log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) Instagram.com/thegoanonline P12 FRIDAY JANUARY 2, 2026 Page 6 Indian carmakers regain ground in evolving auto landscape Petrol power rewrites the Harrier–Safari story Talpona mishap claims first life of New Year CANACONA: A road mishap claimed a life on New Year’s day when a youth from Yellapur-Karnataka riding a motorcycle hit a road-divider on the Canacona Bypass near Talpona bridge. According to Canacona police, the accident took place at about 8 am when Melari Boviwabar (28) was proceeding from Canacona towards Pollem on his Bullet motorcycle. The motorcycle struck a road divider and Boviwabar was flung on the road divider and sustained grievous injuries. He was shifted to the Community Health Centre, Canacona,, where he was declared dead on arrival. IN SHORT >> Govt announces austerity drive PANAJI: Ahead of the close of the financial year, the government announced a sweeping austerity drive to rein in avoidable expenditure, imposing a ban on the creation of new posts and introducing strict curbs on departmental spending to ensure funds are available for development works.  >> See pg 3 WRD to study gaps in Tillari water use MAPUSA: The Water Resources Department has initiated a comprehensive exercise to assess gaps in the utilisation of water from the Tillari canal system and frame strategic interventions to improve irrigation efficiency and agricultural outcomes in North Goa.  >> See pg 3 Govt revives Dev Darshan Scheme PANAJI: Nearly a year after it was put on hold due to the absence of government approval, the Mukhyamantri Dev Darshan Scheme has been restarted, with the State revising the eligibility age to include devotees between 50 and 70 years. Earlier, the benefit was restricted to those aged 60 and above.   >> See pg 3 12 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 195 SELECTORS FACE PANT DILEMMA AS THEY PICK TEAM FOR NZ ODIS RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 New Year’s hangover: Coastal Goa wakes up to sea of trash New Year’s revelry turns deadly, man kills friend in brawl AGNELO PEREIRA THE GOAN I MAPUSA THE GOAN I NETWORK BAGA, CALANGUTE LITTERED WITH BOTTLES, PLASTIC WASTE As the sun rose over Goa’s most famous beaches on New Year’s Day, it revealed a grim sense of déjà vu. Beer bottles, plastic waste and broken glass lay scattered across the sands, while intoxicated tourists slept well into the morning – an all-too-familiar post-New Year tableau along the Calangute–Baga stretch. Despite a visibly thinner crowd compared to previous years, the nuisance left behind by domestic tourists once again raised serious questions about crowd management, enforcement and the future of Goa’s tourism brand. Shack owners and beach operators said while beaches were packed on New Year’s Eve, business was dismal. “The beach was full last night, but there was hardly any business for us. The roads were completely jammed. “When we ask them not to litter or drink openly, they simply refuse to listen. Even if complaints are made to the police, no action is taken,” he said, requesting anonymity. FROM RED-LIGHT TO LIMELIGHT, BAINA ATTRACTS THOUSANDS TO USHER IN NEW YEAR >> See pg 2 TOURIST RUBBISH: Bottles, plastic waste and debris littered along the Calangute–Baga shoreline on New Year’s morning.  Agnelo Pereira If someone had fallen ill, it would have taken at least two hours for an ambulance to reach Baga,” said John Lobo, General Secretary of the Shack Owners Welfare Society. Broken glass, broken promises The filth on the beaches was not just unsightly – it posed real danger. Shakil, a water sports operator at Baga, described how drunken revelry often turns hazardous. “The visitors bring beer bottles and after getting drunk, some of them break the bottles on the beach. The glass Govt makes ID cards must for staff, warns of action RULE COMES INTO FORCE; COVERS OFFICE PREMISES, OUTDOOR AND FIELD DUTIES THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government has warned of disciplinary action against employees found not wearing their photo identity cards during working hours, making it mandatory for all government staff to display their IDs at all times while on duty. In a circular issued by the General Administration Department (GAD), the directive applies to employees of all State government departments, local bodies and other government institutions. The rule has come into force with immediate effect and covers office premises as well as outdoor and field duties. The GAD cautioned that non-compliance would be treated as misconduct. “Any failure to comply with the above instructions shall be treated as misconduct and the Govt plans new policy to finance films produced from this year THE GOAN I NETWORK ance has remained unsatisfactory. “Instances have been reported where employees are either not wearing Photo Identity Cards at all or carrying them without proper display, thereby defeating the purpose of identification, security, and public interface accountability,” he said. PANAJI Announcing that the Goa Film Finance Scheme (FFS) will undergo revision, the State government said that the existing scheme will continue to apply to only those films produced up to December 31, 2025. In a notification issued by Director of Information and Publicity Deepak Bandekar, the government stated that the films produced after December 31, 2025 will be governed by a revised scheme, which will come into effect from the date of its notification. “It is hereby informed that the said Scheme will go under revision. The existing Goa Scheme of Financial Assistance for Films–2016 shall remain in force and be applicable only to films produced up to December 31, 2025,” the notification stated. “Films produced after December 31, 2025, shall be governed by the revised Goa >Continued on P7 >Continued on P7 „„GAD circular says „„Heads of non-compliance departments, ID to be treated as autonomous CARDS: misconduct bodies, and corGOVT porations must „„Defaulting CRACKS ensure strict employees to and continuous WHIP face disciplinary compliance action under CCS (Conduct) Rules „„Directive also communicated to ministers, „„Supervisory officers to the Leader of Opposition, be held accountable for failand other authorities ure to enforce compliance defaulting employee shall be liable for disciplinary action under the provisions of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, as applicable. Supervisory officers shall also be held accountable for failure to enforce compliance,” the circular stated. Under Secretary Shreyas D’Silva noted that despite repeated instructions, compli- pieces get buried in the sand and washed into the water. They injure tourists and they put us at risk too,” he said. An official photographer registered with the Tourism Department, who patrols the beaches regularly, said unruly behaviour by domestic tourists has become routine. Drawing a comparison, he added: “Go to Juhu Beach in Mumbai – you will see 10 to 15 guards along a one-kilometre stretch. Nuisance is not tolerated. The beach is clean. Here, enforcement is almost non-existent.” Crowds down, spending lower An early morning drive along Calangute and Baga on January 1 told its own story. >Continued on P7 Both were employed as caretakers at an old house in Calangute MAPUSA A New Year’s celebration between two friends hailing from West Bengal came to a violent end when one of them allegedly murdered the other in Porbawaddo-Calangute, in the wee hours of Thursday. The accused, Kamal Adhikari (50), who is also residing at Porbawada-Calangute, has been arrested on charges of murdering Shipad Debnath (62). According to police reports, Adhikari and Debnath were employed as caretakers at an old house and while Debnath had been working as a caretaker for the last 15 years, Adhikari had been employed as Debnath’s helper. The house owner and his family are based in Mumbai and had hired the deceased to maintain the house. Debnath and Adhikari were staying in a room at the back of the house. HOW IT HAPPENED „„Both had gone to a bar at Porbawaddo to celebrate New Year… argument breaks out between them „„Return to their room and while cooking food, again argue over money at around 2.30 am „„Adhikari allegedly strikes Debnath with a shovel, inflicting injuries on his face and chest Both had gone to a bar at Porbawaddo to celebrate the New Year, when an argument broke out between them. They later returned to their room and while cooking food, they were embroiled in another argument over money matters at >Continued on P7 Horror at Swiss Alps bar, 40 dead in midnight fire HUNDREDS HAD GATHERED FOR NYE PARTY PTI CRANS About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire ripped through a bar's New Year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight Thursday, police said. Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased. The Crans-Montana resort is best known as an international ski and golf venue, and overnight, its crowded Le Constellation bar morphed from a scene of revelry into the site of potentially one of Switzerland's worst tragedies. Valais Canton police commander Frederic Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is devastated. Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said Deadly blaze rages through a bar in a Swiss Alpine resort. it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage. At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack, Pilloud said. Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived the blaze, described total chaos inside the bar. One of his friends died and two or three were missing, he told The Associated Press. He said he hadn't seen the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with sparklers, he said. Clavier said he felt like he was suffocating and initially hid behind a table, then ran upstairs and tried to use a table to break a Plexiglas window. It fell out of its casing, allowing him to escape. He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but I am still alive and it's just stuff. I'm still in shock, he added. Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told >Continued on P7 Another Hindu man attacked, set Goa expands GI portfolio with 5 more agri products on fire by miscreants in Bangla FLASHBACK GOA’S TRADITION TRADEMARKED THE GOAN I NETWORK SEVERELY INJURED, SAVES HIMSELF BY JUMPING INTO POND PTI DHAKA A Hindu businessman has been brutally attacked, hacked and set on fire by unidentified miscreants in Bangladesh, police said on Thursday. The victim, identified as 50-year-old Khokon Chandra Das, was assaulted near Keurbhanga Bazar in Damudya in Shariatpur district on Wednesday night while returning home after closing his shop, Bengali daily Prothom Alo reported, quoting police. He was later shifted to Dhaka for advanced treatment as his condition deteriorated. Das, who runs a medicine shop and mobile banking business, was travelling in an autorickshaw when the attackers intercepted the vehicle and allegedly beat him up, hacked him with sharp weapons and then poured petrol on his head before setting him on fire, the report said. In a bid to save himself, Das jumped into a roadside pond, prompting locals to raise alarm. The attackers fled the scene, police said, adding that he was rescued by locals and taken to Shariatpur Sadar Hospital, before being referred to Dhaka due to the severity of his injuries. Nazrul Islam, a doctor at the emergency department said Das suffered multiple injuries, including a serious wound to his abdomen, along with burn injuries on his face, head and hands. His wife, Seema, said she could not understand why he was targeted. She claimed that hes husband recognised two of the attackers, which is why they tried to kill him. PANAJI oa has strengthened its Geographical Indication (GI) portfolio with five more traditional agricultural products receiving formal GI registration, reinforcing efforts to protect indigenous crops and enhance farmers’ incomes. The newly recognised products are Goa Cashew Apple, Mussarad Mango, Maang–Hilario Mango, Khorgut Rice and Taleigao Brinjal. Announcing the development, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the GI tags reflect Goa’s rich agricultural heritage and age-old farming wisdom, while giving a major boost to G „„Goa’s newly registered products with GI tag -- Goa Cashew Apple, Mussarad Mango, Maang–Hilario Mango, Khorgut Rice, and Taleigao Brinjal „„Goa Cashew Apple: Integral to traditional Feni production and local cuisine, valued for its flavour and fermentation qualities the State government’s Swayampurna Goa Mission. The Goa Cashew Apple is closely associated with traditional Feni making and local cuisine and is increasingly being promoted for its distinctive flavour and fermentation „„Mussarad and Maang–Hilario mangoes: Gaining recognition for their distinct aroma and taste, beyond their original farming communities „„Khorgut Rice & Taleigao Brinjal: Both reflect Goa’s unique farming heritage, suited to coastal conditions and prized in Goan cooking qualities. The Mussarad and Maang– Hilario mango varieties, earlier confined to a few farming communities, are now gaining wider recognition for their aroma and taste. Khorgut Rice, a traditional paddy variety cultivated in the low-lying Khazan lands, is known for its salt tolerance and suitability to Goa’s coastal farming conditions. Taleigao Brinjal, grown for generations in the village it is named after, is valued for its Goa had earlier secured GI status for Mancurad Mango, Bebinca, Agassaim Brinjal, seven-sided okra (saat-shiro bhendo), Moira Banana, Harmal Chillies, Feni, Khola Chillies and Khajem. soft texture, mild sweetness and versatility in Goan dishes. The Chief Minister said the GI recognition would empower farmers, preserve indigenous varieties, improve market >Continued on P7