to rise. The AQI level in Delhi at 8 am was 428, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Bhayender, a local said that the daily activities were being affected due to the increased pollution. He said “the pollution has increased. We are facing breathing problems and irritation in the eyes. Earlier we used to go jogging, but we are Online learning for classes up to 5 NEW DELHI: All schools up to Class 5 in Delhi will switch to online learning till further directions in view of rising pollution levels in the city, Chief Minister Atishi said. not even able to do that now.” A school student Raunak said that he had been coughing continuously due to the excessive pollution around. “I go for jogging daily. However these days with the increase in pollution, I have been coughing continuously which could also affect my lungs. If there is more of CNG based vehicles, the problem could be solved. However there is no cooperation by the people,” Raunak said. Prateek, another local said that the visibility had reduced, and people had started feeling suffocated. “Pollution level has increased. The visibility on the roads have reduced, there is barely any visibility, our eyes burn and we have started feeling suffocated,” Prateek said. PANAJI he announcement of a new venue for Sunburn in Dhargalim, after other locations faced pushback from locals, has set off a wave of price hikes in the accommodation sector with tariffs skyrocketing by over 100 times. Until a probable new location is found, possibly back in Anjuna, the quiet village will be the talk of the town. Some high-end hotels and resorts around Dhargalim have seen tariffs increase 180 times their usual prices. For example, according to a travel portal, ‘Amoravida by & Apple Resorts’ offers rooms at around Rs 1.12 lakh per night T MAPUSA: The fate of the iconic Sunburn Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festival remains uncertain, with speculation mounting that the event may be relocated back to Anjuna after initial plans to host it in Dhargalim were met with fierce resistance from local residents, including Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar and memduring the Sunburn festival, from December 27 to 30. The rates drop significantly to around Rs 13,000 on New Year’s Eve, traditionally a peak demand period for Goa. Normally, the resort’s nightly rates bers of the village panchayats. As discussions around the festival’s location unfold, local sources and past festival volunteers from the beach village have said that enough hints have been dropped that Sunburn may make its way to Anjuna, although no official confirmation has been provided. >> See pg 3 in December hover between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000. The steep price increases are not isolated to Dhargalim. Surrounding areas, including Morjim, Pernem, Mandrem and even the slightly farther Arambol, have also seen similar surges, following high-season pricing trends. According to the booking sites, from December 27-30, the rates at Riva Beach Resort are about Rs 24,786 while Lavisa Beach Resort is priced at Rs 29,503. In Pernem, Anahata Retreat Sea Front Resort – a yoga wellness retreat – has quoted around Rs 29,000 while quite a few places are still below Rs 15,000 with tariffs likely to shoot up in the subsequent days.   If not only these places, homestays particularly in Bardez – another option for Sunburn – have put up their per-day rates. A homestay in Bardez, roughly 19 km from Manohar International Airport, is listed at Rs 82,000 per night on December 27. A luxury 4BHK villa in Mandrem is Rs 64,000 and some villas in Siolim have reached Rs 82,000 >Continued on P5